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Originally Posted by Julie-at-home ...I was SHOCKED when a rescue person told me to put her down. Like she is disposable. It breaks my heart, esp when I look down at her and here she is, peacfully at my side. But I know if it happened before (snapping), it will happen again, and I can't take that chance. Where can I find someone that will give her a chance? |
Look in the mirror--you're the one who needs to give her that chance you want her to have.
I’m involved in rescue. For a
fact my rescue group wouldn’t touch your biting dog with a 10’ pole.
Think about it.
You have a dog in your home that bit your daughter. You probably don’t want this to happen again. What makes you think rescue is interested in taking your biting dog to place this dog into a home where she might bite again? You’re thinking your dog might not be safe enough, dependable enough, good enough for your family—but somewhere there exists a family that wants
your unsafe dog, a dog who’s not dependable? Why the double standard? What makes other families different from yours?
In my 10 year involvement with rescue I’ve attended scores of meet and greets in several different states. I’ve probably talked to thousands of people. People tell me they want an active dog because they’re active out-of-doors. Other people want a couch potato. Other people want a male. Or a female. Some people want a young dog—they just lost their old Rottie to disease or old age and don’t want to go thru the heartbreak of losing another old dog again. Other people want a dog that’s good with cats. Or kids.
Never, ever have I heard anyone tell me they want a biting dog—that it’s OK if the dog they adopt bit a person or a child.
Bona fide rescue groups don’t take biting dogs for many reasons, some of which I cited above.
Another consideration is liability. We live in a litigious society. Rescue could be sued for knowingly placing a dog with a bite history, should the dog bite again.
Many rescue groups (mine included) have program dogs living in foster care. These foster families are just like yours and mine. You don’t want a biting dog, I don’t want a biting dog, no foster family—complete with kids of their own, dogs and other pets of their own, and people and children visiting—wants a dangerous, unsafe foster. Many foster families are not equipped to rehab dicey, problematic dogs.
Finally, people who come to rescue are looking for safe family pets. They aren’t looking to adopt a problem they’ll need to keep in check.
My rescue group tells people who own biting dogs that they have two choices—and only two choices.
Keep the biter, work with their biter, and make sure the dog doesn’t bite again.
If they can’t do this—or won’t do this—put the dog down.
There is no place in this world for a biting dog.