[shayne12]

got an appointment tomorrow with the dogs trust ( a dog shelter charity) to see if will take on my dog max. hes got massive dog aggression issues and hes not safe with strangers or kids either. ive tried everything but cant cope any more with just walking him. panic attacks stress i cant cope with him. this is only chance i have for him. its got to point if they dont accept him hes going to have to be pts for safety reasons. too much killing me. hearrtbreaking. hes my babyboy and i love him so damn much. hes my dog.my best mate. ive failed him

[Vossie42]

How sad!!! This is not good at all. Hopefully the shelter can help.

You said you've tried a lot of things but didn't specify what. So, can I ask if you've tried giving him Prozac? I know it can help with phobias and fear. Perhaps it helps with aggression, too. If your vet thinks Prozac or another psychoactive med will help. If you have health insurance, maybe you can convince your regular doctor to prescribe it to you so that it will be covered by insurance.

[dumburn]

Huge hugs! I almost know exactly how you feel. The last few months I've had times when I felt I have to give up my two due to me not being able to look after them properly atm :-( haven't got as far as finding somewhere to take them but unless I can sort myself out soon... :'(

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[allme]

Oh no that is terrible, sorry you have to go through this

[IndieVisible]

Sorry to hear that. Like people dogs with aggression issues can be treated, much like people with benzos but that costs money and you need to stay on top of it at all times. Hard work for any one. During that period some times a dog can be trained but no guarantees.

I'm so sorry for what you and your dog are going through. I wanted to tell you that I have an extremely aggressive cat on Prozac that has improved quite a bit. He still has issues with acting socially inept with my other cats, but is SOOO much better with me and just fine with other people. My vet calls the med into a compounding pharmacy and it's less than $35 a month for flavored liquid, which includes the shipping. As suggested, Prozac is definitely something you should consider if you have not tried it already, fairly cheap and effective! Hugs to you and your dog.

[shayne12]

tried it before and behaviourists and dog aggression courses nothing helped he got worse and failed everything we tried dont think il be able to sleep tonight. hate this feeling. just want to cry

[Gus1234U]

oh Shayne~! when i became disabled my dog acquired panic attacks too, she knew something was wrong and she didn't know what it was,,, it was awful, when i had to have her put down, they told me she was riddled with cancer,,,, i will never get over letting her down, even tho it wasn't my fault,, so i wish you the strength to bear this~!

[Travelinglady]

I'm sorry. Please know you did the best you could. Did anybody check the dog for a brain tumor or other health problem that could explain the aggression. I assume they did.

[redbandit]

I'm so sorry!! *Hugs *

[1948kate]

I am so sorry. Thoughts and hugs to both of you

[DogTrainingLove]

I've very sorry. Have you tried looking on Petfinder for rescues in your area? I'm sure someone would be willing to help. You can also try putting up an ad on Craigslist looking for someone to adopt him or take him and look for a home.

[Sabrina]

I'm sorry. He has such lovely eyes

[gayleggg]

I'm very sorry you have to go through this pain. My daughter is also going through dealing with an aggressive dog and they are now trying Prozac. I'm hoping he doesn't get any worse. It would break her heart, as I know yours is breaking now. Take of yourself and know that you did what you could.

[Edda]

Oh, dear...

I'm afraid this post of mine will not be popular and I thought long and hard whether to comment or not but I feel I must speak my mind.

I have no reason to doubt that you love your dog and this is very hard for you. I'm truly sorry for your pain and that you feel there is no other solution.

I don't know your history with your dog and I am not saying that this IS the case but it is a sad fact that most dog behaviour problems are caused by the owner(s). This might sound like some awful accusation but in fact, it is rather good news because with professional help, the owner(s) can change their way of handling the dog and often, major improvement in the dog's behaviour is perfectly achievable.

So I am asking you; have you sought help from a dog behaviour consultant? A trainer with good reputation? Anything like that?

Aggression issues are very common and they are not easy to work with. Half of the success however is the owner learning how to manage such a dog. A good behaviour consultant CAN help and I believe that whether a dog needs a vet or a behaviour consultant, it is all the same; it is the owner's responsibility to provide it.

I don't know if you are aware but charities, shelters in the UK do not take dogs with aggression issues. If you decide to give up on your dog, that will be pretty much certain death for him.

Having a strong emotional attachment to a dog is one thing but it mostly serves you and if it ends with the dog's death, I struggle to call it love. Loving a dog means not just having the emotions but also a duty of care and responsibility for the welfare of that animal.

Apart from some extreme cases where the dog is proven to be beyond help, I find euthanasia completely and totally unacceptable.

[shayne12]

hes gone, dogs trust have taken him on thanks for support everyone

Originally Posted by Edda

Oh, dear...

I'm afraid this post of mine will not be popular and I thought long and hard whether to comment or not but I feel I must speak my mind.

I have no reason to doubt that you love your dog and this is very hard for you. I'm truly sorry for your pain and that you feel there is no other solution.

I don't know your history with your dog and I am not saying that this IS the case but it is a sad fact that most dog behaviour problems are caused by the owner(s). This might sound like some awful accusation but in fact, it is rather good news because with professional help, the owner(s) can change their way of handling the dog and often, major improvement in the dog's behaviour is perfectly achievable.

So I am asking you; have you sought help from a dog behaviour consultant? A trainer with good reputation? Anything like that?

Aggression issues are very common and they are not easy to work with. Half of the success however is the owner learning how to manage such a dog. A good behaviour consultant CAN help and I believe that whether a dog needs a vet or a behaviour consultant, it is all the same; it is the owner's responsibility to provide it.

I don't know if you are aware but charities, shelters in the UK do not take dogs with aggression issues. If you decide to give up on your dog, that will be pretty much certain death for him.

Having a strong emotional attachment to a dog is one thing but it mostly serves you and if it ends with the dog's death, I struggle to call it love. Loving a dog means not just having the emotions but also a duty of care and responsibility for the welfare of that animal.

Apart from some extreme cases where the dog is proven to be beyond help, I find euthanasia completely and totally unacceptable.

weve had him vet checked, hes been in dog aggression courses and had dog behaviourists try with him again and again and nothing helped he just got worse. the Dogs Trust never put a healthy dog down they have a no destroy policy thats why we went to them for help. its not just the fact hes dog aggressive its the fact i cannot cope with him cause of my mental health problems and for sake of my other dog who was being repeatably attacked by him. i know ive done the best thing for him. what else could i have done? he was a risk to everyone including children. i supose im nothing but a complete failure

So so sorry shayne, that is so sad...

[Edda]

Originally Posted by shayne12

hes gone, dogs trust have taken him on thanks for support everyone



weve had him vet checked, hes been in dog aggression courses and had dog behaviourists try with him again and again and nothing helped he just got worse. the Dogs Trust never put a healthy dog down they have a no destroy policy thats why we went to them for help. its not just the fact hes dog aggressive its the fact i cannot cope with him cause of my mental health problems and for sake of my other dog who was being repeatably attacked by him. i know ive done the best thing for him. what else could i have done? he was a risk to everyone including children. i supose im nothing but a complete failure

Thank you for the additional information. It was by no means obvious from your opening post that you had done all you could. I'm very glad and much relieved that Dogs Trust have taken him in.

I don't think you are a complete failure. I'm just truly sorry that nothing you have tried actually helped.

[Vossie42]

I'm sorry you have to go through this. It's so hard.

Max may have been reacting to your mental illness. Not all animals are sympathetic to their owners when their owner is ill. My parrot certainly is not. If I'm depressed, I have to stay away from him or he'll scream and bite. Birds are prey animals, so they will get rid of any threat to their flock. An ill or injured bird attracts predators, so birds will drive that bird away from their flock. In light of that, I think my parrot bites and screams when I am down because he wants to drive away a threat to the flock. I know that dogs are predators rather than prey, but I'm sure Max senses your mental state and is severely distressed by it. It's unfortunate that he acts out aggressively instead of being sympathetic to you. Hopefully in a different situation he will act differently. It's not your fault or Max's fault. It's simply the way it turned out.

I want to bring up the possibility that you may find your mental health improving a little without Max around. Try not to feel guilty about that. You did the best thing for Max and yourself. You're removing a stress from your life, and you're giving Max a chance to live a calmer one. Yes, you'll miss him badly, and he may be confused in his new situation. But both of you are moving forward to a better possibility. Will the shelter keep you updated on Max's progress?

[gayleggg]

I'm sorry, too. I've had to have a couple of my dearly loved pets down due to them being in pain and in the process of dying. I understand the pain you must feel having to make that decision. Know that I wish you don't have to go through this, but you are not alone. Reach out to us on PC in you hours of pain.