What do you do when the dog you like is likely to cause serious damage to someone? Is it okay to euthanize a dog that bites?
Nem tudom.
There’s never an simple answer, seldom a “right” or “wrong” choice.
We do the very best we can.
What I’ve discovered with my work as a pet sitter and rescue volunteer is sometimes dog lovers will disagree, as well as that’s OK. It’s okay to disagree as long as we can still support one another.
I understand euthanizing aggressive dogs is a difficult topic, one many people won’t want to checked out about.
But it’s a topic we requirement to talk about. There are aggressive dogs available – some treatable, some manageable, others not. many stay in a “gray area.”
The complying with are the stories of three dog enthusiasts willing to share their personal experiences. My hope is that their stories will help others.
Please share your support in the comments.
When your dog bites
Chinook the mixed breed
“I am a dog trainer, in part, since of the one I couldn’t save.”
Trish McMillan Loehr fostered as well as increased a puppy with the pup’s mom as well as littermates back in 1997.
“I was living with a boyfriend, apprenticing to ended up being a dog fitness instructor at the time, as well as increased the puppies by the book, great deals of early handling as well as socialization,” she said.
She decided to keep one of the puppies, an “eerily smart” chocolate pup named Chinook.
“At three weeks of age, Chinook was growling during routine puppy handling,” she said. “He was spooking away from strangers by eight weeks of age as well as lunging as well as snarling at us over possessions by four months.”
At six months, Loehr stated it took four people to restrain Chinook for the blood draw needed to put him on Prozac.
“We tried a number of different habits meds for the next year, however nothing might make Chinook a risk-free dog,” she said. “He had a great deal of training, more than any type of dog I’ve had before or since as well as was extremely wise as well as obedient most of the time. up until he wasn’t.”
She stated her dog was worse at night as well as around resources – some real, some imagined.
Once, Chinook attacked Loehr’s boyfriend on the back porch where the dog had gotten into some trash the night before however had since been cleaned up. one more time, Chinook lunged at Loehr after she set his food bowl down. He then stood over the bowl as well as urinated in it.
As the dog ended up being older, Loehr stated the bites ended up being harder, leaving punctures as well as deep, black bruises.
She explained her experience living with Chinook as living under home arrest, not able to have good friends over. She would walk her dog in the middle of the night as well as had nightmares that Chinook had escaped from the yard.
“Toward the end, Chinook provided a endangering growl if he saw a human roll over in bed at night,” she said.
“He had to begin sleeping in a crate in the living space after that however lunged as well as snarled at the bars if he saw motion or if anyone approached after 9 or 10 at night. It was as though he didn’t even acknowledge us. In the morning, he would get up happy as well as kissy as he had been as a puppy.”
Loehr made – as well as cancelled – two visits to have Chinook euthanized since she stated he was never at his worst on the day of an appointment.
“On his last day, Chinook had my boyfriend trapped in the living space as well as me in the office. He was lunging as well as growling at each of us if we moved.
“I handled to get to the kitchen, sphere up some sedatives into a piece of bread, toss it to him, as well as wait on the meds to sluggish Chinook down to ensure that we might take him to the vet for that last, final tű.”
She explained her dog as brilliant, lovely as well as otherwise healthy, however she believes ending his life was the most humane option for everyone.
“After being hostage to him for 18 months, I decided I had to let him go.”
Today Loehr is a expert dog trainer. See her site LoehrAnimalBehavior.com. She likewise composed the lovely essay for the Huffington Post, “No, It’s Not All exactly how They’re Raised.” Please checked out it.
Belle the pointer mix
Elizabeth stated she as well as her husband gave their dog Belle “five wonderful years.”
When they embraced her, they figured they were Belle’s third house since her previous owner had gotten her from a shelter a month or two earlier.
After choosing her up as well as getting her house as well as settled, they understood Belle was dog reactive as well as to keep a cautious eye on her around other dogs.
Later, Elizabeth said they had some problems with their living plan however explained Belle (the dog with the white chest) as a “trooper” with it all.
“We spent 93 days in a hotel, then in an apartment building with other people as well as lastly were enabled back into the house. That’s where things started going weird.”
For example, she stated Belle as well as one more dog had a little fight in the street.
“She really broke the screen on the back of my honey’s truck to go assault a puppy at a friend’s house,” she said.
“The second time she did that, my other half got her as well as our other dog back in the truck as well as directed his finger at her as well as stated ‘no.’ She nipped his finger as well as our other dog growled nála. He understood right then as well as there that he would never trust her again.”
Because their other dog, D.O.G., had backed up Belle, Elizabeth stated her other half provided D.O.G. six months to “turn around” otherwise they would have to put him down as well.
“My other half just just recently told me that that was one of the hardest things that he’s done,” she said. “Wait as well as see if our aggressive dog had taught a few of it to our other, more mellow dog. Thankfully, she had not.”
Elizabeth stated the day they selected to have Belle euthanized was a horrible day at work. She called their routine vet as well as made the appointment.
After providing Belle a comprehensive exam, the vet tried to talk them out of it at first.
Elizabeth stated this provided her a bit “glimmer of hope” up until the vet stated they couldn’t take Belle anywhere that would make her reactive.
“In the end, we made the right decision,” Elizabeth said. “Hiányzik. She was my summertime lunch friend as well as my girl. But the stress in our home was gone that evening. I never realized exactly how much she had us wound up.”
Silky the coon hound mix – when to euthanize a dog that bites
Susan selected to euthanize her dog Silky 10 years back because of aggression.
“Next to losing my child at birth, it was by far the most difficult moment of my life, as well as I am not being dramatic. I still believe about her almost every day,” she said.
Susan as well as her household had embraced Silky (not pictured) from a shelter when the dog was about 2.5 years old. She stated Silky adapted quickly to their household, which included Susan’s 2-year-old child as well as 6-year-old son.
“However, she was very, extremely food aggressive as well as on a number of events growled as well as ended up being aggressive when youngsters were bring food around,” she said.
Over the next two years, the aggression ended up being a huge issue.
“With youngsters going in as well as out all the time, we sequestered her on our second floor,” Susan said. “We saw a number of trainers, utilized a pet psychologist as well as were looking to re-home her when she had a series of bites.”
She said Silky would commonly get between her as well as the stove while barking as well as growling for food.
Within a two-week period, Silky bit two of her son’s 6-year-old friends. One incident included food. One did not.
Silky likewise attacked a neighbor who was clearing food off the table, Susan said. This neighbor went to the hospital for stitches as well as needed a number of rounds of IV antibiotics.
“After consulting with our household vet as well as a number of good friends who are vets, we felt the right thing to do was to euthanize,” Susan said. “It was heartbreaking.”
Her vet tried to talk her out of it however Susan understood the dog would not be risk-free in any type of home.
“I still keep in mind the heartbreak as well as of holding her as the vet put her down,” she said. “The looks from the vet techs who shook their heads at me as well as told me not to do it.”
Yet, she understood it was right.
“After hearing the screams of six year olds who were bit as well as seeing the agony of my neighbor, I understand that it was the very best thing to do.”
Thank you to these three women for sharing their stories. – Lindsay
If you would like to share your story about an aggressive dog, please do so in the comments. I’m so sorry for anyone dealing with this difficult circumstance as well as decision.
Kapcsolódó cikkek:
We can’t save them all – euthanasia & aggressive dogs
When to euthanize an aggressive dog
Do I have to be there when my dog is put down?
