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Oh fuck
This is the kind of thing that terrifies us as dog owners. Someone else’s fuck up putting our dogs in difficult situations. It was a big part of our motivation to move to the countryside and get a house with no public right of access so we can limit our dogs interactions with people.
So so sorry to read this, it made me cry, can’t imagine how you feel right now.
dancing james
I had a terrible experience a couple of weeks ago, that I've hesitated to post about, but feel I can now.
I was visiting my parents and was walking Herbie in the morning. He was on the lead and we were approached by a woman with an Old English Sheepdog that was running free, so we stopped, Herbie sat and we waited. The other dog ran over and started trying to dominate Herbie - standing over him, growling - so I told her to get hold of him, but she couldn't get him under control. I kept turning to try to keep the dogs apart and the sheep dog jumped and barked at me twice - the second time it nipped me, I shouted and Herbie (still on the lead) went for it. There was a scuffle, the sheep dog backed off and we continued our walk. I later found out from the neighbours that the dog is notorious for this, but is still walked off the lead.
I didn't think much about it, until the evening, when my son was going to bed and Herbie was lying down. He stroked his head to say goodnight and Herbie snapped quickly and drew blood. I put Herbie in his crate and took my boy to A&E, where he was kept overnight. That gave me time to think long and hard about what to do and, in the morning, I took Herbie to the vet and had him put to sleep.
My son's 16 and 6'4", but he's my son and comes first. It turned out that Herbie had been caught in the ear in the scuffle and I can only assume that my son hurt him inadvertently and Herbie, who may still have been slightly on edge, reacted as dogs do. It was a one-off - I know, all dog owners say that - but this is the dog that my kids used as a cushion to watch TV, who'd grown up with them as a puppy. Whenever the kids were alone in the house with him, he was crated, he was never allowed in their rooms, they fed him - but he got no food or treats inside the house. I took all sensible precautions and it happened right in front of me.
I thought about rehoming, but Corsos are incredibly attached to their owners and families and notoriously difficult to settle in new homes. And it really wouldn't have been responsible to rehome a large dog that has bitten, even if only once and even if someone else was prepared to take that risk. So I did the only thing I could do.
It was horrible and felt like such a waste to see him sedated and then put to sleep. Anyone who knows me will know how much I loved that dog, and how affectionate he was to everyone. My kids are only with me half of the time, so the house now feels very empty and it still takes me by surprise when he's not there - behind a door, at the top of the stairs, snoring by the sofa...