Last night I put my 4 year old BC down. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I felt like there was nothing else left to do. He had nipped dozens of people on the behind, three of which went to the police.

Anyone that was a stranger was likely to be a target for his mouth. He never bit very hard. He would rip through clothes, create a blood blister but that is about it. I took him to behavioral training, spent soo much money trying to rehabilitate him and nothing seemed to work. Although he was brilliant, did everything you requested simply by voice, hand command or by looking at him in a certain way, the problem was he was skittish, unpredictable, and very vicious to strangers. I could not stop his bad behavior. If he was around the stranger for about ten minutes then, he would become comfortable, get on their lap, loving them as if he had known them for years.

In fact, I trained him so that when you simply said “give me love” or you opened up your arms for a hug, he would literally stand up on his hind legs and give you a hug. A nice, gentle hug.

In the beginning, I was home all the time because I was a student, but when I graduated I had to go to work, and my job requires me to work over 12 hours a day, and he became progressively unhappy because I was not there for him. He would act up because I was not giving him what he needed. I searched for dog walkers but most dog walkers refused him, except one dog walker, she trains wolves, and he loved her like nothing I had ever seen.

A friend of mine offered to take him. He had a house with a farm, a little boy and a cat. My dog was very happy there, the little boy loved him! In fact when I would visit him he did not even seem that happy to see me because he was so content with his environment. Unfortunately, my friend lost his house and moved into a small apartment, and my dog started to nip at his neighbors, who also went to the police.

He gave me my BC dog back, but by then, I too had moved into a small apartment, and had moved far away from the wolf training dog walker. I contacted the BC rescue and they explained to me that I would be added to a waiting list (number 5), and that my dog sounded like a “project” dog and would be hard to place. A few weeks later I contacted them again and it was the same situation. They could not give me a definite time line for when they would take him.

My dog started to chase after and nip my neighbors in my apartment building. I was at the end of the rope, I took him to the SPCA and disclosed that he had nipped and they immediately refused him. The same night I contacted my vet and they said I should put him down, which I did. This was last night.

I feel like a monster for doing what I did, but part of me says that this was the right thing to do because he was unpredictable. In fact the only thing predictable about him was that he was unpredictable. Sometimes he was fine with strangers, other times he would not leave them alone and growl with all of his teeth showing and nip when they tried to move. He could not live in any environment where he was exposed to strangers. Although he would only nip and not “bite” a nip to a child could do some serious damage. He was a liability. But he was my liability. I did the wrong thing by getting him from a puppy mill. I was irresponsible to 1) get a dog from such a place and 2) think that I could take care of such a dog. It is a real commitment, one which I did not prepare myself for. I considered changing my life by getting a farm and some farm animals to make him happy, but I knew that was a fantasy world. I also tried muzzling him when we were out in public but he hated that.

Did I do the wrong thing? I told the BC rescue people what I did and they were very upset with me, but they did not offer me any alternatives except a spot on a waiting list that never seemed to go anywhere. I know its my own fault but what else could I have done? I feel like I had no one to help me. I was so alone. I contacted so many places and they said that things are hard now. The ecconomy is not good and people are not taking rescues anymore. Why did it have to end this way. . .

i have e-mailed you

So sorry for the loss of your dog. There seem to be a lot of changes in your lives in a short time which no doubt had an unsettling effect on your dog, especially losing his beloved wolfwalker and his farm home. You did what you believed was your only option at the time and for me to suggest otherwise would be cruel. It sounds as if it was only a matter of time before he was PTS if people were going to the Police about him, and your action possibly saved a child being badly frightened or bitten. Please forgive yourself and remember good times with him.

Well said Lorelei

liberty

i trully sympathise with you and what you have gone through. i too have a problem dog and we have had problems with him so i do understand where you are coming from. do not beat yourself up over this you made the right decision for everyone concerned. you had more than just yourself and the dog to worry about and you deserve respect for trying so hard to make the right decision. i hope you remember the good times. all the best tracey

I've e.mailed you, hope you don't mind!
Caz xxx

You truly loved your dog, and took the hardest decision you could to do the best for him and relieve him of his stress and unhappiness.

If we could all be so selfless as to put the dogs needs first the way you did, the world would be a much nicer place.

I'm so so sorry for what you went through, I'm sure the puppy mill will have contributed in some way. It's so unfortunate that people like you have to suffer this way and they are still allowed to carry on. I hope you are able to make something positive come from this, and try and spread the word about the dangers of puppy mills, ensuring that somebody else doesn't have to go through what you have.

thinking of you.

take care,
Jo

Big hugs to you.....i know how hard it is to make that decision, i made that same decision last week, about my crossbreed bitch saffi....for similar, though not exactly the same, reasons (she was unpredictably aggressive, but with my dogs, and was beginning to aim that towards me as well).....its horrible, but you did do the right thing.

I didnt feel good at all, but my mum had the vets do a post mortem on Saffi, adn she had a brain tumour, which the vets think was probably part of the reason for her behaviour.
You did your best for your dog, and thats a lot more than many people would do.

Em

It takes a lot of guts to do what you did some people would have just passed the problem on and not said anything but you loved your dog so much you did the only thing you could ,dont knock yourself about its hard for you now but in time you will know you did the right thing.
((((hugs))))

Oh Em,

I am so sorry to hear about Saffi. Your mum was wise to have the Pm done, no amount of training or rehab, etc would have really helped....at least you now know the cause :(

Sending you lots of hugs Em.... and a licky lick from Banya

Lindsay
XXX

You did the right thing and at the moment you may not feel that way but you tried everything to help the situation but there was no other option. You have been very brave in making the hard descision but please do not beat yourself up anymore as it was the kindest thing to do.

Lucy
xx

(((((Hugs)))))

I am sorry about your dog. I know that must have been an agonizing decision, and it sounds like you did the right thing.

Feel better!

YOu did your best, and you tried hard and it seemed as if there was no-one to help when you needed it. I take it you are in the States; i know the rescues there are just so full and there are so many dogs who need homes.... :(

At least you loved him enough not to pass him on to uncaring strangers or just abandon him, so you loved him a lot! I hope that your circumstances change one day so that you can have another dog. Life changes can be hard to predict and many of us have had to cope with the diffulties they can bring.

Take care

LIndsay
X