Our puppy’s dad mum has killed another dog

[Oakley628]

I feel sick with worry. Our pup is 7 months old, we got him from friends of a friend. A lovely farming family, both parents lovely natured etc. Mum is 10 years old and has attacked the smaller family dog who’s had to be put down. They’d lived together for 10 years with no issue.

I’m now very worried about our pup. We also have 2 cats. They’ve all been getting on great. We are able to keep them separate and we’ve never left them alone together anyway.

Not really ime. Any mixed breed tends to be mixed for a purpose, if at all. It doesn’t really matter, it just wouldn’t hurt to know a bit more about the dog you have.
Honestly tho, like I said before, I really wouldn’t stress too much about that incident, as horrid as it is. It’s unlikely to affect anything with your puppy.

OP I ask this in the most gentle of ways but do you honestly think that owning a dog is for you?

JustAnotherPoster00 why do you ask that?

From your latest post OP it sounds like the mum was reacting to the older dog's aggression, understandably. No animal is going to stand still and be snarled and snapped at, it will either run or retaliate.

If the older dog was pts because the owners decided it was too old and frail to take an operation then the other dog didn't kill it.

Just go on doing what you've been doing, let your dog go on building his relationship with your cats and forget about what his mum did; it's unfortunate, but it hardly sounds like your puppy comes from a long line of killer dogs.

pigsDOfly many thanks for your reply. I do feel much better about it all now, it just shocked me when I first heard especially as I wasn’t given the full story.

Pup is so lovely, we’ve spent lots of time training him and socialising him. He’s great on the lead, loves playing with other dogs off lead, he did well in his classes pre-lockdown, he’s calm at home. Great around our nieces and our nephew who has special needs. We’ve always supervised his interactions and we’ll continue to do that.

I am new to dog ownership but everyone starts somewhere and I’ve taken the responsibility of it seriously and will continue to do so.

@oakley

Well, that's a whole different story isn't it. They should have been clear from the beginning. To say the dog killed the other one is far from the truth.

Enjoy your 🐶

Any chance of a photo?!

It was DH trying to tell me what had happened over the phone but I had DD with me so the story got lost in translation.

Ah the update is very different. I understand your worries, but there is no need to worry about genetic aggression.

Pup is adorable!

My dog is 10yr and she is getting less tolerant and more snappy In situations that wouldn’t have bothered her in the past. I think they just get achy and irritated more easily. She can get quite annoyed with our young dog.

You got a pup from someone who thought it a good idea to breed their ten year old dog ? I'd have concerns that the story about Mum protecting her 7 month old pup was a deflection from their lack of regard for their older dog's welfare. An old grumpy dog shouldn't have been left around a boisterous youngster who's likely to unwittingly cause upset and injury.

You got a pup from someone who thought it a good idea to breed their ten year old dog ?

This!

Ffs 10 is far too old. I assume they have just used her for litters to sell over and over again. She's probably bloody tired and had enough. Ten years old!

You're being ridiculous if you think this will mean your puppy is aggressive. Why did you choose this breeder?

Ok I’m not here to defend them but the litter was accidental, mum escaped one day to a neighbours farm. They’ve never had pups from her before. All the puppies went to friends and family, they weren’t sold. We didn’t ‘choose’ this ‘breeder’, they knew we’d been thinking about getting a dog for a long time, the timing was right for us as a family and they decided we were the right family for one of their pups.

Far from ideal to have a litter at that age, we’ve always got all our pets neutered and will do the same for our puppy when he’s old enough but these things do happen.

I'm more concerned that they let their 10 year old bitch have pups.

No excuse, should have been spayed.

There's no such thing as an accidental litter. She should have been spayed years ago and even still, there's ways to stop unwanted matings. The fact that they let it continue is disgusting, poor dog.

Enjoy your pup OP, they're hard work but good fun

These replies about them letting their bitch have a litter are absolutely pointless. They’re not on here to read your comments!

But maybe you (or others) may read them and make better decisions in future?

Yeh ok 🙄

Or not???
In this day and age there’s no such thing as accidental puppies. Bitches can be spayed and responsible owners do that, keep in season bitches away from intact males or deal with mistakes before puppies arrive.
And I bet they charged you too.

She is ten years old, much too old to have a litter. She has a young puppy and lives with an older very grumpy dog, who may well have been defensive from illness or pain. She lashed out at the older dog, wo by the sound of it may have recovered, but is very frail so has been put to sleep.
That isn’t a dog temperament issue, that is an owner issue. Cruel and irresponsible on every level. Old dogs in pain should not be around puppies, they will growl and snap, and if the mother is there, she will defend her puppy.
Those dogs have all been let down by their owner.
You don’t need to worry about your puppy OP.

As a PP said you can never trust a dog 100%

I have 2 dogs who I love dearly. I also have 2 cats who my dogs are scared of.

I would not be surprised if they had the chance that they would kill my rabbits as they are carnivores and they are supposed to kill small animals.

It's mor about not giving them the opportunity to bite/kill eg keep them away from small animals, make sure cats can get away if they need to, never leave them unattended with a child, make sure they're socialised.

It sounds like you are being responsible which is great but in no way will aggression be passed down genetically. Some breeds of dogs do have a higher kill/chase/herd instinct than others but as it's a puppy I think it will get used to your cats anyway.

I’ve already stated that the puppies weren’t sold. Why am I getting a lecture? Because I’ve encouraged such reckless behaviour by having one of the pups? The pups were already born, they needed good homes. We’ve also taken in countless rescue cats and kittens over the years, all accidental litters. They’re animals needing homes at the end of the day. Should people not rescue puppies or kittens because they don’t agree with unplanned litters? No, you give the animal the life it deserves in a lovely family home.

These pups could have been left at a rescue centre instead they took responsibility for what had happened and found loving homes for them all.

People do make mistakes in life.

SirVixofVixHall thankyou, I appreciate your reply. You’ve made your point without lecturing me on my choices of taking this puppy on.

I feel angry actually. That situation could so easily have been avoided. If they had bothered to spay their ten year old bitch, rather than risking her dying of pyometra, and ( I hazzard a guess here, but I bet I am right) got their even older dog some vet attention and pain relief rather tha calling it “grumpy”, then this would never have happened. Totally careless and cruel.

A rescue centre would be good.
Not letting a poor bitch have puppies at that age would be much better.
Get the puppy of the unhealthtested veteran mother well insured.

I wouldn’t be surprised if having a litter at 10 years old contributed to her aggression!

Imagine having to go through labour and birth in your 70s and how snappy you would be!

Absolutely disgusting people and no excuses, by leaving her unspayed for 10 years they put her at risk of numerous problems including cancer etc. and you chose to line their pockets to reward them for it. This is why breeding should be regulated, poor dog.