Oscar -- My sad goodbye

The past couple of years have been really hard on Oscar. With each addition to the family his overprotective behavior got worse. It has been a long process of training, thinking, and finally deciding that Oscar would be a lot happier in a home without kids. Mike sent out an email to his family and he really said it all best, so I am going to post his story below.

We have been without Oscar for a week and a half and it has been really hard on me. Mike misses him, too. I know it will get easier, but for now I still can't talk about it without tears.
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Hey All,

Well, I am very sad to be sending out this email but the time has come for Oscar to go. We have discussed this for a while (going on a couple years) and as of a few months ago we started seriously talking about it. The problem is that Oscar is not good with the kids. He hasn't bit
them, but runs away from them. He won't let them play with him or pet him. He just gets annoyed or agitated and walks/runs away.
The bigger issue is that he recently bit Julie (he has also bit me and the groomer) after a long day of four wild kids at the house. But biting Julie is a big deal since she is his favorite.

Oscar is a very good, smart, and lovable dog, but only on an adult or individual level. Throw the kids in there and he gets too agitated. We thought he would get better with time, but it's actually getting worse. We have tried everything we could, from more walks, more adult play
time, training, consulting with the vet, even puppy drugs. The drugs were the worst because he was so mopy and even crabbier.

Now for the good news. We are not putting him down. Julie has worked very hard with a Cocker Spaniel rescue service and has found a great home for him. We have met the couple several times and they are perfect for Oscar. They are early to mid-50's and their kids are grown. They
live in Eden Prairie and have a very big yard. They came over this weekend and even brought us flowers. Our greatest concern was that Oscar be placed in a home with someone who will continue to train him, give him plenty of walks, and have adults only. Well as it turns out,
she has been looking for a cocker for 2 years and loves Oscar. The setting is great and she walks 3-4 miles a day. Her husband is a busy CFO, so Oscar will be her pal. She has trained dogs in the past, and also trains horses. She is very knowledgeable of dogs and has definitely done her research on Cockers. They also have great command of Oscar. As soon as they come in the house, he is very well behaved. He doesn't even bark at them.

The kids are fine with it. We've talked with them quite a bit. Ben is occasionally sad, but most of the time he wants to sell Oscar on Ebay to get money for a new toy. Maggie doesn't care at all. She hasn't shown any emotion about the whole ordeal. Oscar just hasn't given them the
cuddly or tongue-licking opportunity to become emotionally attached.

Anyway, sad news but I wanted to let you know. We couldn't bear putting him down; actually we would just keep him if it came to that. So, this is the best situation we could have hoped for. Julie and I are both sad about it and we will definitely miss him; however, we think it's the
best us and more importantly best for Oscar. We will bring him over to their house on Monday night.

Mike