WIBU to return rescued dog?

[Topaz25]

I posted this in the pet section to get some advice from dog owners but I would appreciate your opinions on whether I am BU. I am really upset though so please be gentle!
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/1966444-HELP-Aggressive-adopted-dog

I wouldn't flame anyone over this. He needs to go. What issues did they make you agree to? Possessive around food ? Or outright nastiness? Its not the dogs fault and its sad but your safety comes first and also that of the wider public

If you don't feel comfortable around him he'll sense that & it'll affect the dynamics of the relationship.

I personally would return him - it's just not worth the risk. He may be one of the few dogs that actually shouldn't be rehomed TBH.

They initially showed me all the reports from his behavioural assessments saying he showed no problems. They also talked me through standard stuff with the breed, like don't let him off the lead etc and I signed a standard form to say they had made me aware of any issues.

After he snapped at me they wrote in a statement basically saying what had happened, that there had been an incident where he had growled at me because of the food in my bag and I had agreed to take him anyway and I signed it. I feel like an idiot but I was upset. I think if a dog demonstrates aggression during a meeting with a potential adopter, they should not be released for adoption immediately and should instead be reassessed. It should not just have been left to me to decide if I wanted to go through with the adoption, there should be procedures in place for this situation.

I think this is 100% the pound"s fault and you've been very unlucky. I'm usually the first person to criticise people who take on dogs and then give them back with hardly a thought, but I think this is different.

My parents took on a rescue dog who bit DH, completely unprovoked, in the first day or two. It needed stitches. They kept him. They still have him and with lots of training have turned him into a calm and loving dog. BUT they can never really trust him in certain situations and he spent years having to be shut away from the grandchildren every time they went round. I honestly think he hasn't really been the right dog for them -for example, they cannot give him tablets or he would bite them.

As you don't have children yet, and this is a big dog you've only just got, I would return him. There will be other dogs just as deserving of a home.

We where once sold a dog as family friendly as we have children within two days he had biten my dad so bad the scars are still there years later, we rehomed to professional trainer as there was no way I was having a dog that bites in my house. My friend has a dog that's food aggressive, it still is years later you cannot go anywhere near it if it had anything it seems as food, it attacked my dog (not the rehomed one) because it thought my dog had food, sadly that dog still got no training and is a time bomb waiting to go off in a open plan house full of children.

Don't ever feel bad about saying no I cannot help with this a dog that bites is not a dog to have of you have no experience with what the issues can be and how to help but you would never trust him anyway and always be on edge waiting for the next attack.

From the information you have given, you have signed a piece of paper saying that the dog is food aggressive at pick up. However, you have later found that the dog is actually aggressive to your husband when he stroked the dog (not food related).

It could be that the dog just needs time to get to know you and your household. However, I would phone the rehoming centre and say that there have been further issues. I would do this as a causionary thing to ensure that the if you later decide to take him back, then they had been warned.

My friend lost her much loved black Labrador at 12 years old. She got a rescue border collie cross 6 months later. This dog bit her ankles and jumped up and was aggressive when she came into the room. She spent weeks crying at work feeling scared and guilty.

However, she phoned the rescue centre and told them what was going on. They said they would take the dog back but she gave the dog time to settle. Eventually it did settle. But that was a happy story, many rescue dogs don't settle.

If your dog doesn't settle and you take it back. Yes you would have had it longer and it would be more disruption to the dogs life, but truly, the dog probably is not right to be given to any home.

You singing a piece of paper saying you were aware of issues isn't so that you can't return him/they won't take him back
It is so that you can't sue them for not making you aware.

Clearly, this dog is not working out. The rescue think he can be rehabilitated (rather than PTS) but he obviously needs owners with a different home set up or ones who have had experience with dogs with problems

This isn't you failing, this is you being given a dog who isn't suitable for your lifestyle. ALL responsible shelters would rather you returned him now than let the problem escalate any further, which would damage both of you.

Sad as it is, and much as I think it's worth perservering with rescue animals, what other triggers are you going to stumble upun that the dog reacts aggressively to? Walking on eggshells around an animal who may inflict injury is no way to live. I'd say either send him straight back to the rescue center or get a canine behaviourist to assess the dog as a matter of urgency. It sounds like you'd have to be very dedicated with him, with the risk that he will never get over his issues. I had a rescue dog who although I spent lots of time and money with training and behaviourists to improve his behaviour, he was never really right and I'd never have another dog like him (much as I loved him).

What does your DH think/want to do?

My mum's had rescue dogs all my life so we've had a few with issues and I think tbh given you said in your other thread that you don't feel you can cope and that you are out of your depth the best thing for you to do now is either take him back to the pound before you bond too much or see if the charity you work for can help.

My dog is a rescued husky x and even having had aggressive dogs before, I would be absolutely terrified of him if he was aggressive. Huskies are quite difficult to handle anyway as they are bloody stubborn and difficult to train and from what you've described I wouldn't want to keep your dog either. I don't think anyone would judge you for that.

I am quite shocked at the pound though, they should have given you time to think.

DH wanted to give him a week and see if he settled in. We really bonded with him this week and his behaviour seemed better then yesterday he bit our house mate! It was a terrible shock. I am frantically looking for any no kill shelter that could rescue and rehabilitate him and I would appreciate any help with that. I don't feel I can give him back to the pound in case they just palm him off on another unsuspecting family, I've lost faith in their rehoming procedures. We really don't want to have him put to sleep but we don't feel safe to have him in the house. If it was just my husband and I it might be different but I can't risk my house mate's safety. I feel terrible.