Married couple adopts rescue Husky with extreme separation anxiety, husband calls it quits causing the wife to escape to a dog-friendly hotel

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Apr 2, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

We hope you're having a fine and dandy week, animal fam. Certainly, we hope you're having a better week than the couple in this post. We think that social media has skewed everyone's idea of what owning a dog is like. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Not every dog is a golden retriever that has one derpy brain cell and just wants to cuddle all the time. We learned that lesson the hard way when we adopted our first rescue pup, who turned out to be one of the most anxious dogs we've ever owned.

It was a shock to our system. Everything we thought we knew about dogs went out the window. It required us to stop, listen, learn, and make significant changes to our lives to accommodate this pup. It was a commitment. So we feel for this couple who adopted a husky with extreme separation anxiety. Both partners have to be fully willing to commit to making it work. As it turns out, they weren't on the same page, and now their marriage is in trouble. Scroll down to read the full doggo drama below!

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  • 01

    AIO? Dog straining my marriage.

    'My husband thinks I'm crazy and that I'm choosing the dog over our marriage'
    via Georgijevic

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My husband and I rescued a husky about 7 months ago who was extremely malnourished and neglected.
    via u/LedyyM
  • 03
    Cheezburger Image 10488022272
    via u/LedyyM
  • 04
    He has grown a huge attachment to me and has severe separation anxiety. I work at a grooming salon so I'm able to bring him to work with me so he's not home alone. Unfortunately, if he's left home alone we'll come back to our home looking like it was hit by a tornado.
    via u/LedyyM

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  • 05
    My vet has prescribed him with trazodone to help with his severe anxiety issues. We give it to him before we leave for a family event and when we can't take him to places they don't allow dogs.
    via u/LedyyM
  • 06
    I feel so bad that I have to sedate him so he's not scared and anxious. It's created a huge strain on our marriage because my husband feels like we can't do anything without considering Odin.
    via u/LedyyM
  • 07
    He's destroyed doors, couches, and other furniture. I tried training but it hasn't seemed to work. My husband thinks we should rehome him but
    via u/LedyyM
  • 08
    1. I'm scared that he'll be sent to a shelter and possibly be put down 2. feel abandoned by the person he thought he was safe with.
    via u/LedyyM

  • These are all completely valid fears. We get it. But, at a certain point, they need to understand that the dog can feel this tension and it's definitely making the dog's anxiety worse. Dogs are very sensitive to our emotions…more than we give them credit for.

  • 09
    He's such a happy boy when he's around us and shows so much affection. My husband and I have been arguing about this consistently.. we had a really bad argument so I left the house with Odin and rented a dog friendly hotel room for a couple of nights.
    via u/LedyyM
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10488030464
    via Dean Drobot

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 11
    My husband thinks I'm crazy and that I'm choosing the dog over our marriage. AIO?
    via u/
  • 12
    discombobulatededed My collie suffered from extreme separation anxiety, I couldn't even go to the shop without running around the aisles to get home as fast as I could. I was terrified I'd get complaints and potentially get kicked out cos my dog would howl and cry continuously when I was gone, it broke my heart and was awful.
    via u/discombobulatededed
  • 13
    I spoke with a behaviourist but couldn't afford to actually use her. I followed a group on Facebook for dogs with separation anxiety and read Julie Naismith, she's done loads to help. I did a ton of training with my dog, shutting him in the kitchen for 10 seconds, open
    via u/discombobulatededed
  • 14
    seconds, reward. Repeat repeat repeat. It sucked and took me a couple months but now he doesn't even get up and come say bye when I'm leaving the house. No crying, whining, nothing. Took him time to learn that me leaving isn't bad and that I always come back.
    via u/discombobulatededed

  • We swear by crate training. It teaches the dog to have their own space and feel comfortable. It also protects your house from harm. It will take time. It will take patience. But in the end, it's usually worth it.

  • 15
    justveryunwell The thing that stands out to me is that you said training "didn't seem to work." How long did you try, how often throughout a given day, what methods were tried? Training rarely yields instant results, it's a very long term commitment and even once a dog is "trained" they need to be practicing what they know or they'll get rusty and disobedient.
    via u/justveryunwell
  • 16
    Also gonna second the crate training comments. Pup might not like it but he'll be safe and so will your home, it's a fair compromise as long as he doesn't live in it full time.
    via justveryunwellu/
  • 17
    Cheezburger Image 10488030720
    via pixelshot

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 18
    badd Aries Have you owned a husky before ? They're a lot of work. You need to start crate training now. My husky couldn't be trusted until he was around 6. You also need to make sure he's getting enough stimulation and exercise. An hour walk or more per day, antlers, puzzle, outdoor play etc
    via u/badd***Aries
  • 19
    Foil WingBass Cage training at this age will S k but could save your marriage. Give it a shot.
    via u/FoilWingBass
  • 20
    Elivagara Well.... you kinda are choosing the dog over your husband. Make of that what you will. I don't know your relationship, maybe you like the dog better.
    via u/Elivagara
  • 21
    sxfrklarret Well, you left your husband and took the dog. You ARE placing the dog higher than your husband and relationship. You just have to decide how far you want this to go. Is the dog worth a divorce?
    via u/sxfrklarret
  • 22
    I love my dogs and we have had many over the years. We have rehomed a few due to aggression with the kids or with other animals.
    via u/sxfrklarret
  • 23
    We had one that was attached to me but hated my calm, loving and almost always happy wife. He was for lack of a better word mean to her. She was always uncomfortable. She did not ask me to but I rehomed him because of this. She thanked me after.
    via u/sxfrklarret
  • 24
    Again I love my animals but I love my wife and kids more. You need to decide what is more important to you, your marriage or the dog. And yes you are overreacting by a mile to leave your home.
    via u/sxfrklarret

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dogs marriage marriage drama adoption hotel husky wife animal rescue husband doggo animals anxiety rescue
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