Sad Update

[sparks19]

I'm sorry you are going through this NicoleJ

I'll tell ya what. if it came down to feeding my child and keeping a roof over her head or keeping the dogs... Beezer and Belle would be off to new homes. No one has to like it or agree but Hannah comes first... ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Doesn't mean that I don't love Beezer and Belle but would it really be fair to them to be in a home that couldn't provide basic vet care let alone if an emergency happened or might not be able to feed them all day.

I would hope that never in my life will I have to make a decision like that... but I can say with all certainty that if it came down to it and I couldn't afford to feed my children and my dogs... the dogs would be gone. I love them but my loyalties HAVE to lie with my daughter.

ETA: I just read sumbirdy's post... and I couldn't agree more.

[Cataholic]

I'll tell ya what. if it came down to feeding my child and keeping a roof over her head or keeping the dogs... Beezer and Belle would be off to new homes. No one has to like it or agree but Hannah comes first... ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Doesn't mean that I don't love Beezer and Belle but would it really be fair to them to be in a home that couldn't provide basic vet care let alone if an emergency happened or might not be able to feed them all day.

I would hope that never in my life will I have to make a decision like that... but I can say with all certainty that if it came down to it and I couldn't afford to feed my children and my dogs... the dogs would be gone. I love them but my loyalties HAVE to lie with my daughter.

.

I have heard this statment before....or, a variation on it..kids first, humans first, etc. I guess I don't see it so black and white (despite the black and whites living in my home). To me, this argument is akin to who would you save first, your husband or your child, or child A or child B. Certainly, we could all agree that you would do whatever you could to save them all, right?

I think that is what the majority of the people here in this thread are saying, they would save both. Perhaps life is so fragile for the OP that saving the animals is simply not an option. I don't know where her kids are, and if they, too, are taken into the equation (as with the numbers she posted, I can't see feeding one adult on that budget, let alone 3 children). So much is not known. But, and that is a but for me....I couldn't do it. Does that mean I am a rotten, horrible parent? Maybe! LOL, I do sometimes forget to feed Jonah lunch if he doesn't say, "I am hungry"....(well, I did do that twice anyhow)...but, to me, my heart doesn't recognize the levels of love that others are able to articulate.

If it were a matter of feeding my child or my pets, I would go hungry, and I would scrounge, scavenge, mooch, whatever so that the 7 of them are fed. If kids/parents can live on mac and cheese or beans and rice for a month, then, my pets could do with something less, too.

[sparks19]

I have heard this statment before....or, a variation on it..kids first, humans first, etc. I guess I don't see it so black and white (despite the black and whites living in my home). To me, this argument is akin to who would you save first, your husband or your child, or child A or child B. Certainly, we could all agree that you would do whatever you could to save them all, right?

I think that is what the majority of the people here in this thread are saying, they would save both. Perhaps life is so fragile for the OP that saving the animals is simply not an option. I don't know where her kids are, and if they, too, are taken into the equation (as with the numbers she posted, I can't see feeding one adult on that budget, let alone 3 children). So much is not known. But, and that is a but for me....I couldn't do it. Does that mean I am a rotten, horrible parent? Maybe! LOL, I do sometimes forget to feed Jonah lunch if he doesn't say, "I am hungry"....(well, I did do that twice anyhow)...but, to me, my heart doesn't recognize the levels of love that others are able to articulate.

If it were a matter of feeding my child or my pets, I would go hungry, and I would scrounge, scavenge, mooch, whatever so that the 7 of them are fed. If kids/parents can live on mac and cheese or beans and rice for a month, then, my pets could do with something less, too.

I agree that everything in your power should be done to keep your pets... but sometimes life doesn't always give you the option for BOTH. things happen and I know it's hard to imagine life getting so dark that this would really need to be considered but sometimes it happens.

I don't know the in's and out's of what is going on with Nicole or her kids or her pets.

I can only speak for myself... and IF it REALLY came down to it I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Hannah would come FIRST. It's not ideal, it's not a decision I would ever like to have to make, it's not something I would wish on my very worst enemy. But if it came down to it... REALLY came down to the bare essentials of keeping food in her belly and a roof over her head OR feeding the dogs... I have to choose hannah. It would break my heart to get rid of the dogs, it really would and it shoudln't ever be an easy thing to do... but Hannah comes first... period. I would do whatever I could to "save both" but sometimes life doesn't give you that option.

[shepgirl]

Sumbirdy please don't judge me by the drama you read here. There might be something you are not aware of. I said nothing that I should apologize for so don't say I am bashing Nicole. She asked our point of view and mine is that I could never give up my animals as they are as important as the rest of my family. When I make a commitment to a pet it's for it's life, plain and simple. I don't buy on impulse and I don't act on impulse. do your homework before dragging me down in this drama.
Don't forget we are the masters of our own destiny. If we can't make the right decisions then we shouldn't cast blame on others.
And be aware that evryone on this forum has problems that they are trying to solve. No one lives the perfect life Just because we don't dramatize our situation doesn't mean we are problem free.

[NicoleLJ]

WOW I wish I had your power of percetion. I wish I knew when I married my husband that my life was going to turn out this way. I wish I could predicted my own future like you can. You sound like you make no mistakes and you can see the future.

Sorry but what has happened the past while has not been my fault entirely. THanks to my therapy I know that. In fact very little of it is my fault so no matter how you try to make me look I am doing nothing wrong accept trying to put myself in a better potion to care for myself, my children and the few pets I can keep. I am being responsible when the one othre adult in this relation ship was not. I chose life over death. Thank you. I chose to walk away from his beatings and chose to no longer be his victim. I am being responsible. So you can have what ever opinion you want and you may have chosen to stay in the relationship for the money to keep the pets. I didn't. My kids and I deserve better.