Please Help: My Dog Killed My Other Dog Today-Updated Post #166

[TeresaNJ]

I am so sorry for what you and your family have experienced today. You must be devastated. I know you don't want to, but I'm thinking you should probably have Paisley put down, only because you can't really trust her. I realized you can only trust all animals to a certain extent, but what if she should happen to get out, and this happens to someone else's dog? Talk to your vet on Monday about, and see what they think. I can't even imagine what I would do in this situation.

 

[Mermaid02]

Thank you so much for your responses. Just reading them has caused me to cry more (I think that's a good thing though).

I'm really not sure what to do about the other dog. I know that, today, it is not a decision I can make. I will tell you that I *adore* my veterinarian and he is one of the most compassionate animal lovers that I have ever met. I am going to talk this over with him on Monday and see how he feels about it.

The aggressive dog never goes outside the yard and I rarely walk her (we have a HUGE backyard). Our youngest child is almost 12 so we do not have any small children nor do we have any visit.

Other than that, with people she is a truly loving dog. I know it is hard to hear that after I just detailed a most vicious story.

In fact, she had a huge chunk of skin pulled off of her and my husband is at the ER with her now. For some reason, my husband has some idea that my dog was attached by something else. We have chicken wire around the lower half of the fence and it has been pulled back and something has been digging from the other side. At first he thought that maybe the little dog got "caught" on it. And according to the ER vet, the laceration the bigger dog has is not consistent with a dog bite but some kind of tear.

I just cannot imagine what else would have gotten into my yard and killed my little dog and then gotten out.

That's a good idea Christine- talk to the vet and see what he says. He'll probably have a good idea what happened by looking at both animals wounds.
Is there any blood on the chicken wire? I'd go check it out.

 

[canwegosoon]

do you have cycoteyes in your area? They like smaller dogs/cats...but are mainly evening/night preditors

 

[horseshowmom]

I've had to put two down for a similar reason - one for killing our neighbor's goats and one for attacking the other dogs at our house. The one who was killing the goats was so gentle that even our neighbor was positive that it had to be a dog who looked like her until he actually was able to catch her after she did it ( he had seen her do it more than once but had previously seen it from a distance). The other one was great with everybody except older dogs.

It was very hard, because neither dog showed aggression towards humans, but I wasn't willing to take the chance. It was very, very hard, and I really feel for you. Of course, you're the only one who can make the right decision for you.

I will say that you shouldn't turn against having more than one pet at a time. We always have, and those are the only two issues over my 47 years (and we've had many, many pets come to live with us due to living in a rural area where people abandon their animals).

I'm really sorry...

ETA: After reading your subsequent posts, I might add that if your JRT happened to get hurt (on the wire or something else), the other dog might have jumped on her at that point. That's not totally uncommon behavior for dogs, but I don't think it falls in the same category as attacking.

Best wishes in talking with your vet.

 

[JR6ooo4]

It is very sad.
From what I have seen watching animal 911, whenever a dog bites over food issues it is not considered properly socialized.

Our dogs caught a bunny in our backyard. Now I am very nervous when they are around small dogs.

Mike

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm so sorry. I think that your decision needs to come from your heart.

However, you did ask for advice. When my DS was 4, we moved into the house we're in now. The people who lived down the street had a mixed breed (sheltie and some other I believe). My DH took DS down the street to thank them for a welcome basket, and, after DS asked if he could pet their dog, he did (gently and slowly from what my DH reported). My son was then attacked, unprovoked, and needed several stitches. The neighbor, bewildered, said the dog had been mean to other dogs but never to humans. The hardest part was looking into my son's eyes when he cried, "Mom, I didn't do anything to him". I would certainly be careful when introducing him to new people, particularly children, if the dog is so territorial.

Again, . It's amazing how easily dogs become our family. Best wishes and prayers through a really hard time.

 

[MushyMushy]

Oh my, Christine. I'm so sorry.

 

[mrFDNY]

Hi all,
first off, It's not you fault! You can't keep thinking that if you did'nt clean the windows that this would have never happened. Nothing you did caused this! Things happen in life that sometimes suck real bad, and usally we have no control over .This event is one of those things, Its not your fault and Nothing you did caused this and its one of those things you really had no control over. Stop beating yourself up over it. Losing a pet is hard. It's normal to mourn and you should. As for the other dog I have no advice about what the vet tech said about putting her down.That's something you have to decide for yourself. I am so sorry that this happen to you.

 

[janette]

Other than that, with people she is a truly loving dog. I know it is hard to hear that after I just detailed a most vicious story.

In fact, she had a huge chunk of skin pulled off of her and my husband is at the ER with her now. For some reason, my husband has some idea that my dog was attached by something else. We have chicken wire around the lower half of the fence and it has been pulled back and something has been digging from the other side. At first he thought that maybe the little dog got "caught" on it. And according to the ER vet, the laceration the bigger dog has is not consistent with a dog bite but some kind of tear.

I just cannot imagine what else would have gotten into my yard and killed my little dog and then gotten out.

Our dog that has attacked other dogs is also the most gentle dog we have towards humans. The others have snapped at people but she never has but she is an alpha dog and so is the one she attacked. Our male Bichon is the most submissive dog I've known and he gets along with both fine and she's amazingly gentle with him, treats him like her puppy. This type of incident doesn't mean your dog will attack anything.

Hopefully the vets office will be able to give you some more information. Maybe your other dog got hurt and that is what caused her to attack the other one or maybe something else hurt them both. Wait until you know the answers and see what you do then.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Thank you so much for your responses. Just reading them has caused me to cry more (I think that's a good thing though).

I'm really not sure what to do about the other dog. I know that, today, it is not a decision I can make. I will tell you that I *adore* my veterinarian and he is one of the most compassionate animal lovers that I have ever met. I am going to talk this over with him on Monday and see how he feels about it.

The aggressive dog never goes outside the yard and I rarely walk her (we have a HUGE backyard). Our youngest child is almost 12 so we do not have any small children nor do we have any visit.

Other than that, with people she is a truly loving dog. I know it is hard to hear that after I just detailed a most vicious story.

In fact, she had a huge chunk of skin pulled off of her and my husband is at the ER with her now. For some reason, my husband has some idea that my dog was attached by something else. We have chicken wire around the lower half of the fence and it has been pulled back and something has been digging from the other side. At first he thought that maybe the little dog got "caught" on it. And according to the ER vet, the laceration the bigger dog has is not consistent with a dog bite but some kind of tear.

I just cannot imagine what else would have gotten into my yard and killed my little dog and then gotten out.

Then you really should wait and see. Maybe it was something else. I hope so! Again, hugs.

 

[Christine]

That's a good idea Christine- talk to the vet and see what he says. He'll probably have a good idea what happened by looking at both animals wounds.
Is there any blood on the chicken wire? I'd go check it out.

My DH looked all over the yard. Paisley has a round patch of flesh (about the size of a 50-cent piece) just pulled from her body. No puncture. The hair is totally gone and there is just this raw flesh.

Lola's neck wounds (which I stared at for an eternity) were two punctures. One the diameter of a pencil eraser and once that was double the size of that. With the bigger puncture, I could see right into her neck. To me, those look exactly like bites.

We cannot find Paisley's hair that was pulled off.

 

[perdidobay]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
I've been thinking how I'd feel if I were in your shoes...I have two dogs too.

 

[Christine]

I will say that you shouldn't turn against having more than one pet at a time. We always have, and those are the only two issues over my 47 years (and we've had many, many pets come to live with us due to living in a rural area where people abandon their animals).

I'm really sorry...

Thanks. At one point, I did have three dogs at one time (three females to boot) and I never had one fight.

 

[eclectics]

Another vote for talking to the vet. It's possible another animal got in the yard. If he thinks Paisley should be put down you can cross that bridge when it comes. For now, I would just concentrate on finding out exactly what happened. So sorry you have to go through this and for your loss.

 

[TENIA66]

A very similar thing happened to me: I got Nanuk affectionately called Nooky, before I was married in 1988. After we got married in 1990 we added a german shepard female, Bandit. Nooky hated the dh but loved everyone else. Bandit was a warm gentle shepard who fell out of a moving vehicle, and consequently we could never get her near a car so she was not fixed. You just can't make a 90 pound dog get into a car when they don't want to. Anyway, she had 2 litters of pups which we gave away. She died when hit by a semi 3 years ago. Nooky mourned and cried. A friend of mine realized she had Bandit's granddaughter and gave her to me. Sasha was a mixed breed dog, shepard, and what appeared to be chow. While i was at work one day, sasha attacked nooky and killed him. I was devastated. I didn't even blink though in putting sasha down. with three kids, i wouldn't take that chance. i cried like a baby over nooky, he had nursed me to health from near death once, kept my feet warm at night, screened my dates, listened and watched for danger, and was my one of my best friends. I think sometimes maybe pets are angels with fur..I'm tearing up as I'm writing this...sorry

 

[Christine]

A very similar thing happened to me: I got Nanuk affectionately called Nooky, before I was married in 1988. After we got married in 1990 we added a german shepard female, Bandit. Nooky hated the dh but loved everyone else. Bandit was a warm gentle shepard who fell out of a moving vehicle, and consequently we could never get her near a car so she was not fixed. You just can't make a 90 pound dog get into a car when they don't want to. Anyway, she had 2 litters of pups which we gave away. She died when hit by a semi 3 years ago. Nooky mourned and cried. A friend of mine realized she had Bandit's granddaughter and gave her to me. Sasha was a mixed breed dog, shepard, and what appeared to be chow. While i was at work one day, sasha attacked nooky and killed him. I was devastated. I didn't even blink though in putting sasha down. with three kids, i wouldn't take that chance. i cried like a baby over nooky, he had nursed me to health from near death once, kept my feet warm at night, screened my dates, listened and watched for danger, and was my one of my best friends. I think sometimes maybe pets are angels with fur..I'm tearing up as I'm writing this...sorry

Oh, how awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I just wish I could be so decisive about this. I can tell, my DH is very devastated and doesn't want anything to happen to Paisley (my DH was at work when this all happened). He is truly looking for any reason to explain this away.

 

[Minniespal]

Very sorry for your loss

 

[gottalovethem]

Christine - what a crazy and stressful day. I hope the talk with the vet goes well and that maybe something did get in the yard. Good luck.

 

[SillyMe]

I'm so sorry Christine.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I think that before you make any decisions, you might consider having the remaining dog evaluated by a competent trainer.

I know that you said the dog who was killed was extremely submissive, but honestly extremely submissive dogs do NOT fight over dog toys, or bowls of food. They will back themselves into the farthest corner they can find and try to make themselves appear invisible. What you are describing here is not a submissive dog.

In short, something happened between the two dogs, they both wanted the same toy, same food, same position of authority in the dog pack -- same patch of grass....something and they took it to the level that dogs do.

Anyway, a competent trainer who knows how to interpret dog body posture and actions without humanizing them will definately be able to help you decide how to proceed with the dog. I don't think there is any need to rush into a decision...take a couple of days to calm down, talk to your Vet and see if he has any recommendations.

I'm really sorry this happened Christine. It really isn't your fault, no matter how much we try to humanize them, dogs will always be dogs.

I'm sure you love them both dearly.