Best way to give a dog away (Jacksonville, St. Augustine: job transfer, live)

[Newporttom]

We have 2 wonderful, wonderful dogs. But they are starting to fight each other. Nasty fights. So unfortunately one has to go. We've never been in this situation before. We've had dogs for 35 years. We almost always had 2 dogs, never had problems, and our dogs have lived to ripe old ages.

But we can't have a situation where at any second the dogs might start going at each other.

So, we don't believe we have a friend or relative that will want one. But we want which ever dog goes, to go into a loving family.

We obviously don't want to put one into a shelter where they might sit forever (or worse) and we hear horror stories about people taking pets and using them as bait dogs in fights.

So any advice on how to approach this?

This is tough for us. It will be a real Sophie's Choice as they are both great dogs.

[mawipafl]

Also post your dilemma on the Dog Forum //www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/. Although members are all over the world, they may be able to help you figure this out. What they'll ask is breeds, ages, how long they've been together, when this started, and have they been to the vet to rule out a medical problem.

[Newporttom]

ok. Done

Here are pics and video of one of them from when we adopted her about 3 years ago

https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23284243

[canajo]

I have not moved to Jacksonville yet as my job transfer will be in July of this year. However, I am a foster mom for southern shelter dogs that we bring up from the south so that they will be adopted in New England. I have just started to research rescue groups in the Jacksonville area as I want to continue working with shelter dogs once I arrive in July. I know of one rescue, so far, and that is Wags and Whiskers in St. Augustine. You may want to give them a call and see if they will take an owner surrender. You can find other rescues by going on petfinder.com and clicking on the purple tab at the top that says "shelters and rescues" and entering Jacksonville. A rescue or a no kill shelter is the ideal situation for rehoming a dog. Please, please, do not advertise your as a "free to good home." in craigslist or the newspaper. People are getting these dogs for bait dogs or flipping them for money.

[Newporttom]

Assuming nothing comes up, my plan is to take to local humane society which is a no-kill shelter.

[dizliz0925]

You can also call around to some vet clinics. They might be able to recommend foster's for your dog. DO NOT put on craigslist. I've heard horror stories of some people claiming to want a family pet, but then turn around and use the dogs for fighting.

[Newporttom]

Not doing Craigslist. Have an indication that Rescue place might take her back. Waiting to hear from them.

[canajo]

That is great if she was rescue dog originally. Most rescues require that you have to give the dog back to them. Hope it works out for you.

[Newporttom]

Talked to rescue place. We are taking her back Friday. Rescue place said placements are slow now so it may be a while. That hurts because reason we chose her is because we thought she would be swooped up quickly. She would still go faster than other dog. Rescue place is kind of out in boonies 2 hours from Jax.

[Newporttom]

Followup... on Friday I took her to the rescue place. Strange mix of emotions. Glad that I know both dogs are in a situation where no one will get hurt. We wonder if we gave up the wrong dog (I'm sure we would feel that either way). She has a very large area to herself which shares a fence with another area with another dog. She has her own shelter. But she's used to being indoors in air-conditioned comfort and sleeping on a bed.

Home seems super quiet with one dog, the other dog is super subdued.

The rescue place which is very rural says adoptions have slowed because the surrounding counties will periodically have mega-adoption fairs where they have free dogs and that eliminates demand.

A female veterinarian that has a farm/horses is coming today to look at some other dog, and if for some reason she doesn't like the dog she is looking at they will show her my dog. Part of me says I hope the vet takes her, part of me says if she takes her......"it's final, there's no going back".