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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

To the poster who advised me to euthanize my puppy last year....

88 replies

Badgershy · 14/04/2021 18:58

OK so not directly to them as I doubt they'll read this and I can't even remember who it was but this has been on my mind so I just wanted to put it down here.

Around this time last year our 7 month old pup had an awful fright. A child screamed in his face. Following on from that he then redirected his fear towards our 12 year old DS by snapping and growling at him on a few occasions. I came straight onto here for advice whilst waiting to speak to a behaviourist.

A couple of posters told me, in no uncertain terms that I should have the dog put to sleep, that I was putting my DC at risk and that this dog was not suitable to live with a family and that it would be unfair to rehome him knowing that he was a bite risk.

Thankfully I also got great advice off other posters who didn't think death was the only option for this pup.

Fast forward to now and we have the most loving, values member of our little family. Hes an absolute joy. We worked through his issues, he came out the other side of his fear stage and we wouldn't be without him. It makes me so sad to think what could have happened if I'd followed that shit advice.

I hope they do read this and will think twice before being so outspoken about a topic they don't understand, we could have killed a beautiful dog with his whole life ahead of him, a permanent solution to a very temporary problem.

OP posts:
PollyRoulson · 14/04/2021 22:07

@Badgershy

Thankyou for all the lovely replies.

It's taught us all a lot and certainly that dogs are intelligent animals, with emotions and fears and they need to be respected and that dog ownership is not something to be taken lightly. That its full of ups and downs and when you give a dog a home it may not be the dream you wished for but you can work through these things and its well worth the effort.

Agree with this and also if you need help get professional advice exactly as you did and the outcome can be very positive.

Hats off to you Badgershy you have had to put in the hard work to allow the changes to happen

wishywashywoowoo70 · 14/04/2021 22:11

What an absolute darling he is.

Glad you kept him and he's settled in.

expectopelargonium · 14/04/2021 22:19

I'm glad things worked out for you all.

Moonface123 · 14/04/2021 22:23

Lovely to hear and It's a shame the media seem so intent on demonizing dogs,.it creates a lot of fear.

BigWolfLittleWolf · 14/04/2021 22:39

I think it was shocking advice
As it turns out, clearly, it was the wrong advice but at the end of the day, this a forum of mums, not dog behaviourists..

You sought a behaviourist and thankfully they were competent and the dog has matured into a lovely pet.
Which is fantastic of course.

I agree with a PP that you seem to have a great deal of resentment toward the poster/s who suggested they would PTS but frankly, if you put in a post that you have a dog that is growling and snapping at your child, well a fair number of people, dog owners and non dog owners, are going to tell you to rehome or PTS that dog.

A huge percentage of dog bites are by the family pet or a dog known to the victim after all, and many of these victims are children.
It isn’t hard, in my opinion anyway, to see why people, who haven’t seen the dog and only have your posts to go on, who probably are not qualified dog behaviourists would get nervous and advise rehome or PTS.

The dog is still with you, he is a wonderful companion for you, let it go.

My DS was 11 at the time as well so not a young child at all
Still very much a child 🤷‍♀️

but a puppy
My, at 7 months he is an almost adult sized adolescent.

who is doing a really great job at telling people 'back off, I'm scared of you' for a perfectly understandable reason
Which is almost all dogs who have shown aggression or bitten.
It is usually a fear behaviour and for (to the dog) a perfectly understandable reason.

who hadn't yet received any help from a vet or behaviourist should absolutely never ever be considered for euthanasia
Then maybe it wasn’t wise asking on a parenting forum what to do.
I don’t mean that harshly at all, but come on, did you really think an OP telling people your dog was acting aggressively towards your child wouldn’t have people concerned for your DS’s safety?
That a percentage of people wouldn’t suggest getting rid of the dog..?

You need to let this go.

Hm2020 · 15/04/2021 01:06

Congratulations op but looks like your still under attack by some posters enjoy your beautiful dog. Well done for persevering I believe animals are for life unless it’s in fixable which it usually isn’t as you’ve shown.

Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 06:38

Hm2020 thankyou, I know. Some people on this board just can't bloody help themselves. They pick apart every sentence you write. Must get some weird buzz off it.

OP posts:
bunniesanddaisies · 15/04/2021 06:48

This is the oddest post. You’ve had a couple of nice, friendly replies which just point out gently that while they are happy it worked out for you people are cautious with dog bites.

I don’t know OP. I don’t want to cause you any annoyance or upset but the posts here are a bit uncomfortable. I get that it isn’t a rabid hound but just the same I feel for your ds in this.

beginningoftheend · 15/04/2021 06:52

There's a lot of dog haters on Mumsnet weirdly

I don't think it is weird really, there are lots of people who dislike dogs. Lots have good reason having had bad experiences. Decent dog owners need to ally with decent non-owners, not with the owners of out of control dogs (not referring to op).

bunniesanddaisies · 15/04/2021 06:55

I love dogs but I have also experienced living with one that constantly growled and snarled and made me feel intimidated all the time. It was a small dog, only the size of a jack russell (mixed breed, not sure what he was) but it was horrible. I used to dread leaving the house and coming back in!

Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 07:10

bunniesanddaisies why do you feel for my DS?

OP posts:
bunniesanddaisies · 15/04/2021 07:14

As I’ve said, I’ve experienced living in a home with a dog that shows aggression towards me and I know how intimidated and horrible it was. I used to dread it if I had to leave the house in the evening and come back in again. I’m glad you’ve sorted it though.

StarCat2020 · 15/04/2021 07:17

Here's the rabid beast
Scared what a mean looking dog (joking / sarcastic in case that is not obvious)

OP I think because you were so concerned it shows how much you are a responsible dog owner.

(I hope that makes sense)

Doggylover2021 · 15/04/2021 07:22

This is a lovely post to read OP.

Would you mind explaining how you came through it, I’d be interested to hear too.

Im a first time dog owner and I get it. There do seem to be some slightly preachy replies on here. 11 is a child but not a young child and I’m glad you were able to work it through with your dog and child.

I guess at the end of the day it’s a judgement call and only you, as the adult that’s there witnessing exactly how and when the dog is growling and with what intensity, can decide what’s best for your family - both dog and children. It sounds like you made the right decision!

Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 07:22

bunniesanddaisies yeh that's really not the experience my DS has had but thankyou for your concern. I'm just chuffed I've given you the 'oddest post' you've seen on MN 🥳

OP posts:
Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 07:23

StarCat2020 thankyou.

OP posts:
Bluesheep8 · 15/04/2021 07:25

Can I ask what type of terrier he's got in him? I can clearly see the Springer Spaniel....I'm not asking in order to share any breed knowledge, just for my own info

ArtemisiaGentle · 15/04/2021 07:28

Your boy is so cute! Glad things have settled down now.

Pp picking apart a post: get a life.

Cowbells · 15/04/2021 07:29

I love his dots on his back! So cute.

bunniesanddaisies · 15/04/2021 07:31

I’m sure it’s not OP, but nonetheless the priority appears to be the dog and not your son. Note I am not saying this is how it is but you seem angry that anyone even suggested PTS may be an option.

I'm not one to do this normally but I have noted a thread of yours where the dog bit your husband (I know he reacted because your husband accidentally knelt on his tail) and one where you are struggling to control the dog around wildlife. So I am afraid I am not sure you have worked through his issues as successfully as you think you have.

Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 07:39

Doggylover2021 yes of course, happy to share our experience. So first thing was a vet check to rule out anything medical and then a referral to a fully accredited behaviourist. Her advice was:

-give pup time away from the triggers to allow him to forget the expert that frightened him. So we gave him 2 weeks walking in areas with no children (forests basically during school hours) and a week away from DS which was easier than you might think, just took a bit of organising but DS was fully on board and understood why we needed to do it even though he missed his lovely pup for that week.
-adaptil plug ins, constantly on in the rooms pup was in
-zyclene supplement
-change food to grain free

Then it was just a case of changing the association in pups brain from child=scary screaming in face to child=lovely stuff. We positioned a pot of treats (very high value so cut up steak/roast chicken) at the entrance to pups room and everytime DS came in he threw them at the pup (very important not to hand them to pup as they get conflicted, they want the treat but also have to get close to the scary thing before they're ready). We did that for a good couple of weeks.

Our pup wasn't crate trained but we bought a soft travel crate, covered it with a blanket and tucked in a corner of the room, behind the sofa. He actually never used it but it was there if he felt he wanted to hide.

And that was it really. DS let pup approach him on his own terms and then they just built up their bond by training together in the garden.

What made the difference to us is that DS wasn't a young child. He was a very sensible 11 year old who could follow instructions and understood the rationale behind it. Had he of been a toddler, pre schooler etc it would have been difficult and we may well have had to rehome to a couple without young children so we were lucky in the sense.

The point of my OP is that in my situation no one should have suggested euthanasia. It doesn't matter how nervous someone is, what bad experience they've had, when you're talking about a puppy there are many many steps you can take to help that pup through a difficult period without just killing them!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 07:47

bunniesanddaisies yes our boy has a strong prey drive and yes he reacted to pain when my DH accidentally knelt on his tail, he'd never done that before so of course I wanted to check if that was considered a 'normal' reaction. They are all completely separate behaviours. Can you not see that I'm a new dog owner always looking for advice when I don't understand something or I'm struggling with something and funnily enough, I've had some fantastic advice that has really helped. I was reassured that his reaction to pain was normal and if you read the thread about walking during pheasant season you'll also see that again, I got some great advice which has meant we can now have fantastic walks together.

I'm not going to respond to you anymore.

OP posts:
Besom · 15/04/2021 07:50

That's great news! He's gorgeous. Thanks for posting.

We rescued a greyhound and he growled at dd when we first had him. He didn't know what a child was essentially and was not sure what to make of her. I was worried obviously. We got advice and once we got him gently used to her he was fine and they became great friends. We had him for 9 years until his death with no further problems and in fact plenty of experience of him being exceptionally gentle with children so I am glad we didn't just give him back. But there isn't a one size fits all response to this and it will depend on the dog and the family.

bunniesanddaisies · 15/04/2021 07:55

Yes, you do read what you want to read, I’ve noticed.

Original poster
Badgershy · 15/04/2021 08:03

Besom so pleased you were able to get the help you needed too. Thank goodness that there are education/experienced people out there who we can turn to. I've learnt so much in the last couple of years. I was never a dog person, always had cats but I absolutely love dogs now, they really do bring the family together. Ours has been fantastic for DS, particularly through lockdown, we've had lovely walks with him, life would feel empty without him now.

OP posts: