Aggressive Dog Needs Good Home. (bite, barks, train, rescue)
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I am moving soon and can't take my dog with me.The problem is,she is so sweet but only to me and I need some sound advice on what to do.
Here is some background.she is a Collie/sheppard mix and I've had her over two(2)years.Like most good watch dogs,she barks when she see's strangers passing by and anybody coming up in the yard.Ofcourse,I keep her restrained from getting to anybody,but her real problem is,she has been sheltered and has bonded with me only.A while back,she bit someone who came up in the yard unannounced and tried to pet her.The bottom line is,she doesn't seem to want to make friends with no one and is pretty agressive'
My question here is,since I'm moving and need to find her a good home,what do I do about having to tell people who call and inquire about her,how aggressive she is,and I'm also,afraid,she may even try to bite the person I'm giving her away too.It would seem negligent to not mention her temperment in my classified ads,and yet if I do,I might not find any takeres in time for me to leave.
As you can see,not an easy situation to be in.If there's anyone out there who can identify with this and offer me some good advice.Please share it with me.
I think your best bet is to post an honest ad on Craigslist. She will bond to her new master just as she is bonded to you, so do not worry about that. When she meets people she will be stand-offish because that is her style. But once they take her home and feed her, she will love her dog parent just as well.
If you find someone who is experienced with dogs, I'm sure they can work with her aggression issues. Just make sure you screen them well! Sometimes it helps to let the person take the dog home for a trial period to make sure.
And never give a dog away for free. Charge a small adoption fee, do a home check, and get them to sign some adoption paperwork.
Call a rescue group in you area - google to see what's available. They may be able to foster her and train her not to be so scared of people that she has to bite first. You may need to pay them a small fee but it would be worth it to know she's being taken care of properly.
I apologize if what I am going to say offends you. That is not my intent. However, I work in Rescue and we get calls from people every week that are in similar situations to yours. What I'm going to say to you is the same thing that we tell people who call us with aggressive dogs to surrender.
If your dog has bitten someone you cannot place the dog in another home without fully disclosing the dog's bite history. If you hide the fact of her aggressive behavior, you will be morally and legally liable for any injury the dog causes another person in the future. Your dog could potentially maim or kill someone's child or an elderly person. I'm sure you don't want that to happen. Your dog is aggressive with strangers and has to be restrained to keep her from "getting to anybody" to ensure the safety of others. If you have done nothing to address her issues other than keeping her sheltered so she bonded only with you then the sad fact is that you have been negligent. You have created a situation where the only alternative for your dog may be euthanasia. Very few rescues and shelters will accept a dog with a bite history or aggression issues such as those you describe and for very good reason.
If you absolutely cannot fulfill your responsibility to your dog and keep her until you can get professional advice and training that might help her become adoptable, then don't hide her aggressive behavior from prospective new owners or from a shelter or rescue. Be honest. To do anything else would be unethical and unconscionable.
I apologize if what I am going to say offends you. That is not my intent. However, I work in Rescue and we get calls from people every week that are in similar situations to yours. What I'm going to say to you is the same thing that we tell people who call us with aggressive dogs to surrender.
If your dog has bitten someone you cannot place the dog in another home without fully disclosing the dog's bite history. If you hide the fact of her aggressive behavior, you will be morally and legally liable for any injury the dog causes another person in the future. Your dog could potentially maim or kill someone's child or an elderly person. I'm sure you don't want that to happen. Your dog is aggressive with strangers and has to be restrained to keep her from "getting to anybody" to ensure the safety of others. If you have done nothing to address her issues other than keeping her sheltered so she bonded only with you then the sad fact is that you have been negligent. You have created a situation where the only alternative for your dog may be euthanasia. Very few rescues and shelters will accept a dog with a bite history or aggression issues such as those you describe and for very good reason.
If you absolutely cannot fulfill your responsibility to your dog and keep her until you can get professional advice and training that might help her become adoptable, then don't hide her aggressive behavior from prospective new owners or from a shelter or rescue. Be honest. To do anything else would be unethical and unconscionable.
Thank you for your response to my question.Wasn't expecting a "book answer"to be written from anyone,but anyway,this is the thing,while I agree with most of what you said,I strongly disagree with your "judgment"of me that I have in anyway been negligent with regards to my dog.Limited contacts/company of other people around the dog,as well as no transportation to take her off around other people is why she doesn't no anybody and is so anti social.So,that's something on both accounts that is beyound my control and is not my fault.Looks like you made a judgment call without knowing me or having me to write a book here to get a question answered.
Now on the positive side of your post,I agree totally with disclosing her agression to a potential owner,and as I stated earlier,that is my main concern,her biting someone else.I do not have time though,to let someone take her in on a trial period just to see if things work out.
Also,I think I should make this very clear to future posteres,she is not agressive like if she got loose and seen someone up the street,she would chase them down until she got hold of them and bite them to death.that's not even the typically nature of a collie.She just afraid of other people coming around at my house,because as I said earlier,she don't know anyone but me.Similar to what has already happen,if someone comes in my yard and approaches her to pet her,she will most likely"take a plug out of them".She's just scared of other people.
Last edited by Peachstate01; 05-03-2009 at 08:35 PM..
I too believe in honesty, esp. in a situation such as this. Would go so far as to not move where you can't take her - your plans can be changed or if you absolutely have to move, would delay it til this dog is evaluated and if she's trainable, positively trained (nothing harsh) and a lot more sociable, that will mean a lot of work and expense on your part - she s/h been socialized from the get go and unfort. she'll be paying the price, it's much easier to work with them when they're younger and more impressionable than when they're older and have some fears, bad habits etc. 2 years (?) isnt old and she's prob. trainable but needs the help ASAP and yes, if you rehome her, you absolutely need to disclose any health and temperment problems, it's only fair to everyone esp. the dog.
I too believe in honesty, esp. in a situation such as this. Would go so far as to not move where you can't take her - your plans can be changed or if you absolutely have to move, would delay it til this dog is evaluated and if she's trainable, positively trained (nothing harsh) and a lot more sociable, that will mean a lot of work and expense on your part - she s/h been socialized from the get go and unfort. she'll be paying the price, it's much easier to work with them when they're younger and more impressionable than when they're older and have some fears, bad habits etc. 2 years (?) isnt old and she's prob. trainable but needs the help ASAP and yes, if you rehome her, you absolutely need to disclose any health and temperment problems, it's only fair to everyone esp. the dog.
Great post Honeycrisp - the only thing I'd like to add is that trying to place a biter isn't only a huge liability to you, but furthers the chances your dog will be abused or worse. It's even hard for rescue orgs. to place a fear biter.
It's a shame you can't keep your dog. Moving without my four isn't even an option but I'm sure you have special circumstances. Wish I had better advice.
Thanks, ZSP. My dogs will be coming with us when we move - it will get a bit complicated b/c like you, we have 4 also, I just couldn't leave them behind either but like you posted, I realize there are certain circumstances when it's unavoidable and while I can understand where the OP is coming from, I just wish the dog had opportunities as a puppy to go for walks etc, simple things like that (even short walks) help desensitize them toward certain fears, they learn to take things in stride - even little things such as going thru a hoop or walking near or over a grate helps too, they learn that all new experiences aren't insurmountable (one of mine was very nervous in the beginning and we really tried working with her and it helped, she still tends to be nervous but not the way she had been). I wish the OP and her dog good luck and hope she finds someone out there who takes a liking to the dog and will want to work w/ her to help make her more adoptable.
Thank you for your response to my question.Wasn't expecting a "book answer"to be written from anyone,but anyway,this is the thing,while I agree with most of what you said,I strongly disagree with your "judgment"of me that I have in anyway been negligent with regards to my dog.Limited contacts/company of other people around the dog,as well as no transportation to take her off around other people is why she doesn't no anybody and is so anti social.So,that's something on both accounts that is beyound my control and is not my fault.Looks like you made a judgment call without knowing me or having me to write a book here to get a question answered.
Now on the positive side of your post,I agree totally with disclosing her agression to a potential owner,and as I stated earlier,that is my main concern,her biting someone else.I do not have time though,to let someone take her in on a trial period just to see if things work out.
Also,I think I should make this very clear to future posteres,she is not agressive like if she got loose and seen someone up the street,she would chase them down until she got hold of them and bite them to death.that's not even the typically nature of a collie.She just afraid of other people coming around at my house,because as I said earlier,she don't know anyone but me.Similar to what has already happen,if someone comes in my yard and approaches her to pet her,she will most likely"take a plug out of them".She's just scared of other people.
Alrighty, you asked for help and honesty so that is what you will get whether you agree with it or not.
I will not give you a book answer though...you did not practice responsible pet ownership with properly socializing your dog. If she bit someone simply because they came into the yard and tried to pet her, well she could have been protecting her property, which in my opinion is fine. If a stranger walked up onto my property my dogs would not bite them but would bark and growl. That person would think twice before getting close enough for a bite.
Any responsible owner needs to socialize their animal even if only small amounts (depending on what your dog is meant for, such as a guard or family protection dog).
How do you know that your dog will not chase off after someone to attack them??? Her breed's biological nature doesn't matter...as this is more of a "learned behavior" anyway. Did you know she would bite?
I think you will have a hard time placing her in a proper home. I hope she doesn't have to be put down, but if she's dangerous/aggressive it might be the best thing. You should absolutely tell anyone interested in her about her aggressive tendencies.
Good Luck and please think long and hard before getting another pet if you don't have the time to spend to socialize them. And please don't misunderstand me...your dog doesn't have to be so socialized that she will go up and lick everyone to death. You should be able to control your dog with commands when she's with you and around others, to keep them safe. You should have control over your dog or you are putting others at risk.
I would also say to have her euthanized because of the fact that someone might take her to be a fighter or bait dog and I would not want to see that happen to anyone .and if you try to adopt her out without temperament training then she could potentially hurt someone or their child and yes I would be very fearfull of that . I would call rescues and such and see what they have to say but dont just put an ad in the paper that just draws sickos and weirdos to your door and god knows what they would do to your dog . Please try every other option except ads on craigslist and the papers . good luck to you and I wish you the best .
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