• It is a sticky situation because lord knows that family drama is the worst & the last thing you want to do is cause family issues. However, I agree with everyone that it is unfair that she asked you to get rid of your dog after she was there long before the chi & it's YOUR home so ultimately YOUR decision.

    Although I would honestly give it a bit more time for readjusting. Have you guys looked into getting a trainer to come in & offer suggestions? Maybe try taking them for walks [Stella, your vizsla & the chi] so they maybe become more comfortable together on neutral territory. Good luck!


  • It is unfair of you Mother-in-law to ask you to get rid of your dog when she is staying in your house imposing on you and brought in another without any thought about how it would impact you and your household. Unfortunately, if she is the type of person who would even tell you such a thing, she is also probably the type of person who isn't going to be very receptive to the type of solutions this problem will need. Since there is such a size difference between the Chi and your dogs, you will probably be best keeping your mother in laws dogs separate from your dogs and ask your mother in law to at minimum split the costs to consult an animal behaviorist if not pay for the consultation herself since she is the one who has caused the need for it.


  • The Chi has to go. My dad used to say…you live under my roof, you live by my rules..it applied when he stayed at my house too. Your MIL has no right to ask you to get rid of Stella. I can't believe she would ask that of you while she is living in your home...that's just not right. Is her living with you a permanent situation now? If not, can the Chi be kept in one room away from the other dogs until she leaves?

    I have some experience with a Chi, my basenji's and vizsla. My neighbor got one and wants all our dogs to be friends...that's not happening as the B's want to eat it and have from the start. He lets it run loose and it came into our yard once and if I wasn't right on top of the dogs taking it out of their mouths it would be dead now. At first, I thought they had squirrel, then it registered that it was the Chi. My Vizsla will play with him but once pawed him and the thing went flying about 10 feet.


  • This is the mother-in-law, right? What does your spouse say about the situation?

    I gotta tell ya, there's no way in hell my dh would let his mother move in with her dogs. No way. And if she already lived here, she'd never get a new dog in the front door.

    It does seem a little nervy. I mean, if I were living in someone else's house, I wouldn't even think to bring in a pet. Well, maybe a fish bowl, but that'd be it.


  • Okay, your house, your rules. Stella stays. Okay, that leaves 3 things you can do:

    1. chi goes
    2. dogs are kept separated
    3. you try to get the dogs to get along with each other

    How long has the chi been in the house? How were the chi and Stella introduced? Ages and spay status? Why does MIL think it's okay to bring a new dog into your house? Are there any pet restrictions in you HOA or city? (Many times it is 3 and if you have a basenji, a vizsla and a cat, that could be the limit and you have a built in bad guy.) What's DH say?


  • I feel bad for her cause her 1st chi Ren is getting real old and she wanted another chi Stella loves ren and the other dogs but between my mom in laws cats 5 of them and the new chi im going crazy i have the house split but im not a fan of walking over gates lol in the middle of the night going over a gate at the top of the stairs is not fun. I gave in a little when she wanted to get him cause on dec 30 we found her son dead and earlyer in the year my dad passed but 5 dogs 5 cats plus other animals im going crazy thank you for letting me vent i just need to know how to get the chi and stella together im mean she playes w/ my squirreul all the time < how ever you spell it > so i know she can be nice . on the other hand i cant take her to the dog park she picks fights all the time


  • Stella and the chi meet outside in a friends yard chi been here 4 days he is fixed she is getting fixed in a few weeks just found a vet who deals w/ Bs


  • Dh says get rid of all dogs start over just keep the Vizsla lol my hubby is from hungery


  • @StellaGirl:

    thank you for letting me vent i just need to know how to get the chi and stella together im mean she playes w/ my squirreul all the time < how ever you spell it > so i know she can be nice . on the other hand i cant take her to the dog park she picks fights all the time

    Did I read that right? You have a basenji that plays nice with a squirrel? Really?


  • yep she is real good w/ Nikki im going to take some pics and video of it soon as my mom gets me a dig cam 4 my bday comming up soon


  • @StellaGirl:

    Dh says get rid of all dogs start over just keep the Vizsla lol my hubby is from hungery

    Dh is probably totally overwhelmed! FIVE dogs, FIVE cats, his mom all living there. {I gotta tell you, I was stunned that she would for one moment think to bring a dog into your home, but I nearly fell over when I read she has FIVE FLIPPIN' CATS to boot!} You have taken on an awful lot because you feel bad for her.
    No amount of sympathy and no amount of being a doormat for her is going to bring back her son. It's just going to turn your home into a zoo, and your life into a nightmare.

    I think all the animals should go except the viszla –cuz they are cool -- and the Basenji -- cuz, well, duh :p --. At the very, very least,IMO, HER animals need to go. I HATE giving up animals, but at some point sanity needs to reign. Nobody sounds happy with the current living arrangement, and sometimes as life takes it's twists and turns tough decisions have to be made.

    Man, good luck with this one.


  • Some dogs will not get along with each other no matter what you do. There are things you can try but you also need to be ready to accept that they may never like each other.

    It sounds like your house is very full and that may be contributing to the strain between Stella and the new Chi. I know if my house was that crowded and someone else moved in, I would be pretty darn grumpy too.


  • well today iam looking for a new home for all the cats. I just feel realy realy bad and dh is so happy he hates cats and now maybe i can make it look like the new chi ran away cause i know some one who will take him i just dont know how to do it


  • @StellaGirl:

    well today iam looking for a new home for all the cats. I just feel realy realy bad and dh is so happy he hates cats and now maybe i can make it look like the new chi ran away cause i know some one who will take him i just dont know how to do it

    Thats kinda drastic, I'm guessing that your mother is not coming to reason on this? From your earlier posts it does sound like you have a house full. Dogs are like humans in ways like say you usually get along with everyone but there is just the ONE person that you don't get along with, dogs are like that too in ways.

    Here's how I can explain it from my dogs point of view. Tiggy, my basenji, loves meeting and playing with other dogs. He's never had a problem with any of them, gender and altered doesn't matter; however, I have a friend that has a Thai Ridgeback, Tiggy can't stand him and every time he's seen that dog he growls. They never had an altercation or anything, Tiggy just doesn't like that one dog. Reggie, my boxer, he doesn't like bigger dogs but s great with smaller dogs. Then there's the dog and people mix also. Tiggy adores one of my closest friends and when ever he sees her he yodels and sings up a storm (this is also the same person who owns the Thai dog). Reggie is a dog that loves everyone and is often called the gentle giant. He'll let a 3 yr old walk him down the street and not even pull if he sees a squirrel (wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself). There is however one person that Reggie doesn't like, I have no idea why, there is a young boy that lives in my neighborhood; I'd say he's between 12-14 yrs old. A very nice young man, always says hello when you walk by and has NEVER done a mean thing to Reggie; but something about him that we as people can't smell/sense/understand makes Reggie very much dislike this child. I mean to the point of hackles up and teeth barred and him putting himself between me and the kid.

    In the end there are times when same animals cannot live together. You are not fond of the gates through out your house. Have you considered the gates that are walk through? Those are an option. It's unfortunate that you are in a tough situation, but maybe you do need to put your foot down with your mother and tell her that; yes you know her Chi is getting old, and the new chi is a rescue in sorts, but from the sound of it, your home is not the best place for this dog.


  • hello every one i know i have not been on the site for a while but the b and the chi are best of friends now my puter died time for a new one and we have no more cats thank god


  • So, its all good then?

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