My dog killed my other dog

[heartbrokendogmum]

On Saturday I came home from doing the weekly shop to find my beautiful, sweet dog had been killed by one of my others. I rushed her to the vets but there was nothing they could do.

I'm absolutely heartbroken.

The dog who died and the dog who killed her were kept in an indoor pen together, and I'd only been out for a couple of hours. There have never been any signs of aggression towards each other, it's a complete shock. Both females. When I got back the pen was broken and she was laid on the floor.

I feel absolutely sick about it. I know it sounds extreme but she was my baby, I've had her since I was 19 and first moved out of home. She was only 10 years old, she should have had a lot of life still left. She's been with me through so much, I love her so much.

We had the dog who killed her PTS. We have another dog left who wasn't involved but is the same breed as the one who attacked. I feel like I don't want to keep him anymore and I'm considering rehoming him. I feel like I can't trust the breed anymore, even though they're supposed to be considered as a gentle breed and he wasn't part of it.

I don't know what to do. I'm a mess.

[WestCountryLady]

How devastating! poor poor dogs.

[Whynosnowyet]

Sorry for your loss. I have 4 ddogs and they have had a few cross 'words' but that's all.
What an awful situation op.
Please find it in your to hug last ddog close. He will likely feel bewildered. Especially if he witnessed it.

[theemmadilemma]

Oh how awful. Poor you and poor dogs. You must be in complete shock still.

I agree with @posterWhynosnowyet that your other dog must be distraught and confused too. Try and find it in your heart to let him know he's safe and ok.

[Heartofglass12345]

Awww you poor thing. That must've been horrible I wouldn't make any decisions about the other dog yet as you don't know what happened and you are still in shock. How is he acting, does he seem ok? You don't know what happened with the other two, there may have been something wrong with your other dog to make her act the way she did. I would give yourself time to grieve and process what has happened before making any decisions about the other dog.

[Thedeadwood]

I am so incredibly sorry.

[Sexnotgender]

Oh my gosh that’s AWFUL, I’m so sorry, you must be devastated

[heartbrokendogmum]

Thank you for the kind responses. The dog that's still here seems okay, a bit subdued. I am trying my best to be my normal self to him, we've taken him for his usual walks and gone through the motions etc.

I also know I shouldn't make any final decisions yet, I think that's why I posted here so I could just talk about it and try to work through things in my own head.

I just can't get over it, I can't understand why my dog would have attacked.

[Tryingmybest74]

I had a friend who has 7 big dogue de bordeaux dogs and one lahso apso. Who lived well together for years. She went out one day and came back to 2 of the de Bordeaux's covered in blood & the apso dead. She had to get the two big dogs out down! She was distraught. Sorry about your loss

[Sarahlou63]

What a horrible situation My dogs once attacked and killed a stray dog which somehow got into our garden and I couldn't bear to look at them for days afterwards. I wish I had words to comfort you.

[Sarahlou63]

One thing to add - worth talking to your vet about getting a post mortem on the dog who was put down to see if there was any brain damage or injury? It might explain her behaviour.

[Newyeardietstartstomorrow]

So sorry for your loss. I'm going to be a little controversial now and say I wouldn't have had the other dog PTS. It has been known for one dog to have a seizure and the other to kill it in panic. Without a camera on them you will never know. The dog you have left has not only had to deal with seeing a violent clash between his siblings, but now has to cope with the grief of suddenly being alone now. Please keep a very close eye on him, otherwise he will shut down.

[TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead]

How awful for you, what a shock?

Do you mind telling us the breed? Not to Denise a particular breed, but Just in case it is similar to mine (am thinking of getting a second dog but not sure dog No 1 won’t be jealous...)

So sorry you are going through this, what an awful shock

[Lougle]

How awful. Were all 3 dogs in the same pen?

[CatelynStark]

I’m so sorry that you had to go through this. I had a very similar experience but as I was there, I was able to save the dog that was attacked, getting bitten in the process. I can still hear the screaming.
I had the attacker put to sleep and luckily, my other dog was absolutely fine after a trip to the vets ruled out any serious damage.

I don’t think I can ever have two dogs together again - I could never relax as the attack came out of absolutely nowhere.

I hope your other dog isn’t too traumatised.

[Christmaspug]

Why would you put 2 dogs in one pen ..they are not designed for 2 dogs to be in together..

[namechange1041]

Goodness that's awful, poor thing.

I can understand how you feel about the other dog at the minute, but I agree with other PPs that the dog has witnessed a lot and has had to deal with the loss of his 2 friends.

I think it must be a hard time for him too.

Maybe keep an eye on him until he goes back to his normal self.

Me personally, I wouldn't get rid of him just because of what happened & I wouldn't blame it on the breed.

If he has shown no signs of aggression or concerning behaviour I'd keep hold of him.

But thats completely up to you and how you feel. If you no longer feel safe around your dog or if you no longer like him then it would be best to rehome him, as he will sense how you feel.

May I ask what breed? Not to crisicise or judge! Just interested, as I have a dog which could be classed as a dangerous breed.

[Equanimitas]

Newyeardiet, how could OP ever trust the aggressor dog around people and other animals again? The mere possibility that there might be an "innocent" explanation simply doesn't justify the risk.

[heartbrokendogmum]

@Lougle - No, I have two pens. The girls were in one and the boy on his own in the other.

@Christmaspug - This was a pen, not one of those crate/cages. Perfectly big enough for two fairly small dogs to have plenty of room to themselves for a few hours. They've shared for 8 years and never had any issues at all prior to this.

namechange1041 & thehumansaredefinitelydead - Boston Terrier.

[heartbrokendogmum]

Sorry I forgot to tag you in my last message @namechange1041 and @thehumansaredefinitelydead - the dog that attacked was a Boston Terrier

[SilentSarey]

Penning dogs together unattended is never a good move. Fights between bitches do tend to be more intense. Horrible thing to happen. I do sympathise 💐

[heartbrokendogmum]

@tryingmybest74 - I'm so sorry for your friend who's been through similar. Our girl we lost was a lhasa too.

[heartbrokendogmum]

@catelynstark - I'm so glad you were there and able to save your dog. It sounds like a very traumatic experience for you. I keep wishing more than anything that I had been there, I really didn't feel like doing the shopping and DH said I should just have a lazy day (he was at work) but I went anyway. If I hadn't she'd still have been here.

[XXcstatic]

One thing to add - worth talking to your vet about getting a post mortem on the dog who was put down to see if there was any brain damage or injury? It might explain her behaviour

Agree with this. A friend's dog, which had always been very good-tempered, suddenly bit her mother (a proper attack, not a bite when playing or provoked). When they had him PTS, the autopsy showed a brain tumour. It helped them all come to terms with it.

[Equanimitas]

I really didn't feel like doing the shopping and DH said I should just have a lazy day (he was at work) but I went anyway. If I hadn't she'd still have been here.

But it could then have happened at any other time. Don't beat yourself up about it.

[heartbrokendogmum]

@XXcstatic - I must admit I kind of wish I had done this now. I think it would potentally give us some peace if we knew why it happened. Unfortunately it's too late to have a post mortem done now.