It makes you feel worse that as a rescue person who has to make the HARD calls when you have to put a dog to sleep for being aggressive and other people (rescue or not) tell you how you could do this or you could do that!
It is a hard decision to decide a dog has to be put to sleep. Don't ya think I have thought of every possibility; different training methods; looked for the perfect home; etc.
It is just frustrating because it makes you feel horrible like you are giant piece of poo. Ok, well it use to make me feel that way, now I just get MAD!
I had a dog for 2 years working with him and he DID GREAT! With me.... with me being the key word. If I was going to keep him forever then he would still be alive right now but I wasn't going to keep him forever and actually let's reality check this... I would have put him down even if he was one of my forever dogs. He was so aggressive with new people that he would get COMPLETELY out of control and I don't think there was a person he didn't bite.
I have way too many people, kids and new dogs (oh yea he would attack new dogs too and he was an 8 pound min pin) that come to my house regularly. He was one bite away from SERIOUSLY injuring someone and / or being killed by another dog.
I have worked with dogs and thought.. thought being key word here... that I had worked through their issues just to receive the phone call from the adoptive family that the dog bit someone... once the call was a father calling me to tell me that the dog bit his daughters 8 year old friend IN THE FACE! I had worked with this dog for about 4 months and then after that he was in a foster home that worked with him for about 2 years. So, that is nearly 2.5 years of working with a dog, it taking up a foster home while NON BITING dogs die in a gas chamber!
Ok so you tell me what is harder.
#1 put to sleep peacefully, humanely a dog who is aggressive. Having him go to sleep feeling loved and wanted.
OR
#2 keep the dog for however long it takes to find "THE PERFECT HOME" or work with him for as long as it takes until he is totally rehabilitated. Ok that is your decision then I want you to go to any county website, look into the eyes of a dog at the shelter who is NOT aggressive and tell that dog I am sorry you are going to die alone, scared in this cold, smelly place where no one pays you any attention, where you barely get enough to eat, you have no toys, no bed. You sleep every night on a cold, wet, dirty concrete floor. You are going to be so excited when a man comes to take you for a walk... little do you know that it is the last walk you will ever take. You will be put in a box with other dogs and the box will fill with gas. you will begin to panic. There will be a dog in the box that is dog aggressive and can't hand the pressure of not knowing what is happening and will begin to attack you until the gas starts to take effect and you die.
So please you tell me what is easier??
2 comments:
I posted a while ago :P.
I think obviously in this kind of situation, you should trust your instinct.
It's very easy to imagine a given dog inside of an ideal situation; there's shelter space, there's a home...if only someone would give them a chance..!
The people that are "judging" you likely have no realistic statistics as far as dogs surrendered:dogs adopted.
It really REALLY sucks. In an ideal world I am sure we would rescue all the animals we could, regardless of their situation.
Unfortunately, that is not the nature of the world, and something that I learned relatively early on (as I am sure most do), adoption doesn't favor who is really the "best" dog or the most deserving...
I think when you adopt a dog you should really put your heart to it because the adjustment period for the dog and you’re not really easy. It is like two strangers in one house... Good thing I was not able to experience hardship when I adopted out dog. I am just so happy he gets along with us all including our bunnies. They even nap together in the rabbit hutch.
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