Why do you keep an aggressive dog?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've known several people who adopted a dog not knowing it was aggressive, and then they feel a sense of obligation and guilt. There's so much propaganda out there about how once you bring a dog into your home it's your responsibility for life, only terrible people get rid of their dogs, you need to do the right thing and spend hundreds/thousands of dollars on training (that likely won't even work), etc. I once surrendered a dog that was starting fights with my first dog and they gave me a TON of attitude over what a horrible person I was.

So owners keep chugging along, spending a ton of money, time, and energy on the dog, while stressed out of their minds. I've seen people literally break down sobbing because they're so overwhelmed but feel so guilty.

Ok, sock puppet.

I'm 23:26 and I posted my (long) reply a minute after the PP above posted a similar sentiment above, so you're talking to multiple different people. If you're concerned about sock puppeting though, you should report our posts to Jeff! He is great about deleting where sock puppeting is present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people (not me) like aggressive dogs. They'll talk as if they don't and will say they're sorry if their dog scares you, but deep down inside, they don't give a damn if you're scared. They're selfish and entitled and as long as it's someone else who is worried, they'll continue on as if nothing was wrong.

You have serious issues if you think anyone beyond a very very small minority of people like aggressive dogs. Ridiculous.

A very, very, small minority of people is still "some people". So the previous comment is not ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people (not me) like aggressive dogs. They'll talk as if they don't and will say they're sorry if their dog scares you, but deep down inside, they don't give a damn if you're scared. They're selfish and entitled and as long as it's someone else who is worried, they'll continue on as if nothing was wrong.

You have serious issues if you think anyone beyond a very very small minority of people like aggressive dogs. Ridiculous.

A very, very, small minority of people is still "some people". So the previous comment is not ridiculous.

You can find exceptions to every rule, but that doesn’t help move the discussion. It’s a ridiculous comment just the same.

[Anonymous]

I have a mixed rescue that was written down on paper as being 3, and with some infected ears, skin, and in need of a dental. He growled at my husband when we went to foster home, but nothing aggressive. We took him home, started medical treatment for skin and ears, and his dental turned out to be a 5 hour surgery. .so infected that he was probably in real pain. And he was about 10, not 3. He was likely abused..evidence of past broken ribs.

Wrap to the end..yes, he loves us, trusted family members, but no one else. Yes, he will bite those ( people and dogs) he thinks are threats to us. His demeanor really improved, though, after he started feeling good, and he's living his best life with our 2 other dogs. We keep him away from others, that's all. He does fine in a kennel that gets him -with our other dogs, when we have to travel. It's not for everyone, but it's been a privilege to earn his trust and to care for this sad little dog. If we had little kids coming in and out of the house all day, no, we couldn't do it, but we are well suited to do this now. Glad we took him home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a mixed rescue that was written down on paper as being 3, and with some infected ears, skin, and in need of a dental. He growled at my husband when we went to foster home, but nothing aggressive. We took him home, started medical treatment for skin and ears, and his dental turned out to be a 5 hour surgery. .so infected that he was probably in real pain. And he was about 10, not 3. He was likely abused..evidence of past broken ribs.

Wrap to the end..yes, he loves us, trusted family members, but no one else. Yes, he will bite those ( people and dogs) he thinks are threats to us. His demeanor really improved, though, after he started feeling good, and he's living his best life with our 2 other dogs. We keep him away from others, that's all. He does fine in a kennel that gets him -with our other dogs, when we have to travel. It's not for everyone, but it's been a privilege to earn his trust and to care for this sad little dog. If we had little kids coming in and out of the house all day, no, we couldn't do it, but we are well suited to do this now. Glad we took him home.

Glad it's worked for you, but for the many debating a dog at all, you don't need to accept this if it doesn't meet your life. I've had 15+ dogs over 30 years and would not be as cool as PP.

[Anonymous]

There was this episode of This American Life where they covered Ira Glass's dog and it was just extremely sad. They couldn't have people over and the dog regularly attacked them. Honestly it was horrifying, they were prisoners in their own home but also put people at risk living in NYC with this dog.

I also read an article about someone who adopted a dog during thr pandemic and the shelter hadn't been clear about the dog's bite history so the owner had to have the dog put down after some incidents.

We have to remove the stigma from behavioral euthanasia. People will insist the owners haven't tried enough but a dog that's attacking people and other animals simply has to go.

People who knowingly keep aggressive dogs also need to be criminally liable when their dogs attack people. There are just too many stories of delivery drivers or a neighborhood kid getting attacked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They made a commitment to that animal.

Like they are married to a dog.

You just don’t get it.

I think it depends on the situation.

If someone adopted a dog knowing it was aggressive and understood the amount they would need to invest to keep the dog and others safe, that's one thing.

But if a rescue adopts out an aggressive dog without informing the new owners, or if the dog develops aggression despite proper care and training, it's totally reasonable to surrender and/or have it euthanized (depending on the severity of the aggression, but yes, some need to be euthanized. Even no-kill shelters can euthanize 10% of their animals, and many are due to behavioral problems that can't be fixed). Sort of like, it's one thing to marry someone knowing they have a severe mental illness and being willing to do what is needed to make the relationship work. But it's a totally different thing if they hide it until you're married and stuck, or if it develops later in life.

It’s kind of like that. Except that it’s a dog and not a person. So it’s less like marrying someone who turns out to have a mental illness and more like you bought some fish at the store that you thought was fresh, but when you brought it home, it turned out to be rotten. Most people would get rid of the fish, but some crazy people would go ahead and feed it to their families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They made a commitment to that animal.

Like they are married to a dog.

You just don’t get it.

I think it depends on the situation.

If someone adopted a dog knowing it was aggressive and understood the amount they would need to invest to keep the dog and others safe, that's one thing.

But if a rescue adopts out an aggressive dog without informing the new owners, or if the dog develops aggression despite proper care and training, it's totally reasonable to surrender and/or have it euthanized (depending on the severity of the aggression, but yes, some need to be euthanized. Even no-kill shelters can euthanize 10% of their animals, and many are due to behavioral problems that can't be fixed). Sort of like, it's one thing to marry someone knowing they have a severe mental illness and being willing to do what is needed to make the relationship work. But it's a totally different thing if they hide it until you're married and stuck, or if it develops later in life.

It’s kind of like that. Except that it’s a dog and not a person. So it’s less like marrying someone who turns out to have a mental illness and more like you bought some fish at the store that you thought was fresh, but when you brought it home, it turned out to be rotten. Most people would get rid of the fish, but some crazy people would go ahead and feed it to their families.

But also trying to forcibly feed that fish to everyone in your neighborhood.

I lived with an aggressive dog a couple doors down as a kid. Dog was constantly escaping and attacking people. The kids in the neighborhood couldn't ride their bikes or play in our lawns because of this. Finally the dig attacked the mailman and was put down and it was like a weight was lifted off the beighborhood.

[Anonymous]

People have an emotional connection to their dogs and it is extremely hard to kill something you care about. In our case our dog was smaller so easy to control so he couldn't do that much damage. He had a mental illness common for the breed that caused the random moments of aggression. It's like he would forget himself completely but then the next moment be the sweet loving dog we knew. It happened more as he got older and it did contribute to us putting him down probably a little sooner than we would have when he became sick. People get attached to their pets, especially when they get them as puppies. Also, in the moment that the aggression happens it's easy to say "I need to put this dog down" but actually making an appointment when the dog is back to acting sweet and loving is beyond painful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people (not me) like aggressive dogs. They'll talk as if they don't and will say they're sorry if their dog scares you, but deep down inside, they don't give a damn if you're scared. They're selfish and entitled and as long as it's someone else who is worried, they'll continue on as if nothing was wrong.

You have serious issues if you think anyone beyond a very very small minority of people like aggressive dogs. Ridiculous.

A very, very, small minority of people is still "some people". So the previous comment is not ridiculous.

You can find exceptions to every rule, but that doesn’t help move the discussion. It’s a ridiculous comment just the same.

You're very picky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people (not me) like aggressive dogs. They'll talk as if they don't and will say they're sorry if their dog scares you, but deep down inside, they don't give a damn if you're scared. They're selfish and entitled and as long as it's someone else who is worried, they'll continue on as if nothing was wrong.

You have serious issues if you think anyone beyond a very very small minority of people like aggressive dogs. Ridiculous.

A very, very, small minority of people is still "some people". So the previous comment is not ridiculous.

You can find exceptions to every rule, but that doesn’t help move the discussion. It’s a ridiculous comment just the same.

You're very picky.

Oh cmon. To respond to the question “why do people keep aggressive dogs” by essentially responding “because they secretly get off on it” is a stupid ass response. We all know that’s not the reason.

[Anonymous]

I know he has the potential to bite. I just do everything I can to make sure that opportunity never happens. 9 years in and he never has. Still would not trust him not to in many situations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few reasons:

1. Owners don't care about the risk to others or themselves.
2. Owners don't believe the dog would actually do serious damage.
3. Owners think they control the situation because the bite was provoked by a specific trigger they think is gone or can be managed.
4. Owners are too afraid the dog will be killed if they surrender it.

I think it's some these, but I will give some more credit to some of the owners. I think the shelters and rescues have done an AMAZING job of making people think they need to "adopt, not shop!" and pawn off these aggressive dogs on people who are not really prepared to handle them. I've met some adopters who are really, really TRYING and training, socializing (which often ends with dog on dog violence) and doing everything they should because of this, "it's NOT the dog! It's an owner problem!" I've had two come to me totally exasperated and near tears with their dogs and just...despondent that they are doing everything "right" and it is just a tremendous amount of effort for a dog that just...has this streak in it. And yeah, sometimes it is a particular trigger or whatever, but it's not good. They'd also be shamed in giving them up because OWNER problem! I have a chill AF Golden Retriever and I have had to explain that I know they're doing everything well (and honestly? putting in like 10x as much work...) but this dog is going to aggressive dog. I'm training behaviors IN, they're training behaviors OUT and that is way more challenging.

I've had many fosters and have dealt with aggression. It's hard to train out. Hence, I don't get aggressive-prone dogs for my longterm homelife.

+1

People are brainwashed and intimidated by the rescue people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've known several people who adopted a dog not knowing it was aggressive, and then they feel a sense of obligation and guilt. There's so much propaganda out there about how once you bring a dog into your home it's your responsibility for life, only terrible people get rid of their dogs, you need to do the right thing and spend hundreds/thousands of dollars on training (that likely won't even work), etc. I once surrendered a dog that was starting fights with my first dog and they gave me a TON of attitude over what a horrible person I was.

So owners keep chugging along, spending a ton of money, time, and energy on the dog, while stressed out of their minds. I've seen people literally break down sobbing because they're so overwhelmed but feel so guilty.

I think this is what happens a heck of a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a mixed rescue that was written down on paper as being 3, and with some infected ears, skin, and in need of a dental. He growled at my husband when we went to foster home, but nothing aggressive. We took him home, started medical treatment for skin and ears, and his dental turned out to be a 5 hour surgery. .so infected that he was probably in real pain. And he was about 10, not 3. He was likely abused..evidence of past broken ribs.

Wrap to the end..yes, he loves us, trusted family members, but no one else. Yes, he will bite those ( people and dogs) he thinks are threats to us. His demeanor really improved, though, after he started feeling good, and he's living his best life with our 2 other dogs. We keep him away from others, that's all. He does fine in a kennel that gets him -with our other dogs, when we have to travel. It's not for everyone, but it's been a privilege to earn his trust and to care for this sad little dog. If we had little kids coming in and out of the house all day, no, we couldn't do it, but we are well suited to do this now. Glad we took him home.

If I had a friend living like this with a person, I would advise her that she was living in an abusive relationship and try to help her to get out of the relationship.