advice needed

Kataratarina

He wasnt allowed to roam about like other dogs but he got the attention he needed, people have more aggressive dogs than this but this is the decision my dad made.

foreign_correspondent

No dog should be allowed to roam about.

Attention isnt always the best thing for a dog, exercise, walking, training and making them work seems to suit terriers, they need to have to use their muscles and their brain to be happy.

I know a very spoilt westie who is a difficult little dog as a consequence. He gets loads of attention, but it is not what he needs, and I dont think he is particularly happy. He is demanding, noisy and can be aggressive though.

Four miles a day round the fields and having to do something to get something (NILIF training!) would do him a world of good though!

Anyway, I am sorry, this is all too late for your dog, so all I can really say is sorry, and please advise your parents to really think very long and hard about whether they want the responsibility of another dog, and whether they are in a good situation to take one on, not least because they have clearly struglled to find anywhere safe to leave the dog whilst they travel.

Kataratarina

ok, theres more i can say to defend my parents but i wont because this will go on and on.

thanks

foreign_correspondent

It is a difficult decision, I do not envy anyone who has to make it, and it seems it was out of your hands anyway really, but it is very sad, and you must feel rotten. Hope your dog had an easy passing.

mrcol1000

I do feel sorry for this person but it does sound like the dog wasn't properly trained and managed properly. There are other alternatives to having the dog put down and just because a dog bites someone doesn't mean it needs to be put down and as mentioned its up to the courts to decide (if you can get a proseuction). In this case I think if a complaint had been made to the police they would have just had a word with the owner and warned them if it happened again they would take further action. Its rare a court orders a dog to put down for biting an adult (depending on the circumstances).
I think people focus on the dogs that become homeless because the owners don't want them or didn't realise what looking after a dog entails but the ones that don't get cared for but stay in a home get forgoteen about. These are the ones that end up attacking people out of bordeom, frustation or just not knowing whats expected of them.
I think you and your parents need to just learn from this that a dog is a lot of work and needs a lot of attention. If your dad had tried to find a new home when he realised he would be travelling and not have time to care for it then it may not have got to this stage.
Unless the dog is mentally ill or physically in pain most bad behaviour is down to how its been trained and how its treated.

orlao

I'm really sorry that it came to this Kataratarina.

Kerry Blues are known as "sharp" dogs, a larger terrier with a brain that they are not afraid to use!Some years ago, especially in Ireland they got a bad reputation as many were bought for their looks and weren't trained sufficiently well to make them nice house pets (admittedly not an easy job) so there was a spate of reports of them biteing people.

TBH, after what you said about it not being the first time he's bitten and also showed aggression towards your sister it was probably inevitable that a family member would end up in court sooner rather than later and a person badly bitten. Sad though that a young healthy dog has been PTS.

janeys

Hi, foreign correspondent, sorry to be a bit dim, but what does (NILIF training!) mean

foreign_correspondent

Janeys, its just the idea that 'nothing in life is free' ie. the dog has to do something to get something - for example, to sit before it gets a treat or dinner, or to lie down before it gets to go out of the door for a walk.

if you google it there is loads of info - http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

Kataratarina

UPDATE***

My dad took the dog to a sanctuary where they said they dont put dogs down, he then brought the dog to my uncle and he said the healthy dog shouldnt be put down... a wealthy man in his shooting club (who doesnt shoot- dont understand why he goes there) takes in dogs who are agressive, he will be paying for the dog to be neutered and he also trains dogs as a hobby, he knows 2 potential homes and so once he is trained properly he will go to his new home.

My uncle sympathised with my dad and said that my dad wouldnt have been able to do that because people in our street would be afraid if he did escape again and even though he had been neutered there would be no guarantee that the dog wouldnt snap again....

i am happier than i was today and so is my dad...

can i just stress that none of this was an easy decision for my parents. The loved him probably more than me and my bro and sis... my dad said he wouldnt have been returning with the dog today so something had to be done.

He had such a brilliant personality and i really do miss him but it wouldnt have been fair to keep him and for him to snap again and this all to happen. My dad was faced with a VERY difficult decision which included us and other people in our street and i would also like people to know that my mum and dad had brought him up as well as possible IMO- the dog just didnt get on with others dogs or people who he felt threatened by.

i just feel so bad that i came on here asking for advice to try and help my dad not get rid of him and now my dad seems to be a bad person to you all- he really isnt and i now feel ashamed that people on here think that he is.... basically if u had of knew us and the dog u would understand that he was well looked after and we done the best that we could and it wasnt an easy decision to give away our gorgeous dog who right now is in his new home crying in bed because we arent there...

i havent cried in about 3 hours but now i am because we have protrayed as being bad owners and that the dog "wasn't properly trained and managed properly" when i know he was so loved and cared for. i really miss him so much already.


sorry for the long post.

pink_piggy17

So the dog hasn't been put down? He's gone to a new home? Sorry if I read your post wrong.

Well, for future dogs, terriers especially as they are such independant little things they are a bit more difficult to train that other dogs sometimes, you're dog should be well socialized with all people and dogs from a young age to prevent aggression, neutered at 6 months unless he is a top quality dog that justifies breeding from him, and should be given adequate exersize (i.e. 1 hour a day at least) and have access to a secure garden (a 6 foot fence is what most dogs require)

they should also be taught from a young age that the human is the boss and that you are in control of the food, thus preventing food aggression, you can do this by making it a habit of taking their food/toys/treats away and giving them back again from when they are a puppy.