Rehoming the aggressive dog

[goodhors]

@trubandloki Yes, not exactly the same situation. Getting dog signed over changes ownership legally. But helping ones self to a dog waiting to be euthanized, service paid for, without informing owners, is unethical. Perhaps illegal because dog is a commodity, owned until paperwork shows change of owner. Only takes a moment to ask if they would like dog rehomed, sign a note trading ownership.

Anyone signing over a dog to new folks NEEDS to keep a copy of the paperwork, in case dog does damage in new hands. “Nope, not my dog now. I signed it over to so-and-so. They are the owner now. Here is the transfer paper work with both our signatures.”

Owners may have serious reasons to euthanize an apparently healthy dog. Reasons they do not wish to share. Not everyone tells Vet folks the dog’s history.

[Bicoastal]

This is why it is both known by my family and explicitly stated that my dogs are to be euthanized if I die. The horse world has taught me better a day too soon.

My dogs are older Border Collies with their quirks. They would not adjust well. I do not want their last years to be stressful. I would not want their reputations tarnished in the eyes of my family if rehoming was attempted.

If I can’t be there to do it, let my best friend or sister be there to play ball, feed a hamburger under the story-book-beautiful pecan tree in the front yard while the vet inserts the catheter, and say goodbye at home with as little stress and fear as possible.

I am sorry for the double heartache and trauma that family is experiencing.

[MsM]

To me, it depends upon how the nephew got bit. If it was an incidental bite while breaking up the dog fight, I would label the dog as dog-aggressive but not necessarily human-aggressive. Still, most rescues would not be interested in a dog with this history. So short of finding an person who is experienced with dog-aggressive dogs but who currently has no other dogs and wants this one, I suspect euthanasia will be the answer.

[Jenerationx]

@peedin

Person posted that dog has already been rehomed. The new place has 2 other rescues, is on 5 acres, and there is a stream on the property so dog can splish splash. It’s only a matter of time until he bites one of the other dogs.

Sweet Jesus, so knowing the dog has a history of going after other dogs, they send it home with other dogs? What kind of “rescue” is that?

[AltersAreUs]

@Jenerationx

What kind of “rescue” is that?

A bad one. Full stop.

These sound like the type of folks who believe that love can fix anything, even aggression.

[Amberley]

@peedin

Would a rescue take a dog with a bite history? Discuss.

In my experience yes. And they they will adopt it out again without disclosure and someone else will get hurt.

We’ve had dozens of BC and BC crosses. Some working BCs can be snappy and they are not typically great with kids or other strange dog but outright aggression is not normal. If the dog is that aggressive it should be BE. It’s not normal in the breed so there is something going on there and it’s not going to be resolved with a new home.

[Amberley]

@LCDR

In some states euthanasia is the penalty for a second bite.

Not anymore. Those laws have been thoroughly eroded over the past decade by rescue organizations. Most dogs with a sever bite history just go home after a 10 day quarantine. And if they are adopted out and attack again? there are no consequences to the shelters or rescue organizations.

[LCDR]

Good to know. It was about 10 years ago that in-laws dog bit SIL for the second strike, requiring ER treatment, and euthanasia was mandated.

For the dog.

[Amberley]

The dog that killed Margaret Colvin a few years ago had bitten two other people and had been adopted out a few times. The dogs that killed that poor man in San Antonio had several bites on their record and numerous reports to Animal Control, they had some kind of designation as dangerous but it was meaningless and unenforced. A police officer did a TV interview where they explained that state law stopped them from seizing the dogs and they had to return them after the prior bites. The dogs who nearly killed a runner this week will likely be released to their owner too, the ones the police didn’t have to shoot anyway. A few shelters and rescues have been sued but they are good at finding loopholes.

This is a huge topic in the trail running and running community right now- my SO is a runner and people are genuinely scared. One of our friends was attacked on a fairly remote trail two weeks ago and the owner did nothing and Animal Control and the police did nothing either. Bad bite to the hamstring and it could have been much worse as there were two large Cane Corso type dogs involved. He very easily could have been killed.

It’s also why I stopped fostering dogs- they kept trying to hide the dogs history of aggression or lie about the breed. I was never willing to foster rotties, pit bulls, Malinois or anything with a bite history or any kind of aggression or “reactivity” and I got so much grief for my “prejudice” that I just quit working with the shelters and rescues.

It’s madness.