We have to give Hobbs back (update on page 3)

[isabel]

I am truly devastated.

He and Bella got into a fight last week, but I was home and able to break it up quickly. She had some deep scratches, but no puncture wounds. He was fine. We thought it was an isolated incident over food and something we could easily fix. When I got home tonight, both dogs were at the front door covered in blood. Bella was limping. She has multiple large wounds that had to be stapled shut and several others that they will leave open to drain. He has a small slit in one ear, but is otherwise fine. Our home looks like a murder scene. There is blood on the walls that I can barely reach. He got into a couple of fights when he was first rescued and one at his foster home before he came to us. It is clear to me that he just kept attacking her even after she relented, same as the first fight, though I was able to intercede on that one. I am urging the rescue group to find him a new home without another dog.

He is just the sweetest thing and has bonded so well with me. I am so sad for him and for us. I feel awful for doing this.

The house actually looked much worse than this. It took the two of us over an hour to get it cleaned up. If you're squeamish about blood, you may not want to look.

SPOILER: Click to show

[goaskalice]

Oh no, poor babies. It seems like he definitely needs to be an only dog.

[puppyluv]

If they had got in a fight once why would you ever leave them alone together unsupervised? This is my biggest fear with my dogs so we have always kept them seperate when we are not home.They have not had a fight in about 2 years but I will still never ever trust them together alone.

[isabel]

Jan 19, 2014 1:51:29 GMT -5 puppyluv said:

If they had got in a fight once why would you ever leave them alone together unsupervised? This is my biggest fear with my dogs so we have always kept them seperate when we are not home.They have not had a fight in about 2 years but I will still never ever trust them together alone.

I'm kind of an idiot I guess. I don't really know what to say.

[isabel]

Jan 19, 2014 2:17:48 GMT -5 @crackhabit said:

Oh my god! That looks horrible. How are they doing?

Bella is in really bad shape. I can barely look at her without crying. She has open wounds that are still oozing over 6 hours after this happened. She has puncture wounds on her chest, throat, behind her neck, behind her front leg, and on one of her back legs. There's tons of bruising and deep scratches.

Hobbs is literally fine. Like there are some scratches on his chest from Bella defending herself.

I fucking love this dog, but I kind of hate him at the same time. I feel so weird. I don't know.

After I got across the severity of the situation, the rescue group is going to make sure to get him back to his old foster home tomorrow. I am so sad about giving him up, but there's just no way we can ever trust him. I am going to take pictures of Bella for the adoption coordinator. I am hoping to get across how serious I am that he cannot live with another dog.

[dcannie]

Oh no, I am so sorry for all of you. Bella will be okay though, right?
I'm so sorry it didn't work out. I hope they can find him a good home as an only dog and wishing Bella a speedy and easy recovery.

[curtains]

Ugh. I am so sorry. I hope Bella heals quickly

[W.T.Faulkner]

You're not an idiot.

I'm so sorry this happened. Poor Bella.

[Deleted]

I'm so sorry. I think you are making the right decision though for you and Bella and for Hobbs. He needs to be an only dog. I hope Bella is ok.

[azurely]

I'm so sorry poor Bella, I hope she heals ok and isn't in too much pain. I'm so glad it wasn't worse.

It definitely sounds like Hobbs needs to be an only dog, and maybe in a house without young children too...? I don't know much about dog temperament or if there is any backstory with him, but it seems like he might be too aggressive to have little kids running around.

[jamich]

Omg. Poor Bella I hope she will be ok. And you're not an idiot. You couldn't have known this would happen.

[themoneytree]

I am so sorry - there is no way I would feel safe with that dog whether I had other pets, small children or not. He sounds dangerously unpredictable.

It is absolutely not your fault - you couldn't have known from one small incident that this would happen. Poor Bella - I hope she recovers soon and there are no long lasting effects. : (

[gullterre15]

I'm sorry.m I completely agree that he needs another home.

[katie4253]

I am so sorry. I started crying when I saw that picture. I cannot imagine how terrible you feel.

I am almost never a "rehome the animal" person. But in this case you have to. So many thoughts to you.

[Deleted]

Jan 19, 2014 8:26:07 GMT -5 nuggetbrain said:

Jan 19, 2014 1:51:29 GMT -5 puppyluv said:

If they had got in a fight once why would you ever leave them alone together unsupervised? This is my biggest fear with my dogs so we have always kept them seperate when we are not home.They have not had a fight in about 2 years but I will still never ever trust them together alone.

Please to be fucking off and sitting the hell down now. Also, keeping two dogs apart that have never fought before makes you sound like a paranoid loon.

HTH YWIA STFU.

Actually I have repeatedly gotten the advice, from books I read, the private dog behaviorist I hired when I rescued an adult Rottweiler, and from (I know, I know) tv shows that dogs should not be left alone together unsupervised. Ever, under any circumstances, even with no fight history, and certainly if there is a fight history, no matter how minor. The reason for this advice is that dogs frequently go for the throat when fighting and even if they're not trying to kill, they can easily sever the jugular by accident. The dog bleeds out in minutes and nothing can be done.

I don't say this to be unkind to OP, who is obviously distraught. And OP, I'm so sorry, that must have been crazy traumatic. My dog gets a scratch and I lose it. I can't imagine how you feel.

I'm saying this because A) I thought it was common knowledge and the poster I'm quoting is getting flamed (not sure why? Maybe there's a backstory?) and B) anything to spread knowledge and avoid future dog injuries/deaths.

[miniroller]

So sorry for you & your Obvious heartbreak regarding this awful situation. Boooo!!!!! Lots of hugs.

[osulori]

Oh isabel, I'm so sorry. I think in this situation you are absolutely making the right call.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry You're making the right decision. You have to protect Bella. She is the innocent bystander here. You have such a good heart for bringing him home, and it's great that you're advocating for his next family. As PP's have said, I would definitely push for a home with no young kids, either.

[hereigo]

I'm sorry. I hope your pup is better soon and Hobbs finds the perfect forever home.

[underwaterrhymes]

I'm so sorry. I know that has to be hard.

[puppyluv]

Jan 19, 2014 3:31:38 GMT -5 isabel said:

Jan 19, 2014 1:51:29 GMT -5 puppyluv said:

If they had got in a fight once why would you ever leave them alone together unsupervised? This is my biggest fear with my dogs so we have always kept them seperate when we are not home.They have not had a fight in about 2 years but I will still never ever trust them together alone.

I'm kind of an idiot I guess. I don't really know what to say.

Yes, I see that my comment wasnt helpful. Sorry OP. I should not have kicked you when you when you were down.  What I should have said is the dog doesnt need to be rehomed right away if you keep them seperate when they are unsupervised and work on their issues.

I have had dog1 and dog3 together for 5 years but they its has been 2 years sine their last fight. For the first month they fought weekly. Then it was once a month, then once or twice a year, until they stopped all together after 3 years. We know the triggers for dog1 and avoid those situations. They are good friends now but after all the bloodshed I have seen when they were supervised, I have strong oposition to ever leaving dogs alone together if there has ever been agression. You never know what will set one off.  

[kayakjenn]

I'm sorry for the severity of the situation, that is a really hard position to be in.
I hope Bella is ok and that Hobbs finds his forever home as an only pet.

[janegold]

Im sorry, that's so tough

[isabel]

Thanks you guys. I just woke up and I'm crying all over again. Hobbs is curled up behind my knees. H is downstairs on the couch with Bella. I'm crying because I'm sad for Bella's hurt and angry at myself for letting this happen to her. I'm crying because I have to give Hobbs back and I already feel like I'm giving away a piece of myself after only 3 weeks. Fuck. This is so fucking hard.

I do believe she will be ok, but it's honestly pretty scary looking. It's going to take at least a couple weeks before she can really return to any normal activity and I would guess a month before the damage is fully healed.

For those of you who addressed the children thing, you are absolutely right. While he has shown zero aggression toward people of any age, I would not feel comfortable recommending him to a home with children.

To the person who suggested they would be scared of him regardless of the situation, please understand that this is a dog. He has an understanding of the difference between dogs and people. I have taken his food, toys, treats, etc. away from him multiple times with nary a sign of upset. He fucking adores people. I can't even wrap my head around it. But other animals are a different story and this is where we need to be careful. I hope you don't think poorly of him. That's not what he deserves.

Thanks again to all of you for your understanding. It means a lot.

[alicenelson]

((Isabel)). So sorry.

[aprilsails]

I'm so sorry for everyone in this situation. It's so heart-wrenching to see your animal hurting and to be able to do very little about it. I also know how quickly you can bond with another animal and for this whole thing to turn out so badly is devastating.

I hope Bella heals quickly and that a proper good and loving home is found for Hobbs. Hugs to you also.

[isabel]

Jan 19, 2014 10:07:39 GMT -5 puppyluv said:

Jan 19, 2014 3:31:38 GMT -5 isabel said:

I'm kind of an idiot I guess. I don't really know what to say.

Yes, I see that my comment wasnt helpful. Sorry OP. I should not have kicked you when you when you were down.  What I should have said is the dog doesnt need to be rehomed right away if you keep them seperate when they are unsupervised and work on their issues.

I believe that if something like this were to happen again, that Bella would be killed. It's as simple as that. I cannot guarantee myself that one of the dogs won't be released from its area by a well-meaning friend, housekeeper, comcast technician, etc. or even that one of us wouldn't just forget and let something slip that led to something awful. I won't put a dog I've had for almost 12 years in jeopardy again and cause her to fear her own home.

For the record, our previous dog died in April. He and Bella lived together for 10 years and never once fought to any degree. Even if we came home to bread stolen off the counter (she's done this multiple times), trash all over the floor, pantry food stolen from the shelves, etc.

Beagles are pretty well known for being sneaky and are very smart. I can't in good faith trust even myself to know beyond doubt that it will never happen again. This is why I have to give Hobbs up. I can't give him what he needs in the environment I can provide. I know there's someone out there who can.

[thatgirl2478]

Oh no! I'm so sorry you have to give him back, but yeah, it's best for Bella.


Hydrogen Peroxide will get that blood out. I've had to clean up enough blood in my time to know how effective it can be (quicked nails, split paws, life is lots of fun with dogs).

[isabel]

Jan 19, 2014 10:21:03 GMT -5 thatgirl2478 said:

Oh no! I'm so sorry you have to give him back, but yeah, it's best for Bella.


Hydrogen Peroxide will get that blood out. I've had to clean up enough blood in my time to know how effective it can be (quicked nails, split paws, life is lots of fun with dogs).

Aw, thank you. We rented a rug doctor last night while they were at the vet. Between that and some stain cleaner, we were able to get the blood out. I went through 8 magic erasers on the walls. The spatter was unbelievable. I felt like I had walked into a tv crime scene. I'm sure we'll still be finding blood droplets on stuff for a while yet.

[zoidberg]

I came home to something like this once. It awful. I'm so sorry.