Sometimes you have to stop, drop, and roll

Sometimes you get an e-mail that is absolutely devastating. Today was that day. We got the response from the vet behaviorist and it feels like a total cop out. She stated the obvious. Spudz is untrained, unsocialized, suspect separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, suspect noise sensitivity...and then there is the part I don't agree with. She states he is aggressive and it's a conflict related, territorial, fear, and irritable aggression.

Okay, aggression I can deal with. I can deal with anxiety. What I can not deal with is rather than any answers she states that she consulted a behaviorist who works with one of the largest dog rescues in Chicago and that Spudz should be put down. "Spudz poses significant risk to public safety and if a poor candidate to find an adoptive home, much less one in which is multiple problems will be successfully managed." When we were in her office she showed us videos of a dog who is so reactive that when he comes in contact with another dog he bites...humans and dogs. This is not how Spudz is. I've seen worse than Spudz. Let me be extremely clear, I live with worse.

She felt my body language meant he would never be re-homed and she read me completely wrong. Yes I am uncomfortable with re-homing at the present time. That is not an option at this time. He is not a danger to humans. He has had chance after chance to bite Becky and myself and he will redirect off as soon as his nose hits our skin. What he needs is a foster home with no other dogs who will allow me to come in and work with him on a daily basis. This removes the barriers that cause him anxiety, removes the other barking dogs which affect him negatively, and allows him to de-stress and calm.

I know the vet is looking at it from the big picture but she doesn't need to worry about how much of a financial responsibility which she kept stating over and over in her report. Personally, that's not why we were in her office. We were there looking for ways to work within his capabilities and work on first basic obedience and further down the road work on counter conditioning.

She also reported that we don't know his triggers but in a way we do. Both of his attacks had something in common. They were both chained dogs.

So, back to square one. Now we move on and work with a trainer via the internet who has the experience with aggressive dogs and I know personally can help us. Laurie Buchele of Buchele's K-9 Services in Fremont, OH has always been a wealth of information and not only does she come highly recommended but I trust the people who recommend her with my own dog, and for me, that's saying a lot.