to have sobbed my heart out at work today because I shouldn't have to do this

[caniscantanymore]

I'm a vet. Some details changed or omitted for anonymity purposes and because I'll get flamed for this.

Today a man brought his dog in to me.

The dog was a large, boisterous adolescent puppy. He hurtled into the room, bouncing up to me excitedly, wagging his tail all the time and nudging at my hand with his muzzle. His big squishy paws crashed against my chest each time he paused to greet me, as he bounded around the room investigating all the smells. He was an unusual cross, very striking to look at and obviously a bright and energetic dog. He was adorable.

The history went like this:

The dog had been bought as a tiny puppy by a couple who were told it was a "designer" cross between two specific small breeds. Now, if the people who bought this puppy had had the slightest inkling about what they were doing it would have been immediately obvious to them that this was most certainly not a cross between two small breeds. But anyway, they didn't have a clue so they bought the cute little puppy from this dubious source (probably at a cost of several hundred pounds) and took it back to their family home, complete with toddler.

The dog grew a bit and it became clear that it was actually going to be really big. It was bouncy, energetic and destructive. It kept racing around and knocking over their small child. So they rehomed it to a family member.

The family member also had children but they were slightly bigger children. The family member really wanted to do the right thing, so they tried to "discipline" the dog. The dog began to show occasional signs of aggression and was completely hyperactive in the home, destructive and unmanageable. I was not surprised to hear this, since it was obvious to me from this dog's heritage that it was the sort of dog which had significant needs in terms of exercise and stimulation. In an attempt to magically resolve the issues the family member had the dog neutered. Which unsurprisingly made no difference.

Today the dog was brought in to be put to sleep. It had growled very aggressively when a child had put its face near his, and between this and an imminent change in circumstances the family member felt unable to manage the dog any more. He had tried local and national rescue organisations, all of which were full. He had nobody to care for the dog overnight tonight. He was not able to take the dog home, partly because of safety concerns and partly because the decision had been taken together as a family that it was the right thing to do.

So I put this healthy, affectionate, vibrant dog to sleep while it munched on treats and the third owner in its short life cried into his fur. Then when it was just me and the body of this poor puppy I had a good old cry myself.

I know there will be people who think I was right to put down a dog who has shown any signs of aggression under any circumstances. I disagree.

I know there will be people who think I was wrong to put down a dog when I could have taken it and found it a new home. I disagree.

I also know that there will be many many people who have no idea that this is happening all the time in this country because of irresponsible ignorant greedy people, selling dogs to irresponsible ignorant feckless people, who then pass them on to naive and thoughtless "rescuers" who eventually get to the end of their tether and bring them to me for euthanasia. All the time.

These are the dogs who bite children in the home due to a total lack of knowledge, reasonable expectations and effort to socialise them adequately.

These are the dogs whose owners can afford four figure sums to buy the latest random mongrel "breed" with a stupid made-up name, but cannot afford fifty quid to get it vaccinated, far less any money at all to treat even minor illnesses.

These are the dogs who clog up rescue centres all over the country, waiting along with thousands and thousands of others for the home with no children, no other pets and eight-foot fences, with an owner who has experience of managing behavioural problems, works from home, has stainless steel furniture and can write blank cheques to pay for the inherited illnesses the dog suffers from. Homes which don't actually exist.

These are the dogs who I have to put down because I know that it is more responsible of me to painlessly take their life than to condemn them to wait with the rest of the enormous population of "difficult" dogs sitting in rescue kennels all over the country.

Please, please, I implore you. Get advice before you take on a dog - from a vet, a qualified positive behaviourist, the Kennel Club, the Blue Cross, the Dog's Trust, the RSPCA - the information is there for the taking, there is no excuse. Go to a decent breeder, who has a waiting list, or a rescue centre which really grills you thoroughly before matching you with a pet. Find out how to bring your puppies up properly so if you do find your circumstances change then at least they are rehomable. Make sure you can afford to pay for the unexpected. Make sure your expectations are fair.

Please, because I can't keep having to do this :(

[Signet2012]

This kind of thing breaks my heart. My beloved best friend hAs suspected cancer. His days are numbered. At the moment his good days still outweigh the bad but every time I look at him I know in my heart the time is coming.

I'm terrified, and heartbroken at the thought of having to take him, to stand and watch him go. I may not have had a clue but I've done my best by him, he has been a handful and if I had been a different type of person I could have had him put to sleep several times but despite his many issues (personality wise and health) he is much much more than a dog to me.

Angers me so much people's attitudes.

[ThatVikRinA22]

terrible for you OP, i think your post is so well written, the points so well articulated you should send it to the papers - even just the letters pages. The people who would buy these animals needs to see the price of their lack of knowledge.

im so sorry you had a horrible day. i know that feeling a bit too well. x

[Flatbread]

Canis,

Thanks for your response. It seems under the code of veterinary practice, you are under no obligation to put a healthy dog to sleep. Could you not refuse to do so?

In some way aren't vets who willingly put a healthy young dog to sleep, allowing owners a 'get-out' clause from taking their responsibilities seriously?

I find it a bit hard to believe that all possibilities had been explored for a healthy young dog whom you describe as adorable with no real behavioural problems, and that pts was the only option.

[TeaDr1nker]

Your post moved me to tears, how awful for you.

I agree that pets should be licenced, may make one or two people think twice.

I was brought up with daschunds, and when I moved and got my own dog I got the same. I know the breed, it's ins and outs, which is why I didn't go for another breed for fear of not being capable, I'm pleased to say my dog is 15 and still going strong.

[mamapower]

I had a good few tears reading that. You are doing amazing things for all the animals coming through your doors, you should not have to euthanise a perfectly healthy animal, how tragic. I treasure my dog and the one before her, both boxers, both needing a lot of time training and that's what people forget and then the dog becomes uncontrollable and then well it gets put in a rescue home or put down. I agree with you completely, people need to do research, ensure they really have the time to dedicate to having a dog, get them neutered or spayed to stop unwanted puppies (another huge problem is abandoned pups), and also make sure it's financially viable.
That dog shouldn't have gone but at least it was done by the hand of a kind, caring and compassionate person. I hope people listen to you.

[SabrinaMulhollandJjones]

This article explains that 20 stray dogs per day are put down - that's every day. These are strays rounded up by the council- so I doubt it includes the poor dog in the op's post.

The horrible truth is that there are way more dogs needing good homes than there are good homes :( and yet backyard breeders and puppy farms continue to breed them and sell the puppies to just anyone with the cash.

If you want a dog - get a rescue dog. There are plenty of rescue puppies if you must have a pup. If a rescue doesn't consider you a suitable home then you need to think very carefully about whether you should get a dog. As that article says they should not just be sold on like pieces of furniture.

[storytopper]

Really sorry for you OP - and for the poor dogs. There needs to be better education for potential dog owners - and the reintroduction of a license might have some impact.

From my circle of friends and acquaintances I know of the following 3 cases:

Couple no. 1 living in a small house bought a Dogue de Bordeaux - French mastiff. It was aggressive and very destructive and they could only take it out to walk in the dark. It was found to have several congenital illnesses and had to be put to sleep.

Couple no. 2, also in a small house, bought a St. Bernard puppy just after their honeymoon. It lasted a week and went back to the breeder.

Couple no. 3, large house, both working full-time got a 7 month old German Shepherd. It hadn't been socialised and had lived in a kennel. It terrorised their cats and on its first long walk managed to lunge at a jogger, other dogs and a mother pushing a buggy. They took it back to the breeder who managed to find a more suitable home.

These were all intelligent people - they just didn't think things through enough.

[Jux]

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I am in favour of licenses, dependent upon courses. They should both be quite expensive so that people have to really want the pet. Any pet.

I wonder if a license granted applies to a household so that one license covers all pets or it should one per pet?

A licence could cost us a fortune, as we have 3 cats and a bearded dragon. They are all treated properly. DD would love a dog, but one of us would walk it so we haven't got one (and it would upset the cats).

Hope your day is better tomorrow, Canis.

[lurkedtoolong]

Flatbread - what do you suggest that Canis do? The family in question had decided that the dog was being PTS immediately. Had she not done so then they would have kept looking until finding a vet who did, and if not a vet then god knows what would have happened to the poor dog. The family had made their decision and it is they who deserve our anger not the OP.

Perhaps we should be looking at licensing dogs again - it won't stop the dog fighting or the people who buy dogs to use as status symbols or weapons but it may just stop the very nice families whose lovely little children demand a puppy getting them, particularly if licenses are only given out after a training session with a local welfare organisation.

[SabrinaMulhollandJjones]

Amongst my acquaintances in the last year I know:

1. Someone who bought a puppy on Gumtree and then sold it 2 weeks later on Gumtree because it kept weeing in the house. I dread to think the fate of that little puppy - I hope it got lucky with it's new owners.
   

1. Someone who bought a huge dog from a backyard breeder that they knew. They both work FT and the dog is shut in a room on it's own all day.
   

1. People who carefully researched what breed of puppy they wanted, bought from a 'breeder' (I strongly suspect a puppy farm). The dog developed a terminal illness when it was less than a year old and had to be put down.
   

It just makes me so

[MoonlightandWerewolves]

Flat - You, understandably, want to make it difficult for the owner to wash their hands of a problem of their own making. The OP is in a much more difficult bind as her care cannot, and should not, be for the owner, but the animal.

Yes euthanasia should always be a last resort, but it is, unfortunately, all too often the right thing to do in these cases.

All we can do, collectively, is to educate, and try and have existing legislation enforced to reduce the numbers of cases the OP, and others like her, have to deal with.

[ThatVikRinA22]

i have decided, as much as love and adore my pedigree dog (she was a rescue) that next time i will go to dogs trust.

[Flatbread]

Lurked, all I am saying is that OP should presumably be able to say 'no' to killing a healthy, young dog.

In my work I can refuse a project if I have a moral objection. E.g, I can refuse to work for client in the tobacco industry. Sure, there will be others willing to do it. But that is their problem. I can sleep well knowing I have not used my education and skills to aid/abet profit-making from a dangerous substance. It might hinder my career advancement, but so be it.

OP has a choice, she could say no to killing a young, healthy dog. If someone else is willing to do the dirty, fine, let them do it.

No point sobbing your heart out later because you haven't the strength of conviction to say 'No' in the first place.

[SabrinaMulhollandJjones]

But what to do with all the dogs without homes flatbread? I don't think you can put the onus on the vet.

My dog was rescued from an Irish dog pound by Many Tears Rescue. He was days from death - rounded up as a stray - if they aren't claimed within 7 days they are pts.

He's a beautiful, healthy, friendly labrador. This rescue saves many dogs, but can't help them all. :(

[MoonlightandWerewolves]

Flat - I think the point was she doesn't really. If it could be guaranteed that someone else could be found to do it then your 'moral objection' example would fit. The problem is it is not - we are talking about a living animal here, not a corporate organisation.

The possibilities, in no particular order of likelihood tend to be:

-A suitable home is found
-Another unsuitable home is found and the cycle starts again
-The owner decides to attempt the act themselves and isn't effective, leaving the dog in pain
-The owner abandons the animal, and they end up being abused / injured / starving to death

• The owner dumps the dog at a rescue and they end up in a small space for months with no-one taking them, unhappy and stressed and, possibly, having to be PTS
  

Your post ignores the fact that the OP needs to take all of the possibilities for the animal and its quality of life into consideration, not just her own emotions and morals.

Sorry for the essay, but having seen animals go both the easy and the hard way, a quick death is actually the correct standpoint, however upsetting. No, its not fair on the animal, but its kinder than some of the alternatives.

[achillea]

I was at a London vet recently ans some youths came in with a staffie type dog, said they couldn't cope and the vet which is allied with an animal shelter just said sorry and turned them away. It seems that in my part of town they have a different policy.

OTOH I see why you would always put down an aggressive dog. Brilliant post op, I hope you use your skills to campaign.

[Flatbread]

If it were an old/infirm dog, then yes. Or a young dog with serious behavioural problems.

But op mentions that this is a normal, adorable puppy. If op said no to killing it, what might have happened?

-The owner might have found another vet willing to kill it

-Or the owner could abandoned the dog and the dog might be taken in by a rescue and found a loving home

-Or it might not be rescued and killed within 7/14 days by the pound

-Or the owner might have decided to give it a second chance, being ashamed that a vet was not willing to aid/abet him in taking the easy way out


Not sure how killing a young, healthy dog after spending, 15 -20 minutes with it, is the 'right' or inevitable decision. Any of the above outcomes could have saved the OP grief and being no worse, really, for the dog. And it might have had a chance to survive.

[lovebunny]

hugs!

i have a whole plan to revolutionise pet-ownership and pet-breeding in this country - i've put it to defra but they didn't get back to me (they were asking, at the time). cowards!

[JakeBullet]

I have nothing to add except to say I really feel for you OP. The way society treats animals in too many cases is appalling.

[MummyDuckAndDuckling]

[gussiegrips]

We're firmly in the Small Pet Years...a dog is part of our future at some point, but not yet.

So, I've been reading up a little about what's ahead of us - I've never had a dog though DH is pratically Mowgli.

I Did Not Know that you have 12 - 16 weeks to teach the cute little puppy all the situations and circumstances it will ever encounter as being safe situations. So, if it never meets a man by the time it's 16 weeks old, it might always be barky at men. Or pigeons. Or lorries. Or whatever it hasn't met.

Now, Mowgli says "never take on a rescue dog. You are only taking on someone else's mistakes"...but, how do I make sure that OUR cute little puppy doens't turn into a snarling disaster beccause I missed out introducing it to a wicker basket on a see saw by the time it was three months old...?

We've currently got budgies. I love them. Might stick with budgies.

[TheDogsRolex]

So sad op

I know one person who had his dog put down just because it ripped up the carpet by the door....unbelievable.

I think owners need educating. I admit, I was not prepared for my dog at all. I've always owned cats and they pretty much look after themselves. My dog was much worse than a baby to care for, he was also an absolute lunatic and has more or less destroyed my house. But that is my fault, not his. He is a little calmer now he's reaching two but I think we still have a way to go with him. I can honestly say this dog has been harder work than bringing my dd up on my own from newborn. I do wish i'd researched dog behaviour and care beforehand.

[caniscantanymore]

Flatbread
OP has a choice, she could say no to killing a young, healthy dog. If someone else is willing to do the dirty, fine, let them do it.

It's not about me and my morals though, is it?

Yes, he was healthy and IMO had no unresolvable behavioural problems. But he was also clearly going to be a very challenging dog - twenty minutes is easily enough time for me to discern that. His needs were already unmet. The sort of people with room in their life to properly care for a dog like this are thin on the ground, and have their pick of endless dogs in the same situation. The current situation was a highly stressful one for the dog, and children were at risk. By bringing that dog to me its owner made that my responsibility.

I could have refused. Do you really think that if all vets refused to put these animals to sleep that this problem would go away? That's an incredibly naive viewpoint.

From the dog's perspective, as an animal which lives in the moment and has no concept of the future, death is not a bad thing. If vets turn these cases away there are limited alternatives for the owner. The most likely outcome is that the owner dumps it or finds another, probably equally unsuitable home where its behaviour and prospects continue to deteriorate.

My concern is primarily with welfare, not ethics, so I do what I think is best for the welfare of the animal, despite it feeling ethically wrong. I just have to live with that.

[HoneyDragon]

Flatbread

Perhaps what if people are brave enough to say

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS THE DOG DIES

It might be enough to get people to stop buying from feckless irresponsible mutt breeders? It might also make people think twice I about breeding for fun and get their dogs spayed if they know within 12 months that cute bundle of fluff will be dead.

Once people know this is the outcome they might call for laws to be change to stop people buying and passing on the dogs one after the other, or repeatedly breeding for their own gains?


I doubt it though. Generally people who treat animals this way are bastards. And you can't reason with bastards.

[Northernlurkerisbehindyouboo]

'No point sobbing your heart out later because you haven't the strength of conviction to say 'No' in the first place'


Yes I think you've missed the point fairly dratically tbh. It's not the OP's choices or convctions that are the problem.