Weddingbee boards

Oh gosh I don't even know where to start with this post. I will warn that it doesn't have a have a happy ending. Also, please do not judge the decision that was made, especially since the person who made it is not here to defend themselves.

A year and a half (Dec 2008) ago I moved back home with my parents to finish up school and I brought with me my dog (I'll call him Tank). There were no problems but my dog seemed a bit lonely and in Oct 2009 my parents brought home a dog (I'll call him Spot). Spot and Tank got along from day one and have become the best of buddies. They were inseprable!

My step-father is retired so every afternoon he would take the dogs to the dog park for an hour or so to play. Over time Spot became a little mean and would nip at other dogs and the other owners didn't like him too much. It became more of a hassle to take him to the park than it was worth so we switched to nightly walks, instead.

It became apparent that Spot didn't like other dogs or people in general. And I know this sounds terrible, but he especially hated Asian people. He would lunge and bark at every Asian person that passed (which is quite a few because my city is about 50% Asian). My step-dad saw this problem and decided to enroll him in private obedience courses.

I will preface this by saying I don't agree with the school he went to. They use shock collars and I am absolutely against them. However, this wasn't my choice to make and I was happy that maybe Spot would learn to behave better. He was in class for about a month when the worst thing possible happened.

He bit someone. They were going on a walk and he lunged at a lady and ripped her jacket. She and her husband flipped out and called the police. She didn't know she was bit, she was just upset that her "favorite" jacket had been ripped. The paramedics examined her and found a puncture wound in her thigh. If they hadn't inspected her she would not have known that Spot actually bit her!!

Well Spot was put in an at-home quarantine for a month, meaning he could not leave the house or come in contact with anyone but those of us who live her (step-dad,se mom, me, and my BF). We live in a townhouse so we have no yard, but we do have a decent size patio that he could go potty/lay out in the sun on.

Spot and Tank found ways to busy themselves. Our home is over 2400 sq. ft. so they had plenty of room to run and play. Neither one seemed sad that they weren't allowed outside our patio gates. I figured once Spot was off quarantine we would try a new training program and slowly work him up to being around people.

Today my step-dad dropped the bomb. They are putting Spot down on Monday afternoon. Step-dad doesn't think he is happy staying in the house and he doesn't trust him to go outside anymore.

I am heartbroken, both for myself and for Tank. I don't agree with putting Spot down but there is nothing I can do about it. I'm trying to come to terms that when I come home from work on Monday Spot will no longer be here. I am dreading seeing Tank searching the house for Spot. My whole body just feels so heavy.

Thanks for listening ladies, I know this was long. I just needed to get it out.

Thank you all for your kind words.

Spot was gotten from a city shelter (same place as Tank) so we don't really know his background. We do know he was surrendered by his owners because they were moving into an apartment. 

Both dogs are chow chow mixes, but the aggression comes out in Spot where Tank is super gentle. It is funny though, Spot is way more gentle than Tank when we are all at home together. You can do anything you want to Spot and he just takes lays there (pulling and tugging on him, taking his food, etc.).

I guess this hurts so much because it isn't my decision to make, but if affects my dog and I so much.

I'm so sorry!   As a kid, we had a german shepard that was a sweet girl around us, but terrible with other people.   She ended up biting a stranger who was riding his bike in front of our house.  We had to put her down too.  It was so sad, but, looking back...I think my parents made the right decision.

Oh a side note---maybe you should post of craigslist and see if anyone in your area is looking for a guard dog?  

@beekiss2: Right, but for a gaurd dog---isn't that ok?   Like, before we put our girl down--she went to live with a family who kept her as an outdoor dog, to protect their property.  ((Not the best life for a pet, but to be honest....she was more of an 'animal' than a 'pet')).  Anyways, it worked out well for a few months (until she ate 4 of their cats).  But anyways, some people are looking for gaurd dogs.  No?

I'm sorry about the dog.  But I just wanted to say that growing up our family dog hated Asian people too!  It was so weird- and we could never figure out why- but the dog would always freak out and be aggressive when any of my asian friends came over!  I had never heard anyone say that before and my jaw almost dropped when I read it, because people have always been like "yeah right" when I told them about that dumb dog.

He hasn't been put down yet, the appointment was made for Tuesday afternoon so it is his last night with us.

At this point all hope is lost for saving him. He is not my dog so this is not my choice. My parents have seen my tears the last couple of days and know my feelings on the subject. I can tell they have already detached themselves from him so as to not make the act of putting him down so painful.

I do see my step-dads side to a point. He didn't hurt anyone this time, but next time it could have an awful outcome (seriously injuring someone, especially a child). I don't agree with the decision but I have to come to peace with it.

Thanks for all your hugs.

He's gone. I'm surprisingly doing okay, although last night was pretty tearful. Thank you all for your love and support.  It's funny, I'm not religious (culturally Jewish) but I just get this feeling he is in a good place looking down on us.

Me, "Spot", BF, "Tank" on our last morning together :)

Also, tonight isn't as bad as I thought it would be because Tank isn't searching for him like I thought he would be. I think dogs kind of know these types of things are coming. I was at work when Spot was taken to the vet, but BF says the boys laid together and licked each other for awhile right before. I think it was their way of saying goodbye.

Thank you, ladies

aww thank you. To be honest, a few hours after I made the last post I broke down. We took Tank on a walk and I just couldn't take it, the last walk we had been on was with both dogs. I cried the entire 40 minutes.

And then I woke up the next morning and cried. And I cried a little last night before I went to sleep.

Mornings and nights are hard because I have a lot of time to just think about how much I miss him. However, I found the best way to get through this is to say out loud "I miss him" whenever it is really hurting to miss him. I don't want to hide the hurt because I think that will make the grieving process harder/longer.

And is it totally weird that I believe Tank can communicate with Spot in his own way now? I really believe in that whole sixth sense thing animals have..