[hokisteph5]

I'm sorry for your loss. Losing a pet, no matter the circumstance, is never easy.

I now think my late beagle (bought as a family dog when I was a teen) was partially poorly bred and partially poorly trained. Regardless, though, he had bitten me, my brother, and my mom multiple times. Training probably would've helped, neutering when he was 3 did curb a lot of his aggressiveness, but like poohbearsmom said living with a dog should be a joy.

My beagle lived to be 13 years old and I still miss him, but his legacy has become that he made me rethink what I wanted from a dog. Before I adopted Samson two years ago I came to realize that no matter which dog I adopted, it would be in training. I didn't know why my beagle was a biter, but I did know I refused to live in fear of another dog.

I now sometimes worry about failing Samson or Gretchen because owning a Rottweiler is a big responsibility, but I don't fear either of them.