[Bear_]

Help!!!!!
Okay here is my dilemma, one of my so called friends dropped his dog off on me and left state. Actually, he dropped it off on my cousin’s boyfriend, and I got stuck with her because it’s easier for me to lock up my one cat in the bathroom, then it is for her to lock up her six cats and two dogs. He was supposed to be back on the 8th of this month is what I was told when she got dropped in my lap. Now he isn’t coming home to get his dog until the 8th or 15th of next month.

First off this dog has never liked me. She is very aggressive and territorial. When she is outside she gives off a very alpha female attitude. She only lets certain people near her, attacks other animals, and has even attacked me. When she is inside she is very docile to most people but still has aggression to others and attacks other animals. I can’t keep her with me during the day do to work. And I can’t lock her up inside all day either.

She is a five or six year old, unsprayed female pit-bull. She is a mix of American red, I think. I know dad is a blue-pit (I think that’s what they’re called. If he was a cat I would say Russian Blue, same type of coloring. That really cool gray fur that looks blue in the distance).

Okay now to give you some background on this dog. She was given to her owner after she attacked her other littermates, she has never been trained because her owner has never taken the time required to do so. His idea is to kick her out of the truck to attack cattle, and he laughs when she gets kicked by them (did I mention he is a fucking drunk idiot most of the time). She has already killed another dog, a cow, and a lama. She attacks other dogs, cats, and horses (the main reason his mom will not look after her. I can’t blame her, she is concerned for her own animals). She does not obey any commands and her owner and my cousin’s boyfriend’s idea of discipline and dog training is to kick the shit out of her. She has great potental to be a great dog with some training.

The only two times I’ve ever had to bet this dog is 1) when she attacked me. I went to put the leash on her, she grabbed a hold of my arm and started doing the dog bite lock, headshake, and rip thing, and I had to hit her in the face and kick her to let go of me. And 2) when she attacked my neighbors yellow lab. I had to kick her and bet her to save the other dogs life.

I hate hurting animals but I’m almost at wits end here. I need to find away to get her to stop being territorial and aggressive before someone gets hurt. If she attacks a kid, my worst fear at this point, I’m not going to have a choice but to shoot her. She has already attacked two people to my knowledge (myself included as one of the two) and I don’t want to beat her or shoot her. Everyone has told me that once a dog gets a taste for blood that there is nothing you can do but shoot ‘em. I’ve tried all the stuff I would do to train dogs, but I’ve never had to train one this old and the old adage “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks” seems to be ringing true here. She hasn’t attacked me aging, and I don’t know if it’s because I had to bet her that did it.

Please I am begging for help here. Any advice other then kick the shit out of her or shoot her would be most welcome.

[Dobies]

i wouldnt kick her, beat her or abuse her. this is a dog thats been abused, and you likely wont have the time, or patience to deal with her. i wouldnt shoot her, but i would have her put down. as the dog is in your possession, ANYTHING this dog does, makes you liable. if the dog hurts another dog, or kills it, you are liable. if it hurts or kills a human, not only are you liable, but you might likely end up in prison, as you have mentioned you know this dog is vicious, has attacked and killed animals and humans before. save your efforts, time and resources, for your own safe, sane and normal animals. this is a disaster waiting to happen. shooting the dog, is cruel. have it put down by a vet or animal control. they will give it a shot, and it will simply drift off to sleep. muzzle this dog as well, when outside. if this dog had lacerated an artery in your arm, you could have easily bled out, before help could have come to you. this dog is a lawsuit and nitemare waiting to happen, Bear. don't let your life get ruined, for this abused animal.

[Woofy Dog]

Muzzle her for the time being, but find a professional dog behavior expert quickly, let them assess her before you do anything. If it comes to the point she must be put to sleep, let the vet do it, don't shoot her, it's crual.

No dog should ever be given up on, if you really believe that they can be better with help.

[Hiway]

errr... what they said! She is a huge liability that can end in disater for you, both financially, emotionally and possibly ending in jail time for you.

Here's a story I went thru about a month ago...

I was looking for a Rottweiler from owner give-ups posted on craigslist and found a five year old intact male. Went to go see it and was surprised to learn the only two people willing to aproach the dog was the Guy and his Mother! The rest of the family (wife & kids) refused to go anywhere near it.
Now I know Rotts very well and can read doggy language accurately. I had bacon and dog food for treats and fed the dog a few bites that he gobbled up at first but then stopped and refused any more!

He became aloof while I spoke to the owner standing next to me... Then, in just three seconds... he snapped at my hand - which I moved out of the way quickly enough that he missed! He then bit my arm and then leapt upward attempting to bite my face!
I punched his face and was able to knee him and kick him away before the owner Guy grabbed his collar.

All that happened without any warning. no growling, no hackles, no hint at all that he was about to attack me. All that in about THREE SECONDS !

I advised them they had a totally unpredicatable and dagerous dog here and that he shouldn't be passed on to some unsuspecting person for adoption because liability issues would come back to bite THEM !
They apologised to me and I left...

The next morning the Guys wife called me again to apologise and tell me that they had called Animal Control after I left and had the dog taken away by them! That night the dog attacked a male worker at the kennels... FIFTEEN STITCHES in the workers arm and bite marks and scratches on his face !!!!
(that could so easily have been me)

Needless to say the dog was put to sleep immidiately.

Please don't make a similar mistake.

[rololover]

Sorry Bear, but this is a no-brainer.
I doubt you'll get any responces here much different from those above. This poor dog has probably been permanently damaged by humans, although you say she attacked her litter-mates so maybe this was inevitable. In any case, apart from the suffering she has caused, she has lived a truly miserable life herself, and I see no prospect of you being able to change that. An overdose of anaesthetic and it will all just stop, for her and you. She will just go to sleep and not wake up. You can't put yourself and others at that level of risk when the chances of ever being able to trust her are almost nil. Cruel to be kind Bear - us to you and you to her. Do the right thing and do it now.

[boose]

Sorry to say! Put her to sleeep..... May she rest in pease!

[dogcockz1]

Kill the 'owner' first and then the dog. :(


D :cool:

ansdwhy the fuck are you in any way involved with an idiot like you describe here?

[Bear_]

Dame I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. But thanks for all the advice.

[Bear_]

dogcockz1, on 09 January 2010 - 06:40 AM, said:

Kill the 'owner' first and then the dog. :(


D :cool:

ansdwhy the fuck are you in any way involved with an idiot like you describe here?

To tell ya the truth, he is my cousins BF friend. I don't hang out with the idiot, but I do put up with him when I have to. I'm really good friends with his girlfriend she is a sweet heart and we have been friends for over a year now. I keep telling her she deserves better but she is young and in love so what can ya do?

[Dobies_Lover]

You cant teach an old dog new tricks MY ASS! I know a old dog that just started learning new tricks and now he has completely changed. Its possible but you just have to find the right way to train her. It sounds like its the owners fault tho.

[rololover]

Wolfy_Lover, on 10 January 2010 - 08:24 AM, said:

You cant teach an old dog new tricks MY ASS! I know a old dog that just started learning new tricks and now he has completely changed. Its possible but you just have to find the right way to train her. It sounds like its the owners fault tho.

Yeah, sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks, but that's not the problem here. The problem is to un-teach an old dog old tricks, and when those include not one but repeated attacks on people, and multiple killings of an assortment of other animals, carried out throughout her life, I don't believe it would be possible to remove this ingrained violent behaviour to the point where she could ever be trusted. We are not talking about chewing the furniture here.

[Bernard]

This is really a two part question : Can the dog be trained (socialized)? and Who should do it?

Yes, the dog can be "repaired". I have done it myself a number of times with dogs having serious aggression problems even against their former owners. Some of them turned out to be spectacularly good dogs. They mostly just need someone that understands them and doesn't fear them.

Re who?, the dog's owner should do it. But history says that isn't going to happen. The OP doesn't have the resources or experience for a hard case like this. That leaves finding someone who does and who isn't known to or easily findable by the owner. Then let the dog "run away" to a better home.

The only other choice is death. And that choice will come of its own some day soon if no one acts.

Bernard