More Problems with Mom...Help Please...

I'm really upset right now. I don't know what to do. I realize this is Christmas and everyone's stressed, especially my mom because my grandparents are coming down and she gets freaked out over the littlest things.

Since I brought my three back over here, at first mom was in love with skye and almost 'couldn't stand' Romeo. Now it's kind of switched. For some reason, whenever it is just me in the house, Romeo is seemingly completely housebroken. He seems to have a small bladder or something, because he *always* has to pee and he pees a lot, and that's the way he's always been, but dosen't pee in the house when its just me. When it is just my mom, or my mom and me here, he'll usually have a urine accident once or twice. This is usually in the afternoon/evenings, I've tried letting him out a lot as it gets closer to then, but once I leave for work I guess he has an accident, and it's all I hear when I get home. I have a feeling she just dosen't let him out enough. She keeps saying "he's 6 months old, he should know this by now, I shouldn't have to let him out every 10 minutes." Well, no..but every half hour or so is good. Any tips on that would be great.

And then Skye...she's kind of a counter cruiser, but I tend to make sure everything is picked up as normally there's nothing to get on the counter, but my mom and siblings constantly takes the bread out of the microwave to cook something and leave it on the counter...well, then Skye takes it and eats it. I see it as fair game...my mom, not so much. And then Skye chews things, usually her own toys, but sometimes she'll pluck something off the christmas tree, or pick up something lying around. Everyone here has learned to pick up their shoes, finally, thank god. She also put Skye out on our lanai (screened in porch) where the crates are kept...but didn't put her IN the crate, and went out drinking at her friends house for the night. I came home at about 12 AM from work and well...bye bye $100 table chair, the fabric had been chewed in half. There were no toys out there either..what was she supposed to do? My mom holds that against her so much.

And, Skye barks. She's a pointer something or other mix...she's supposed to bark! She's a dog! She barks when she's playing with the other dogs (my moms dog does that too!) and she barks when she's excited or when she's outside without any company. It's not a constant thing, it's usually when shes either excited or lonely. But nonetheless, she does bark, and my mom holds that against her too.

Mom has been increasingly putting specifically my two in crates-all the time, when I get up in the morning and come home at night. She dosen't even want them sleeping in my room..for the past couple days she keeps asking me why i didn't leave the dog in their crates overnight. She uses the crate as a punishment. She hits both my dogs, especially Skye, and I've repeatedly asked her NOT to hit my dogs, that a firm NO is pretty much all that is needed and they get the picture..she just tells me its fine. I'm getting really fed up. My bedroom is adjacent to the lanai, where she lets the dogs out, and the other morning I woke up to her telling Skye quite loudly and repeatedly that she hates her and that she would be better off euthanized. She really wasn't kidding, there was NO amusement in her voice, and she was only talking to the dog itself, she didn't know I was awake.

And then tonight...my mom had all the dogs except Skye inside...Skye was out on the porch...and she was barking...and she told me that she can't stand her and that she wants me to find a "solution". Solution meaning rehoming, I believe. She said, and I quote, that she has nothing going for her except the fact that she dosen't pee in the house, and my other dog takes care of that.

I was really disturbed by that and I've barely said anything to her all night..she hasn't noticed. I don't know...what should I do? I'd like to come to an understanding but I will NOT rehome either of my dogs, and I believe Skye is just herself, I see nothing wrong in what she does. :confused:

It's never easy having kids (even though they're adults) move back home. When the situation is compounded by additional pets and their annoying habits it can become even more frustrating. Add the expectations of the arrival of two more people plus the hollidays and it can become a nightmare!

It's not really about the dogs. Your mom is obviously stressed; she can't refuse to provide her child with a roof over her head, she doesn't want to tell her parents not to come and she can't make the holidays go away. The only rational solution she sees to relieve some of the stress is to get rid of your dogs. If she did, and she's like most parents, she'd still find something to stress about. ;)

The two of you need to sit down and talk rationally and calmly about the situation. Figure out between the two of you what can be changed and what can't, and reach a comprimise.

A few things come to mind but not knowing your situation they may not apply and you'll have to come up with some of your own that will work. For example you could take the dogs with you as much as possible when you are gone (other than to work); let them stay outside a little more than they have been, fix a dog proof room or space for them so they can't counter surf when no one is watching, help your mom a little more around the house or run errands for her to relieve some of the stress. Other possible solutions would be to get your own place as soon as possible, have a friend foster the dogs temporarily or even find another place to keep the bread! ;)

Good luck!