My dog - updated

[missac]

I have had the most awful day, I was sitting playing with Thomas and Snoop my cocker spaniel was sitting next to me, Thomas went to pat snoop on the back and snoop snapped at him, no harm was done and Thomas is absolutely fine, but there is only one solution to this isn't there? I have never left Thomas with either dog unattended and never would. I love my dogs to bits but I do not trust any dog implicitly.

I am now devestated as I am going to have to rehome Snoop, I have no idea what to do with him though. I cannot get hold of the breeder as they appear to have moved although we have been assured by Cocker rescue that they are still breeding, I hate the thought of him going to a pound or annything and I oviously can't rehome him to anyone with children, does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks xxx


Just a quick update, Paul's (my husband) friend from work had a dog who not so long ago died, she really wants another one and she would love to have Snoop as her and her husband have no intention of having any children. Although I know this is such a drastic thing to do I feel that I need to treat this incident as a warning, and if I didn't do anything about it and something more serious happened I would never forgive myself. Firstly for Thomas and secondly if something happened Snoop would have to be put down.

To be honest I don't think he would ever do anything as serious as that but you can never be entirely sure and if the chances are 99% safe then there is still that 1% of doubt.

I am pleasently surprised about all of your reactions though, I thought I would be seen as a terrible Mum for putting Thomas in that position, and I thought you would all brand my Snoop a beast! He goes tomorrow, I am desperately sad but know deep down I am doing the right thing.

Thanks everyone

 

[Sherlock]

Out of interest, what colour is your Cocker spaniel?

I ask as there is a well documented personality trait in Cockers, usually of solid colour, called Rage Syndrome.

Anyways, my first port of call would be the Kennel Club to find out if there is a Cocker Rescue in your area or you could be put in touch with. Usually most breeds have a rescue network of breeders and keepers who will take them in and rehome them.

If not contact the breed club of the Cocker Spaniel in the UK and ask them for help. Someone there will be able to point you in the right direction.

Good luck

 

[missac]

He's a blue rhone. Black and white. I have spoken to the cocker rescue this afternoon and they said they won't take him as he was aggressive

 

[paulaws]

We have a tri colour cocker spaniel and my mum has a black one. Our bracken has snapped at both of my boys at different times usually when she is asleep and they startle her. I know that when it happens your immediate instinct is to rehome because mine was but I would say don't make any rash decisions.
We also have a springer spaniel and she found it difficult when our eldest child was a baby because she had been used to being our baby before he came along so we had to train her how to behave when with him.We did this by offering treats fron him and by including her when I was with him. We have done the same with Bracken and Euan and slowly she is building up a relationship with him. We also make sure that Euan is gentle when he touches her as he has a tendancy to try to grab her nose because he has to learn how to treat her too.
We have always had dogs around our children and have complete confidence that they would never harm our boys but we always use our common sense when they are around.
I realy hope you change your mind about rehoming your dog- ours truly are part of the family and I couldn't imagine our children not growing up with them around.x

 

[trixipaws]

oh no, im sorry m i hope u find a good home for him

 

[mum&2girls]

im sorry to hear that missac i hope you find somewhere for him

 

[Lou]

At the risk of being told I'm wrong is it really the only option to get rid of him???? I know dogs can cause awful injuries when they turn but all your dog did was snap and he didn't even make contact. My cat swipes at Isaac all the time, sometimes because he teases her (of course I tell him not to) and sometimes she is just being grumpy or playful or jealous. I wouldn't give her away because she scratches and tbh if she was left alone with Isaac and turned on him she could do some nasty damage with her teeth and claws. The obvious thing is to not leave them alone and I'm sure you would never leave you LO alone with any animal.

Maybe he is just a little jealous and there are training techniques that can resolve that.

I know dogs are domesticated and considered loyal pets but when all is said and done they are animals and all animals are unpredictable. Allowing them into our homes is a risk but its a risk millions of people take everyday with no problems, its unfortunate that the media has reported terrible stories of babies, children and adults being mauled recently and it sticks in our minds and makes us paranoid. I think a responsible owner who treats their dog with care but also an obvious level of common sense and caution has no need to fear their animal.

Don't give up on him I say!!!! Explore every option before making the decision to re-home him. You love him very much and he must love you. If it were a sibling hurting another sibling you would have to deal with it, you can't give away kids who hurt eachother lol

I don't mean to make light of it, I know dogs can cause death and injury, I just love dogs and think they get really bad press and it has a knock on effect with every dog which isn't fair

 

[Sherlock]

I did think about this more last night and I'd like to say ditto what Lou has said above. I gave you some pointers of people to contact but I did feel you needed to explore other options also. Did not type that bit though at the time.

I don't consider your dog as being 'aggressive'. Especially as the episode was a first and she did not actually do anything further. Certainly I'd do what Lou has suggested and spend some time training and so on. Many dogs snap, one of mine would if you took his food bowl away from him when he was eating. Lesson learnt was to leave him alone when he ate.

Snoop sounds like she was resting and got disturbed and said 'Oi, leave me alone please'. Did you discipline her when she snapped? Even with a 'Snoop NO' so she understands it isn't on. Maybe try to encourage LO to leave her be when she is resting.

And about cats, I'm with Lou on that also. Of course I know they cannot do the same damage a bigger dog can to a person, but they can hurt a child with claws and bite and infections can be passed on this way. Cats are often likely to scratch a child if they get picked up, don't want their tail pulled and so on.

I've also seen a family with four children get a terrier puppy. This puppy is very sweet, but they have had to spend the last 9 months training her as she has nipped the kids no end of times, in her youthful ignorance, and caused them tears because of it. However, they didn't give up on the pup and trained her and their kids to respect each other. She still nips when excited, but they don't have the reaction she is being aggressive and deal with it then and there. The kids have also learnt to leave her alone when she is quiet, to not pull or prod her and to not tease her round her mouth as she will often just nip hands then.

Feel free to drop me a PM if you want Happy to talk.

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Sorry to hear about your dog Hope you get him rehomed soon

 

[Lou]

oooops sorry just posted something from you tube but it had swearing in it so I deleted it

 

[missac]

Updated at the top

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Glad everything has worked out for you hun... You might even be still able to see snoop if he's going to friends

 

[jools221181]

Aww I'm glad you found a good home for him!

 

[Krystal]

Thats brilliant, I know it must be sad for you be it's a very responsible thing to do as well!! Better safe than sorry and at least you know he's going to a nice home. Your doing the right thing

 

[Emmylou]

So glad you found Snoop and good home M, and that you'll know where he is.....lots & lots of hugs for you, I can not imagine how you are feeling, but I know your heart will be hurting.
Love & hugs

 

[Sherlock]

Glad to read you've found a solution and that you are doing what you feel comfortable with.

Never for one second thought you were a bad person as you had no reason to feel your dog was a potential problem. Also you didn't overreact and feel there was a need for something drastic like putting down. You explored your options

And not a thought about your dog being a beast

I think you've looked at the possibles and come to the best conclusion for you all

I hope Snoop enjoys his new home