Camden is gone...roomie gave him up

[Dreeza]

Wow, so I was in NY this weekend & got a call from my roomie today saying she gave Camden up last night.

Apparently he bit her yesterday. She was practicing w/food (he had been doing REALLY great with this) & was using the clicker...

There was a noise outside...Oakley started barking (he was gated in my room), Cam goes after him...realizes he can't get to him, and goes after my roommate instead She said she was so calm...didn't yell...was staying very positive & calmed him down.
Then something else set him off (another noise??) & he bit her...she was cornered by him for like almost 15 mins...calm, but obviously terrified. She was home alone, so she couldn;t get help. She knew not to try to grab him, so she just had to wait it out while he was flipping out at her.

He drew blood again this time.

She & her bf had agreed that if he did it again, they would take him to be euthanized. She brought him to an emergency vet clinic like an hour after this happened, saying that if she waited any longer, she wouldn't be able to do it (since he returns back to his old, happy self)

She said her good byes to him, bawled her eyes out, & said she didn't want to watch. They took him back...and then a few mins later, the vet came out & said he wanted to give him a 2nd chance. So she signed ownership of him to the SPCA. They are going to hopefully find someone with tons of land & the resources needed to take care of him.


I'm sure things could have gone differently with him, but I think she made the right choice. Each attack has been further in btwn, but each time seems to worsen. She is a small girl & he is 80 lbs of dog that could reach up & rip her face off in a split second. Ultimately, her safety is just more important.

Here is to hoping he finds a new home. I'm gonna miss him...I never got to say goodbye.

 

[stardogs]

It sounds like she made the right decision, no matter how tough - the thing that scares me though is that the vet apparently didn't take the seriousness of the attack for what it was. Rehoming a dog with this history is *rarely* a good idea and I hope that at least the SPCA will be told of his history before they place him.

Paws crossed for Camden.

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

That's such a bad situation all around I hope it works out for Camden in the future.

 

[ihartgonzo]

How sad for everyone involved... well, I guess that's what happens after so much supression and punishment is forced onto a dog.

Poor Camden. He must be so confused and frightened by all of the stuff he has been through at such an early age. I hope some one is willing to take him who will be fair and consistent with him, and who won't blame his issues on everyone but themselves. I hope so, but very few people are willing to even consider biters when there are so many dogs who have never bitten who need homes so badly. Good luck puppy.

 

[Paige]

Poor guy. I wish him well.

 

[Dekka]

I don't think this is just 'punishment based problems' If everything comes across as it happened. Yes its bad, and yes it causes issues. But IMO a dog who redirects and continues to flip out has something wrong with him

I hope the SPCA works with him to get to know what he's like before they adopt him out.

I am so sorry you didn't get to say good bye

 

[KenyiGirl]

I'm sorry you didn't have a chance to say goodbye It sounds like your roommate made the best decision for the situation.

 

[corgipower]

But IMO a dog who redirects and continues to flip out has something wrong with him

I agree. That sounds like a medical issue.

I'm so sorry Dreeza and I'm sorry that it came to this.

Vibes going out for Camden that he gets what's best for him. Honestly, I think it's a bit of a shame that the vet didn't do the euth.

 

[~Tucker&Me~]

I also think the vet should have euthed. I feel bad for the dog but I just think it is not a risk worth taking. And from you description, he only goes berserk few and far between, so it's very possible that the shelter will never see the behaviour before adopting him out.

My grandpa adopted a dog like this. A complete sweetheart 98% of the time. But when she flipped, she had the power, strength, and size to seriously injure somebody, not to mention the fact that it was completely unpredictable. It was believed to be a chemical imbalance and related to her health, so they made the difficult decision to euthanize her.

I wish Camden the best of luck and hope something works out for him.

Your poor roommate and poor you. Its hard, but it was the right thing to do.

 

[Lolas Dad]

I'm glad the vet did not euthanize. If the dog has a medical problem that can be corrected then why euthanize?

 

[Grab]

I'd be worried about some sort of neurological issue.

I do think it is unfortunate that the vet didn't euth. One should never have to tiptoe around their pet. My worry would be that the vet sugarcoated it to the SPCA and he'll be passed on to someone who cannot control one of his episodes and that he'll do serious damage.

 

[~Tucker&Me~]

I'm glad the vet did not euthanize. If the dog has a medical problem that can be corrected then why euthanize?

Ok let me clarify, lol.

I did not mean the dog had an issue like a sore back or ear or other similiar ailment. What the posters (assuming others also meant this) are suggesting is that he had a medical issue meaning that there is some sort of neurological problem, or some sort of chemical imbalance. Basically, something is wrong in his head lol.

If it was something as simple as an achey body, I am sure nobody here would be advocating him to be euthanized.

 

[KenyiGirl]

I'd be worried about some sort of neurological issue.

I do think it is unfortunate that the vet didn't euth. One should never have to tiptoe around their pet. My worry would be that the vet sugarcoated it to the SPCA and he'll be passed on to someone who cannot control one of his episodes and that he'll do serious damage.

Yup, I second Grab's post.

 

[Saeleofu]

she was cornered by him for like almost 15 mins...calm, but obviously terrified. She was home alone, so she couldn;t get help. She knew not to try to grab him, so she just had to wait it out while he was flipping out at her.

I'm sure things could have gone differently with him, but I think she made the right choice. Each attack has been further in btwn, but each time seems to worsen. She is a small girl & he is 80 lbs of dog that could reach up & rip her face off in a split second. Ultimately, her safety is just more important

I think she made the right decision, however I would have liked to see her insist on euthanasia. Not that I blame her, I mean when you take your dog to get killed and someone offers you a chance to let him live, it's got to be hard to say no.

I know this might sound bad, but I do hope that the SPCA sees him "flip out" before they adopt him out. I've seen way too many dogs come through the clinic that were adopted, and shortly after getting to their new homes showed how aggressive they really were. Some of them even do fine in a kennel environment, but when they get home, they're a completely different dog. So I hope that Camden isn't a kind of dog that is perfect at the shelter and then goes crazy in his new home.

 

[Dekka]

I'm glad the vet did not euthanize. If the dog has a medical problem that can be corrected then why euthanize?

If it was a pain problem etc I would agree with you. But there isn't much that can be done for chemical imbalance. And trust me I went though this, even with awesome vets its hard to get them to take you seriously that this happy seemingly well balanced dog just snaps.


Its NOT better to dump this dog on a shelter who won't have the resources to help this dog, nor is this at all fair to the adopters who may not see this until its too late.

A painless end is not the most horrible thing that can happen.

 

[ACooper]

I'd be worried about some sort of neurological issue.

I do think it is unfortunate that the vet didn't euth. One should never have to tiptoe around their pet. My worry would be that the vet sugarcoated it to the SPCA and he'll be passed on to someone who cannot control one of his episodes and that he'll do serious damage.

I agree.

As hard as that would have been for me, I would have insisted on euthing him and not signed him over. There are certain circumstances I won't tolerate a biting dog, when it's a child, (dog has choice of leaving area) or like this case where it's an on going episode (had her cornered) not just a snap/release and move on.

I too hope this vet is honest, both NOW and if something happens with new people in the future. I would hate to see this somehow come BACK to your roomie when she tried to do the right thing and was talked out of it

Sorry you didn't get to say goodbye Dreeza (((HUGS)))

 

[corgipower]

I'm glad the vet did not euthanize. If the dog has a medical problem that can be corrected then why euthanize?

As others said, we're not talking about a simple medical issue such as pain or even thyroid problems that can cause aggression. A chemical imbalance, a hard-to-diagnose and hard-to-treat intermittent seizure disorder, a tumor are the things that come to mind.

I'm all for treating a medical problem. I'm all for adopting out when possible. But I'm not all for wasting limited resources.

 

[sammgirl]

Oh...

I don't know too many people qualified to handle an animal like that, who would actually want to take on that kind of liability.

IMHO, they should have just put Camden down. In my experience, most vets aren't behaviorists and I'm not sure why the vet felt that he was qualified to evaulate the dog.

It's not his fault he's not wired correctly, but he's definitely not suited to be anyone's family member.

 

[puppydog]

I would have insisted on a euth.

 

[Crowsfeet]

But its over now and no one is there to make that decision(just reiterate it).

Good luck, Camden.
I'm sorry, Dreeza :/