biting the hand that feeds you.. in 2022

In January, an acquaintance made a fb post that his dad passed away, leaving 5 animals needing to be rehomed.

It’s been nearly a year since we lost one of our pup kids and I had been thinking about getting another dog. So, naturally I said I could help….

Dashchund that was presented as: friendly, mostly housebroken (using pee pads), around 10 years old, good with dogs and cats.

What I got was a 12 year old grumpy as hell dashchund with a uti that immediately started peeing in my house - sometimes on a pad but only when he feels like it. He poops on the floor not on a pad, ever! When he gets woken up to lift him to carry him outside or to the back door, he grumbles or growls.

Finally had the uti under control, thinking the peeing would resolve - nope.

He and my other senior dog (part dashchund / cocker spaniel mix) have sparred words twice over food incidents.

I’ve been keeping him in the office with me during the workday (I work from home) and he barks at me to put him on my lap each time we leave the room.

He snapped at me when I tried to give him oral meds for the uti. He didn’t actually bite me. Another time when he had something in his mouth that he shouldn’t and I took it away (out of his mouth), he snapped at me.

He’s snapped at Husband twice, and Sauce twice.

We contacted rescues and animal shelters. We’ve had numerous conversations about options. I’ve cried in guilt, frustration and anger.

I told the acquaintance that I was mislead, this isn’t the dog for us (this was before the snapping). That either I was bringing him back to him or surrendering him. That fuckong guy said, “surrender him”.

Last week, we left him in the kitchen with a wooden gate up, a bed and his blanket in there. When we returned after 4 hours, he had eaten part of the gate or clawed at it (????) so much that he had an allergic reaction and I took his dumb ass to the er te for $400.

This morning Husband and I were having a conversation about behavior euthanizing and the complex feelings that go along with it. Talked about training for him. Animal shelters. Was he safe to rehome? What if a family with children adopted him? I said, I wouldn’t let my nephew / niece come over with him here. I wouldn’t leave him with my mom (and every dog we’ve had has enjoyed trips to Grammy house or stayed with them).

But this evening, he bit the hand that feeds him - literally. The only one that had truly been trying to make it work….

I had him outside for twenty minutes attempting to get him to poop outside. We came in and I started a bath. He likes to poop in the hallway just outside the bathroom. I saw him in the hallway just thinking about pooping. I come out to get him. He runs up the pup stairs to Husband🏉. Sauce is standing by the sofa. I say, get ready for the growling. I reach under his belly to pick him up and he growls and starts to snap at my. I tell him no sir and put my hand around his snout and hold it there briefly. When I let go, I pick him up, he growls (not unusual) but this time he bites my hand - twice.

I put him outside. Hubs asks to see my hand. I come back to living room and I say, I’m done. Take him to Robin’s office. She is our vet of 25 years.

Now he has officially become a safety concern. For the first time in my life, I’m going to euthanize a dog that isn’t physically sick.

As my guilt simmers away about this, my hand aches from the bites and I know it’s the right decision for my family and preventing a future bite in an unsuspecting person or worse, a child.

It’s been an emotional 6 weeks. All of this drama has happened in 6 fucking weeks.

I’m not a terrible person. I need to remind myself of this.

Last updated February 20, 2024