Divorce and the Dog
I realize this makes me sound like a crappy human but I need help.
Married for 25 years, divorced next week. We have a 6 year old pittie mix. We got her through a dog rescue three years ago. She's not the smartest dog in the world. She's sweet, even though she's a lot of work, like most Velcro dogs are. She cannot be around other dogs, very reactive to them. Honestly, we tried to return her three months after we got her and the rescue said no, they were full and require adopters to give it a six month trial. They said they'd help us but never did, even after repeated requests for assistance.
We found our way with her and even though she's still a lot of work, she's become part of the family.
When we decided to divorce, the understanding was that my stbx would take the dog: he loves to walk, wrestles with her, is moving to his cousin's farm, he works remotely about 95% of the time, and the dog adores him. I agreed to help pay for food and vet bills.
A couple weeks ago, my stbx announced that he's not going to take the dog because "she's too much work". And that it was my decision what happens next: surrender to a pound or take her myself.
Well crap. The apartment I moved into IS dog friendly, I just have to pay a $300 deposit and $35 a month dog fee. Which sucks because I'm not exactly swimming in money right now. But okay. The other issue is that I work remote one day a week, the other four days I have to be in the office. What the heck am I supposed to do with her then? My stbx just shrugged and said it's not his problem but he can help once in a while if I need a night off. Gee thanks.
Do I get a dog sitter? She can't do the doggie daycare thing because she will attack other dogs. Aside from that, I can't afford these extra expenses. Plus my kids (in college) adore her and would be crushed if I gave her up.
What do I do? Literally any advice is welcome. I'm so stressed. My apartment is not big and she's 70 pounds. My sister and mom tell me just to get rid of her, because she's causing me stress that I don't need right now. I would feel terrible giving her up because her last "foster" kept her in a kennel 18 hours a day (with random potty breaks) and I don't want that for her again.
What do I do?