[jules363]

I am going out on a limb here for a friend, this dog is NOT my dog.

She bought this Groodle as a gorgeous puppy, she has grown to be a big girl now.

My friends are lovely people, and I can't imagine them being anything but responsible pet owners.

The dog is still under a year old, but is aggressive. She is very aggressive around food, and attacks if you come near her when food is anywhere within striking distance. She has bitten members of the family.

My friends have tried to re-home her or have a shelter take her, but they have all advised that they have her put to sleep, which is happening TONIGHT, if I can't find any place that can take her and not kill her.

The only reason I am asking is that I know I have seen threads here where a dog has bitten, but people have said not to put it to sleep, as there are such and such places willing to take dogs (I think she was expensive!) and re-train them and place them with the right families. It's really just a desperate "they've done all they can" from the family...I only found out about it a few minutes ago.

Let me know if there is ANYTHING you can think of.

Sorry, it would help to say the dog is in Sth Eastern Melbourne.


This post has been edited by jules363: 07/12/2012, 04:20 PM

[The Old Bag]

Do you know why she's aggressive? Is it just her nature, or could it be a lack of training and assertiveness from the owners?

If it's the former, PTS is the only responsible choice

[jules363]

TOB....I don't really know the dog at all, only seen her a couple of times. Apparantly it is all about food? She has come from a breeder that might have been very irresponsible (once again, don't know much about this, but my friends were trying to rescue her), and they think that the food thing comes from the early days before they had her...does that make any sense?

[jules363]

Just heard from my friend again, and she says that vets and shelters have suggested that the dog was "fighting to get something in her mouth" (quoting her) as a puppy and this has bought on this aggression when it comes to food.

[la di dah]

5:17 pm the night they want her put to sleep? I don't blame you OP, but they haven't done this dog any favours at all.

Biting means mouthing and nipping (normal puppy behavior) or biting means blood drawn and stitches required? If it's only growling and mouthing I would say that can be trained out by somebody who is a bit more confident/experienced for sure and it would be a shame to euthanize for that.

I'm not in Melbourne. I hope it works out.

[Oriental lily]

The problem is that their is a MASSIVE liability when a rescue rehomes a known aggressive dog.


That's why no one will take it in.


No kill shelters are a fallacy.

They only accept good temp dogs to begin with that are rehomaeable.



Sadly if the owners have done all they can ( or willing to do) then pts is the safest option.


Personally if their a children at home then it's the correct choice.


Horrible though, but something our family had to when I was a teenager.
Looking back twenty years later it still was the correct choice.

[la di dah]

Don't get me wrong I can understand a large dog being too much for some families and its not fun to get mouthed/nipped/pinched but I would seperate that from actual damage-done (aside from bruising - big puppies can bruise) biting as far as what I would do with the dog.

For example I've heard dogs blasted as "attacking" when they mean "jumped up like a goober and scratched" which ain't by any means pleasant but clarifying to a rescue can be helpful.

Doesn't sound like the dog's had much training at all?

[Oriental lily]

Lah di dah the op said attack. I am gathering that a aggressive reaction not a puppy mouthing or chewing and playful growling that puppies who are teething display.


Rescue dogs do often have food aggression.

Due to it not being much of it and them needing to defend.

I remember a story on dogzonline years ago were a litter of 12 week old puppies actually killed each other due to food aggression.

The whole litter needed to be pts.

[jules363]

Sadly it is more than growling. Blood has been drawn twice, once from a child.

I understand why no one will take her in, and I know my friends have done all they can - they are absolutely beside themselves.

The appointment has been made for a few days...I have only just found out. No rash decisions were made.

What a sad situation....I just wanted to know, and so did my friend, that there was nothing else that could be done. Just so sad, a dog that has barely lived it's life, but obviously became so desperate, and her need for food ingrained, when she was born

Thanks everyone.

[The Old Bag]

Well if they're serious about exploring other options I can give details of a no kill rescue organisation I've fostered for. Can't guarantee they'd accept her either, but it's salvageable they'll try.

Your friends will have to be really honest about what's happened, and they'd have to take the heat off a bit so there's time to organise a foster etc. None of this 'take her now our she dies' crap people pull. TBH if they're not willing to keep her a few more days, I'd assume the problem is pretty bad.

ETA ok having read your update about kids and blood, I don't think my advice above is any use. Sorry

This post has been edited by The Old Bag: 07/12/2012, 04:43 PM