Gonna be a rough weekend →[More:]A few months ago, after enduring almost two years of my wife and daughter pleading for a dog, I cracked under the pressure and we adopted a puppy named Martha. She's sweet, lovable, and smart and, sadly, we've come to the conclusion that we can't keep her.

The biggest fly in the ointment is that our cat, Luke, just isn't going to come-around to accepting Martha. Martha, for her part, sees Luke as a critter to chase, which doesn't endear her to Luke. Be cause of this, I spend my days arranging times when either Luke is locked in a bedroom while Martha is running free, or Martha is leashed to heavy furniture while Luke is running free. Even then, when Martha sees Luke, she absolutely goes nuts and does everything to get at Luke.

We've had Martha in training classes and she's done beautifully. She picked-up on commands quickly and, as long as Luke isn't around, she's great. Once she sees Luke, though, she ignores commands and does everything she can to get to him.

There are some other issues (like howling constantly when out in the yard) that just don't seem to be responding to training. We've discussed things with the trainer, the vet, and others, and it just seems that we aren't the right family for Martha. She needs a cat-free home with a big fenced yard for her to run and play in.

My wife is utterly heartbroken over this. She really fell in-love with Martha and bursts into tears just thinking about having to give her up. But, even she acknowledges that it just isn't a good fit. I just know that, as Monday comes closer (the day we're scheduled to take Martha back to the shelter) I'm going to have a distraught and upset spouse to console.

I'll miss Martha, too. She's a real sweetheart. If only things could have worked out...