Should I take my pet with me after a breakup?
Deciding whether to relocate a pet during a separation often triggers intense anxiety and second-guessing about whether moving disrupts a familiar environment or leaving causes separation anxiety. People get stuck cycling through choices because they fear making the wrong call for their animal's well-being.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Leaving the pet with the ex-partner to keep them in their familiar environment
- 2Taking the pet along to ensure better daily treatment and continued attachment
- 3leaving the dog in the same house with the ex-partner and stopping visits completely for a period until the dog settles
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am trying to decide what would be best for my Siberian husky Echo.”source ↗
“I would feel very upset leaving her, especially since this is exactly what her last owner did, and I do not wish to further worsen her separation anxiety.”source ↗
“What do you think? Take her with me? Leave her with my gf? Thoughts on visiting? Just looking for opinions.”source ↗
“I am anxiety ridden about making the wrong decision for my kitty.”source ↗
“I feel like I would be selfish to want to take her with me when she is so ingrained in her environment here.”source ↗
“I have been going over and over this in my head for weeks, and will settle on a decision for a bit, then completely second guess myself like I am doing right now.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How to move abroad or travel without leaving your pets behind
- 3What to do with pets buried in the backyard when moving
- 3How do I know if I should rehome my puppy?
- 8How to choose where to move to raise a family
- 11Is moving to a high-cost area for a higher salary worth it?
- 12Can I afford to move out on my own?