Oh gosh that is so traumatic.
That’s what I told my daughter. I’d rather this dog go out still being known as a pretty good boy surrounded by loving family than it all end in tragedy and emergency.
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Is there a way to have his head examined afterwards to see if there was anything wrong? It’s morbid I know but I think I’d like to know why he acted as he did.
I hope you find peace and know you’re doing the best thing for him and your family.
I’m not sure if my vet office would offer that or not but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
It would be interesting to know if their is something more than just poor breeding going on. I recently joined an aggressive dog group on Facebook and a decent amount of people said they did find brain tumors in their dogs after the fact.
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I am so sorry you are going through this. I am a small breeder of Aussies, have been in the breed for close to 20 years. When I read posts on social media about an owner with an aggressive Aussie I am always horrified. The puppy or dog is fine and then a switch flips and the aggression comes out.
In so many cases it is not just poor breeding ie genetics. It is lack of puppy socialization, lack of de-sensitivity experiences, and lack of enrichment in the critical first 8-10 weeks of a puppy’s life.
A well-bred herding dog is not aggressive. They can be keen, they can have a high drive for working but they should not be aggressive. Some herding dogs can have a high prey drive, but that should not include members of their pack, cats, livestock or humans.
It would not surprise me if your dog did have a brain abnormality.
You are doing the right thing both for your other dog, your family, and the collie. Some things can’t be fixed.
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Great plan! He only knows now, not what time he “should” have or what he "should’ be. He will just know that the last few days were so much fun and he was loved. No better way to go.
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Honestly he is a cross from a Border Collie Kelpie mix and Australian Cattle Dog. I got the impression it was an irresponsible owner who had an accidental litter. I shouldn’t have gotten him but he wasn’t very healthy looking and they were in the middle of nowhere so I felt like we had to take him home.
But I agree socialization is huge. He was older than I was initial told and obviously not socialized. He was terrified of everything. We tried to play catch up best we could but I can see the cards are stacked against us. Honestly I think he turned out better than expected… With tons of work and management. But it’s not enough.
I don’t think he’s seeing my little dog as prey (thankfully I guess) but the rules are changing day to day for her and she’s utterly confused.
Thank you for your kind words and thank you for being a responsible breeder. I don’t plan on getting another dog until my little dog passes so probably 10 years but I’ve learned my lesson and I will seek out a responsible breeder and do a lot of thinking about which puppy we get. If we ever do a puppy again.
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Border Collie x Heelers are a very popular cross actually, especially with people looking for a more trainable cattledog. My daughter had a lovely one, Lily, who was 3/4 BC, 1/4 Blue Heeler who was actually a useless herding dog. But she was the most lovely dog as a companion for my then teen, and the reason I decided to get a BC, that my daughter picked out for me. I cried as hard as my daughter when she had to be put down, her lungs were full of tumors.
All dogs are such individuals regardless of the breed, it sounds like as much as you tried to do right by your boy, he just isn’t wired quite right. Hugs to you and your family.
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Yeah but they were living in the middle of nowhere and she wasn’t asking a lot for the puppies. And I met the parents. Red flag again there too. Not aggressive but very very aloof. Again my gut told me to just take the check back and go home but he was so skinny and dehydrated (he was very lethargic the first few days) that I went against my best judgement and took him. On the ride home I saw the fear aggression… Yikes.
But I agree they are all so individual. I believe she didn’t want him in a working home because he was so fearful. My last dog was a Border Collie/Aussie and she was such a wonderful dog in every way. With less effort.
Thank you. We loved him and did our best. That’s all I can do.
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Are the attacks anything like Cocker Spaniel rage syndrome?
I hope you don’t pass on a puppy in the future, down the road. You clearly are a compassionate, and conscientious owner. A puppy would be lucky to be part of your family.
I personally would run away from anything Kelpie…unless I needed a stock dog.
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Just (((hugs))) and hoping you’re having the best weekend with your dog!
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Thank you I definitely gave him my all. I think I’m just a bit exhausted from it all so definitely want to take a few years before going the puppy route again. And honestly I don’t think my little dog has gotten the full attention she deserves either since her brother took up so many resources. There is a dog facility near us that does all kind of dog sports and games… everything from agility, barn hunt to trick training. I think we could find something fun to do with her. It was always my dream to do it with the big dog but she very well will probably enjoy something that they offer.
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Also curious why you say that about kelpies? Obviously I’m not ready to go get one anytime soon (ever again) But I’ve heard mixed things about them. I’ve heard some other people say they are fiercely independent and stubborn (and this dog can be like that at times)
But I’ve also heard they have a reputation for being good with kids. But maybe that’s bogus
Obviously I wouldn’t say my dog was great with kids lol!!! We didn’t have a problem with typical herding behavior too much though. More just him being fearful and not very tolerable of anything at all.
He’s sitting with me on my chair holding his new favorite ball that his grandma got him. He loves it so much that he took it in his kennel last night to sleep with 
We are doing lots of playing around here. I’m going to take him on a solo walk later, just him and I. That was our thing together
(dad was the ball throwing guy.)
Lots of treats are in the menu too. We have had a “no rules” weekend with him, anything he wants, he gets. He thinks it’s fabulous.
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I got to do a week of joy and no rules with my physically healthy but mentally unsound dog before I put her down (one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life). One thing we did was go through the soft-serve drive through and I bought her an entire cone. The look on her face when she realized it was all for her is my favorite memory from that week.
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Awwwww I love that so much.
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Kelpies can be higher drive dogs than border collies. They have a really strong prey drive. There is a very good documentary on Netflix about Kelpies called Muster Dogs.
I don’t know about Kelpies and children. My Dad had border collies when we were growing up and they used to herd us by circling us. Never bit us, did like to bite bike tires which I think in the dogs’ mind were too “dangerous” for us kids 
One of the BC’s my parents used as a chaperone when I was a teenager, because that dog would bark every time a guy tried to hug me or kiss me, and the dog would put himself between me and the guy. Or sit there and stare at us, ready to sound the alarm if the guy made a move.
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