dog euthanized, owner changes mind

[Mattemma]

Around here any owner turn in at the pound can be euthanised before you even leave the parking lot! They use the heart stick. Better to take a pet to a vet to be euthanised than have them go through a pound death.

 

[LyonFuzz]

Quote:
Be realistic. Do you really think there are people just standing around the shelter waiting to "fix" your trainwreck of a dog? Shelters are over crowded, understaffed and a very depressing place to work. Never mind having to deal with idiots that think you are going to find the dog they are dumping a great home on a farm with room to run....LOL. Waiting period? Why? Cage space is prime real estate. They are usually full with all the strays that people have dumped and have to be held onto for the owner to claim for several days before they can be euthed. This is not uncommon to take an owner surrender right back to the euth room...not at all.
The reality of it all is that people need to wake up to the responsibility of pet ownership before they acquire a pet. They are not disposable....in other words, if you screw up and leave a puppy like this loose for 9 hours while you are away and it destroys your house, it's your fault! This woman took on a very' high energy hunting dog as a pet and her knucklehead daughter should have though about what she was doing. Another good reason to not give pets as gifts.
THis poor dog never had a chance. Doomed from day #1.

 

[gpamela3499]

Quote:
Yeah that was my thought too! My mother lives in rural NC of a main HWY Every few weeks someone dumps cats and kittens in front of her house. She now has 25 and counting she can not pay her heating fuel bill but gets all the cats shots and spayed. I asked her to stop (I live in CA) but my step father can not bare the thought of them being humanly euthanized.
The woman in the article is impulsive She was impulsive when she got the dog, impulsive when she took the dog to the humane society too but at least she did the right thing. If she had known that the dog would be immediately euthanized she would probable have dumped it or further tortured the poor thing by tying it in the yard for days on end. She sounds like a selfish person. If she really wanted to keep the animal she would have been invetigating resources for behavior modification, dog day care, or crate training. She only had this dog for 9 months!!!! TIC

 

[cafarmgirl]

I think this woman cared about this dog I also know that this woman was completely ignorant and clueless about raising a dog. For heaven's sake, a lab puppy left alone and loose in a house all day long, day after day??!! Of course he's going to eat the couch! What else is he supposed to do hour after hour alone??!! Very, very good example of why pet's should not be given as gifts! She knows nothing about dogs!

That said, without seeing the dog's behavior we cannot know if it was true separation anxiety or if the behavior was just a young, bored dog with nothing else to do day in and day out. It's a shame the dog had to be killed before anybody really even knew what was really going on with him. A bored dog will be destructive, that doesn't mean anyone should take it upon themselves to make the jump to a severe problem like separation anxiety. Put the same dog in a proper environment with plenty of room, exercise and proper training you may well see a very different dog.

It's just a shameful situation all the way around.

 

[rancher hicks]

I must confess to having done this very same thing. The dog would go after people and we didn't have a fenced in yard. So I took my name sake to the shelter and knew he would be put down. I left in tears. DW offered to go and get him but I said no since there would be chance he got out and then what? Did I read all the paper work NO I was to upset, but I knew he would be put down.

Unfortunately it is a fact of life that there are too many dogs and cats in this world. So what is the solution? Spay and neuter your pets.

This is a true story, Growing up we had a dog named Lady and every year she would tangle with any male who showed up while she was in heat. Every year she would have a litter and every year the puppies would get distemper and die. Remember I was a kid. My mother didn't believe in spaying but apparently she believed in puppies getting sick and dieing.

So you can bet your favorite hen that I have never owned a cat or dog that was not spayed.

Here in Syracuse we have an organization Central NY Cat Coaliton. They work endlessly to trap and fix feral cats and will help if you can't afford to have your cat fixed. They have helped me and I have no doubt there are less kittens being born due to their efforts.

While this lady is upset , such is life.


Rancher

 

[LyonFuzz]

"This is a true story, Growing up we had a dog named Lady and every year she would tangle with any male who showed up while she was in heat."

Classic. Blame the poor dog. I'm sure she was just out looking to get gang raped by every male dog roaming her way. Good Lord.

Did you ever consider confining your last dog with a tie out cable to protect passer-by? And your dog's well- being? Why get a dog if you cannot accomodate one? The dog paid with it's life for your irresponsibility.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I think it is rediculous that the dog was euthanized 10 minutes after being taken in by the Shelter. I don't know that I believe the Shelter employees made it clear to the owner or not, I am inclined to think that both scenarios are equally probable. What makes me sick is that they based the death of the dog on what the owner said the dog's behavior was!!!! Not even a real behavor assessment for the poor puppy -- yes!! a puppy. Makes me so sick. UGH!!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Sorry you missed the point. The point was my mother (not an indictment against mothers) not being willing to get the dog spayed. I wasn't blaming the dog. It's a given it wasn't the dogs fault and I didn't expect anyone would think I was blaming the dog. Good garden o' peas , give me more credit than that.

I'll admit I could have worded it better.

Not sure what the "classic" was all about, but I'll bet it's not good.


Rancher

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
x2. What I don't understand is why the dog had the opportunity to be so destructive in the first place. What about crate training? My dogs go in crates when we leave the house - that way they don't even have a chance to do things they're not supposed to.

I agree with you, if folks only knew how much proper crate training helps their dog in the long run.They will end up in a crate at some point in their lives (spaying, vet visits for injury, grooming, etc.) If they veiw them as their safe place, it can be a really good thing.
Sorry to preach, I groomed for 15 years and crate training is one of my things. I have a relative with a new puppy who thinks its cruel, wish she would read this article.

I'm a big fan of crate training done right. But I've seen incidents of crates basically used as mini prisons too, with dogs practically living their lives out in the crate. Or people putting young pups in them, expecting them to hold their bladders for an entire 8 - 10 hour work day. I have a feeling had this woman attempted the use of a crate, it would have quickly become the dog's permanent home. Let's face it, just as there are some people who should never have kids, there are many people out there who should never take on the responsibility of pets.
I always try to keep in my head that there are much worse fates out there than a humane death. RIP doggie...

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I'm a huge fan of crate training and using the crate as a positive and calm retreat for the dog, but I also have seen them used as little prisons. I used to work security in an upscale gated community, and there was heavy marketing and buying of dog crates that were made to look like expensive furniture that you couldn't even see the dogs through, and they couldn't see out of. If dogs were walked, it was almost always by a paid person. They were just panting pieces of furniture rather than dogs. :S

I think the shelter's story sounds a bit iffy and defensive ("we told her the dog would be put down today...several times!), but regardless of possibly trying to do some PR modifications, they were in the right here as far as I'm concerned. Questioning euthanasia management and finding better solutions is an ongoing process, but for the immediate situation, the owner clearly signed away the rights to this dog.