July 10, 2010

• Good-bye old friend

  A word of caution to the soft-hearted and unsuspecting; adopting a dog from a shelter is like buying a used car, you get someone else’s mistakes and problems.

  A year ago we adopted two pure bred American Bull dogs from our local humane society.  They were 2 1/2 years old at the time and we were told the the previous owner had lost his home and was therefore financially unable to keep the dogs any longer.  Second caution, don’t believe the story you are told by the shelter, they just want the dogs to be adopted.

  In the shelters defense I think I would have taken these two not matter what they told me as long as it didn’t include rabid child eaters.  I firmly believe that dogs are like children, if they get consistant training and firmness (not cruelty) and lots of love they can be trained.

  

  Brutus was the most exhuberant dog that I have ever owned.  He could jerk my arm right out of the socket when I took him for a walk (and I am pretty strong).  So the first order of business was to take him to obedience training.  He also had issues with other animals.  He didn’t attack but he barked relentlessly when he came near our cows or pigs or saw the horses up the road.  That was unacceptable.

  Little by little we worked together until he and I could walk on a loose lead anywhere except where there were other dogs.  The only dog that he wouldn’t act aggressively toward was his sister, Isabella.  He learned to ignore the farm animals and the horses along the road when we went for a walk.  He would even give over his attention to the neighbors dogs as long as the other dogs were tied up.

  Then in January Melissa came to live with us and brought her two dogs with her.  It was pure hate at first sight for Brutus and her little golden mix Miss Bella.  We kept the two of them apart the best we could but, with the large number of people coming and going from this house a mistake was bound to happen.  Two weeks ago it did happen, Miss Bella and Brutus were allowed contact with each other and a fight ensued.  They were pulled apart and neither were seriously hurt but, I knew a decision had to be made.  Then last Saturday it happened again and that was the last straw.  We had to have Brutus put down. 

  He was a well trained dog.  He could be loving and lovable but he didn’t like other dogs and I couldn’t seem to train that out of him.  Maybe it was my fault but I know of no other way.  He wasn’t safe with Layn around and it’s not fair to send him off to someone else knowing that all it would take was another dog coming into his radar range to set him off.

  I miss the big goof but I think that I may have learned my lesson.  No more used cars or used dogs.

  • 10:44 am
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