sorrow and dogs

[Lady Mikayla of Phoenicia]

Shandi,

I too share my home with multiple dogs and have seen dogs turn on one another, all breeds do it.  There are many, many good pitbulls out there.  The issue may be an issue of pack health and welfare, either with the attacking dogs or the "target".  If a dog in the pack exhibits signs of sickness/age/disease, whatever could cause harm to the pack overall, the healthier dogs will "eliminate" the threat to the pack.  If the attacking dogs are ill or have bad temperaments, it is best to make the decision to let them go.  As owners of multiple dogs, we have tough decisions to make on occassion.  In your position, I would release the second dog to a rescue, preferably breed specific.  They will better understand that breed's specific needs.   

Please feel free to pm me directly should you need.  I wish the best for you & your heart boy! 

Blessings,

Lady M 

[SirRichardBear]

His Apologies
by
Rudyard Kipling

Master, this is Thy Servant. He is rising eight weeks old.
He is mainly Head and Tummy. His legs are uncontrolled.
But Thou hast forgiven his ugliness, and settled him on Thy knee...
Art Thou content with Thy Servant? He is very comfy with Thee.

Master, behold a Sinner! He hath committed a wrong.
He hath defiled Thy Premises through being kept in too long.
Wherefore his nose has been rubbed in the dirt and his self- respect has been bruised.
Master, pardon Thy Sinner, and see he is properly loosed.

Master, again Thy Sinner! This that was once Thy Shoe,
He has found and taken and carried aside, as fitting matter to chew.
Now there is neither blacking nor tongue, and the Housemaid has us in tow,
Master, remember Thy Servant is young, and tell her to let him go!

Master, extol Thy Servant, he has met a most Worthy Foe!
There has been fighting all over the Shop -- and into the Shop also!
Till cruel umbrellas parted the strife (or I might have been choking him yet),
But Thy Servant has had the Time of his Life -- and now shall we call on the vet?

Master, behold Thy Servant! Strange children came to play,
And because they fought to caress him, Thy Servant wentedst away.
But now that the Little Beasts have gone, he has returned to see
(Brushed -- with his Sunday collar on) what they left over from tea.

Master, pity Thy Servant! He is deaf and three parts blind.
He cannot catch Thy Commandments. He cannot read Thy Mind.
Oh, leave him not to his loneliness; nor make him that kitten's scorn.
He hath had no other God than Thee since the year that he was born.

Lord, look down on Thy Servant! Bad things have come to pass.
There is no heat in the midday sun, nor health in the wayside grass.
His bones are full of an old disease -- his torments run and increase.
Lord, make haste with Thy Lightnings and grant him a quick release!

His Apologies
by
Rudyard Kipling

[Shandi]

Hoggle is home and looks like frankenstien with his bright pink stiches, drain tube and shaved patches all over. He's so sore. I discovered this morning that I not only and battered and bruised myself but somehow must have pulled the tendons in my right hand and can't hold my paint brush or sculpting tool with out intense pain.
I got a 500.00 Vet bill a 55.00 script fee from Walgreens and have no clue how I'm going to come up with the funds to pay a 100.00 a week when I can't finish 2 pieces of art work on my desk..
I had them euthanize the pitty mix. I have been called a murderer by someone I love, for letting the dog be put to sleep. I could not live with myself if he had ever hurt someone else or another animal. I have to live with this burden, this pain, that I took his life. If I could have gotten to my gun and got back fast enough I would have shot him. You can call me all the horrible names you want, I would have done anything to save my Hoggle. I love Luu and I will always love him. I loved him enough to let him go as humanly as possible. The burden of this sorrow is mine to bear, I have to live with this choice. I made the choice to save my friend of almost 11 years and to euthanize a pup of 2 that may or maynot have done this again, I was not willing to risk it.
I will suffer over this and I will agonize over this, I just hope I can make it through these feelings of guilt.
Thank you all so very much for listening, and supporting me. I feel like this lump in my throat will ease some sharing this with you all.

[Rowan MacD]

  *hugs*  Don't second guess yourself.
Lady Mikayla may have the right idea.  The older pit should probably find a new home.

[Merlin the Elder]

Shandi! Stop beating yourself up about this! You did what you had to do. The person that called you murderer is a child, I would imagine. They have a more difficult time understanding. It will come to them eventually. My hopes for a speedy recovery to all who were injured, both physically and mentally.

[angusmacinnes]

Whom ever said that to you child or not is wrong.  They should get over themselves.

[Becky10]

Shandi, I've been called a murderer for putting down a cancer ridden dog and a poisoned cat. The people who call you this are usually those who are unable to carry the burden of responsibility themselves. You are not a murderer. As much as I love my fur babies I cant say with confidence that I could have enough bravery to do what you did. You saved Hoggle's life! And you potentially saved the life of you're other dogs, or even a child, what would have happened if that was a toddler? You did what was in the best interest. Trust me Hoggle and the pitty you had to put down both know that, dogs have the most understanding souls.

*Hugs*

[duffy]

Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. Putting a dog down is never easy. My wife and I are troubled with this decision everyday lately. We have a schnauzer who is 12 and is having trouble holding his bladder. We had urine and blood work done and all they can tell us is he is getting old and has a growth "tumor" in him. He was our first dog together and a great one at that, but now he is solitary, doesnt was love and just goes potty in the house all the time. We have to lock him up when we are not home and have resorted to making him wear a diaper. He also gets snippy with the other dogs for no reason. You wish to yourself he would just pass away so you dont have to make the decision. I cant bring myself to put him down yet. It will probably be put off till he has pissed me off so much that i am always mad at him. It sucks doing that no matter what.

Sorry to get off subject just wanted to get it out i guess.  Anyway you did the right thing, even though it doesnt feel right. You gave him 2 good years he would never have had.

[crazyrennie]

Shandi,
I will agree with all here and say you did the right thing-
my hugz to both you and (gently) Hoggle
Crazy

[Rowan MacD]

Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. Putting a dog down is never easy. My wife and I are troubled with this decision everyday lately. We have a schnauzer who is 12 and is having trouble holding his bladder. We had urine and blood work done and all they can tell us is he is getting old and has a growth "tumor" in him. He was our first dog together and a great one at that, but now he is solitary, doesnt was love and just goes potty in the house all the time. We have to lock him up when we are not home and have resorted to making him wear a diaper. He also gets snippy with the other dogs for no reason. You wish to yourself he would just pass away so you dont have to make the decision. I cant bring myself to put him down yet. It will probably be put off till he has pissed me off so much that i am always mad at him. It sucks doing that no matter what.S

My 18 year old Yorkie was exactly the same as you described your schnauzer is now. I waited until it had been a full year of daily cleaning up after him, which was all he did during the few times he wasn't sleeping. He did not socialize at all with people or other dogs.  The vet said it was dementia (I didn't know dogs could get that).
  Finally I just couldn't take seeing him like that anymore.  He was not the dog I remembered, he was just existing. 
   I spoiled him for a day then took him for his last vet visit this January. I don't regret it.
I have my memories now.

[Taffy Saltwater]

Sweetie, my sympathies go out to you.  A pit puppy (maybe 6 months old?) attacked my pomeranian and since then I don't trust pits.  It took her owner beating her and dragging her off my dog and I shudder to think what would have happened if my baby wasn't a pure fluff ball - he was wet all over from the dog trying to get a grip.  I know a lot of people think it's all in the socialization, but ... obviously that is not always true.  As for the older pit, I know you'll keep an eye out for the safety of your other dogs, yourself & 2-legged guests.  Keep in mind he may now view Hoggle as attackable.

You absolutely did the right thing.  A dog that attacks another member of its pack can attack strange pets, people, and as you know, even its owner. 

Be at peace.

[Lady Christina de Pond]

i know how you feel i had a boxer once she was a sweet dog but very sly and kinda skitish
one night after a date with my boyfriend at the time we had came home he had hung out for a  little while he usually did she was suposed to be in a pen in the back yard well i didn't know she was out my boyfriend went outside i went outside to say goodbyewe were hugging each other when i heard the tinkling of the rabies shot tag on her collar i knew she was close and not in the pen in the back yard.
I looked at him as serious as i've ever been and said
" Listen to me and Listen good i need you to get out of the fence and go now"
He listened as soon as he walked toward the gate i put my hands down and onto her collar i don't know if she would have bit him or not for sure but i wasn't taking a chance
later a few months later my brother and myself arrived home to find the boston terrier who spent all day outside with the boxer when no one was home covered in Mud she was I'm talking caked and caked i gave the poor thing a bath and then my mother gave her another bath we discovered that she had one bad cut and a few minor cuts but nothing life threatening the boxer apparently attacked her while no one was home and rolled over in the mud over and over.
my parents wound up putting her down they no longer trusted her.
If you have to sleep with one eye open because you don't trust the dog then there is nothing cowardly about that Taffy's right if it attacks it's pack then it will attack anything and anyone

[RenStarr]

Sweetie, my sympathies go out to you.  A pit puppy (maybe 6 months old?) attacked my pomeranian and since then I don't trust pits.  It took her owner beating her and dragging her off my dog and I shudder to think what would have happened if my baby wasn't a pure fluff ball - he was wet all over from the dog trying to get a grip.  I know a lot of people think it's all in the socialization, but ... obviously that is not always true.  As for the older pit, I know you'll keep an eye out for the safety of your other dogs, yourself & 2-legged guests.  Keep in mind he may now view Hoggle as attackable.

You absolutely did the right thing.  A dog that attacks another member of its pack can attack strange pets, people, and as you know, even its owner. 

Be at peace.

Well Put Taffy!

I've had mutiple four legged/furry canine friends that I have shared my home with during my life time.  Mutiple breeds also.  Several of my friends over the years have owned pit bulls but I gotta say, I simply don't trust that breed to be around other breeds or unfamilar people.  Some will not agree with me on this, and that's ok.  But I've seen just too many situations where that particular breed just lost it's "cool" for a short period of time and hurt another or at the very least scared the day lights outa someone.  I also work in an ER and hands down, I've seen more issues in regards to dog bites and maulings from pb's then all other breeds combined.

So  Shandi, you absolutly did the right thing.  He did it once and you felt terrible about the entire situation and that is totally unstandable.  But if you had let him live and he did it again, well you know where I'm going.  Hang in there and love on the ones that are still there.