UGH, I have to return my dog

[messykitchen]

A few months ago I adopted a 4 year old Lab/Great Dane mix from a local animal shelter. We have been working every day with him, and he's basically a good dog, but his food aggression is just off the charts. He has to be fed separate from my other big dogs, and goes crazy barking and snarling if you get within feet of him. No way does anyone get treats or bones to chew on anymore. Tonight he lunged at my kid, and that added to the food issues and how mean he wants to be to the cats (I'm lucky they have outrun him so far) has made me realize it's just not working out for him with us. The shelter I got him at asks that you return him instead of rehoming him, so next Tuesday I will take him in.

I don't like giving up on an animal, but I can't risk him biting my son or anyone else. He terrorizes guests when they are over too. It's been so stressful!I feel horrible about it but what other choice do I have? We had a behavorist here but nothing is better, even with her suggestions. I feel so bad, but I know I'd feel worse if my kid was hurt. 

A short while before we adopted Sherman, our beloved Saint Bernard died, so this really feels like I am losing yet another dog buddy. I am sad. 

[katb]

I am so sorry. Of course the safety/needs of your family should come first. I hope the rescue can find him an appropriate home with no other pets/children. Hugs to you guys

[messykitchen]

Mar 7, 2014 20:41:11 GMT -5 katb said:

I am so sorry. Of course the safety/needs of your family should come first. I hope the rescue can find him an appropriate home with no other pets/children. Hugs to you guys

Thanks, I hope so too! He is just so big that his aggression is scary. 

They told me he was good with cats. I hope they tell the next family that he really isn't

[Saint Monica]

I'm sorry messy

[gogadgetgo]

I'm sorry. We had to return our first to the rescue because of his aggression toward me. He's now in his forever home that's a much better fit and we found the right dog for us. ((( hugs)))

[karmasabiotch]

Safety has to come first and you tried. Hugs...

[walterismydog]

I'm sorry.

This is a very common reason for people turning in their pets. Don't feel bad. It's hard to work with. Hopefully the shelter has a behavioral team that will work with him to get this issue under control.

[isabel]

I completely understand. The dog on the left in my sig has been mine for her whole life. Middle dog died in April of last year (lung cancer). We adopted dog on the right in January. They were great together, except when it came to food. We did our best, but they had a minor fight I was able to break up. Shortly after that, I came home to both dogs covered in blood. Our home looked like a crime scene. New dog was 100% ok. My dog I've had forever is still recovering over a month later. It was so fucking heartbreaking on many levels, but I had that same feeling of having lost one dog and then losing another. It was awful. Thankfully, Hobbs has a new family without other animals and he is thriving and doing great.

I am so, so sorry you have to do this. No judgment here. I completely understand and urge you to do what you need to do before things escalate like they did for us. That experience was horrific and I would never wish it on anyone. So many hugs. I hope they are able to find Sherman a great home without other animals or small kids.

[gullterre15]

isabel I remember that story!  I felt awful for your poor doggie.  messykitchen you are doing the right thing.

[Deleted]

You tried. It's not like you're giving up first week without doing any work. And you do have a responsibility to the animals (and kid) who were there first.

Hopefully they're honest about his special needs and get him to his perfect home.

[murdock]

I'm sorry. You have to protect your child. I have a feeling that the rescue will be very glad that you contacted them, and will do their best. The feeling of loss, must well, really suck for lack of better words.

You're doing the right thing. Your child, no matter if he is a teenager, cannot be in danger.

[messykitchen]

Thanks everyone. I know it's the right choice, but I still feel like I failed him somehow.

isabel I remember when that happened and I felt so bad for you! That is a huge fear in my mind, my other dogs are old and wouldn't be able to fight back.

I really hope they find him a better home. He's so good when he's just laying around with nobody bothering him.

[isabel]

Mar 7, 2014 23:06:35 GMT -5 messykitchen said:

Thanks everyone. I know it's the right choice, but I still feel like I failed him somehow.

isabel I remember when that happened and I felt so bad for you! That is a huge fear in my mind, my other dogs are old and wouldn't be able to fight back.

I really hope they find him a better home. He's so good when he's just laying around with nobody bothering him.

I am still having "flashbacks" (though I wasn't actually there for it) of her being attacked and how defenseless I know she was. I'm basing that on the fight I broke up. I try to make light of it, but I'm honestly scared about having two dogs again. That's probably the scariest experience I've ever been through.

I think before this happened, I might have encouraged you to work harder to find a solution. Now I really understand the implications of something like this and I feel very strongly that you should follow your instincts.

They'll find Sherman a good home. I'm sure he's a great dog; just not the right fit for your family.

Feel free to PM me if you ever need to chat or just vent/be sad.