help rehoming aggresive dog ? :-( *update*

loubie1

Hi All,

We have 2 Springer Spaniels. Our 3 year old nutered male ( Sid ) bit my friends little boy over the weekend thankfully he never broke the skin but has left a bruise, he and his parents are fine.
It was a unprovoked attack, the dogs were roaming around with us all in the house, Sid was in the kitchen ( all the adults too ) when said boy came in stroked our other dog Sid went up for a fuss sat down then just went beserk, the noise that came from Sid was horrible . Then whenever anyone went near him he started again, we put him in the garden on his own to cool off.
He has just been seen by the vet for his jabs and annual check up ( no problems ) last week. I have since checked him over the next day and can find no obvious signs of pain/illness.

The big problem we have is that he has been aggresive before, but it was a completly different sinario, long story but the gist was; dh took ds camping with a large group of our friends, lots of children dads and dogs. One of the other dogs took a dislike to Sid and there was a small set too between them, after that he was on edge and growled at anyone who went past ( although fine with dh ) so he was kept away from the group and we decided he would not go this year.

When he went crazy over the weekend it was like a completley differnt dog, his whole face changed, his eyes went what I can only call hard ?

I do not feel he is safe to have around my children and have lost all trust in him :( as have the children, both dogs are currently in the utility room with free roam into the garden. We will let them in with us when the children have gone to bed. This is no way for either dog to live and is unfair on our other springer, who is the softest thing you would ever meet, I don't want to "lock her away" but think it would be cruel for Sid to be left on his own.

I'm not sure if any of the rehoming centres would have him ?

Sorry for all the spelling mistakes, I am so upset :(

Louise


Just to update you all,

Sid was diagnosed with " Rage" and was PTS this morning. Very upsetting but the right thing to do.

Thank you for all your help.

Louise

krlyr

How thoroughly did the vet check him out? A brief going over prior to jabs will miss a lot of potential causes/health issues. Is he insured, or can you afford further investigation? I would be considering things like x-rays to rule out joint problems and a blood panel to check everything is OK internally. A full thyroid panel would be worthwhile too, hypothyroid can cause behavioural issues like anxiety and aggression - there have even been some links between hypothyroid and the syndrome "cocker rage" I believe. Another possibility could be something like epilepsy causing fits, especially if you say he gets a hard stare.
Even if none of the tests or results would change your mind on rehoming him, it could have a huge impact on his future - for example, an untreatable condition like a brain tumour may make it fairer to have him euthanised, and this may be much better to do with the comfort of his family around, rather than after weeks or months in a rescue kennel. Alternatively, it may flag up something treatable and make him much more homable (though it may still be better to be cautious and home him in a child-free environment).

Being on-edge and growling after an attack isn't too out of the ordinary IMO and many dogs may act that way. The incident this weekend, although scary, has one upside - he didn't pierce the skin which shows some bite inhibition rather than all out aggression, so he at least has that going for him.

While larger rescues like Battesea Dogs Home and the RSPCA may not take him, smaller rescues often have a bit more flexibility. I'd perhaps start off with breed rescues - http://www.dogpages.org.uk/breeds2.htm
And if you have no luck there, try some local rescues (there's an option on the above link to browse all-breed rescues by region)

loubie1

Thank you for your reply.

Dh is taking him to the vets when he comes home, he is insured and will happily have him tested for anything if it can help.
We are very greatful he didn't break the skin it could of been so much worse:(

It's the what if's that are the worst.

Louise

thorsoak

I'm sorry, but if your dog really is an aggressive dog - would you be doing the right thing by the dog or the general public in rehoming him?

Rescue centres will not usually take in dogs that are aggressive - and how could you advertise him? "free to good home - dog that might bite"? Or tells lies about him "good with most people, but not kids"?

Have your vet check him out thoroughly, discuss bringing in a behavourist and take professional advice ...and sadly, it may be the case that there is only one safe way to solve the problem ...but that way, you would be taking the responsible way out of the problem - you would know that the dog could not be passed from pillar to post, or used as bait for fighting dogs ; you would know that he could not harm anyone else.

A sad dilemma for you.

krlyr

thorsoak wrote: »

I'm sorry, but if your dog really is an aggressive dog - would you be doing the right thing by the dog or the general public in rehoming him?

Rescue centres will not usually take in dogs that are aggressive - and how could you advertise him? "free to good home - dog that might bite"? Or tells lies about him "good with most people, but not kids"?

Aggression is not black and white and a reputable rescue will realise this. There are many people out there who are prepared to take on a dog with a bite history - especially one as 'mild' as this (not making light of the situation but it could have been a lot worse), and if there is a health issue then it could give even more reason for the dog to be given another chance.
I do agree that sometimes it is best all around to make the tough decision and euthanise the dog but I would certainly not be suggesting that until other options have been looked at. I would suggest the OP does their homework on any potential rescues though - not all rescues are in it for the right reasons, some by naivity, and some for less savoury reasons (in it for the money, for example) so don't assume that every dog rescue is a good place.

OP, if you do go for blood tests, ask for the most detailed thyroid panel they do - it'll cover about 4 different things. A simple TSH test will not be conclusive as dogs do not create thyroid hormones in quite the same way as humans. Also, sometimes, a dog can be borderline hypothyroid and have results within range (at the lower end) but have the behavioural symptoms (and perhaps some mild, barely noticable physical ones) - my dog has just been diagnosed borderline hypothyroid (only because I did my own homework and produced various articlse for my vet to read from an American vet who's done decades of studies into thyroid issues in dogs) and it had caused bad separation anxiety as well as some anxiety/reactivity to other dogs, we're 2 months in to treatment and she's improved so much already.

loubie1

Thanks Thorsoak,

We did discuss this last night, I don't know how a beahviourist could work, with us not trusting him to socialise anymore ? I was hoping a resuce centre would maybe be able to help with that. Am I just clutching at straws and ingnoring the inevitable.

I would not ever knowingly put anyone including Sid in danger. God we are going to miss him but I feel our stand offishness is not going to help him/

What do I do with my other Springer, she will be so lost without him

This is one of the worst things, I feel so lost and helpless

Louise

Fire_Fox

Agree get a full health check, there could be something internal causing him to behave out of character. If you don't find anything IMO he should be PTS, he can't be muzzled 24/7 so could attack someone in the rescue centre or his new owner.

krlyr

Many insurance companies will cover a behaviourist referall so could be worth having a consultation anyway - you tend to pay one excess per condition so once you've paid it for the tests/x-rays/etc. a behaviourist wouldn't cost you any extra. Even if it's just to reassure you that you're doing the right thing, it may help you to cope with your decision better - and they may know of a potential home for him too.

rising_from_the_ashes

So sorry to hear this - must be absolutely heartbreaking for you all.

When you have him checked over by the vet - ask about this http://www.love-springer-spaniels.com/springer-rage-syndrome.html / http://www.vetinfo.com/daggressp.html

Although it's rare, I know 2 people whose Springers have had it.

I knew my pal had been having problems with her dog now & then but one night I was at her house when her Springer took one of his rages.

Truly horrible to witness and, like many, he was quite happy one minute and literally turned for no reason - it is as described in the 1st link, the dog is literally in another place and nothing can reach it. What made me think it may be this is that you mentioned his eyes changing .....

Best of luck

rev229

We had to make the descion a few weeks ago to have our 8 yrs old springer/collie/retreiver put to sleep. We rescued her 4 yrs ago but started showing signs of aggression about 18months ago. She was always fine with us and the kids but we had to muzzle her after she 'went' for someone chatting to me on a dog walk. She was laying next to me happily and for whatever reason suddenly decided to growl and attempt to bite the other person. She was on the lead and halti so I was able to stop her. Since then she was always muzzled while out walking. A few weeks ago my husband was putting her muzzle on while she was in the boot of the car (she was tied in) but someone walked passed and she jumped out and bit them breaking the skin. We made then decided tht we could no longer take the risk with her. We spoke to the vet who was aware of her history and felt that we where making the correct decsion. I miss her but have no regrets as next time it my have been a small child and a lot worse. The other person did report it to the police and we had a visit from them and a lecture on owning a dog despite us already having the dog put down! I didn't even try to rehome her as it would have been far too stressful for her.

pawsies

Take a look at this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_syndrome#English_Springer_Spaniels


It's controversial but possible.