Finding a new home for a fear-aggressive dog

July 9, 2008 7:39 AM

Finding a new home for a fear-aggressive dog

I have a six-year-old neutered male dog who is fear aggressive. We have had him since he was eight months old, prior to which he was pretty severely abused. He is very anxious, and he has bitten people he does not know several times. He has never broken skin, but he does bite multiple times. We love this dog very much, and we have done everything that we can think of to address this problem. We have taken him to several trainers and behaviorists and continue to work with him daily. He has had a complete medical workup. He is sweet and entirely nonaggressive to people that he has previously met. He is not aggressive towards dogs or other animals.

We are at the point that we can no longer keep our dog, as his biting appears to be getting worse and because we have a baby coming. We are devastated to have to put him to sleep...this dog is our family, and we have not reached this point without considerable effort and thought.

We have contacted rescue groups without any success so far.

Please don't suggest that we keep our dog. We would love to do this, but we have literally spent years working with him under the guidance of very good professionals, and we are clearly not improving his aggression.

posted by anonymous to Pets & Animals (11 answers total)

Hate to say it, but euthanasia really might be your best option. Any new home is going to be going to "people he does not know" and may be aggressive towards -- in any event, it is going to be a traumatic experience for him. If he's getting worse despite your best efforts, he's probably not going to get better ever -- especially with the new trauma of leaving his almost-lifetime family. A euthanized dog is a dog that isn't suffering, so just keep that one good fact in mind when considering all your options.
posted by bluenausea at 7:48 AM on July 9, 2008

I'm so sorry to hear you've tried and not been able to fix this behavior. You can keep trying rescue groups, including ones that aren't local. Petfinder.com is a good place to look. Try breed-specific rescues first. If you can keep the dog for a little while, sometimes a group that doesn't have room now might have an opening in a month or two, so it's ok to call back another time, or ask them to keep you in mind should they have room down the road.

Good luck - I hope it works out that this dog can find a new home. But sometimes these things just don't work out the way we'd like, despite everybody's best intentions.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:54 AM on July 9, 2008

I had to euthanize a perfectly beautiful, mostly healthy (he was blind from birth) dog a couple of years ago for aggression, among other issues. It was the hardest thing I've ever done but in the long run, it was also one of the kindest things I've ever done and my only real regret is that I didn't see the writing on the wall sooner. I tried and tried to find him another home and failed. There are not a lot of miraculous homes out there; there are many, many sweet, nonaggressive dogs who need homes. If his aggression towards strangers is escalating than I think you are probably going to have to make the choice I did, because the chance that he will bite and injure a child is just too great. It is a devastating decision to make; carrying it out is horrible (I took mine to the SPCA and was honest about his aggression issues, which meant, in our overtaxed local shelter that he would be put down immediately;) however, sometimes it really is the only choice. I'm so sorry and wish you the best.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:14 AM on July 9, 2008

You could contact Best Friends. They are a rescue organization out in Utah. They have been known to do cross-country moves to place dogs in their shelter. You might have luck with them.

Otherwise, I wonder if you had tried different medications with the dog. I understand that you don't want this sort of suggestion, but I am curious if this avenue was pursued.

Another suggestion: maybe you can find a farmer that he might accept. It sounds like he might make a good farm dog.

Good luck.
posted by bolognius maximus at 8:38 AM on July 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

You cannot, in good conscience, rehome a dog with known aggression issues and a bite history, this dog will not make a good farm dog, or a good pet, and no ethical rescue will accept such a dog (partly for liability issues, partly because there are far too many dogs in need of homes who do not have these problems, and their limited resources are better spent on dogs who have a good chance of finding a good home and living well). He has serious intrinsic problems which you have tried to solve, you have done what you can, have this dog humanely euthanized yourself. Some dogs simply cannot live well or safely with people, some dogs (like some peole) are just wired wrong and no amount of therapy or medication will ever make them a happy, safe dog to be around. A peaceful death is far from the worst thing that can happen to a dog, and this dog already has a poor quality of life (through no fault of your own), it lives in fear. Please do not pass the burden of this decision on to someone else, and please do not place anyone else in danger from this dog (what if the next victim is a child?), please just spoil him rotten for a day, then take him to your vet and be with him while he is put to sleep. I'm sorry.
posted by biscotti at 8:48 AM on July 9, 2008 [7 favorites]

it's the saddest thing in the world, but you need to listen to biscotti. it's unfair but it's your responsibility, you owe it to yourself and to your dog. I'm sorry, too.
posted by matteo at 9:02 AM on July 9, 2008

What biscotti said- but maybe you can find a vet to make a house call, so you don't have to put him through the stress of a vet trip. It sounds like you really gave him a lot of care and tried your best.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:59 AM on July 9, 2008

I'm so sorry, but you need to listen to biscotti.
posted by thejanna at 10:54 AM on July 9, 2008

biscotti FTW as usual. Also, take comfort in knowing that most vets are not at all judgmental about euthanasia. I allowed our two elderly cats to linger in discomfort weeks longer than I should have because I was worried about what the vet would think. Be kind to yourself. It sounds like you have gone far above the call of duty and have done your best for your dog. Now you need to do what is best for you.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 11:03 AM on July 9, 2008

I still maintain that you contact Best Friends (a very reputable and ethical organization). They have taken biters in before, and have a colony of dogs that are not suitable for adoption. They live very happily with each other. I would at least consider this.
posted by bolognius maximus at 11:57 AM on July 9, 2008

follow-up from the OP: "After a lot of thought and a lot of tears, we put my dog to sleep this morning. We are horribly, terribly sad, but we believe it was the right thing to do. We love him and will miss him so much. Thank you for responding. We knew that this was what we had to do, but couldn't stand to leave any stone unturned."
posted by jessamyn at 7:05 PM on July 12, 2008