Pet advice, giving away a dog

[Tron_fdc]

So here's the deal. I have a 9yr old jack Russel, and my g/f has a 3yr old pug/ French bulldog cross. They HATE each other, and if they're not growling at each other they're fighting. Since moving in with her last year the Jack has already lost an eye in one o their massive fights, and just today almost lost the other one.

Has anyone given a dog away before? Both these guys are good dogs, and they socialize just fine with other dogs, but for some reason they can't stand each other. I might have to give the pug/bd away, but I don't want to send him to some banger that abuses him.

Anyone have any advice here? A kijiji ad? Maybe pet training? It's incredibly stressful knowing my jack is one fight away from being blinded, so I'll try anything.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Anyone have any advice here?

Get rid of the girlfriend.

[Daradon]

Wow, that's a crazy fight. I would imagine what your doing now is the best you can do. Just talk to friends, family, and people in your circle. Might be a CPer that can step up.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by zamler

Get rid of the girlfriend.

Came to post this, leaving satisfied.

[Methanolic]

That's horrible man.

Get that pug out now even if only for the short term. Jesus, that poor Russel.

[Minnie]

I will take him. We have 3 dogs already but I can take him on a temporary basis - we've worked with Pawsitive Match before and I can get help from them rehoming him permanently. My daughter also works at a groomer/dog daycare/training facility and we can also rehome him through them. But to save your terrier, I'm happy to take him for now.

[Dion]

Take Minnies offer!

[RyZ]

Im also trying to find a new home for our 5 yr old Chihuahua. Hes a good boy but it seems that our 2 year old daughter is quite allergic to him and it seems to be getting worse with time. I had a friend that wanted him but backed out after moving into a building that doesnt allow pets, so hes kinda just stuck in the basement now. Any suggestions or leads from this thread would be great.

[CaptainYooh]

Whose dog initiates the fighting usually? If that is her dog, why isn't she thinking of giving him away? Especially now, after your dog has been injured and is suffering.

[Tron_fdc]

Hard to say who starts it, they just go at it for no reason at the drop of a hat.

She's attached to her dog, and he's a really good pet. My jack is well socialized, but he's a terrier. He's not backing down from anything. They just don't get along, and the situation isn't improving.

[zamler]

Can I ask why you allowed the dogs to be together after yours lost an eye?

[Minnie]

Russells think they're King Kong - you can't convince them otherwise. In their minds, they're big vicious critters, lol.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

How about getting some dog expert to evaluate your situation...there may be something you can still do to make them sort it out.

[CaptainYooh]

Really awful situation. We have two dogs that also fight sometimes; but I just can't imagine the pain of having to give either one of them away for any reason.

Thinking out loud here: your dog is older and is now handicapped. Assuming that your relationship with your girl is serious enough, it would be easier to find a new home for the younger and healthier dog, wouldn't she agree with that?

[Tron_fdc]

It's pretty emotional to give away a pet, so that's why we kept them after the first incident. They were doing really well up until today.

I just can't risk another injury to the russel, so one needs to go.

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Really awful situation. We have two dogs that also fight sometimes; but I just can't imagine the pain of having to give either one of them away for any reason.

Thinking out loud here: your dog is older and is now handicapped. Assuming that your relationship with your girl is serious enough, it would be easier to find a new home for the younger and healthier dog, wouldn't she agree with that?

Yes, If it were me, I'd be putting pressure on the girlfriend to find a home for her dog...for reasons stated above. Also, getting rid of a pet after 9 years should be more traumatic than after 3 years. You may live to regret it, especially if the relationship with your girlfriend ends.

[squiggs96]

Give it to Silver

[manwiches]

Terrible situation you're in. I feel for you. I had a similar one a few years ago that I had to give up my dog of 8 years, because I was working too much. It was, and still is, the single hardest decision I have ever made. But I know he's in a happier home, with a family that loves him. They keep in contact with me from time to time and send me pictures. I get to visit every so often as well. Both myself and my pup were for the better by it.

I used kijiji and put an ad up. I was very strict about where my pup went, and had to feel good about the family I was giving him too. I went through probably 7-8 people before a girl from Paws On Training, I believe that's the name, contacted me and said she rehomed dogs. Her name was Amanda. She put me in contact with a handful of families in a sort of meet and greet, and I got to choose the best family for my puppy. I don't have the number anymore, but I think Minnie's offer sounds very similar to what I had, and sounds amazing.

Like I said, it was a trying and emotional process and I cried for 2 weeks straight leading up to it, and 2 weeks after. I still tear up when I see him and have to say goodbye. But he's in a better place, and he has a new best friend the past 4 years.

Good luck, and remember that it's for the best, no matter which friend you decide to part with and give to another loving family.

And just cause, a picture of my puppy and him and his BFF sleeping.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Minnie]

Manwiches, is your old guy a Wheaten?

The bonded pair we adopted privately - we made them their own facebook page and kept in contact with their old owners that way, at first, so that they could see them. After a few months, we met up with them at Prince's Island for a picnic, so they could see the boys - we were there all afternoon. We're still in contact with them, 17 months later, and ended up being quite friendly and we eventually just friended them on our personal FB accounts and we tag them with dog pictures quite frequently. A friend of mine says it's an "open adoption."

[manwiches]

You bet, he's a Wheaton. As you can tell from the first pic, he's such a happy and adorable dog.

Open adoption. That's a great term, and one that perfectly described what happened with my puppy. I think if you are able to, it's the best solution. I was afraid of stepping on a new family's toes though with this method, as some people are just more private people. But I found that most dog owners are very friendly people, and have a very open door policy in this regard. What I did was ask (albeit very tearfully and it was very hard for me to say) was that the new family just send me an e-mail every so often to let me know how my puppy was doing, if it wasn't too much trouble. But I understand if they didn't want to either. I soon realized how big of hearts dog owners have, as they not only agreed to this, but as I said previously, let me still see him once every couple months, and before I moved, I was the preferred doggy sitter for him when they went away. Best of both worlds.

With the meet and greets, it was great seeing how he interacted with other dogs and people, and this is how I got to choose the right family. To be honest, he chose them, as he saw the other Wheaton, and just jived with him better. The love that the new family showered him just at the meet and greet made me realize how much better of a situation he would be in. They would love him just as much as I did, but be able to provide him a home and life that I could never give him. Seeing him now from time to time, he is happier, more active, and I'd like to think my decision increased his quality of life and lifespan. He's on his last year probably (he turned 13 in August), but I've developed a really great friendship with his new family, and they will let me be there when the time comes for him to say goodbye.

Minnie, although you've never done anything for me, as a dog lover and having had to go through this process, you honestly provide an invaluable service that people in this world need. You really are one of those people who I described above with big hearts.