Torn between keeping my puppy and rehoming him — feeling overwhelmed, guilty, and confused

Hi everyone, I’m writing this because I’m mentally exhausted and need outside perspective from people who’ve been through puppy blues.

Background I’m a 40-year-old father from India, married, and have an 8-year-old daughter. For various life reasons (health issues in family, miscarriages, COVID period, job transfers), we couldn’t have a second child. My daughter has openly expressed loneliness and asked for a sibling or a pet. That stayed with me.

After months of research and convincing myself I was ready, I adopted a toy/mini poodle puppy. He’s around 3 months old now, vaccinated on schedule, generally healthy. I genuinely believed I could handle it — after all, so many families have dogs.

Then the reality hit me. The last month has been far harder than I imagined. My entire day revolves around the puppy. No personal time, no rest on weekends. Constant supervision, chasing, redirecting. Travel requires heavy planning or sacrifices. I’ve skipped gym, office focus is impacted. I’ve fallen sick twice since getting him (neck pain, dizziness from constantly looking down, then allergy/cold).

Behavior-wise, he’s a normal puppy — biting, chewing, peeing mistakes, nipping, scratching. I know this is developmentally normal, but emotionally I’m struggling to cope with it day after day.

Family & social pressure- Recently we traveled to my hometown. Relatives openly disapproved of keeping a dog — especially in India, where rabies cases and stray dogs are a real issue. That discussion triggered a lot of anxiety in me.

To make things worse, my puppy accidentally scratched/bit my daughter (not deep, but skin broke).

Now I feel: Fear (rabies, safety, future responsibility). Guilt (towards my daughter and the puppy). Anger at myself for misjudging my capacity. Shame for even thinking of rehoming.

The hardest part My daughter is deeply attached. Even mentioning rehoming makes her cry. She talks to him, plays with him, and emotionally benefits from his presence when things are calm at home.

At the same time, I am the primary caregiver, and I feel burned out. My wife helps whenever she could, and I’m carrying most of the mental and physical load.

I feel torn between two painful options: 1. Continue, hoping things improve in the next few months 2. Rehome/return him to the breeder, but risk emotionally hurting my child and living with regret

What I’m asking Did anyone here rehome and later feel it was the right decision? Did anyone push through similar feelings and feel grateful later? How do you decide if this is puppy blues or a genuine mismatch? How do you weigh your mental health vs your child’s attachment? Am I being irresponsible… or realistic?

I’m not looking for judgment — just honest experiences. Right now, I feel like I’m failing no matter what choice I make.

Thank you for reading.