Reactive and aggressive new dog

[PSmitty]

I'm sorry, Jo. I know it was hard for you both, but the right thing to do for Boots.

[BC_Tigger]

Just read through this thread. So sorry you had to make this kind of decision, I can't imagine how painful it was. Just know that you have a kind heart as well as a level head, you gave her a last chance to live a normal life that she probably wouldn't have had otherwise, and you were able to recognize that there was something "off" about her that could not be fixed and that was severely reducing her quality of life. She's a lucky dog because you loved her so much.

[G. Festerling]

I am very sorry. It has to be some comfort though knowing that there had to almost be a physical reason for her troubles.

[bcnewe2]

She is at peace now Jo. Let go of the yucky stuff and hold on to the idea of her getting a release on the things that were troubling her.

 

Run free Boots, run free.

[gcv-border]

Bless you for giving her the best chance she could have, and for ending her pain and confusion.

 

Ruth

 

Yes, I agree.

 

Jovi

[cjohanna]

I'm sorry, Jo. I know it was hard for you both, but the right thing to do for Boots.

 

I think so too. I'm very sorry that it got to the point of no return, but once there, I would never want a dog to have to live with whatever that was. Rest easy, Boots.

[bc4ever]

I'm so sorry Jo. What a horrible experience.

 

Took some time off from the boards for a while, and this is the first post I see. This sounds so familiar.

 

In February, our sweet boy Scooter came downstairs one morning, all happy and bouncy, then he stiffened, his pupils got smaller and he suddenly started to growl at me. I realized something was wrong, but it was too late. He bit my hand, then lunged at me in a full blown attack, knocking me to the floor. I believe if DH hadn't been home, he would have killed me. As it was, he had to strike Scooter several times to get him off me. Then, as suddenly as it started, it was over and he was his sweet, loving self. I don't think he knew what he was doing during the attack. I had severe puncture wounds on both hands and forearms. When we returned from the hospital, we took him to the vet to be euthanized. She'd known him since we first got him as a puppy and said for him to suddenly turn like that, it most probably was some sort of neurological thing, probably a brain tumor. She thought perhaps something happened and he didn't recognize me, or my voice sounded strange. Scooter had just turned six in December and that's about the time those things can show up.

 

We had noticed odd things before that, but nothing that would have ever led us to believe he would do such a thing. Scooter too had suddenly started reacting to the phone, and this dog was about as non-reactive to sound as you could get. There were other signs, as I found out after the fact, but nothing that would send us to the vet to see what was up.

 

Even after everything we went through, we still second guessed ourselves. Maybe there was something we could have done, but we could never have trusted him after that. I believe he was in pain and though it was sudden and traumatic, we were spared the agony of watching him get worse and wondering when "the right time" was.

 

I hope your physical wounds are healing. The mental ones will take a while. I still miss my guy, but have to remember that the dog that attacked me that morning was not the dog I knew and loved for six years.

 

I will keep you in my prayers.

Pam

[Jo&Tex]

Thank you. I was vaguely familiar with Scooter's story. I knew that he had bitten you quite savagely and suddenly but didnt know what led up to it. It does sound very much like Boot's journey.

 

Our vet asked that we bring Boots in with a muzzle on. She was friendly in the vets office and going up to the vet's children to be petted. It was after hours in the clinic. The phone rang and Boots aggressed towards my partners leg but couldnt do any harm.

 

Boots had one syringe of the final euthanasia meds and lay down on the table. We waited but she continued to breathe heavily. The vet said that Boots was in a surgical plane and was unconscious. The vet decided to give her another syringe and turned on the clippers to clear some fur off Boots's leg. Boots, from her deep sleep, began to growl. The vet shut off the clippers and waited. She turned them on again and the growling began again. As far under as Boots was, she could still react to the noises that frightened her. She did finally leave us but it took a long and heartbreaking time.

 

I miss her but I am at peace with letting her go.