Putting a dog to sleep?

Question

My In laws dog is 13. He's gotten very aggressive to the point where the ffamily has to be very careful when handling him. My MIL babysits 3 kids under 2, including my 19 month old, who he tried to attack, luckily she came out with a light scratch. He also attacked my 4 yr old niece, if it wasnt for her shoe she'd probably have 4 toes. Both of these attacks were unprovoked and vicious. He is tied up most of the time becauce it's gotten so bad. My MIL want to put him to sleep because of he's violent (heaven forbid something serious happens to her or one of the kids) and also because she doesnt want him to spend the rest of his days tied up on a 4 foot leash, his breed lives to be about 13-14, plus he preffers to be inside and cries when outside. But eveyone feels bad because they've had him since '95 and he is, to our knowledge, healthy. Do you think its right that they put him to sleep.

Just to add he wasnt always like this, he used to be nice to people he knew or saw often. It start about 1-2 years ago and its gone from bad to just worse.

So they tie him up because now he'll bit for no reason. And he goes to the vet who hasnt said anything's wrong.

She's been babysitting since before I was around (well over 3 years)

Answer 1

Honestly, I think it's sometimes better to euthanize a dog than to keep it alive in the hell that has become it's life.

A dog chained outside to a 4 ft lead has no life at all. Period.

An aggressive dog chained up is a time bomb for everyone around him. This includes the dog itself. No one is affectionate to him any longer so he is being punished for his actions. It's a horrible cycle.

Sometimes the way we save them is to set them free from their earthly bodies. Euthanizing a dog isn't like shooting him. It's a humane way to let him go and end his suffering.

It's heartbreaking for everyone. But it's also one of those things you have to face in a situation like this.

The main thing is that someone he still trusts should be with him so he isn't frightened. Your family owes him a peaceful death.

Also, some will say give him away. I totally disagree. This is your family's responsibility. You must own up to it. If they can't control him, strangers can't either. You cannot give a known biter to anyone. That's giving a loaded gun to someone...

I'm sorry for him and for your family.

Answer 2

I agree with the people that suggested taking the dog to the vet. If he has a clear bill of health there could be a few other reasons the dog has become mean.

I had my pit bull for 18 years, he was the most well-mannered dog and listened better than any other dog I have ever owned. In the last years of his life he became somewhat aggressive. I had him checked at his vet and they said it is most likely due to him getting older and his vision going. He was not able to see things clearly and thus made him nervous of things.

Another thing you could consider is you said this has been happening for a couple of years? When did your MIL start watching children? Maybe the dog is feeling neglected as I'm sure the kids get a lot of your MIL's attention.

Just a few thought on what it could be. I do suggest however, that if he is going to continue to be tied up then they should put him to sleep. This is not enjoyable for the dog at all. Trying to find new owners for him at this point probably is not the most logical idea either.

Good luck!

Answer 3

First you need to go to a good vet...preferable not one the "chain" places. Try a good hometown vet. At his age, there might be other things going on that's you're unaware of. Thyroid imbalances can cause an animal to display emotions that they normally wouldn't. There could be something causing him pain that you're unaware of. Also, when did you MIL begin babysitting? Was that about the time he starting acting different. He might like children around all the time and be a little jealous. Chaining a dog is cruel to my opinion and this should be addressed very quickly. Good luck and I hope all turns out well.

Answer 4

Has he been to a vet? There's no way to tell if he's truly healthy if not. They can do bloodwork, etc. to find out if there's an underlying problem.

The question of whether or not to euthanize is a touchy one, and you're bound to get answeres on both sides. The fact is that he should under no circumstances be around children. Perhaps your MIL should see if she can find someone better suited to care for him. After she's taken him to the vet and gotten his/her opinion, of course. In the end, aggressive dogs are often put to sleep for just that reason. It's unfortunate, but necessary.

Answer 5

I'm sorry you are going threw this. Loosing a dog is heart breaking. but with his age anything could be the reason he is aggressive now when he wasn't before, maybe he has cataracts and cant see very well, or the kids spook him because he cant hear them, or he could have alsheimers and don't remember everyone. I would say take him to the vet maybe the problem is treatable without putting him to sleep. also I know how kids are I have a very high energetic 5 year old that starts with my chihwahwa and in order to make my son stop Ziggy has been known to bite, Its there way of saying leave me alone.

Answer 6

its aways hard to put a dog down but sometimes its the best thing to do
if the dog is always tied up there is no point of it suffering anymore and as you said the attacks could get vicious and someone could get seriously hurt or even killed

like the answer above me when they are putting him down someone should be with him so he still feels loved
x

before this get him to the vets there could be something wrong with him and he could be behaving like this because he is jelouse of the kids * you said he only has attacked the kids* see what he is like without the kids around but still be careful as it might not be the reason and the dog might become aggressive towards you

best of luck

Answer 7

I know it is a tough decision, but the dog is a danger to people. I had an agressive dog, we put up with him for 7 years, and he was just getting worse and worse. He was not happy. The only time he was ever happy was on walks, but the rest of the time he was miserable. We decided to put him to sleep after he bit my mom (if she hadn;t had a thick carhartt jacket on she could have died as he broke skin through the jacket), my dad, and my brother, as well as constantly attacking the other dog and my cats. All unprovoked. It has made everyone happier. My cats feel safe and my other dog is no longer tortured on a daily basis.

It sounds like their dog has lived a long, happy life until now. I bet he isn't happy like he used to be. It would be better (and safer) for everyone if he was euthanized, especially with children around.

Answer 8

If there are young children around the dog and he is being so aggressive, you need to ether put the dog down or get the dog away from the kids. Otherwise, the children could get seriously hurt.
The dog seems to be really old and probably wont live much longer anyway.
<3 ya,
Little miss Abercrombie 2007

Answer 9

I just went threw this EXACT bs with my MIL ..... YES YES YES!!!!

Her dog has attacked everyone including her and she somehow seems to think its "cute" and he's just moody! It's f'ing ridiculous!

I'll get told what awful person I am for thinking that it should be put down but what's going to happen when real damage is done? Who's fault is it then? No amount of training will improve this behavoir ... And leaving him confined is not right either and I doubt anyone will take him.... So yes it's the best thing to do. I know it's hard but sometimes it has to be done!

Not to mention I know here if the dog bites someone and its reported you get severely fined, possibility of imprisonment and the dog gets put down ... Thats also something to think about ...

Answer 10

If he attacks the kids only, then does that mean that he's jealous? You can try to spend some time with him alone to show that you guys really do care about him and see how he reacts. If that is the case then you should give him to someone without kids around.