Really sad situation but for what its worth I think you are making the right decision for him.Your heart is in the right place and it's really hard to admit that you can't provide him with what he needs,I've been there,I know.
Fingers crossed for him(( hugs))

I felt bad not being able to give the thunder shirt a try but what I have read that with his severity it might help but it probbally won't slove it. If would absolutely take a couple more days if I knew it would solve the problem. But I feel it is going take weeks and weeks of building his confidence up to feel comfortable being confined

Chris , Yes I think you're right. It would take more than a thunder shirt.
I think that if you send him back they will make an effort with him and they have an awareness of how he can be helped , they could have said leave him in a crate and he'll get used to it for example so there is hope for him.

Yea actually one of the ladies at the shelter also recommended that. I tried as a last ditch effort and I couldn't even get him in. I pretty much picked him up and tried to place him in the crate and he squirmed and ran away. Then after that he refused to go anywhere near the crate. He actually went to lay down as far away from the crate as possible.

In the car ride this morning to the shelter he actually did alright in the truck. I had to pick him up and place him in but at first he was freaking out. But he managed to get in the passenger seat and then just calmly layed down. I guess this might be part of his separation anxiety where he only felt comfortable next to me in the truck.

Best of luck to him in the future. I hope he finds a loving family that can spend the necessary time with him to build up his confidence.

I only hope that this wasn't his last chance. The shelter people seem nice, so maybe they can find another home for him. Sorry you had to return him.

Just really, I know you feel awful about it right now and it was a very sad situation. But sometimes it's about finding the right fit with a dog and the only way to truly know is when you get them home. Somewhere out there a dog is waiting for you who'll be just perfect. Give yourself some time first. <<<Hugs and purrs>>>

Well after deciding to return Gus to the shelter Tuesday afternoon it has been a pretty tough week for me. The county shelter has a [a social network] page set up where they have updates on adoptable dogs. Wednesday night I went to the [a social network] page and saw Gus was on the ‘urgent list’ for Thursday evening (obviously not a good list to be on). They tried reuniting Gus into a communal kennel but they said he was too ‘stressed’ out there and had to move him into a single kennel. I feel terrible that he had to go thru this but also think it reaffirms my suspicion that he has severe separation / confinement anxiety.

BUT there is good news! Late yesterday afternoon he was re-adopted! It was by a young lady with another dog. Hopefully she can give him the time he needs to adjust and overcome his anxiety issues. I am hoping having another dog to hang around with can help too. I am still pretty disappointed I had to give him up, but I feel better knowing he was given another chance where he can hopefully live a happy life. Now I am pretty much just still in shock that I no longer have a dog after wanting one for years.

But I know it is time to move on and try again in about a year or so (I hope I can wait that long!). However I want to make sure I learn the most from this experience. Below are some few points I put together that I could have done different.

• Don’t adopt the first dog I see at the shelter – I was way too determined and excited to get a dog that day and just pretty much just picked the first one I saw. I am a muscular man in my early 30’s but if it was my only option I probably would have adopted a toy poodle with painted toenails and ribbons in its hair. (And believe me, I am not a big fan of toy breed dogs!). I should have done more research and gave it some more time.
  
  
• Adopt from a rescue group rather than a shelter – From what I have gathered shelters can be a very loud and dramatic place for dogs. Being a first time dog owner, I think it would have been better to get a dog from a smaller rescue group or even better a foster home.
  
  
• Ensure the dog is crate trained – I was naïve and thought that the dog would enjoy being locked in a crate. Even though I tried my best to make him feel comfortable in there, he absolutely hated it and went crazy trying to escape. While it might be easy to force a puppy or smaller dog into a crate it is almost impossible for a 1 year old 65 pound adult dog. Who knows what the dog experienced and had to endure in the previous year? Also I believe adopting a dog that already knows basic commends such as sit and stay is helpful too. I think it shows that the previous owners at least showed some interest in the wellbeing of the dog.
  
  
• Choose a breed / age that is good for my lifestyle – 1 year old Labrador was not the best choice for an apartment where I had to be gone for 10 – 11 hours a day at work. Even though I was more than willing to make some sacrifices like waking up an hour early to exercise him. Also there were other people around the house throughout the day, it probably would have not been enough. I should have choose a breed that was more acceptable to being left during the day. Or maybe a senior lab that still had a good 5-6 years in their life.

I definitely don’t want to call these last couple weeks a mistake, but rather a learning experience. And the truly important thing is that the dog has been given another chance to live the happy life he deserves.

I have been racking my brain of anything I could have done to make it work. Hopefully within a year I will have a house with a fenced in backyard. Let’s just make believe that I was in this situation with a fenced in backyard. Do you think it would have helped any at all? Even with his separation anxiety could I have left him in the backyard while I was at work until we could take the time needed to work on his crate training or would have that been a terrible idea?

Lastly, I would just like to thank you all for the help and advice over the last few weeks!

Sorry but I don't think your lifestyle is suitable for any dog at all. Being locked in a crate for so many hours is just not on for any dog and I don't think you should even think about having one until you can provide a better lifestyle than that. Seems like you are being selfish just considering what you want and not what any dog needs in a home.

So happy to get an update on Gus,was thinking about him Sounds good,hopefully the other dog in that home can help,fingers crossed he's found his forever home
No point going over the what if's and what could have been.He needed more than you could give him right now,you made the right decision.
Looks like you are giving your next adoption a lot of thought and not rushing into anything,good for you

Anytime you get a dog it's a crap shoot. The 2 best dogs I've ever had came from the shelter. Don't give up on getting another dog just because you work. If you can afford doggie daycare there is no reason you can't get a dog. My one dog is over 1 year old and still has to be crated. I only work 5 minutes from where I live so it's easy for me to pop home and leave her out to play a bit. If I know I'll be gone all day I put her in daycare. Nice thing is she comes home all tired out. I wish I could trust her to leave her out of her crate but she isn't there yet. She may never be, but I have had dogs all of my life and wouldn't want to live without one. Best of luck.