What is the best way to find a new home for a dog?

[connorlevismom]

OP, forgive me if I missed this, but has your dog only shown these signs of aggression around your husband? Your dog may simply be afraid of men. I know after nine years it's late to start, but you never know.

If you feel like you have to give up the dog, please don't have him put down. Try a breed-specific rescue, or your vet's office.

He has shown it with me, my DH and our 6 year old son. Not the baby but she is generally up and is not challenging his behavior. The really strange thing is that all the things that he growls and shows his teeth at are things that he has NEVER been able to do. We have never let him on the furniture, in the dishwasher or at the table when we eat. In the last year he has decided that these rules no longer apply to him. When we correct him he shows his teeth and growls at us and has snapped at my DH.

Kristine

 

[SundaeAfternoon]

So, because a dog growls and gets snarly because you tell it to get off the couch, or it has been sassy lately because, most likely, the owners have not been effectively working with their pet, the pet (at 9 years old) has to be re-homed, sheltered, or worse, euthanized. That's where I think the volatility is coming from.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me.

Some people were never meant to have dogs, or other pets IMO. They aren't something you throw away when things aren't going just right.

 

[Myothername]

He is a purebred Springer Spaniel.

Kristine

I don't want to read all the way through this thread so if this has been addressed, forgive me. Have you heard of Spaniel Rage? We had a Springer years ago and when he was about 3 he suddenly starting turning on us. It really started on day when i was giving him is heart worm pill. This was back when you had to give them every day so he was used to getting a treat. Well, he dropped it. I picked it up to give him again and he dropped again. This continued a few more times. Finally he bit me on the hand. That was it for me. I knew I would never trust him. We ended up giving him to a coworker of mine with the full knowledge of what he had done. They were okay with it cause they had had springers. Well a few months later he attacked the husband and tore his hand up pretty bad. I never asked but I think they put him to sleep.

There is no easy answer here. You might ask the vet about Spaniel Rage. From what I remember it is just a genetic thing with some springers. There is really nothing you can do. If it was me and I had a springer who was showing signs of aggression I would put him down. I know I will get flamed for this. I am a big animal lover, have 4 great dogs, 2 have been through obedience and will start a third soon. I am a big advocate for rescue but if this dog has spaniel rage he does not need to be given to another home. Now if the vet does not think this is the problem you may want to ask around with friends but be sure they know the whole situation.

Also, I am sorry for the way you have been treated on this. You wanted advice and you got it. Unfortunately some was not worded very nicely.

 

[Christine]

He has shown it with me, my DH and our 6 year old son. Not the baby but she is generally up and is not challenging his behavior. The really strange thing is that all the things that he growls and shows his teeth at are things that he has NEVER been able to do. We have never let him on the furniture, in the dishwasher or at the table when we eat. In the last year he has decided that these rules no longer apply to him. When we correct him he shows his teeth and growls at us and has snapped at my DH.

Kristine

Kristine--

The bolded part above is VERY telling and diagnostic. I'm serious--this is really a behavioral issue. I don't think your dog has gone crazy or turned into Cujo. I think something or some dynamic in your household has upset his applecart so to speak.

I don't want to beat you up on this thread. I do believe children come first but I also think that you have to be extremely objective and reasonable when it comes to the life of your pet. There is something going on that has bothered him and his making him act this way. I believe he is insecure. It could be the children causing this. However, I think that before you can rehome or "whatever" with this dog, you need to give it your 110% best shot and fixing this problem. Even if it does cost you some more money and more time with a different trainer.

Everyone is different. I don't think I could sleep at night ever again if I had to give up my dog without exhausting every avenue. That's just me though. I realize that people have very different allegiances to their pets. My dogs have always been my babies and really, that didn't change at all when my kids came along.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I actually agree with you 100% on this. We will not be getting another pet until our children are out of the house and we have the time and money again to invest in a pet. Before we had kids our dog was our baby. He went to doggie daycare, went to the best kennels with swimming pools when we went on vacation. It is true, once we had kids our priorities changed and I cannot apologize to people for putting my kids first. So I do agree with you that we should not get another pet until our kids are out of the house. But to say that we should NEVER own another pet is a little extreme to me.

Should we have thought about this BEFORE we had kids? Maybe. But we got him before we were even married and when we got married we did not want to have kids. Things changed.

Kristine

We have not had luck with dogs--but we have owned cats since 1996.

Just b/c one species doesn't work out for you--doesn't mean that you are incapable of hosting another species.

Now if you abused your animal in anyway--that would be extremely different. We should respect the furry and nonfurry critters and treat them humanely.

We even have a disabled cat.

We have 4 cats and a rabbit.

We will be moving to VA. We are looking at home purchase b/c I don't want to have to adopt out any of the cats.

Due to travel limitations for rabbits (I even asked on the DIS and was advised to not take the bunny such a far distance)--the bunny will need a new home.

I could care less what anyone thinks of us for planning to get rid of the bunny. I looked into it and it is highly likely that such a trip would kill the bunny. It would be plain evil to suggest I should never own any animal just because of that.

Yet on this very thread--some people believe if you have to get rid of AN animal that you should not own ANY animal. Humans can be so vicious sometimes.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yep, that pretty much sums it up for me.

Some people were never meant to have dogs, or other pets IMO. They aren't something you throw away when things aren't going just right.

Yeah--my poor bunny rabbit will need a new home when we move.

But I supposed that taking it on a 20 hour trip and killing it would be better than giving it a new home.

(And yes--this is how very extreme y'all sound to the OP.)

 

[connorlevismom]

I realize you are trying to defend yourself with this post, but all it's doing is making me sad for your sweet dog who gave you the best years of is life.

It is our job to be there for our pets as they grow old, when they were there for us for so long.

I don't think you should own another pet. Part of owning a pet is to be there for them at the end.

I was not trying to defend myself, I was agreeing with her.

Thanks to everyone who has given me advise. I will take it all in and go through the options.

To those who have no children but choose to judge me, you will NEVER understand it. Never. You love dogs and I get that. How you cannot understand me wanting to protect my CHILDREN, I will never get. Until you have kids and are in the position of protecting them, you have no right to judge.

Kristine

 

[amg35]

Yeah--my poor bunny rabbit will need a new home when we move.

But I supposed that taking it on a 20 hour trip and killing it would be better than giving it a new home.

(And yes--this is how very extreme y'all sound to the OP.)

oh please. the dog bared it's teeth and growled, possibly snapped at her husband. get rid of it!! kill it!!

Read Christine's post, she gave great advice. Quite frankly, I don't believe the OP has actually done training since this has been going on, and I don't believe she wants to spend the money on any further training. This will be denied of course, but it's just coming thru on the posts that they'd rather not spend any money or time on this dog.

And please, if a dog bites or attacks, yes get rid of it if it's a danger to your family. I'm pretty sure no one here has suggested otherwise. But in this case, I think people's answers are right on target.

 

[SundaeAfternoon]

Yeah--my poor bunny rabbit will need a new home when we move.

But I supposed that taking it on a 20 hour trip and killing it would be better than giving it a new home.

(And yes--this is how very extreme y'all sound to the OP.)

Why would taking it on a 20 hour trip kill it?

We brought our dogs across the county on a 6 day trip when we moved, and they were just fine.

It's not extreme to have compassion about all beings, not just humans.

 

[monkeybug]

I realize you are trying to defend yourself with this post, but all it's doing is making me sad for your sweet dog who gave you the best years of is life.

It is our job to be there for our pets as they grow old, when they were there for us for so long.

I don't think you should own another pet. Part of owning a pet is to be there for them at the end.

And sometimes part of being there for them at the end (like you might for a parent) is finding them a place where they can live out their lives comfortably. It should always be a last resort, but there are situations that warrant it.
The dog shouldn't stay in a home where he may be a danger to small children, if he were to hurt one he would be put down for sure, even if it were "provoked" by an infant grabbing an ear too hard, or a toddler running up to him too quickly. If he truly just can no longer tolerate small children, find him a home where that is not an issue. Nothing cruel about that. Letting a dog stay in a home where he is likely to hurt somebody...that seems cruel to me.

 

[connorlevismom]

oh please. the dog bared it's teeth and growled, possibly snapped at her husband. get rid of it!! kill it!!

Read Christine's post, she gave great advice. Quite frankly, I don't believe the OP has actually done training since this has been going on, and I don't believe she wants to spend the money on any further training. This will be denied of course, but it's just coming thru on the posts that they'd rather not spend any money or time on this dog.

And please, if a dog bites or attacks, yes get rid of it if it's a danger to your family. I'm pretty sure no one here has suggested otherwise. But in this case, I think people's answers are right on target.

So am I supposed to wait until the dog DOES bite someone? You don't think that snapping bad? Well I do, and I am not going to sit around and wait until the dog actually breaks skin to make it be serious.


Kristine

 

[SundaeAfternoon]

To those who have no children but choose to judge me, you will NEVER understand it. Never. You love dogs and I get that. How you cannot understand me wanting to protect my CHILDREN, I will never get. Until you have kids and are in the position of protecting them, you have no right to judge.

Kristine

Let me ask you this: Why did you get a dog in the first place if you were planning on having kids before the dog's life would be over? Why didn't you research good family dog breeds when making this decision? Sorry, but it seems cruel to me to have your dog suffer because of your poor planning/decisions. This stuff happens far too often and makes me sick!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Why would taking it on a 20 hour trip kill it?
We brought our dogs across the county on a 6 day trip when we moved, and they were just fine.

It's not extreme to have compassion about all beings, not just humans.

EXACTLY--

If you were to research (which I did)--it would be extremely inhumane to the rabbit to take it on such a long trip. I would not personally kill it. The trip would. A rabbit is not a dog. A rabbit has a problem traveling 10 minutes down the street let alone 20+ hours in a vehicle.

I'd prefer to not move. But it is not an option.

We would love to take the rabbit. We cannot. End of story.

Sometimes situations go much beyond the black and white of "keep a pet forever".

 

[Christine]

And sometimes part of being there for them at the end (like you might for a parent) is finding them a place where they can live out their lives comfortably. It should always be a last resort, but there are situations that warrant it.
The dog shouldn't stay in a home where he may be a danger to small children, if he were to hurt one he would be put down for sure, even if it were "provoked" by an infant grabbing an ear too hard, or a toddler running up to him too quickly. If he truly just can no longer tolerate small children, find him a home where that is not an issue. Nothing cruel about that. Letting a dog stay in a home where he is likely to hurt somebody...that seems cruel to me.

I agree with you.

As long as the dog can successfully be re-homed, I see no problem with this. As others have stated, there are many older people that would like an older dog.

The problem is that the OP has not had any luck with a rescue group. The next step then is a shelter, where it will most likely be euthanized, or euthanisia at their vet. Those two options, I'm not fond of unless the dog is a "lost cause" and I don't think this dog is even close.

 

[monkeybug]

Why would taking it on a 20 hour trip kill it?

We brought our dogs across the county on a 6 day trip when we moved, and they were just fine.

It's not extreme to have compassion about all beings, not just humans.

We are military, and I have moved with my dogs more times than I care to count. They are troopers, and to be honest I think they love it just as much as we do. That said. Sometimes people have to get rid of pets because they move. Sometimes they don't have a choice.
There are some areas that if the Coast Guard moved us to, our dogs would have to be quarantined for 6 months. I would never put them through that. Thank goodness for me my parents would happily take my dogs if ever I need them to, and my dogs know and love my parents (my mom calls them her furry grandkids). Not everyone is so lucky.
I hate that the moment some one decides to try and find a new home for a pet, they are seen as bad people, bad pet owners, and heartless. That's just not always the case. Sometimes people get rid of their pets because they are trying to do the best thing for the animal.

 

[amg35]

So am I supposed to wait until the dog DOES bite someone? You don't think that snapping bad? Well I do, and I am not going to sit around and wait until the dog actually breaks skin to make it be serious.

And no, I will not deny it. I don't want to spend any more money. There has to be a point where enough is enough with the money. My kids come first, period.

Kristine

Well there it is. If you wanted to take the dog for training, then it most likely wouldn't get to the point of biting.

Yes, I'm sure you did all the training and nothing helped, and someone else will come in with a story how training didn't help someone they know who had a dog who started snapping.

 

[luvwinnie]

Thank you for the link. I found it very interesting that Springers are known for this type of behavior.



Thank you. Your right, I cannot afford hundreds and thousands of dollars for my dog right now. I have one child in all day kindergarten (at 400 a month) and my baby is in daycare (at 1200 per month). Factor that with saving for retirement, college for 2 kids, health and dnetal insurance, food, house, car, activites for the school ager...the list goes on and on. It does not leave a lot of money for hundreds of dollars for the vet. I do make sure he has all his shots and I do take him in if something is wrong with him. I did get a full blood workup on him (costing a lot) and nothing came back. I am not exactly sure what everyone wants me to do in that situation. Spends hundreds more? And what is those tests come up that there is nothing wrong. At some point, you have to stop spending because you can no longer afford it.

Kristine

I was afraid you wouldn't find my link in the chaos.

 

[Christine]

I hate that the moment some one decides to try and find a new home for a pet, they are seen as bad people, bad pet owners, and heartless. That's just not always the case. Sometimes people get rid of their pets because they are trying to do the best thing for the animal.

I don't think anyone has an issue here with the OP if she is successful in find a home for the dog. That is the ideal situation. It's what happens if she does not.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Let me ask you this: Why did you get a dog in the first place if you were planning on having kids before the dog's life would be over? Why didn't you research good family dog breeds when making this decision? Sorry, but it seems cruel to me to have your dog suffer because of your poor planning/decisions. This stuff happens far too often and makes me sick!

It is me or did most posters miss the part where she has a SIX YEAR OLD?????

The dog was fine for 6 years after a kid entered the picture.

The behavior in this dog changed BEFORE her new baby was even born.

I'm not saying she shouldn't work with the dog--but she is being villanized unnecessarily.

And yes--telling someone she shouldn't own any pet is wrong when they have committed no abuse or neglect. She isn't Michael Vick!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I don't think anyone has an issue here with the OP if she is successful in find a home for the dog. That is the ideal situation. It's what happens if she does not.

I have a problem with that as well (the what happens if they can't find a home).

But people are calling her horrible for trying to find a home which she asked for help to do.