TestifyToLove
03-20-2005, 11:11 PM
We had to put our 6 month old puppy down on Saturday. Pardon the language, but it really SUCKED.
He was a sweet and wonderful dog...except he would snap, usually out of the blue, and start attacking people. He was partial to the children. We realized he had this issue a week after we brought him home, and we worked for 4 months with him, with a animal behavioralist and doing everything we could do.
Thursday night, he vicious attempted to attack Dh, who was only unharmed because he wedged the dog between kitchen chairs and forced him out the back door into the yard. I realized then that if it had been one of the children, they would have been in the hospital.
I thought the puppy would do well if he was put into an adult home with a very alpha personality and no children.
Turns out, NO ONE would take him. I spent all day Saturday trying to find any option for him other than the route we took. 6 no-kill shelters all refused to take him and told me to have him put down. The Humane Society refused to take him (didn't know they could refuse), told me to have him put down. The animal trainers I called said maybe they could work with him IF we put him on SRIs, but he would likely always be a danger to the children and they recommended we put him down as well.
Saturday, I took the children to soccer games and DH took the puppy to the vet. The vet said what he had was cascading agression, and that apparently its not genetic nor environmental its simply hard-wired into the dog. Said he sees a dog with this about every 500-1000 dogs he treats. Said if DH were a single man he would have tried the SRIs but they rarely work for this particular issue, and with children in the house he wouldn't consider it an option, nor would he risk his professional status for the risk to the kids.
He did say that we did do everything possible and there is nothing to be done about this issue. He was also surprised that we worked with the puppy for 4 months rather than putting him down immediately.
I feel absolutely miserable. We got this puppy after our last dog was hit by a drunk driver. He was supposed to be part of the family. And, I can't believe at 6 months, there was nothing left for him. I've never had to this before and I'm still absolutely heartbroken. I thought for sure I could find another option for him and was shocked not one person recommended any other course of action than this.
Someday, we'll get another dog. I've had dogs my entire life, and I want my children to have dogs as well. But, I don't know when that day will come. I'm not willing to even think about it right now.
I've realized this weekend that sometimes it REALLY bites to have to be the grown-up. And, after always swearing I would NEVER lie to my kids, I actually lied this time. We told the kids that we took him to the vet so that the vet could find him a better home. I can't grasp nor understand this. I don't know how to explain to the children that their puppy had to be put to sleep.
He was a sweet and wonderful dog...except he would snap, usually out of the blue, and start attacking people. He was partial to the children. We realized he had this issue a week after we brought him home, and we worked for 4 months with him, with a animal behavioralist and doing everything we could do.
Thursday night, he vicious attempted to attack Dh, who was only unharmed because he wedged the dog between kitchen chairs and forced him out the back door into the yard. I realized then that if it had been one of the children, they would have been in the hospital.
I thought the puppy would do well if he was put into an adult home with a very alpha personality and no children.
Turns out, NO ONE would take him. I spent all day Saturday trying to find any option for him other than the route we took. 6 no-kill shelters all refused to take him and told me to have him put down. The Humane Society refused to take him (didn't know they could refuse), told me to have him put down. The animal trainers I called said maybe they could work with him IF we put him on SRIs, but he would likely always be a danger to the children and they recommended we put him down as well.
Saturday, I took the children to soccer games and DH took the puppy to the vet. The vet said what he had was cascading agression, and that apparently its not genetic nor environmental its simply hard-wired into the dog. Said he sees a dog with this about every 500-1000 dogs he treats. Said if DH were a single man he would have tried the SRIs but they rarely work for this particular issue, and with children in the house he wouldn't consider it an option, nor would he risk his professional status for the risk to the kids.
He did say that we did do everything possible and there is nothing to be done about this issue. He was also surprised that we worked with the puppy for 4 months rather than putting him down immediately.
I feel absolutely miserable. We got this puppy after our last dog was hit by a drunk driver. He was supposed to be part of the family. And, I can't believe at 6 months, there was nothing left for him. I've never had to this before and I'm still absolutely heartbroken. I thought for sure I could find another option for him and was shocked not one person recommended any other course of action than this.
Someday, we'll get another dog. I've had dogs my entire life, and I want my children to have dogs as well. But, I don't know when that day will come. I'm not willing to even think about it right now.
I've realized this weekend that sometimes it REALLY bites to have to be the grown-up. And, after always swearing I would NEVER lie to my kids, I actually lied this time. We told the kids that we took him to the vet so that the vet could find him a better home. I can't grasp nor understand this. I don't know how to explain to the children that their puppy had to be put to sleep.