First off, I just want to say I want a discussion about what's best for this dog, not anything about responsibility and commitment and all that. Pretty please?
I'm just about in tears thinking about it. Here's our story:
My Kye was my first girl, adopted her from the shelter on November 28, 2008. I read somewhere of someone calling one of their dogs their "heart dog" and that's what Kye is for me. I'd seriously wither away and die without her.
When Kye was 8 months old, I ended up taking on another girl, my Rio. My understanding, when I decided to foster her, was that the girl (who I had worked with when I first moved into town so that's how I knew her) didn't have the time for her and lost her interest. Okay, fine, I'll take her in, teach her some things, and send her on her way to a forever home. Kye was my first dog ever, and I certainly knew better by then than to actually want two puppies, lol!
Right.
When I first got to the house to pick up Rio (then Zoe), she was tied to a tree with access to her crate (door off), no water and huge-kibbled mainstays dog food. She retreated to her crate and continued to growl at me.
I took her home anyways, obviously, especially after she told me how her ex boyfriend (as of about a week before) would beat her; pottying in the house, getting in the garbage, climbing all over his car and scratching the paint (?), you know, the things puppies do, all resulted in a beating.
She definitely has issues. I couldn't get anywhere near her really for the first little bit, she was terrified of everyone, anything, all the time. The first time she met Kye she was terrified and it was not a good encounter. I didn't know better. Now, of course, they're the bestest buds ever.
So the first people who had her kept her, as a little puppy, locked in her crate (which I still have) full of her waste and the kids would tease her. Then she went to the other girl and the boyfriend beat her.
I'm obviously being pretty broad with the whole story, but I'm covering all the main points as best I can. There's alot to it, lol.
So anyways, it's been..9ish months with her, and we've finally almost got a bond going on. She knows sit, stay, down, off, come, "get in the tub", "go to bed", leave it, "bring it here", "find it" and "drop it". A few months ago, she started coming to me for love. For love! It was amazing. She doesn't flinch anymore, and she loves everyone, 'cept a girlfriend of mine, who is short, tiny and high-voiced and Rio doesn't like her at all.
She was terrified of bigger men (say over the 200 pound range...the beating bf was a big dude) but now, if you're not careful, she lands in their lap, licking them and wiggling. As I said, I think it's amazing. I remember the first time she met my big ol' dad, he said to her "hey baby" and she yelped and ran away from us and wouldn't come back around. Now, she loves dad. I remember my friend Dean to come help me with further introductions with Kye and Rio, right in the beginning, and he took his hand out of his pocked and she shied. She loves Dean now, and his beagle Trapper.
As I said, Kye was my first dog ever. Never had one growing up, none of that. My grandparents had a shih-tzu/maltese though.
Rio is still aggressive towards dogs, and in the past, she has gone after kids and actually nipped/bit them. The first time, we chaulked it up to excitement, and it scared the little boy more than it hurt. We had people over, another dog, and thought she just got a little carried away with her puppy-ness. You know how puppies are. Then it happened a few minutes later, the boy got upset and she gave him one of those little red blood-bruises, if you know what I mean. I was halfway across the yard at this point and she ended up getting rolled and yelled at and dragged into the outdoor kennel. Now, kids are the enemy to her, she is terrified them. I got a phone call one day when I was working at the shelter and another little boy had been brought over and she got him too. I was furious that it had been allowed to happen again.
I lack the knowledge and experience to make her better. Not the knowledge, maybe, I know the theory of it all, but I've never done it, and going for walks with her scares me. She's a bc/husky, she needs walks. I'm scared to walk her. They're always brief, with my heart pounding the whole time, and just leaves her more anxious.
I've been in touch with more than one behavioural trainer..I can't afford it. Not until summer at least. Then she'll be two years old. I just moved a bunch of times, sold my truck, got a good job making decent cash, but I'm not getting ahead and with vaccinations for all four, and spays for the cats, there isn't much left over for a 6-week "aggressive dog" course. There's nothing I can really cut back on to save cash..TV comes with the rent, groceries, the phone, gas, insurance, internet that comes with rent, and the fax line, and long distance calling..I'm scared I'm running out of time. With the dog thing too, she just loses her mind...I've tried using a Halti but like I said, I can't accomplish anything when I'm afraid. I take them an hour out of the city to go offleash, on crown land in the middle of nowhere.
And then I think about my other girl, Kye. She's well socialized, trained, lacking some manners maybe but a real lover, and learning all the time. She makes friends with every human, dog, cat or kid, although she likes kids a little too much, lol.
At my job, I can bring my dogs to work. I don't, because of Rio. Work would be a great tool for me but I'm there alone most of the time, and I can't manage a store and work on Rio's fear at the same time. Kids and dogs come in all the time, and Rio is a nervous wreck, not to mention I'm terrified something'll happen. So I play it safe and leave them both at home, but I feel guilty cuz Kye could come...but I can't take one and leave the other. I'm a terrible suck, I know. But gawd. I just love them so much and I don't know what's the best thing to do for both of them right now. Not dealing with it is definitely not the right thing to do, though.
So I'm left wondering if I should find Rio a secure home with someone knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated. It'll probably be hard to find, and I can't believe I'm even thinking about it. I feel terrible. I myself am dedicated to my girls, but I do lack the experience to make Rio better. I do. Ugh. I've worried about what will become of all of us eventually if we just keep going the way we are. I can handle it, the daily dog things, and veterinary maintenance and all that isn't an issue, but I don't think I'm creating the best environment for the two of them. But how can I trust anyone to take her, my precious, fragile but blossomed baby?
I don't know what to do for them.
I'm just about in tears thinking about it. Here's our story:
My Kye was my first girl, adopted her from the shelter on November 28, 2008. I read somewhere of someone calling one of their dogs their "heart dog" and that's what Kye is for me. I'd seriously wither away and die without her.
When Kye was 8 months old, I ended up taking on another girl, my Rio. My understanding, when I decided to foster her, was that the girl (who I had worked with when I first moved into town so that's how I knew her) didn't have the time for her and lost her interest. Okay, fine, I'll take her in, teach her some things, and send her on her way to a forever home. Kye was my first dog ever, and I certainly knew better by then than to actually want two puppies, lol!
Right.
When I first got to the house to pick up Rio (then Zoe), she was tied to a tree with access to her crate (door off), no water and huge-kibbled mainstays dog food. She retreated to her crate and continued to growl at me.
I took her home anyways, obviously, especially after she told me how her ex boyfriend (as of about a week before) would beat her; pottying in the house, getting in the garbage, climbing all over his car and scratching the paint (?), you know, the things puppies do, all resulted in a beating.
She definitely has issues. I couldn't get anywhere near her really for the first little bit, she was terrified of everyone, anything, all the time. The first time she met Kye she was terrified and it was not a good encounter. I didn't know better. Now, of course, they're the bestest buds ever.
So the first people who had her kept her, as a little puppy, locked in her crate (which I still have) full of her waste and the kids would tease her. Then she went to the other girl and the boyfriend beat her.
I'm obviously being pretty broad with the whole story, but I'm covering all the main points as best I can. There's alot to it, lol.
So anyways, it's been..9ish months with her, and we've finally almost got a bond going on. She knows sit, stay, down, off, come, "get in the tub", "go to bed", leave it, "bring it here", "find it" and "drop it". A few months ago, she started coming to me for love. For love! It was amazing. She doesn't flinch anymore, and she loves everyone, 'cept a girlfriend of mine, who is short, tiny and high-voiced and Rio doesn't like her at all.
She was terrified of bigger men (say over the 200 pound range...the beating bf was a big dude) but now, if you're not careful, she lands in their lap, licking them and wiggling. As I said, I think it's amazing. I remember the first time she met my big ol' dad, he said to her "hey baby" and she yelped and ran away from us and wouldn't come back around. Now, she loves dad. I remember my friend Dean to come help me with further introductions with Kye and Rio, right in the beginning, and he took his hand out of his pocked and she shied. She loves Dean now, and his beagle Trapper.
As I said, Kye was my first dog ever. Never had one growing up, none of that. My grandparents had a shih-tzu/maltese though.
Rio is still aggressive towards dogs, and in the past, she has gone after kids and actually nipped/bit them. The first time, we chaulked it up to excitement, and it scared the little boy more than it hurt. We had people over, another dog, and thought she just got a little carried away with her puppy-ness. You know how puppies are. Then it happened a few minutes later, the boy got upset and she gave him one of those little red blood-bruises, if you know what I mean. I was halfway across the yard at this point and she ended up getting rolled and yelled at and dragged into the outdoor kennel. Now, kids are the enemy to her, she is terrified them. I got a phone call one day when I was working at the shelter and another little boy had been brought over and she got him too. I was furious that it had been allowed to happen again.
I lack the knowledge and experience to make her better. Not the knowledge, maybe, I know the theory of it all, but I've never done it, and going for walks with her scares me. She's a bc/husky, she needs walks. I'm scared to walk her. They're always brief, with my heart pounding the whole time, and just leaves her more anxious.
I've been in touch with more than one behavioural trainer..I can't afford it. Not until summer at least. Then she'll be two years old. I just moved a bunch of times, sold my truck, got a good job making decent cash, but I'm not getting ahead and with vaccinations for all four, and spays for the cats, there isn't much left over for a 6-week "aggressive dog" course. There's nothing I can really cut back on to save cash..TV comes with the rent, groceries, the phone, gas, insurance, internet that comes with rent, and the fax line, and long distance calling..I'm scared I'm running out of time. With the dog thing too, she just loses her mind...I've tried using a Halti but like I said, I can't accomplish anything when I'm afraid. I take them an hour out of the city to go offleash, on crown land in the middle of nowhere.
And then I think about my other girl, Kye. She's well socialized, trained, lacking some manners maybe but a real lover, and learning all the time. She makes friends with every human, dog, cat or kid, although she likes kids a little too much, lol.
At my job, I can bring my dogs to work. I don't, because of Rio. Work would be a great tool for me but I'm there alone most of the time, and I can't manage a store and work on Rio's fear at the same time. Kids and dogs come in all the time, and Rio is a nervous wreck, not to mention I'm terrified something'll happen. So I play it safe and leave them both at home, but I feel guilty cuz Kye could come...but I can't take one and leave the other. I'm a terrible suck, I know. But gawd. I just love them so much and I don't know what's the best thing to do for both of them right now. Not dealing with it is definitely not the right thing to do, though.
So I'm left wondering if I should find Rio a secure home with someone knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated. It'll probably be hard to find, and I can't believe I'm even thinking about it. I feel terrible. I myself am dedicated to my girls, but I do lack the experience to make Rio better. I do. Ugh. I've worried about what will become of all of us eventually if we just keep going the way we are. I can handle it, the daily dog things, and veterinary maintenance and all that isn't an issue, but I don't think I'm creating the best environment for the two of them. But how can I trust anyone to take her, my precious, fragile but blossomed baby?
I don't know what to do for them.
what type of liability issues? I never thought of that.