A pit-bull / Shar pai mix.
This last December, my children and I were at a local park, known as Christmas Village. While walking thru the dispays, I noticed a dog that looked like it wasn’t doing so well. This dog’s a pit-bull / Shar pai mix. To start with I am not fond of Pit-Bulls, if for no other reason then because of their temperment and reputation. I felt bad for this dog and something told me that I needed to help him. His ears had been butchered, likely cut off with scissors … apparent by the horrible condition that they were in. A woman was on the phone that had also noticed him and was calling animal control. I know what they would do, so I took the strap of my camera bag and lead him to our car. I contacted a local sanctuary for animals and they footed the cost for the medical treatment that he needed. Since then, we have named him George and he has been a part of our family. I began to notice a bit of aggression in his personality not long ago and since that time, he has bitten one boy … that for that matter, was teasing him and hit him with a rope. A few nights ago my daughter got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and George came unglued and started barking … I am guessing or hoping rather that perhaps he was just as surprised by her being awake as she was by his barking. Today while my son was walking him, he bit someone else, though I honestly believe that his intentions were not to hurt her. I can’t have an animal like this anymore, my children are afraid of him to a small extent … though they are always happy when they come home from school to see him. He has me worried, because I know that the chances of someone being bit and hurt severely are good if for no other reason than the possibility that he may have been a fighting dog. At this point I am considering having him put to sleep and I have checked with animal sanctuaries and they can’t take him because he is animal aggressive. Anyone that has any ideas, I am willing to listen … however if by this weekend I am unable to find him a new home or an reasonable alternative, I will have to put him to sleep. Please help me with your thoughts and suggestions.
Paul
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Oh boy, Paul, that’s a toughie. It was so kind of you to rescue George in Dec. It’s clear you have a compassionate heart and all the best intentions.
Of course you can not allow George to continue his current behavior. It sounds as though he is becoming increasingly protective of your family the longer he lives with you. That, in itself, is an admirable canine quality, but only if it can be safely controlled. The only non-lethal possible solution I can see is structured training to teach George his behavioral limits. Right now, he is taking on the alpha “protector” role in your household. If you want to give him another chance, you need to get him into training classes where you can teach him that YOU are the alpha protector and that he has to defer to your judgement and commands.
There is substantial risk involved in adopting any dog with an unknown history, but that risk runs very high in dogs bred for aggression AND who have been obviously abused. George *might* be reclaimable with proper training, but the fact that the sanctuaries won’t take him should convince you that rehoming him is not a responsible option. George poses a real threat to other dogs and people, and you simply can’t pass that threat along to someone else.
This is a horribly difficult situation, and I know none of the options are ideal. You have a possible solution in training and a certain solution in euthanasia. And you have a dog who may cause serious injury to someone at any time.
Weigh your options and do what you can live with, Paul. Either way, you’ve already given George what have most likely been the happiest months of his life.
Take care,
Tempest
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You did not mention if he was an intact or a neutered male. If he’s intact, you should have him fixed pronto, hormones being the regulators of aggressive behavior.
Obedience training is definitely the way to go, especially in a situation like this one where you have an animal who, obviously, was not only abused but most likely bred and even used for aggression (the ears are a dead give-away). In the meantime, never play rough with him (no tug of war or anything like that), no yelling (it excites them) and don’t allow the kids to give him commands (he will resent it, he knows they are some kind of puppies -he will learn to love and protect them but he’s not sure of his place, yet). Feed him after you and your children have dinner and let him see that you and them are eating first -pecking order is everything to dogs and the alphas and betas always eat first. You need to teach him that you are the boss. Touch his body all over with your hands until he loves the feel of them. Make him lay down on the floor and then stand on all fours above his body (you are putting him in a submissive position). Once you get him to do this, softly bite the side of his neck (under his jaws) and hold his skin between your teeth for a few seconds (alphas do this to younger dogs -it tells them you love them and would not hurt them but you still have the power to do it if you wanted to). Do these exercises without the children in the room. He can change. I promise you. I have a 95 lb bull-mastiff/pitbull mix (he was taken from his owners by animal control officers because they kept him chained to a radiator 24/7 to make him fierce) who was a maniac when I first got him (he didn’t only bounce of the walls, chew everything in sight and do ‘everything’ in the house, you couldn’t even touch him because he would chew on your hands and arms) and he is now the sweetest dog ever…. don’t misunderstand me, he still needs supervision because he’s ferocious with strangers (both people and dogs), and extremely territorial (excellent watch dog! -I don’t even lock my doors when I leave the house because I know for a fact nobody would ever make it inside alive) but with us, Mikey is the most obedient, loving dog ever. My granddaughter is beginning to learn how to walk and she holds on to him for support while he kisses her head (he’s not allowed to kiss her face or her hands so he decided her head is just as good).
Don’t give up on him. There is still hope. Most likely the problem is that you don’t know how to convey the fact that you are the boss but you and him can learn together.
Good luck!
Bibi
