To re-home our dog

[Centipedeswellies]

We are an animal loving family. We have 2 cats, a horse, 2 alpaca, hens and a dog. We have had previous dogs. Our current dog, a springer is well trained, well loved. I'm home a lot as we run holiday lets on our land and I have another business where I can be around. We have 2 preschool and one primary school age child.

I've always rescued animals from here, there and everywhere. Only the dog and horse were bought, everyone else arrived by hen rescue, cats protection, neighbours, rehoming groups etc. I love animals and don't give up.

However.... Our springer is 6, We walk him loads, he's well stimulated, he's well trained. But he is very reactive. He bit my wife a year ago when she tried to move him out of the sitting room, she just reached for his collar. He had previously growled and snapped but not bitten. He's been on anxiety medication since he was 2 or 3. We noticed he wouldn't settle, growled when approached if he wasn't happy and snapped if you tried to take of his towelling coat etc. he has to be sedated for vaccinations and it takes multiple vets to even get near him. He bit me too about 6 months ago when I tried to get him out from under the table. Tonight I was playing with him and he suddenly, growled then lunged to bite, he backed off and then lunged again.

We have 4 year old twins and a 6 year old. My mum instinct says that the dog can't stay as I would never forgive myself if he hurts our children. However, it goes against every grain in my body.

Get in touch with Spaniel Aid & they will help you. They will find a home with suitable adults that have experience & know about his bite history.

As I said in a previous post. Contact Spaniel Aid & talk to them, they will give you the best advice. They will tell you if they're able/willing to take him & find him a home with experienced adults who are aware of his history.

His bite history isn't 'out of nowhere' & are situations that can be managed, but by experienced people. Not by you in a house with 3 young children.

speak to Spaniel Aid tomorrow & keep the children & the dog in different rooms.

It may be 'passing the problem on', but Spaniel Aid do it willingly. There is no need to have a healthy dog PTS, when all it needs is experienced people to care for it. He just needs to ring them & be honest.

He has been checked by the vet.

He had weekly behaviour intervention recommended by the vet. It was their in house practitioner and it took place at the vets to help him see the space was fun. It helped to a degree.

We think the vet fear stems from an accident he had when he was 3. He's always been an anxious dog anyway and this probably made it worse.

We have tried : Fluoxetine, behaviour intervention, regular walks/ stimulation/ home training techniques. He was trained to commands from a young age. He's clearly highly anxious.

What tests did the vet do?

I’m an animal lover too but this situation obviously can’t continue. I would get advice from spaniel rescues and your vet as to whether they advise trying to rehome (sounds unlikely anyone would want to take on a dog with these behavioural issues but you never know) or him being PTS. Sorry this has happened but not your fault. Sounds like you’ve given him a life most dogs would love.

I’ve been in a very similar situation to you. I spent thousands on behaviourists but it turned out our dog just didn’t like being touched which is an issue in a family home. I was very lucky in that we got offered a home for him by a dog trainer but I know that is extremely fortunate. There are rescues that will take dogs with a bite history but they will be bursting at the seams and it will be a long wait.
speak with some rescues and see what they say before you make a decision to have him put to sleep
but ultimately I came here to say that I wish I had of taken action earlier in hindsight, I was so desperate to keep our dog though love and guilt that I let it go on for far too long and he bit my kids and nipped two of their friends, hugely irresponsible of me, he’s go through phases of seeming fine so I’d think it would be ok, I think that once a dog sees it as an option to bite it is incredibly difficult to come back from.
put your kids safety first, you didn’t choose this situation you just have to now make the best decision for your family x

Frankly I can't believe that so many people are telling you to kill the dog before even reaching out to specialist spaniel rescues etc. It sounds like rehoming could be the best option.

What accident did he have? Maybe that could give more context as to why he is so aggressive? Personally if he were mine and if you have exhausted all avenues then I would PTS. I would hate to think of him being passed from owner to owner.

Maybe the dog needs a home where he’s not going to be grabbed by the collar when moving him out of the sitting room or any other room / under tables. Your wife was bitten for a reason, she didn’t handle him well. If he was mistreated before maybe he was re/traumatised by the way your wife handled him. A lot of dogs are scared of vets and your rescue dog is probably more scared because of past experience with humans. Speak to breed specific rescue before considering PTS. Don’t rush out and ‘rescue’ another dog. You have got enough animals and children to look after already,

You could try a find him a working home. Usually there’ll be at least 4 other dogs and their life follows a fairly strict routine with lots of down time. Although the season is almost at the end. Sometimes just living in a large group of dogs helps

I don’t think you have a choice tbh but not sure if anyone would want to take a reactive dog on. You sound a good person and will
make the right decision

OP has never said the dog was a rescue.

This a no-brainier; your children trump your dog every single time.

My heart breaks for you as it sounds like you have a wonderful home and have tried many things.

I always see it as when a dog acts like this it’s because they’re not happy.
Thats not to say you’ve caused it but it could be that he’s too overstimulated or something and needs a quieter home with just 1 or 2 adults.

Sometimes dogs/their owners are so used to past behaviour that they get stuck and can’t get out of it until they get a new owner.

I would definitely speak to a rescue (perhaps a breed specific one) and ask for their help.
You could also tell them you are willing to take on another dog.

At the end of the day, getting rid of him will benefit him.
Yes you’re doing it for yourself and family but he is not happy and this will give him the chance to be happy.

100% this!!! Thank you!! There are plenty of people who would take on a dog like this because they can see it just needs some compassion and to be listened too. It’s trying to communicate with everyone around it.

In all honesty he’s probably going to get pts. Friend of mine was in a similar position and none of the dog rehoming places would take a dog with a bite history. They have enough on their hands trying to rehome a dog without a bite history. You could maybe try SpanielAid and see if they have any suggestions.

for now stop trying to do stuff like taking things off him or getting him out from under the table.

if he has anxiety even if you did find a rescue that would take him is that the best thing for an anxious dog? It’s not going to make his anxiety any better.

my friend did actually get her dog rehomed with a gun dog person. So her dog now lives in outside kennels with a pack of dogs, is never really close enough to people to bite and is kept busy working all day. Probably being a shock to him after a family lifestyle but it was that or be pts. You could ask about in the gundog/working spaniel community.

please pay attention to the great advice @RubyFlaxhas given. Your dog is reacting to being handled. The scenario you described above - he told you before he didn't like it and you went ahead anyway so it escalated to a bite.
Rehome but someone will be able to work with him. He needs space.

If it was my dog and I’d worked with a behaviourist in my home, and tried all avenues, keeping separate, checking for pain, trading if he is resource guarding, tried some pain meds etc, I would be considering either spaniel aid or PTS.

It sounds like your dog has had a lovely life, and as an owner of an anxious dog, I could not put them into a normal rescue situation where they are suddenly surrounded by people they don’t know in a new environment and you have no idea how long they will be there. Sadly people aren’t looking for dogs that have a bite tendency, the could be lucky and find someone who’s willing to take him on but equally he could be sat in a rescue for a long long time. I couldn’t put my dog through that.

This is the best piece of advice on this thread op. You are clearly a very responsible owner and I trust you will make the best decision with the dog’s long term welfare in mind (as heart breaking as it may be)

I'd go to your vet, be honest about the issues and discuss what they think can/should be done. It does sound like a pts situation though

You feel bad about rehoming the dog? You'll feel far worse when it bites your child.

Have the dog put to sleep please don’t risk him attacking someone else and it’s not fair to give him to a rescue or anyone else knowing he has bitten more than once and is having to be medicated just to go to vets for regular appointments.
unless by some miracle you can find a dog behaviourist willing to take him and is aware of his full history I would say best option is to put to sleep as others have said this dog will end up with a miserable existence of being rehomed.
sorry Op not the nicest situation to be in and I also love animals always had various animals over my life like you horses dogs cats rabbits etc etc but sometimes you have to take emotions out of it when it’s a danger.

I’d definitely reach out to Spaniel Aid and ask their thoughts. I’ve never used them personally but I often read their adoption profiles and they do take dogs that bite. All go into foster care with experienced fosterers before they make decisions on forever homes. I wish you luck, it’s a horrible situation and I feel for you desperately.

You are being unreasonable to think of rehoming a dog with a history of biting.