Old Yeller came to a bad end
I knew someone with a rescue pit bull or mastiff cross. He was always on a leash at the barn until one day he wasn’t. He spooked at a horse in turnout, flew out of the hay shed where he was with his owner, and attacked the first horse in the first paddock going straight for the guts. It happened in 5 seconds, dog just snapped. The mare did some good damage to him and survived without internal injury. The vet who came to stitch her up agreed to euthanize the dog on the spot. She had really extensive and scary wounds.
A dog like this isn’t just a yappy annoyance spook the horses issue like another breed might be. He can kill. And very quickly.
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Old Yeller had rabies. Not the same situation at all.
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I think the OP has left the thread.
[quote=“Heinz_57, post:21, topic:780363”] Is it something that can be mitigated with training and proper socialization?
[/quote]
In my opinion, dog aggression in an adult bully breed cannot be mitigated. It can only be managed. I find Pit types either are or aren’t dog aggressive based on their genetics. This guy is who he is.
There is really no public animal control/shelter service? For the ones outside of your city- my public shelter must take owner surrenders has a few kennels in the back for AC to drop off animals after hours. The public knows about those kennels, too.
Given you have tried everything and you cannot keep this dog, I may take an early morning a drive to the next county’s animal shelter and leave the dog tied up there. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but what are you supposed to do?
This dog is not your problem. I would not keep him and take on the problems and stress it is already causing your household. You are a good egg in a real pickle. 🥲
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Yeah, well, let’s not forget Ole Yeller had rabies, and that’s why he was put down.
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Yep. What I just said upthread.
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Y’all. Y’ALL.
I know he had rabies. The point is the same. LOVE is not enough to overcome FACTS.
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I’m not the OP, obviously, but the county shelter here and in the adjacent counties are completely full and are not accepting any animals at all. That’s the sad reality in a lot of places.
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Ways this could end:
- By some miracle some other person at the next county’s animal shelter takes a chance on the dog. Not knowing a thing about his history, they could not realize he is dog- and livestock-aggressive and he could kill or maim some other animal.
- He spends some amount of time stressed and alone, followed by being euthanized in the company of strangers.
I’m not saying the OP asked for this very difficult situation, and from earlier posts I don’t believe she would handle it this way. I think it’s a case of when you know better/more, you try to do better (or as better as you possibly can).
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- OP is prosecuted for illegally abandoning a dog
I’m sure OP won’t be tying this dog up outside a random shelter in any case but felt compelled to point out that it would be illegal to do so unless the shelter has a 24/7 surrender box. It is, last I heard, illegal to abandon a dog in most states.
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Yeah, if someone else takes on this dog, that person needs to know his full history. A big problem with bully breeds is quite often people with low levels of dog savvy and knowledge are the ones most eager to take them on.
In my state, it is illegal to abandon a dog. If it’s done in obvious desperation/good faith, usually they won’t go through with a criminal prosecution, but just leaving the dog would, at minimum, get a “flaming” post on the shelter’s social media.
Again, assuming the dog’s issues are more animal rather than human-specific, I would contact an out-of-state rescue willing to transport.
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Maybe ask local shelters if they know a vet that will consider euthanizing the dog, since seems the one you tried was not quite on board, surprising given the sad circumstances …
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Sad but true.The “problem” dogs around me are the ones whose owners won’t take the time to get them trained and socialized.The live alone and isolated while the owners are away at work or whatever. Then when the owners are with the dogs the they don’t do anything more than make excuses for the dog’s bad behavior (chasing livestock, threatening joggers, raiding the neighbors’ trash). It’s frustrating for everyone who has to put up with it, and it’s a bad situation for the dogs.
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Oh my goodness, yes! I know so many people whose default “training” is to accuse anyone who complains about a dog that’s barking/lunging/running loose/chasing of “breed prejudice,” when the real fault is the owner who isn’t doing anything to manage the dog.
There are breeds that are more forgiving of lax owners (although all dogs need training) but large, active breeds are not.
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Nope, still here, still reading the opinions, just haven’t really had much to add. At this point we are proceeding with the scheduled surgery on Tuesday and will re-evaluate after that - with the help of a qualified trainer who actually has eyes on the dog, if needed. Euthanasia is still a last resort if he can’t learn to be a good citizen with proper guidance.
I realize this answer doesn’t necessarily align with some of the opinions given, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond.
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I want to thank you for how seriously you are taking your guardianship of this stray dog. I am confident that you will do the right thing for him. I really admire your fairness. Again, thank you.
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You are right, euthanasia is a last resort always.
The question in these situations is, when is last resort, after something serious happens or … ?
I think that is why some are more on the wary side, but of course we are not there.
You are the one that can decide how far to go, how long there is to see if there are other sensible options for all that don’t necessitate ultimate decisions.
Thanks for all you are doing for this dog, whatever you can do, whatever you need to do.
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