I Had to Return My Pitbull and I Don't Know How to Feel About It

When I was a kid, I had a wonderful Pitbull/Black Lab mix that I absolutely loved. She is no longer around, and it had been years since I had another pet.

Recently, I met a three-month-old Pitbull/Black Lab mix at a rescue shelter. The moment I saw him, I fell in love. He reminded me so much of my old dog. Instead of immediately adopting him, I opted for the 10-day trial period the shelter offered.

At first, I thought getting a dog made perfect sense. I work fully remotely, I had just settled into a new place where I planned to stay permanently, there are no breed restrictions, and I had also sold most of my furniture so there would be fewer things for a puppy to damage, chew on, or get dirty during the puppy stage. I had also been making progress since my fall that caused a concussion and sciatica.

But during the trial period, I started feeling overwhelmed and began doubting myself. I realized that I may not have as much free time as I thought I did to properly care for him. I also still need to focus on recovering from my injuries, and even something as simple as taking him for a walk can still be strenuous on my lower back. On top of that, I have other responsibilities that I need to manage, and the last thing I wanted was to neglect him or fail to give him the life he deserves.

I ultimately decided that returning him and giving him another chance to find the right home was the best option. I figured I could reassess my situation in a few months and see whether it would be a better time for me to get a dog.

But for some reason, I feel incredibly guilty about it. Part of me thinks I made the right decision, while another part of me keeps thinking that I made a mistake and could have adopted him. I miss him, and I feel terrible about letting him go. I don't know what to do or how I should feel about the decision.