Today at the shelter I was sitting at my desk when I heard some children in the lobby start crying and wailing. Typically, this occurs when a family surrenders a companion animal for some reason, and I felt terrible for the kids. Their crying was so long and insistent I felt myself almost start crying because it was really heartbreaking to hear. When they left I went out to investigate what happened, and I found out that the family was euthanizing their dog here at the shelter because it was dangerous and had bitten a few people, including small children. The family was worried that the dog would really hurt someone and that this was the most humane way to handle the situation.
When good people have dogs with bad behavior, there are no easy answers. Euthanasia in the case of a seriously injured or ill animal is an easy call to make. Deciding to euthanize an animal because of a behavior issue like aggression is incredibly difficult. You ask yourself "Will the animal ever do this again? Can I change my lifestyle so that this animal will never be in this situation again?" If an animal has been an otherwise wonderful companion except for this one incident, how do you forget all the good and make the ultimate decision to end it's life?
Obviously, the situation described above is very difficult to go through. But, I would have to say that even harder is having your dog harm another animal or even worse, a person. The guilt some people feel when their dog has injured another person, especially a child, is enormous. Other people get angry and blame the victim and it can tear families or neighborhoods apart. My own sister was bit in the face by my Uncle's dog, and had to undergo several painful plastic surgeries to try and fix her mouth. Her upper lip was practically torn off her face, and her face will never be the same. My mother and her brother, my Uncle, have not spoken in 20 years because of this.
What is the right decision to make when your family dog is dangerous to the general public?
Every day in the U.S. hundreds of animals bite hundreds of people. Many animal bites are never reported. Some are reported to authorities, others to humane societies, for investigation and "bite quarantine" which is essentially a rabies hold. In 10 days, if the dog or cat has not developed rabies, most of these animals are given back to their owners. Some owners make the painful decision to euthanize the dog. There is never a rhyme or reason in why one animal goes home and why one does not. It is almost always the owner's decision to make.
When it comes to other living things, there is never a one size fits all solution. If you have an animal with aggression issues, I would advise you to start with your veterinarian to make sure there is not a medical cause for it, then seek the advice of an animal behaviorist who can give you a better idea of what you are dealing with. They may recommend training, intense behavior modification, or even have you consider re-homing the animal to an environment that is better able to handle the behavior. At some point you may have to consider if euthanasia is the right decision.
I do not have all the answers and I wish I could end this story in a happy way. Today, there was an unfortunate outcome. I can only hope that this family can find peace in the fact that they made the right decision for them, and that this dog is now in a place where it will not hurt anyone else, or be hurt by anyone else. It is hard for children to understand these things, and I can still hear those kids crying in my head and my heart is breaking for them all over again.
