I feel concerned for my dog.
I’ve always wanted a dog and I got one at around 10 years old. It’s been a few years and I have noticed some behaviors from my parents. My parents would hit the dog as punishment. I know many others use hitting as a punishment technique but it felt wrong somehow. There was too much anger and kicking into the punishment and it felt wrong to live with these people. My parents hit me too but I’m human and dogs don’t understand that kind of punishment. My parents also bought shock collars for my dog too. I’ve found out what they do to dogs mentally and physically and tried to talk my parents out of using them. After they ignored my advice and then mocked me jokingly about being a PETA activist I have been trying to disconnect with them and turn most of my activities into making me the dog’s favorite so my parents can feel the guilt. After a few days, I saw a red rash on my dog’s neck. The shocking was so damaging that she got a rash.
After that, my parents continued to use shock collars. I’ve been hiding them so my parents can look for them and realize they are never ever going to be found again so I can destroy them in my backyard and bury the pieces. They always get new shock collars over and over again. By now I am waiting for them to realize that shock collars are a waste of money.
There was one incident too that happened. My dog ran over to the neighbor’s lawn because my parent’s training is shit. After they retrieved my dog back inside my mom continued to beat her. My dog was depressed after that incident and for a few months walked slowly and couldn’t poo right. I honestly just want to know what I should do about this by now.
HERE’S WHAT TO DO FIRST
- First we want to thank you for your bravery and courage for speaking up and reaching out for help. Reaching out for help can be the hardest thing for people to do so we’re glad you came to us for assistance!
- If you are ever feeling that you are unsafe and are getting abused there is always a Child Help USA website and hotline.
- The hotline number is 1-800-422-4453 and is available for you to call and talk to someone.
- Having someone to talk to in person is also beneficial, do you have a close relative, teacher, guidance counselor, trusted coach, or religious leader you could talk to? Maybe someone close to you has had experience dealing with this before and could offer some useful knowledge or insight into this matter.
CONSIDER THIS
- It seems like you are invested in helping your pet, which is awesome! You could always google “dog obedience training” to get a better understanding on how to train a dog and maybe your parents would benefit from that too. Working together as a team can maybe make training less overwhelming for everyone involved and can get everyone potentially on the same page.
- On the TeenCentral website there is a search bar that you can read how others in a similar situation may have handled the situation and what else could be beneficial for you and your dog. Click here to read some of the other stories and see if any suggestions would help you.
