Dog- need advice.

[dalasgalas]

Your dog, your decision, period. Never mind the naysayers. I’m sorry there has been such negativity on this thread. This isn’t usual for BYC so please don’t let this run you off. FWIW I have received some very valuable chicken advice from some of the ones who have posted here against euthanization. Unfortunately, euthanasia is such a touchy subject and sparks deep rooted feelings from most people. Some just see it much differently. Thank god we’re not talking politics!

I just skipped the entire thread. There is a lot of emotion when it comes to dogs.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Your dog, your decision, period. Never mind the naysayers. I’m sorry there has been such negativity on this thread. This isn’t usual for BYC so please don’t let this run you off. FWIW I have received some very valuable chicken advice from some of the ones who have posted here against euthanization. Unfortunately, euthanasia is such a touchy subject and sparks deep rooted feelings from most people. Some just see it much differently. Thank god we’re not talking politics!

X2

Where there are opinions there will always be extremes.

For example, my opinions are based on my experiences.
Recently having a terrifying encounter with a neighbors dog. It is a gigantic english mastiff. It escaped their yard and charged my husband in my driveway.
I spoke to the homeowner. I got "OH, he's not like that."
Then a week later she got a taste of it when that same dog charged the 75 year old lady across the street. She stands all of 5' tall if wearing heels!
The mailman has said he wont deliver mail to this route if he sees that dog out again. The city has to go into the yard to read the meter. Yes they have cited her for the aggressive dog.

It is horrible not being able to go out the front door for fear of an attack.

I told her I will not hesitate to shoot that dog if he attacks where I can see it.

I myself am a female over 50. No way could I drag the dog off anything he had in his mouth.
No way could the tiny old lady across the road withstand an attack.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[staceyj]

I love this came down to it's your fault as a a dog owner from some people. I have had many dogs and none of them have ever had these issues. Including the other dog I own right now. She will not partake in the behavior. She is an amazing dog who I trust around all other animals and people.
He was a great fit for our family until the day he decided to chase things and kill things. Since then he is a completely different dog. Sorry that has nothing to do with being a bad fit from that start considering he was 3 when this started happening and we have had him since a small pup.
I don't know if neutering him is what changed him or if he just realized chasing things to kill was fun etc... But no that is not my fault for "lack of training" or mindset, when he has had more training than ALOT of other common household dogs. Considering I have been fighting this behavior with him from the beginning of it trying to solve the problem no I'm not being irresponsible and just taking the easy way out because I don't "want to deal with it any more"
Because I haven't already said we feel awful for even considering it given we have never had a dog with these issues.

I had a mcnab that use to bite he was a working dog that was his nature. (This was before kids.) He bit me more times than I can count.
I took every precaution to keep him from his triggers and warn people that he was not a petting dog he was never allowed around children. If kids were gunna be around he got a muzzle. He was not my favorite dog by any means. He was actually a pretty big ass. We kept him until the day he died....

I’m sorry that you came here to ask opinions and advice on a hard subject and instead received criticism from some people who aren’t living your experience, but judging from behind the screens on their phones or computers.
Please know that they aren’t speaking for all of BYC and if you feel uncomfortable, all you have to do is hit the report button on a comment and a site moderator will step in.
You can also block anyone you don’t care to interact with.

 

[dalasgalas]

I went and read the entire thread.

I have personally fostered over 200 dogs in my life. All sizes. I have also been an intake coordinator for dog rescue. Sometimes the dog is broken. It is never the fault of the dog, but the reality is we live in a world where other people live. When an animal is a danger to others, regardless of the reason, it is the responsibility of the owner to keep others that live in their area safe.

I've been an overworked new mom. I've been in the OP's shoes. Sometimes the hard choice is sending the animal to a better place, and if that better place is the rainbow bridge, so be it. It happens. That is life. I believe there are no bad dogs, but sometimes the dog just needs a compassionate human to step in and put the animal out of it's pain. No dog wants to be a bad dog.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have not read the whole thread. I am sorry you are going through this. It is extremely difficult when a long loved pet no longer fits well with our family dynamics. I would say that working with a private trainer could help, however, from personal experience, I will also say that even once behaviors improve it is still extremely difficult to every fully trust your dog. I don't think you will ever be able to live at peace in your own home without worry of what could be. I'm not entirely sure it is responsible to re-home this dog. My brother went through something similar. His rescue dog showed aggression towards other dogs. He worked with a personal trainer, fenced the yard, and always kept the dog on a short leash in public, and kept the dog medicated when it was home alone with the other pets. Despite doing everything a responsible dog owner could do, things escalated and one day the dog killed their own pet cat inside the house in the dining room in front of the family. Instincts took over and what was normally a peaceful living situation fell apart seemingly unprovoked one day and even though people were present they were unable to stop it. They also had a toddler and an infant and could no longer take chances and chose to put down their dog at that time. What I'm saying is that even if you do all the responsible things, sometimes the instincts are still too strong and it is still unsafe. You must look out for the well being of your family and others. Take comfort in the fact that you gave this dog a chance and gave it a good life for quite some time and that is more opportunity than many others would have done in your position.

 

[staceyj]

I went and read the entire thread.

I have personally fostered over 200 dogs in my life. All sizes. I have also been an intake coordinator for dog rescue. Sometimes the dog is broken. It is never the fault of the dog, but the reality is we live in a world where other people live. When an animal is a danger to others, regardless of the reason, it is the responsibility of the owner to keep others that live in their area safe.

I've been an overworked new mom. I've been in the OP's shoes. Sometimes the hard choice is sending the animal to a better place, and if that better place is the rainbow bridge, so be it. It happens. That is life. I believe there are no bad dogs, but sometimes the dog just needs a compassionate human to step in and put the animal out of it's pain. No dog wants to be a bad dog.

Oh so well said.

 

[chickens really]

So I have a Lab and Great Pyrenees mix. He is 3 years old and is neutered. He never had agression towards other animals till we moved to our new piece of land a year or so ago.
Since moving here he has killed alot of things. Our chickens free ranged and then one day we came home to half the flock about 10 dead. We stopped that by keeping them in the coop, but he got through the neighbors fence and killed all theirs too.
After that we completely fenced our property in nonclimb 6 foot wire and nothing is around the fence for him to use to get out.
Well that was the beginning. He killed all the rabbits on the property which was fine since they were pests.Then some stray cats I think 3 so far which came into the property.
Now here is my biggest issue he has now killed 4 dogs. All of them have came into our property and into his allowed zone from his collar. We have him centered in the property with a shock zone collar to prevent him escaping the property on top of a very secure fence. He is not allowed to be close to any of the perimeter fencing by like 25 feet.
This past week was his latest victim and I have been aruging with my husband for a week on how to handle this situation.
Despite the fencing and zone collar he is still killing things.
We have a small child with another on the way and I am worried this aggressive behavior may transfer to kids too.

I feel like he has done enough to be euthanized. Please help! Give some advice or reassure us that this is the right decision.

Hello...
Your Dog has become a Liability and something is definitely not right. Possibly putting him down is always an option. ..Terrible situation..

 

[lcwmt]

It is a crappy situation! I hate that we are having to even consider putting him down. We have rescued many of animals himself inclued as a small pup.
Unfortunately there are not any shelters or facility that has been willing to take him. Due to the fact he has harmed other dogs mostly.
I wish I could have found some but our area is very rural and even the bigger towns don't have much resources in that aspect.

We have a 4 year old female Catahoula. She came into our lives after a seriously abusive "home". At a certain point her "resource guarding" behavior and self protective actions caused injury to one of our older dogs. We had two older dogs at the time, both also rescues but neither had the intense issues this pup did.

We had been in touch with a Dog Behaviorist at a Shelter 75 miles away. He had given us good advice regarding managing her behavior.
When the dog's behavior escalated so dramatically, we made an appointment, took all three dogs to visit the professional.

He assessed the situation and gave us this: The Catahoula had been removed from her litter before the age of socialization - probably around 4 weeks. She had never learned limits from her litter mates and mother. She was in a constant state of anxiety and could not make decisions. We all have that line where we can snap from exhaustion or fear or whatever, this dog lived at that line 24/7. It did not take much to push her over the edge.
She could not be rehomed or surrendered to a shelter, for obvious reasons.
He suggested we ask our Vet for medications. The Vet agreed.

Three years later, she is a sweet tempered dog, protective of "her" chickens and kittens and is now learning to play with the new pup in our household (a Border Collie who came to us at the right age, and out of a healthy situation. Both our older dogs died of illness not injury). She is great with visiting children although she wants to herd them back to the adult group - but she heels them and does not nip. She is not always great with visiting dogs - they seem to want to play with her kittens or show too much interest in the chickens and she is very protective. We have to run interference and set limits on how our guests handle their dogs while here.

Honestly, the meds (Zanax and Prozac) saved this dog's life. We would have had to euthanize her otherwise. She still could never be rehomed, or live in town or surrendered to a shelter. This is her home. Had she ever escalated to killing, we would have had to make the other decision.

We are fortunate in that this is not a dumping ground for unwanted pets, we do not have strays or close neighbors. Her territory is clearly defined with the electric in ground fence and she defends it...

I am so sorry you are dealing with what sounds like a similar but more serious situation. Follow your heart and intuition on this. It sounds like your dog is very similar to our Catahoula and just couldn't handle the big life changes... It also sounds like you've done your best.
Personally, I'd rather decide it was time to euthanize a dog with serious problems than have a neighbor or guest, or an injury to a person, force the issue.
good luck!

 

[PirateGirl]

I have read most of this through now, I want to add that there is no clear right and wrong answer here. There is only what is right for your family and you are the best judge of that. Read through the posts and advice and anecdotes and perhaps that will help your decision or offer you comfort and know that whatever you choose for you and your family is the right choice. We are not there, we are not you, we can only offer opinion based on our own limited experiences

I also once re-homed a dog and it was one of the more difficult decisions I have made in my life, but I must also add that there was great relief in our living situation and I know in my heart that the dog was not a good fit for our life at the time. There are many many dogs out there in need of a home and you will find one that is right for you and your family one day. There is no need for you to force this work, and you know you must now decide between end of life and re-homing, and as I said, it is a personal choice and whatever choice you make, know that it is the right decision.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

I have been following this thread since day one and feel compelled to weigh in. Some dogs; like for example Pitbulls and other bullies types just get a huge endorphin rush when they fight or kill. That is why they fight with little or no provocation even after being maimed or nearly killed themselves by the last dog they fought. It sounds like this is occurring in the case of your dog.
Our neighbor has a deaf Pitt that sometimes is not confined, he is the sweetest boy,but his body language is sketchy. I am watching for him to react, and there's no way to call him back if he goes for someone or an animal. We are in the process of putting an electric fence for livestock around our entire property just to protect ourselves and what we love.
I wish you all the best in any decision you have to make.