Hey there, I'd definitely edit the original post to say that his worst offense is, not being untrustworthy with animals, but displaying human and animal aggression and drawing blood on people! That will probably change some of the responses here, as many people who suggest to rehome do not extend that to aggressive animals (and most shelters and rescues do not either. For safety and liability reasons, they euthanize these dogs, or refuse them. Including many no-kill shelters. That is a lesser known fact that helps some with the difficult decision to put down their dog.). I very recently had to hold our adopted Australian shepherd/cattle dog mix as he was euthanized. He was a sadly young dog who ended up with progressive epilepsy known to the aussies. His partial complex seizures progressed to grand mals, and these were accompanied by startling behavior shifts, including violent attacks of aggression that were unpredictable and unprovoked. Meds often do not work in the case of progressive epilepsy, especially involving partial seizures, and it was a long, painful process to diagnose, attempt to treat, then euthanize a dog who was incredibly loving and obedient 80% of the time.
But, I don't regret it at all. More unpredictable aggression in dogs is a strong sign that something is not right, be it a tumor, a chemical imbalance, a form of dementia, or what have you. Dogs' stress levels rise with aggression, and it is not healthy for a dog to be constantly aggressive and stressed out. Predictable aggression (ie. Consistent resource guarding) that responds well to training, and unpredictable aggression that responds well to treatment need not be a death sentence, but I don't blame people for euthanizing these more manageable dogs at all. I would warn that if the meds do work, still do not lend trust to the dog/cat interaction going on there, or having Pogo by your face, etc. I learned the hard way that a dog doing well on treatment, can show a very sudden relapse or tolerance of the meds. Almost lost an eye to our dog when he had a calm period on the meds.
Pogo is very lucky to live in a secure, and obviously loving home. If people give you a hard time if you do need to euthanize, know that, at least I, have never seen anyone offer to take in a dog they were yelling at the owner for putting down. (One friend with an unpredictable dog was harassed by a rescue when it came time to put down the dog...course, they wouldn't take said dog). It can be very easy for others to judge, less easy when faced with the reality themselves! I do hope that he continues to improve and respond to the meds, as many dogs do, but know that you are making the responsible choice if he does not.
