Walk me through how to surrender a dog

[Anonymous]

I love my dog, but he is a handful. He has major anxiety and can not be taken to a vet unless I am with him, cannot handle the groomers, etc. When I have tried leaving him with friends, he dumps all over their house due to being scared. He has been prescribed a lot of medication and it does take the edge off, but he would still be considered a difficult dog.

Still, I love this dog. He's great for me. The problem is he is only great for me.

I had surgery last year and the recovery was miserable as the dog couldn't be boarded anywhere and he was creating havoc for others. People were trying to help, but it was a stressful situation for everyone- including the dog. We survived, yay. And now I need another surgery. Are you kidding me??

Recovery this time will include 4 weeks of non weight-bearing followed by more recovery time. I have really thought through things, and I don't see an option but to surrender him.

How do I surrender a dog like this? I can't just give him to a friend cause to be honest they won't be my friend for very long after they deal with his temperament. Do I just make an appt with the county shelter and just give him to them? Any other ideas? Time is important as the surgery is scheduled for early April.

Thank you for your help. I'm crying as I write this post but also pretty decided that this is my only option, so be kind.

[Anonymous]

have you tried treating the dogs anxiety? maybe some anti depressants or meds would help. Or can you do a board and train program while you recover from surgery?

but if you have decided to surrender, you can call the shelters or specific breed rescue groups. they will ask for vet/vaccine records.

[Anonymous]

There are dog trainers who take the dog to a farm for a couple of months and board and train them. You need to do this while you’re recovering. We have a few friends who have done this

[Anonymous]

You don’t love him.

But look for a breed-specific rescue as the PP recommended. A shelter would be horrible for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are dog trainers who take the dog to a farm for a couple of months and board and train them. You need to do this while you’re recovering. We have a few friends who have done this

This isn't a bad idea. It will be expensive for 4 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are dog trainers who take the dog to a farm for a couple of months and board and train them. You need to do this while you’re recovering. We have a few friends who have done this

This is a good idea. Training will probably help him a lot. But strongly consider placing him directly from professional training into a rescue with foster homes, rather than bring him home to restart the cycle with you. Coordinate ahead of time to ensure he can stay in a home not a kennel until he's adopted.

I agree a kenmel/shelter would be torture for him and if that were truly your only option (it's not) it might be kinder to euthanize.

[Anonymous]

We took a dog to a no kill shelter because she was biting everyone in the house. My kids were 9 and 10 years old and I we couldn’t have their friends in the house. I felt bad, but honestly, it was a relief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are dog trainers who take the dog to a farm for a couple of months and board and train them. You need to do this while you’re recovering. We have a few friends who have done this

I looked into this for a dog. It’s about $1500 a week.

[Anonymous]

Ignore all the PPs who are going to shame you and/or give you advice. While the dog may/may not be trainable, it's moot. You're done, and need to rehome. There's no shame in that, provided you do it responsibly, and you're asking how to take the next right steps.

1) Contact rescues immediately. If the dog is a known breed or breed cross, look up breed-specific rescues in your area.
2) Contact your local shelter(s) and find out what their policies are. Some are at capacity right now and not accepting new "owner relinquished" dogs.

In either case, you can help the rehoming organization by offering to foster your dog while they advertise and look for a new home. Send the cutest pics you have and write up a catchy ad listing all your dog's best qualities. The dog will be most comfortable with you, in the home it's familiar with, and that will give it the best chance of finding a new home. BE HONEST. If you lie, your dog won't find an appropriate home and may be passed around from home to shelter to rescue to... in a way that isn't healthy for them.

If you can't find an appropriate home for your dog while fostering, you can turn it over to a shelter/rescue and hope someone else fosters for you so your dog can stay in a home environment.

While most people would see this as extreme, there is also the option to explain your circumstances to your vet and ask that the dog be put down, especially if your dog can't be handled by anyone but you. A shelter environment would be cruel for a dog with these issues, and would likely lead to the dog being labeled "unadoptable" and put down anyway. Doing it yourself gives the dog a good end with the person it loves and trusts, and is a better option than sending it out to suffer and be put down alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are dog trainers who take the dog to a farm for a couple of months and board and train them. You need to do this while you’re recovering. We have a few friends who have done this

I looked into this for a dog. It’s about $1500 a week.

I can't believe this would be more expensive than assisted living. Put him in an AL home. /s

[Anonymous]

Put the dog down.

[Anonymous]

Not OP but...How do you put the dog down? I mean without taking him behind the woodshed and shooting him. Do you take him to a vet appt and just say...let's put him down and they give him a lethal injection? or who does the putting down? Thanks

[Anonymous]

OP, how old is the dog? You should seriously consider euthanasia. The dog has a history of anxious behavior that makes it very unlikely he’s going to do well in a shelter or foster situation. He’s going to be miserable and probably be passed around. Consider giving him a peaceful ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but...How do you put the dog down? I mean without taking him behind the woodshed and shooting him. Do you take him to a vet appt and just say...let's put him down and they give him a lethal injection? or who does the putting down? Thanks

You take him to the vet and discuss his behavioral problems, your inability to care for him, and that you’re going to euthanize or surrender him.

I guess some vets may say to do the surrender, and that’s okay, but most vets I have known are totally fine with behavioral euthanasia because they know the dog is going to do poorly in a shelter. I don’t even know what it looks like for a dog to not be able to be boarded anywhere (is he aggressive?) but it’s probably over the line for most vets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but...How do you put the dog down? I mean without taking him behind the woodshed and shooting him. Do you take him to a vet appt and just say...let's put him down and they give him a lethal injection? or who does the putting down? Thanks

Re the injection, the vet does it. There’s a sedative first. It’s pretty easy and quick.