should I do it while I'm numb?

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
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Sometimes it's so freakin' hard being the man.

Our family pet just attacked somebody. He's never hurt anyone before, worships the ground my son walks on, and has always been a kind hearted creature. No doubt protective of the family, but never malicious.

I was downstairs when we got a knock on the door. Even though I've told him a hundred times not to, my nine year old son yanked the door open to recieve an "end of the world is near" pamphlet. The guy was walking away when the dog got loose and went after him. He fought Jessie off and Jessie was heading back towards the house when he decided to go after him again. He was trying a third time when I caught him.

Thank God, the man was not hurt badly, one minor puncture wound in his forearm that he didn't even care to treat. I'm legally pretty well covered since he'd neglected to heed the "NO TRESPASSING" signs at the front of my house, but that's not a point.

Our family pet hurt someone. I cannot have him here. I can't afford the legal or moral risk. He has to go. It would be reckless to just put him up for adoption. I'm gonna have to put him down.

In the meantime, God help me I'm gonna lie to my son and tell him that Jessie's going to a new home.

I know it's easy to jump on the bandwagon with a dog that has attacked a person, but you can't just discount the thousands of hours he's slept at the foot of my bed, played with the family, and been the best dog I've ever owned.

I'm kind of numb right now. Still crying like hell in little bouts, but still sort of numb. Maybe I should do it now? I don't feel prepared to, but I don't know that I ever can.

I might be able to take him out somewhere and do it myself with a rifle. (I don't miss) That way he wouldn't see it coming..

Crap. He's curled up at my feet right now trembling.
 
Your story leaves me with sadness for all - mostly for you, RWS. Can you give your final decision one night? Perhaps tomorrow will offer another option.

Eric
 
I tend to disagree with our train of thought but understand the liability you are considering, maybe install a fence around the yard and put up signs. i just dont think i could kill my dog for trying to protect me
 
Man, that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know if you absolutely have to put the dog down. It sounds like he can sense evil and was protecting your family from somebody who had no business on your property. If it were my dog, I wouldn't put him down just yet, assuming the guy doesn't press charges. One time is an isolated incident. I would have given my dog the beating of his life right away, so he knows how bad he messed up, but I wouldn't shoot him just yet. If it ever happens again, you have to put him down.

I think shooting your dog is the most humane way to put him down. I've read a lot of things about how painful it is to "put them to sleep". I put one of our dogs to sleep and it was terrible to watch. From the outside it looks like they are peaceful, but it's just because they are paralyzed. On the inside, they are dying from painful cramping of all of their muscles. I've watched my dad and my grandfather shoot two different family dogs, both of which were old and cherished friends whose time had come. They used a .357 revolver in both instances, shooting them point blank in the back of the head. In both cases the dogs had no idea what was happening, they were wagging their tails right until the trigger was pulled. In both cases, the dogs died instantly and never moved once the life had been blown out of them. It didn't even make that big of a mess, but everyone was crying because it was so sad. It wasn't bad at all, so far as things go. It was much less traumatic for me than having my dog put to sleep in a cold, unfamiliar vet's office where they are scared and confused.
It's better to do it in the yard where they feel at home, if at all possible.

I'm sorry this had to happen to you, man!
 
Tough call hoss. Has it ever happened before? Think maybe the dog was being overly protective because the kid was there? Do you have strong cause to believe the dog can no longer be trusted? Good dogs, like good people, can occasionally act quite out of character, and kind of hard to say what set 'em off. I'm with Eric on this one, sleep on it first.

Sarge
 
Sorry it happened, RWS. I'm with Eric and Sarge on this, too. Take some time to think it through.
 
You are going to have to be the person that has the final word, RWS. I do not envy being in your shoes at all. It's a big world with much perceived threat. Personally, and this is just me, my animals are only one step below wife when i comes to being the most import things in the world to me. When we have children, they'll get the due demotion. However, short of someone coming to me with legal action, I would give him a second chance. The perception of danger might be what drove him to attack.
I had a dog named Charlie when I was a kid, a collie shep mutt. My first pet. When he was maybe 7 or 8 one of the idiot neighbor kids was climbing the split rail fence that sepperatated everyone's yards. My dog barked and charged him a little. It's what he did every time. He new this goofy kid. Well the kid must have rocked back a bit and launched a half assed kick. My dog bite him and put a couple pin holes in his arm. Nothing major, and luckily no one pressed any charges. This was in the days before lawsuits were everywhere (the glorious 1980's:rolleyes: ;) ) The point of the story is that one attack on a stranger on the private property, a killer it does make. Ol' Charlie lived to be 16 and was just falling apart. We put hid down with a quick .22 to the back of his head. What a great old dog, and he never once charged, attacked, or bit another person again.

Do what you have to do, my friend. I have no idea how sickened you must be by this whole situation:( However, I know of so many damned dumbassed good for nothing people getting chance after chance after chance to blow it again and again. IMHO, a good dog deserves a second chance at life.


Jake
 
Sarge; There have been past incidents. Once when a particulary insipid aquaintance decided on the spur of the moment to "test" the dog and "pretend" he was hurting the wife. I caught his collar about two inches before he latched into the guys throat.

Another time was when someone tried to walk in our house unannounced at 2 AM. Jessie hit the door full tilt before it came all the way open, and continued trying to get through it until he was gone.

Jessie is VERY protective of the wife and kid when I'm not around. It could play a factor, but the guy was walking away, and clearly making no threatening gestures. True that all of God's critters sometimes snap. Me, of all persons should recnognize that. When I was a Freshman in High School I chased the Varsity football team out of the locker room, left the floors bloody and half torn down because someone called me "fat a**"

moonwilson; I hear ya'. last dog I had was put down in the backyard with a .357. Yet another painful dog occurrence that made me cry more than the loss of most people in my life.

nemesis; the dog wasn't protecting anyone this time. the man was retreating, and was fifty foot away from the porch when Jessie made his third try. Already have signs posted. Maybe it would be clearer if I made some up in sixteen different languages...

Eric; Thank you. I'll be roughed up but still kickin' when it's over. My the dog and the boy (who act like brothers) are breaking my heart. Jonathan hasn't taken a breath from crying yet, and the dog is still cowering.

I'm afraid to make any rash decisions now, and I'm afraid of inaction. I leave for the oilfields again on Sunday afternoon. I can't ask my wife, son, or best friend to do the job for me.

I'm sure it'll all seem better tomorrow, and even better the next day and so on. Knowing myself as I do, inaction and complacency become very easy to live with very quickly.

On the other hand, I hate making decisions when I'm all worked up, especially profound decisions that affect my family.
 
I'm really sorry to hear that. Maybe some sort of doggie probation? Seems like he probably thought he was just protecting the place.
 
If you have to get rid of the dog tell your son the truth. He will get over it and it is part of the growing up process. I know it sounds cold.
 
Don't forget that a dog is a dog. We have to be the decision makers when we bring one in the house...into our lives. Before I would blame the dog and put him down I would look at what I could do to prevent such negative occurances. I'm sure you still want your dog to react against an intruder, especially if you are asleep. However, mailmen and other non-threatening folks need to be kept safe. I like the fence idea and keeping the dog away from an opening front door. There are many, many techniques for training a dog to resist getting excited at the knock of the door or rushing people. Please give your pal a chance. With your help he can be what you need to be.
DanR
 
In all three cases mentioned of the dog's aggressive behavior, he was protecting: 1)his property (the yard) 2)Your wife (the alpha female of his pack) 3)his property again (his house). This is normal behavior for a dog (especially a male). My dog is extremely protective of my wife, and property when I am not around....I feel that is as it should be. He is very well socialized, and doesn't react badly at all when he doesn't perceive a threat to his pack/property. I have had to face the decision to put a dog down several times in the past, and it was one of the hardest decisions to make. I would strongly suggest that you sleep on it, and, maybe, give a vet or animal trainer a call for some advice. Ultimately, it is your decision, and you have to make the right one for you. Make sure you analyze it with a clear mind in all respects rather than through the haze of a storm of emotions (either way).
 
I've known people to put down a dog after a single attack on a human; I've known others that wouldn't, no matter how poorly the dog behaved. The correct answer (if there is one) depends on who you ask, but this isn't their dog, is it?

Set love aside for a moment and ask yourself whether you still trust the dog or not, and let the answer to that question guide your actions.
 
Bah. Still sick to my stomach, no longer numb feeling. Wouldn't help worth a darn anyhow, cause it all catches up to ya'.

After thinking things through, I just realized that he's gonna have a two week probabation. Ole boy he jumped said he was going to report it to Animal Control, which means they're gonna come and put the dog into quarantine for a couple weeks, maybe long enough to finish my hitch on the slope and get home.

Then we can decide his fate.

dang door to door end of the world guys, if they read "No Trespassing" signs I wouldn't be in this spot.:grumpy:

Oh well. At least it was a young, healthy, twenty something year old. Had it been anyone else y'all might have been hearing about it on the evening news.
 
count your blessings indeed.


My dog bit a neighbor bully in the rear...his parents got $20k from my parent's homeowner's insurance...for his "medical bills". Next week they had a new truck and boat...



If you can't trust your dog, who can you trust?

Did the dog act in a way that was contrary to its training? Or was it your kid's fault for opening the door? If your dog did as trained, it has not violated #1. If you feel he acted out of poor behavior...then you need to reevaluate.

We got rid of our dog. And if my dog bit anyone except an intruder, I'd get rid of it too...because it would be acting outside of its training and no longer under my control.

The man was not an intruder. The dog should have known better. I can't afford a dog I can't trust to understand the difference.


Now, if it wasn't the dog's fault and it acted as trained...then don't fall prey to your own guilt for someone getting hurt by your dog..and you needing to do something about it.

Stuff happens...solicitors know the risk they take.

You've got my 0.02

Take it with a grain of salt. YMMV
 
My father had a champion Rottweiler. He was getting older and that was a lot of dog to handle. One day he got out in the grove, a small child was walking there, a guest of the renter in the cottage. Dad managed to get to the dog first. The way Gus was going, Dad was more than convinced the kid was in danger, and any other kids or people.

Shortly after than the dog went back to the breeders where he could roam all over the many acres and hurt no one.
He was a nice dog. Sometimes he scared me though. He had a growl in him that I could understand, and I knew when it was getting serious. If I was playing too hard I'd stop.

Being a dad and a human being means you have to make decisions that count, and sometimes take a little peice of you with them. Better that than a peice of someone's forearm.

munk
 
If the dog is worth it, training...intensive training. They can sometimes work wonders.

At one point in my military career, I was partnered with a Military Working Dog and his handler. The pair were trained to the highest extent...award winners at that. The dog went off one day and the handler had to clothesline him (swung him around until he passed out). The inspection by the vet showed a tumor in the dog that caused the fine animal to go off...he was put down immediately.

I'd get him checked...and if he passes that, and he was actually worth it (your call), get (and get him) whatever training is needed to make sure it never happens again.

Oh...your son needs training too...to put the dog at stay before opening the door.
 
In Oregon, the first bite is free. If an owner didn't know that his dog might bite someone, after the first incident, he knows. At that time, the state expects him to take apropriate action. If such action is not taken and a second biting incident occurs, the state will take action and the dog will be put down. And that is only dealing with the dog. Liability considerations are something else entirely.

I don't know what the legal ramifications are where you live, but the dog does seem to have a history. It may be that the dog is trying in his/her way to protect your family, but it sounds like it could cause major problems for the family if something isn't done.

Consider all the angles, and then do what you have to without shame or guilt.

James
 
I don't know how private property enters into this, but in Montana, if a dog bites you and is not on his property, the dog is put down and a rabies test conducted.
Dogs that get free here and cause trouble are shot. Ranchers don't have time for it.


munk
 
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