Tough Decision w/ Dog

[woolybug25]

Hey doods. So I have a pretty agonizing situation I'm going through with our 8 year old Aussie Mix. We got him as a puppy. He was the runt of a large litter and we realized very early on that he had resource guarding issues when he bit my wife as a puppy when she grabbed the bone he was chewing on. This persisted as he got older, biting several people including myself over the years.

When we moved to Buffalo, NY. I was traveling a lot so we decided to take him to a 3 week training program (one of the best BFK9 Training) where he learned obedience and collar training. It was life changing. He was a new dog that we could live with and it frankly saved his life.

Fast forward to today, while he is still much better than when he was as a youth. Some of his old habits like barking constantly, etc returned. But overall, still not dangerous. At this point, its been years since he has actually bit anyone. But now I have an 11 month old daughter that we try to keep separated from him. But as you probably all know, there is no way for me to keep them separated forever. Over the last two weeks he has growled at her twice and took a snip at her (luckily didn't connect). So now we are faced with a hard decision. I see it this way:

1) Shelter - We would have no idea if they are putting him with some other family where he may hurt someone else's kid. Most likely they wouldn't take him if they knew of his aggression, and if they did, it would probably lead to his euthanasia anyway. Just a couple weeks of being scared to add to it. This just doesn't seem like a viable option.

2) Rehome - Again, cant be with a family. He takes pain meds for a bad hip and has been an inside dog his entire life, so wouldn't make a good farm dog. Who exactly would be willing to take a dog like him?

3) Euthanasia - This sucks... but if he bit my daughter and she was scarred forever (or worse) all because I was too cowardly to make the tough call, I could never live with myself. I feel like all paths are leading to the inevitable. If that is the case, I owe it to him to be the person to take him, to be there with him.

So that's it. Not sure if anyone else has gone through this, but I feel incredibly helpless. As much of a pain in my ass this dog's been for me. He has been with me for 8 years. Fishing in the mountains in CO. His reincarnation into a well mannered dog in New York and back to Michigan where I grew up. He has been through my entire marriage. He is family. This is going to be incredibly hard for me.

 

[wizards8507]

Option 12 (gauge)

This is why I don't have animals. Just a thing to die on you and make you sad.

 

[koonja]

Friend just had this same thing. It was a rescue dog that they've had for 4 years, it recently bit a small kid, and it got reported but it wasn't serious. Now that it's on the books, any biting it does, they are 100% liable for. Also, they have their first kid on the way.

They refused to put him back into the 'system', because they did not trust he'd find a good home, and moreso, how heartbroken he'd be after having a good life for 4 years.

They also passed on giving him to another home, because they personally would feel really bad if he went there and ended up snipping a kid anyway.

They said it was the hardest decision ever - and elected to put him down and bury him. In his memory, they are making a home decor/sign with 5 rules to live by, based on his personality. Like the first one is "walk through the door with enthusiasm", because that's how he was.

I don't have advice, I haven't personally experienced this, but just sharing because this happened last week. Good luck with whatever you do, it won't be easy!

 

[woolybug25]

This is why I don't have animals. Just a thing to die on you and make you sad.

Truth. We are done with dogs for a while after this. Getting chickens or some kind of animal that I don't have that kind of bond with. Dogs are a slow moving trainwreck of emotions that all lead to the same end.

 

[Wild Bill]

Rehome, if possible. That's going to be difficult b/c anyone willing to take him will have the same concerns. Perhaps an older neighbor who needs a good companion would be your best bet.

You have to do what you have to do if you can't find a good home. Hopefully you can find a good home but you can rest easy knowing you gave him a great life for eight years and did your best to make it work.

Good luck.

 

[Henges24]

This sounds like a situation my uncle had with his dog a couple years back.

If you cannot absolutely have him in your home then find a buddy, or uncle that lives out on a farm or in the country (you live in MI, there has got to be farms nearby) and let him live the rest of his days out there. How's he do with other dogs? If well, preferably find a home with another dog to show him the way of his soon to be new territory.

It's tough to put a dog in a shelter because if he has a biting history the likelyhood of him getting picked up is small. Plus you have to deal with the emotional impact of knowing he's in there and probably never getting out. Sad but true.

Rehome him is the way I'd go. Someone you know, so you can go and visit if you want to.

 

[IrishLion]

Hey doods. So I have a pretty agonizing situation I'm going through with our 8 year old Aussie Mix. We got him as a puppy. He was the runt of a large litter and we realized very early on that he had resource guarding issues when he bit my wife as a puppy when she grabbed the bone he was chewing on. This persisted as he got older, biting several people including myself over the years.

When we moved to Buffalo, NY. I was traveling a lot so we decided to take him to a 3 week training program (one of the best BFK9 Training) where he learned obedience and collar training. It was life changing. He was a new dog that we could live with and it frankly saved his life.

Fast forward to today, while he is still much better than when he was as a youth. Some of his old habits like barking constantly, etc returned. But overall, still not dangerous. At this point, its been years since he has actually bit anyone. But now I have an 11 month old daughter that we try to keep separated from him. But as you probably all know, there is no way for me to keep them separated forever. Over the last two weeks he has growled at her twice and took a snip at her (luckily didn't connect). So now we are faced with a hard decision. I see it this way:

1) Shelter - We would have no idea if they are putting him with some other family where he may hurt someone else's kid. Most likely they wouldn't take him if they knew of his aggression, and if they did, it would probably lead to his euthanasia anyway. Just a couple weeks of being scared to add to it. This just doesn't seem like a viable option.

2) Rehome - Again, cant be with a family. He takes pain meds for a bad hip and has been an inside dog his entire life, so wouldn't make a good farm dog. Who exactly would be willing to take a dog like him?

3) Euthanasia - This sucks... but if he bit my daughter and she was scarred forever (or worse) all because I was too cowardly to make the tough call, I could never live with myself. I feel like all paths are leading to the inevitable. If that is the case, I owe it to him to be the person to take him, to be there with him.

So that's it. Not sure if anyone else has gone through this, but I feel incredibly helpless. As much of a pain in my ass this dog's been for me. He has been with me for 8 years. Fishing in the mountains in CO. His reincarnation into a well mannered dog in New York and back to Michigan where I grew up. He has been through my entire marriage. He is family. This is going to be incredibly hard for me.

Going through a similar situation, same timing/age of baby and dog and everything, though not to the same extremes on the end of "aggression."

My 8-year-old husky (who was also the runt) had a rough go of it when we brought my son home a year ago. She's always been high-strung (as most huskies), but the first two months with the baby at home were terrible. She was acting food-aggressive (she never had before, even for a brief period when she was living with another female dog), and doing her business in the kitchen whenever we weren't watching her closely.

A year later, and she's doing better, but she still has anxiety when she's home during the day. Even with daily walks, a regular diet, plenty of attention and bones left in her room for her to chew on, she still finds trouble to get into during the day... chewing things up, taking pillows off the couch, getting into garbage cans, etc.

We never had issues to these extremes in the past. She would find trouble here-and-there if we weren't taking her out to be active enough, but never like this. And now that my son is walking, he likes to chase her around. Sometimes she's a good sport and just finds a different room to chill in, but occasionally she'll give the warning growl, and the other day she give him the bark/snap ("I'm not willing to bite you, but I'm showing you that I could").

I'm hoping as he gets older, she'll get better... but if she starts to become legitimately aggressive, or doesn't improve at all, I'll be in the same boat.

My issue feels like small-potatoes compared to yours right now, so I hope you find a good option.

Do you have any older friends/relatives that don't have children, that might be willing to hear you out on a permanent "foster" situation?

 

[johnnycando]

I recently put down my only son, a 13 year old chocolate lab I had since I picked him up. It was my job with my upbringing to be the undertaker, and it killed me but he didn't deserve to be in a dr office, sick and dying, anxious being administered comfy drugs. So we went to his favorite swimhole, and we both cried and enjoyed our last evening together. He went for one swim, couldn't get out of the water so I hoisted him out, and then took care of him. I cry st least twice a week and it's been 2 months...

He, too, was the runt of the litter. He was great around children. He loved his sisters, my 3 daughters.

Don't put down the dewd. Put him in a backyard kennel, with adequate shelter and water/food, and let him out a several hours a day to run.

He'll adopt her as hid own someday. Just don't let him have an opportunity to hurt her.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

Good for you to make the tough decision. I spent the last 4 years in the pediatric ICU at a children's hospital and it's quite unsettling how many children ended up on our unit with horrific injuries from dogs that had supposedly never been aggressive before. Baby gets too close to food/water bowl or grabs a toy from the dog and everything goes downhill fast.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Rehome. Foster home.

Sorry for your situation. I have a rotty and a 2-year-old and luckily haven't been put in the position. My wife and I did have a talk about a hypothetical situation and rehome was our answer. Specifically someone we knew so we 1) knew she'd be taken care of and 2) knew we could still see her.

 

[Irish#1]

Been raising dogs and litters since 1988. I do consider myself something of an expert on behavior and training.

It is very difficult to "take the bite out of a dog" that has displayed this behavior before. Even if you find someone willing to take him, he is going to do the same thing to them and you have to be up front with them about his biting. The best option is to find a single guy that lives by himself with no pets.

Trust me, he will bite your daughter at some point in time if you keep him. Much like with your wife he is trying to establish his dominance with your daughter as well.

I've put to sleep a number of dogs for various reasons, including biting. It's not easy to do, but it is the best option given his history.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I like dogs very much, but no longer am in a family setting with one. I've grown to believe that any dog which is not in a natural area in which to run around (a lot) is a dog in the wrong place.

If you can find a "country" home or a farm, then OK. But you cannot have that dog around little kids (or perhaps anyone.) The dog, as emotionally-attached as one gets to it, is a dog. "All dogs go to Heaven (maybe)" as the old saying goes, but not because they have souls. The "spiritual pain" is generated solely by you (because at base you're a good fellow), but it's not a "moral" issue, it's psychological.

You want to do the right thing. If you can't find a childless country-ish home, you have to allow the dog to be put down. Sad. Crumby. True.

 

[woolybug25]

Thanks for all of the feedback, guys. Please keep it coming.

The problem with Re-Homing is that I am finding it very difficult for someone to take him that has a lifestyle that wouldn't put them in my shoes in the near future.

A shelter is a non-starter for me. I refuse to leave him in a strange place, scared to death, until he is finally euthanized anyway. Even worse is if they were to home him to someone and he hurt someone.

Trust me, he will bite your daughter at some point in time if you keep him. Much like with your wife he is trying to establish his dominance with your daughter as well.
.

This is a sobering comment.

 

[greyhammer90]

This is why I don't have animals. Just a thing to die on you and make you sad.

I'm looking at getting a dog, but yeah I'm pretty afraid of how attached I'm going to get to it. From what I've seen with families that did the dog thing, it seems like most of them would willingly take that bad time for the good. I think it's a little bit tougher for adult guys though, since we know when we pick it out that we're going to be the ones that have to do the deed when the time comes.

 

[NDohio]

Sucks you're going through this. I always had multiple dogs growing up but my wife is highly allergic to them so we have never had pets. In some ways I am very grateful for that.

No advice here, but good luck with your decision.

 

[ClausentoTate]

Longtime shelter volunteer and dog foster here -

Shelters, even "non-kill", will euthanize your dog if they have any aggressive history... if they will even take him. Dogs that are given up, even non-aggressive dogs, are last in line and typically don't even get a chance. They will "take" your dog and euthanize them without your knowledge.

Please try to re-home him or take him to a rescue. Rescues will sometimes work to re-home a dog to someone that can deal with specific issues.

 

[Free Manera]

Option 12 (gauge)

This is why I don't have animals. Just a thing to die on you and make you sad.

I think that's a super philosophy. That way you can go through your whole life without really knowing any... dogs.

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In seriousness though Wooly, don't rule out him being a farm dog because of being an indoor dog. He could love it. I would post pictures and info on all of your available social media platforms, including Facebook marketplace. Also reach out to any no-kill shelters and see if they know any no-children homes willing to foster. He's a grumpy old dog and he might be a perfect companion for a grumpy old man somewhere. If you exhaust all of your options and still can't find him a home then you do what you have to do with peace of mind.

 

[Irish#1]

I'm looking at getting a dog, but yeah I'm pretty afraid of how attached I'm going to get to it. From what I've seen with families that did the dog thing, it seems like most of them would willingly take that bad time for the good. I think it's a little bit tougher for adult guys though, since we know when we pick it out that we're going to be the ones that have to do the deed when the time comes.

Do your homework. Most people have a preference on breeds, but that shouldn't be your primary criteria. While dogs within a particular breed share the same traits, remember that each one will have a distinct personality. Some will be shy, some outgoing, some will eat everything in site, some will nibble, some will have chronic ear problems, some won't. Some will stay in the yard with a little training, some will roam regardless, etc., etc.

Don't buy form a pet shop. Most of those dogs come from puppy mills where the sire and dam are kept in small cages all the time. This can lead to behavior problems in the litters they have. Buy from a private breeder and make sure you see the parents. Watch the parents to see their personalities. Don't buy the first dog you look at. Check out several breeders before buying. Check the parents teeth for overbite or underbite. Ask about hip dysplasia. If they mention even just one (parent or pup from previous litters) don't buy. Those dogs should not be in a breeding program.

If you're going the rescue route, spend 30 - 45 minutes with the dog outside of its cage and watch how they act. You can get a shy dog to respond to you after a period of time, but they will probably be timid and frightened when you take them out in public.

When training a dog, make sure everyone in the household partakes in the training. Dogs associate training with whomever is doing the training, so if your wife doesn't train the dog, she shouldn't expect the same results that you get.

Sorry Wooly, didn't mean to highjack the thread, but wanted to give Grey a hand when making the decision.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Tough Decision w/ Dog

I'm so sorry to read this. We are currently going through the EXACT same thing:

One of our dogs (8 year old Pug) nipped our 2 year old daughter's face when she crawled up to his food bowl while he was eating (I wasn't home, and obviously let my wife have it for letting the kid crawl around with them during feeding). Only time it's ever happened.

Back to you:
The level of danger is minimal with our breed compared to your Aussie, so I would recommend not waiting long like we have, if at all. Walking on eggshells around a dog is the natural, (but not good) reaction when it happens, and a lot of times emboldens them to be more territorial/aggressive.

Good luck, and hope it works out. I know it's a terrible feeling.

 

[GATTACA!]

I recently put down my only son, a 13 year old chocolate lab I had since I picked him up. It was my job with my upbringing to be the undertaker, and it killed me but he didn't deserve to be in a dr office, sick and dying, anxious being administered comfy drugs. So we went to his favorite swimhole, and we both cried and enjoyed our last evening together. He went for one swim, couldn't get out of the water so I hoisted him out, and then took care of him. I cry st least twice a week and it's been 2 months...

He, too, was the runt of the litter. He was great around children. He loved his sisters, my 3 daughters.

Don't put down the dewd. Put him in a backyard kennel, with adequate shelter and water/food, and let him out a several hours a day to run.

He'll adopt her as hid own someday. Just don't let him have an opportunity to hurt her.

Woah I thought you were going somewhere very dark with this.

No advice wooly. This is a sucky situation.

 

[Bubbles]

Unfortunately, I have been through a similar situation. Out first dog was a Boston Bulldog....which turned out (we think) to be a weird amalgamation of various bully breeds, designed to look and behave like the old Boston Bulldog breed. Long story short, we believe his breeding made him fairly inbred, and never quite right in the head. He was smart as a whip, but had some pit bull tendencies....including nipping, growling, being possessive...and never quite respecting the Alphas (A1, A2) or any of the sub Alphas. He had always been bitey, despite years of obedience training and our honest best effort.

long story short, we at the time were already short on trust of this dog...and having small kids around simply exacerbated an already poor demeanor....and one day, he bit me badly, hard enough to draw significant blood and leave scars...and we knew we would never be able to trust him around our kids. It was the hardest decision we had ever made, but we had to put him down...and it still makes me tear up to this day, but it was the right decision. He never would have accepted our kids, and I never would have been able to live with myself if he had hurt someone else's.

In any event, the point of my story is that we knew the right answer....it was really damn hard, but we knew it. I hope you find the right answer for you.

 

[johnnycando]

Woah I thought you were going somewhere very dark with this.

No advice wooly. This is a sucky situation.

Haha my bad, poor writing and lots of spelling issues.

I was working when I posted from my phone.

Wooly you'll make the right and good decision.

 

[tadman95]

We had a dog when our youngest was 5. The dog grew very territorial and began nipping anyone that came on the property. We had an electronic barrier fence around the yard. We talked to a couple of vets that felt it would be very hard, if not impossible, to train the behavior out of him.

We chose to put him down which was tough, and i would not want to do that again to an other wise healthy dog. Unless you can find the right person and situation, doubtful, I don't think you have a choice. Sorry.

 

[Greenore]

Been raising dogs and litters since 1988. I do consider myself something of an expert on behavior and training.

It is very difficult to "take the bite out of a dog" that has displayed this behavior before. Even if you find someone willing to take him, he is going to do the same thing to them and you have to be up front with them about his biting. The best option is to find a single guy that lives by himself with no pets.

Trust me, he will bite your daughter at some point in time if you keep him. Much like with your wife he is trying to establish his dominance with your daughter as well.

I've put to sleep a number of dogs for various reasons, including biting. It's not easy to do, but it is the best option given his history.

QFT.

I've had working hunting dogs for the past 20 years. Given your circumstances (and being objective) I know Irish#1 is correct. I've had a few friends that had to deal with this specific challenge as well and they followed Irish#1's advice.

I hope I would follow this direction (objectively) but I also recognize it would be an incredibly difficult decision. I love my dogs as I am sure you do too. You tried the training route and it didn't take. You have done your duty as a dog owner and now you are a father. Best of luck and take care.

 

[Bluto]

Man that's tough. The dog we had as a kid (German Shepard and husky mix) was super protective of all our family members. If he didn't know you and none of us were around it was best you steered clear. Anyhow, he got bit on the nose by a rattlesnake protecting my sister. He managed to live but several years later we had to put him down due to declining sight and smell as a result of the bite and he could no longer distinguish between us and random strangers and snapped at my mom. It sucked.

Definitely don't do a shelter.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

We are looking to rehome both of our dogs. We have 9 month old twin boys and the dogs have made it very clear that they do not care for the boys. Between territory marking, growling, and snapping, we have decided its just not worth it to keep the dogs.

 

[TheSunIsRising]

Hey doods. So I have a pretty agonizing situation I'm going through with our 8 year old Aussie Mix. We got him as a puppy. He was the runt of a large litter and we realized very early on that he had resource guarding issues when he bit my wife as a puppy when she grabbed the bone he was chewing on. This persisted as he got older, biting several people including myself over the years.

When we moved to Buffalo, NY. I was traveling a lot so we decided to take him to a 3 week training program (one of the best BFK9 Training) where he learned obedience and collar training. It was life changing. He was a new dog that we could live with and it frankly saved his life.

Fast forward to today, while he is still much better than when he was as a youth. Some of his old habits like barking constantly, etc returned. But overall, still not dangerous. At this point, its been years since he has actually bit anyone. But now I have an 11 month old daughter that we try to keep separated from him. But as you probably all know, there is no way for me to keep them separated forever. Over the last two weeks he has growled at her twice and took a snip at her (luckily didn't connect). So now we are faced with a hard decision. I see it this way:

1) Shelter - We would have no idea if they are putting him with some other family where he may hurt someone else's kid. Most likely they wouldn't take him if they knew of his aggression, and if they did, it would probably lead to his euthanasia anyway. Just a couple weeks of being scared to add to it. This just doesn't seem like a viable option.

2) Rehome - Again, cant be with a family. He takes pain meds for a bad hip and has been an inside dog his entire life, so wouldn't make a good farm dog. Who exactly would be willing to take a dog like him?

3) Euthanasia - This sucks... but if he bit my daughter and she was scarred forever (or worse) all because I was too cowardly to make the tough call, I could never live with myself. I feel like all paths are leading to the inevitable. If that is the case, I owe it to him to be the person to take him, to be there with him.

So that's it. Not sure if anyone else has gone through this, but I feel incredibly helpless. As much of a pain in my ass this dog's been for me. He has been with me for 8 years. Fishing in the mountains in CO. His reincarnation into a well mannered dog in New York and back to Michigan where I grew up. He has been through my entire marriage. He is family. This is going to be incredibly hard for me.

I know exactly where you are Wooly. I have had several pets that have had to be put down, mostly due to illness. I will be honest: whether it is because they are becoming incapacitated, or due to aggression issues, it is ALWAYS difficult.

The one dog (it was when I was a teen) that was put down due to aggression issues was a Siberian Husky. She was a beautiful dog, and was not aggressive at all. We went on vacation and left her at a 'reputable' kennel. When my dad picked her up, he was told that she chewed through the wire fencing, and was running up and down the aisle disturbing other dogs. Was kind of a funny anecdote, until she shortly thereafter wouldn't let anyone near her snout. Within weeks, this dog that had no aggression issues was snarling and snipping at anyone who tried to pet her face - it had to be behind the ears, or she would react. In retrospect, we figured that she was mistreated around her snout at the kennel - but there was no way to prove it.

Regardless of 'why' she changed, there was now a concern. Over the course of the next 4 years, intense training, etc was not solving the problem; she bit my dad once and snarled at countless others. Thankfully all of us siblings were over 13, and knew to be vigilant. My Dad also knew he should do something. We could not find a 'safe' home for her, and would not put her in a shelter, so kept trying. Unfortunately we waited too long and one night she was sleeping on the floor next to the sofa where Mom (who our dog LOVED) was sitting, and my Mom reached down to pet her. She must have been disoriented and scared as she bit my Mom's hand, and damaged some tendons badly. My Dad realized immediately that we couldn't wait any longer, so we put the dog down immediately. It was tough, especially since she had been such a great dog for 2 years, but there was no doubt that the danger was too severe. This was with a family all over 13.

It is good that you do not have an option of trying to keep him. There is just too much risk for your daughter - you just cannot be that vigilant for the next 3+ years (going by the dog's age, not your daughter's).

My advice (you know your situation better): if you cannot find a suitable new home, euthanasia is the most humane alternative. Just make sure you are there when it happens: be with him for his final breaths.

 

[Big23Head]

I could type a book about my dog I had last year. The shelter said he was a hound mix with something like a German short hair. Turns out he's a St. Bernard, char pei, staffordshire mix. He was only 6 months old when I got him but he was never socialize or taught anything. He's incredibly smart. He was fear aggressive toward humans and other dogs due to the lack of socialization. He would also lose his mind on me during walks because his anxiety would build and he would just go crazy. Literally would wrestle my dog in the middle of a city street on the ground trying to get him to calm down. I have little scars all over my arms from him but refused to give up because I could see smart improvements. Living in the city made life hell. On top of that Cooper was a big, powerful dog, ~100#. I spent thousands on basic training, specialized training, individual training and seeing a dog behaviorist. He improved a ton but still had/has a long way to go. I managed to rehome him with a family out of the city with a farm and much quieter. I worked with a rescue and I was his foster dad during that time finding the family. I still visit him and check up on him. He is doing really well. My suggestion would be rehome.

I have friends and most of my family in your area. My mom works with shelters and sanctuaries so I may be able to help find him a home. If you want some help shoot me a PM.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Sorry about your dog, wooly. Years ago we adopted a greyhound from a Florida track. She developed osteosarcoma and we had to put her down. Praying for you guys in whatever you choose to do.

 

[BGIF]

2) Rehome - Again, cant be with a family. He takes pain meds for a bad hip and has been an inside dog his entire life, so wouldn't make a good farm dog. Who exactly would be willing to take a dog like him?

Have you contacted Aussie Rescue? They know the issues you speak of and may know of people who would cherish a dog like yours.

Aussie Rescue in Michigan
Aussie Rescue in Michigan | A rescue for Australian Shepherd dogs in the Michigan area.

Australian Shepherd Rescue Midwest | Illinois | Minnesota | Wisconsin ...
awos.petfinder.com/shelters/IL622.html

There are others.


My wife and I have been in Scottish Terrier Rescue for 25 years. Smaller dog, fearless with ferocious bite. Bred to hunt varmints.

A sister-in-law rescues German Shepherds. She rescued one that was thrown off a cliff. Another time she was driving down a highway and saw a dog thrown out of car. She stopped in her lane with 4 way flashers on and got the dog into her car. It was a pit bull. She had him for another 5 years.

My wife and I got a "troubled Scotty" about 15 years ago. We were the 5th rescue family to have him in less than 10 days. Nobody else would hold him for adoption. He was aggressive, attacked their dogs, etc. First night in our house I got up hungry about 3 am. Went to the kitchen and I scratched our 13 year old Scottie, Tallulah on the head as I passed her bed. The new dog, Dickens, instantly attacked her biting her in the side. Dickens got bounced off the refrigerator via my bare foot. He was put in a dog crate and I informed my wife he would be gone the next day.

When I got up that morning I tripped over Dickens next to my bed. He had gotten out of the crate, found my bedroom, pushed open the door, and made his bed next to the guy that a few hours earlier had launched him airborne into a refrigerator. While I was shaving he marked the contents of my closet, shoes, shirts, pants whatever was within reach of his stream. Not my wife's closet, just mine. P.O'd I assumed. He was a dead dog walking.

I went up on the net and posted the events seeking any understanding as this dog had impeccable references from his first family. He was their only child until they had a two legged one. Then jealousy was "sensed" and he got shipped out. They were a good family. There was a six page typed history they provided complete with his vocabulary, toys he liked, bed, etc. Dickens and the husband had been inseparable. Daily 5 mile walks, trips to the dog park, etc.

I got a response to my post from a dog behaviorist. He asked if the previous Rescue holding families had men in them. Strange question I thought. So I inquired. Turned out all were single women or multiple women households. "Aha!" the behaviorist wrote back. "Dickens is looking for love in all the wrong places. He was a dog that had had a strong bond with a male and since he's been given up he's been lost in a sea of women that don't fit HIS need. He attacked the other dogs trying to win the affection of people in the house."

A few months later we took Dickens to the annual Scottie Rescue picnic. Those that had known Dickens pulled their dogs back in fear of an attack as we approached. To their surprise he was Mr Sociable, tailing wagging, butt sniffing, and got along with everyone. I was asked what had I done to "change him". "Love and affection", I replied, "that and I took his bed, toys, leash, etc out in the backyard and marked them myself. That ended the pissing contest." Dickens was with us for another 10 years ... rehomed. I didn't adopt Dickens, Dickens adopted me.

You know your dog better than anyone. What you don't know is who is out there that can continue to provide the love you have. Call Aussie rescue they know the breed, the issues, and how to screen prospective families for a new home.

Good luck with your search!