Please no flaming here. I am broken hearted but it has become obvious that we have to give our dog away or have him put down. For the third time he has snapped and threatened/attempted to bite a kid other than our own. He was not provoked and he is healthy. Up until recently he has always been submissive and still is with adults. I think he would be fine with teens and adults. How do you go about giving a dog away? Around here there is a problem with dogs being used as baits for fighting dogs, so I am worried about craig's list or the humane society. I guess the other question is, should we just put him down?
I hate this and E is going to be beyond broken hearted. We are still trying to figure out how to do this.
if he were a biter in general, i think that would be time to put him down. if it's only around kids, i think he could be adopted out to a childless family.
i would contact your local no-kill shelter and explain your situation. they can probably bring him in and find a family that is appropriate for your dog's behavior.
i know when i see the adoptable pets at petsmart, they are sometimes labeled "needs a family without children."
libby, i know this must be so hard, but i definitely understand that we have to put our friends and family ahead of our pets. if he is in danger of harming someone, you are making the best choice for everyone. remember that he is probably not happy around the kids, so you are giving him a better life too.
Libby, I went through this with a dog we had before.
I would really recommend asking around facebook to see if you can find a rescue agency, like April said. You really do need to tell any shelter you take him to that he's a bite case with kids, to keep him from accidentally hurting someone else, but if you do that at the county shelter, he'll be on a fast track to being put down. Not that that's on your plate, but if you can cut out the middle man, I would. Especially since he's healthy (which answered my question that I was planning to ask.) If he's submissive normally, I'm guessing he's probably fearful now (which totally comes across as him trying to be aggressive. Remy - our current dog- is fear agressive. They present the same way. If you aren't urgent to get him out the door, you may want to talk to your vet - some here have behaviorists on staff that can really knock this out of being such a big problem. But I know from giving our other one away, that when that Mama Bear instinct kicks in, it takes over. So, if that isn't an option and he needs to go immediately, I'd really look into a rescue. As a whole, they just run better, and those people really want every dog they take in to be in a home that suits their needs, which may very well have changed for him. (eta: I just saw he big he is, which definitely worries me more than normal, and I'm already pretty high strung.) I hope you are able to get him rescued, but if you have to get him to a shelter, then you do, and you shouldn't feel guilty.
I'm sorry that you are dealing with that, though. Seriously.
-- Edited by Cuppycake on Thursday 28th of April 2011 09:24:06 PM
if he were a biter in general, i think that would be time to put him down. if it's only around kids, i think he could be adopted out to a childless family.
i would contact your local no-kill shelter and explain your situation. they can probably bring him in and find a family that is appropriate for your dog's behavior.
i know when i see the adoptable pets at petsmart, they are sometimes labeled "needs a family without children."
libby, i know this must be so hard, but i definitely understand that we have to put our friends and family ahead of our pets. if he is in danger of harming someone, you are making the best choice for everyone. remember that he is probably not happy around the kids, so you are giving him a better life too.
much love.
this is exactly what i would say. i'm so sorry you're in this situation - how hard :(
is he a specific breed? i wonder if you could contact a breed rescue group also? they are usually really careful with who they adopt out to.
Thank you everyone. We have started making calls. I am not holding out much hope right now. We have called and left a message with a animal behavior specialist. I really don't know what she can do that is going to help. I am looking into no kill shelters but it's pretty slim pickings around here. He did not bite anyone, but just snapped and growled. I am afraid that is enough for him to be turned away and ultimately killed. In the meantime everyone I can think of is being asked to help me find the dog a home. We are also having a hard time figuring out how we area going to break the news to Elizabeth. She is going to be crushed. She loves that dog so much. I don't much like being the grown up right now.
