Post by Ratonhnhaké:ton on Jul 30, 2014 11:01:35 GMT -5
I'm not even halfway through this thread but wanted to add my two cents.
Our second dog was a black Lab mix who has very similar behavior in being aggressive after stealing items. He is now 6 and me and my parents have developed a system for when he does this. He loves cheese so when he steals something we will grab some cheese and bribe him with it. It works out. I've also just sat next to him until he has left the item alone.
The reason he is probably acting this way is because he wants to be chased. He thinks it's a game.
I do think you should find a rescue who can take him and find him owners who can work through this issue with him. Worst case is putting him down though I do not agree with that.
FTR our dog has grown out of this behavior as he has gotten older.
Connor: In the name of liberty, I will fight the enemy regardless of their allegiance. While men of courage write history of this day, the future of our land depends on those who are truly free.
Yeah, um, bashing a sanctuary like Best Friends is laughable. Sanctuaries done in the right way can be an amazing place for a dog. Do your research before you make blanket statements.
I am absolutely not bashing Best Friends. Let me clarify. If this dog can to get into a place like Best Friends then he's very lucky considering how many calls they get on a regular basis and how little space they have. But others suggested just a sanctuary. And IMO unless you are dealing with a very reputable place like Best Friends, "dog sanctuaries" can easily be a hoarding situation. Trust me on this. Do you know how many "rescues" and "sanctuaries" our animal control used to get calls on? Just because a place calls themselves a rescue or sanctuary doesn't mean in any way that it's a good place for a dog or cat. Often it's someone with good intentions who got way in over their head.
I'm cautioning against a sanctuary, not Best Friends. I'd honestly be very leery of a place that said, "Oh your dog bit you and dragged you around the room? Sure we'll take him." And anyone who has a good amount of rescue experience will back me up on that. This dog can end up in a bad situation easily. A common expression that you'll hear in doing rescue is, "There are far worse things than a kind death" or some variation of that. There are horrifiic situations that animals end up in because someone was trying to avoid euthanasia. And once Tucker leaves Mekiakoo there isn't much that she can do. He'll be someone else's pet.
Believe me, I'm not trying to be judgy or know it all. I care about this dog. I've just seen this before and while this can have a happy ending it can also go the other way.
Mekia, another tip(you may be doing already) is offering a donation with Tucker. I know 99% of the calls we'd get were people just wanting us to take their pet off their hands and they'd never offer one penny for the animal's vet bills and care. So many offering some kind of a donation with Tucker will make it easier for the rescue to take him on.
And if you do find a group willing to take him, do some research on the group. Google their name and make sure they are legit and not some group who takes in dogs only to turn around and sell them to labs for research. I'm not saying this to worry you more! It's just this stuff happens. Often people are so happy to find a group to take on their pet that they don't do research on the group itself. Just make sure they are reputable. There are so many shady, disgusting people out there who prey on desperate owners.
I really do wish you luck with this!
Oh I agree that there are shady places out there. Sorry I jumped down your throat - since Best Friends in UT is a sanctuary I thought you were lumping them in. I get a little defensive of them since they are one of my favorite non-profits and such am amazing group of people
I volunteered in rescue for years (took a hiatus for personal reasons - need to get back) so I know all too well the limited resources they have to deal with. It is so so hard when you can't save or help every single animal.
If the story had been "My DH grabbed me by the hand a dragged me around the room and had to be pulled off by the police and I ended up in the ER with severe damage to my hand" - the answer would not be to get him some counselling.
This is NOT a dog that deserves extra chances. I'm sorry (not sorry). There are a lot of GOOD non-aggressive, non-biting dogs that deserve a good home before this dog. This dog will always be a risk, behaviorists, training, etc - cannot fix a dog that has a defect to this level. That level of bite is also unacceptable in a hunting dog. This dog will always be a bite waiting to happen. Why is that ok?
This. I always wonder why people want to use up so many resources on dogs like this when there are thousands of much more deserving dogs out there that need help.
If the story had been "My DH grabbed me by the hand a dragged me around the room and had to be pulled off by the police and I ended up in the ER with severe damage to my hand" - the answer would not be to get him some counselling.
This is NOT a dog that deserves extra chances. I'm sorry (not sorry). There are a lot of GOOD non-aggressive, non-biting dogs that deserve a good home before this dog. This dog will always be a risk, behaviorists, training, etc - cannot fix a dog that has a defect to this level. That level of bite is also unacceptable in a hunting dog. This dog will always be a bite waiting to happen. Why is that ok?
This. I always wonder why people want to use up so many resources on dogs like this when there are thousands of much more deserving dogs out there that need help.
A dog without some kind of issue is like the holy grail of rescue - almost all dogs have issues of some kind. Maybe they are hyper, maybe fearful, or they hate cats, or they are dog aggressive, or have separation anxiety or resource guard like Tucker. There are dogs that seem to be free from issues out there, but they are certainly more rare. (And this means dogs from breeders and rescues alike).
Obviously some issues are more serious than others, and require more time and resources than the average rescue can provide, but I don't for a moment think that means some dogs are more "worthy" of love and a forever home than others. All dogs are worthy of love. Some are beyond help and the most loving thing to do is put them to sleep, but resource guarding can certainly be worked with.