Rescued a dog BAD IDEA

[Grim]

I curently have a small female pit bull terrier, my mother has one as well (both spayed and social dogs). I put an application for a medium brindle male at the local shelter and he passed away before he got neutered from unknown causes. So they showed me a staffordshire/american bull dog mix which I really ended up likeing he was huge looks like one of the those hippos people call pits or those blue dogs. Anyways I adopted him and even introduced him to my female pit and my girlfriends cattle dog and all was well. So today I took him to a house me and my family were working on and my mom had her dog there. They got along fine and she was very submissive and they didn't even play just layed around. After about two hours I watched him walk over to her and she rolled over then for no apparent reason he grabbed her whole head and started shaking. To make a long story short there was lots of blood and I could not get this dog to let go my dad finally got him off with a piece of wood in his mouth I even choked this dog and he wouldnt let go. My moms pit is now at the vet having seziures and unable to walk. I am really disturbed and if anyone can explain what happened today I really would like some insight. The dog is being put down by the shelter even though I would rather see him go to a home with no dogs/children and I told them that, but thats their policy. I am always the one to blame people for things like this but there were no signs of aggression or growling or anything. Why would a dog do such a thing?

[48lawsofpower]

no dog should EVER be put down for an attack on another dog IMO.


this is a good link for you to read


http://www.badrap.org/rescue/dogdog.cfm

and this

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/multidogs.cfm

and...


http://www.pbrc.net/fightinfo.html



that being said, sorry to hear about your moms dog.

[dogged]

Great links, 48.


I would rather see him go to a home with no dogs/children and I told them that
Dog-dog aggression does not mean the dog will be untrustworthy with kids.

My thoughts and prayers will be with your mom and her dog.

[CrazyK9]

There were probably some silent threats going on that you just didn't notice until it was too late. With pit bulls especially, there are often no obvious displays of aggression. Most dogs growl, bare teeth or even snarl before they would ever attack... but a lot of breeds prone to DA don't.

If you think back, there may be some signs you didn't think anything of, perhaps? Licking lips, dialated pupils, a rather stiff tail, raised hair, a tall and proud stance with head high looking down at the other dog.... Your mother's female being "submissive" may actually have been her showing insecurity. This male may have picked up on it and attacked her in her weak state.

If this sonds harsh, forgive me, but I feel it must be said. You didn't handle things very well honestly but now I guess you'll be more cautious. I'm sorry that you had to learn that the hard way... 1 dog near death and the other dead. Next time around, it is important that you make the new dog the omega in the pack and limit time with other pets until you know its personality. Exercising a new dog is very, very important too. With less energy, it would've been a lot easier to get control over him. Remember, a tired dog is a happy dog.

Oh, and don't forget to buy a breaking stick! If a situation like this should happen again it can save you time, money and suffering over an injured or dead dog.

[Michele]

There were probably some silent threats going on that you just didn't notice until it was too late

i was thinking this same thing........

[Grim]

I agree dog/dog aggression is not people aggression but I personally feel such an attack could accidentally fall onto a child who lets say is playing real close to both dogs. By children I mean toddlers or babys which of course should never be left unsupervised with any dog. Thats just how I felt considering this dog was going to have a one year old in the same house. I really liked the dog but am in no position to deal with that type of aggression I was looking for a pet not a game dog and I did not hit the dog or mis treat it because I can not blame it for anything it may have learned or picked up before I got it being 3 he was mature and the previous owner was never found.

I will read the links thank you

[Michele]

I was looking for a pet not a game dog
dont confuse game with DA....they are 2 different things...:)

[Grim]

CrazyK9

Yes I do agree I was irresponsible, I have let my pitbull & my moms play with several other large pits and never saw such a thing so I guess I was over confident he was non DA. He did Stand tall over her while she layed down and I thought that was just his way of being dominant. I also always thought a male dog would get along better with a female, and if anything want them around. Clearly I have A LOT to learn thanks everyone for you input and I also took him in because he only had a few days left. The staff said the majority of the people seeking to adopt said they were afraid of him.

[cheekymunkee]

I am sorry for your mom's dog & for the dog being PTS. I am sure there were signs, they could have been subtle signs but I am sure they were there. You have to be very keen on body language to see them sometimes. I do hope your mom's dog will be ok.

[Scotsman]

I don't thing this is the breed for you.
I may sound harsh but seems like you have some doubt and that isn't good.
And that you lack knowledge on what dog aggression is.

[Scratchy]

First lesson is that any dog bred for guard/hunting work mixed with an APBT is a dangerous unstable mix to society and those dogs can be unpredictable. I feel this way with many mixed breeds, but that's just me.

As for explaining what happened, well my guess is that you trusted your adopted dog not to fight even though the dog you adopted would eventually show some signs of dog aggression. You as the owner should have researched what you were getting into and if you did then I satnd my ground when I say it was your fault that you trusted your adopted dog that was mixed with "pit bull" not to fight.

[Phebes]

I curently have a small female pit bull terrier, my mother has one as well (both spayed and social dogs). I put an application for a medium brindle male at the local shelter and he passed away before he got neutered from unknown causes. So they showed me a staffordshire/american bull dog mix which I really ended up likeing he was huge looks like one of the those hippos people call pits or those blue dogs. Anyways I adopted him and even introduced him to my female pit and my girlfriends cattle dog and all was well. So today I took him to a house me and my family were working on and my mom had her dog there. They got along fine and she was very submissive and they didn't even play just layed around. After about two hours I watched him walk over to her and she rolled over then for no apparent reason he grabbed her whole head and started shaking. To make a long story short there was lots of blood and I could not get this dog to let go my dad finally got him off with a piece of wood in his mouth I even choked this dog and he wouldnt let go. My moms pit is now at the vet having seziures and unable to walk. I am really disturbed and if anyone can explain what happened today I really would like some insight. The dog is being put down by the shelter even though I would rather see him go to a home with no dogs/children and I told them that, but thats their policy. I am always the one to blame people for things like this but there were no signs of aggression or growling or anything. Why would a dog do such a thing?
Cause that's what dogs do.
You learned a valuable lesson. It is a shame your mom's dog had to get hurt.
My dogs never meet any other adult dogs.

[14rock]

Same reason greyhounds chase bunnies, it's what they know and live for. "Never trust a pitbull not to fight". It's what they were bred to do, it's as natural as a Lab retrieving ducks from a pond! Study up before you continue to submerge yourself in this breed, as you've already miserably failed on test #1. Don't let any more dogs suffer, because you do not understand the breed, and act accordingly. Dog-aggression is accepted, and almost expected in this breed, it unnerves me that you seem to liken it to human-aggression. In fact, quite the opposite is closer to the truth!

I'm glad someone was able to intervene to break up the scuffle. As you had to learn the hard way, a break stick is the safest/most efficient way to break up accidental fights. You can safely stop a fight in a matter of minutes with no unneccessary damage, as normally happens when uneducated people try to break up an unintentional conflict (hitting the dog with objects, choking it, and the worst....just yanking them apart). Invest in one, and carry it religiously. Besides having them hanging in strategic places around the yard (in case a yard accident was to happen, we would have one immediately accessible, instead of wasting time running to grab them), my partner and I never leave the yard without one in pocket. You can never know when a problem may arise, all you can do is understand most of these dogs enjoy fighting, and will willingly partake in that activity whenever the situation allows. Stay on top of it, and be prepared at all times. Prepare for the worst, hopefully it will never happen, but at least you are equipped to deal with it.

On a side note, I'm a bit puzzled on why the dog would be having seizures. If your confusing it with going into shock, a knowing vet should of been able to get that under control immediately, and should no longer be an issue. Also, I cannot fathom a quick yard accident with people present would result in such, so I'd be likely to believe seizures (if they are that, and not hypovolemic shock) are being caused by something else. Either the dog got into something, contracted a disease, or more likely is having a reaction to your vets treatment.

I'm sorry you had to experience this, and hope you are surrounded by enough knowlegable people that it will not happen again. I'm sorry your mothers dog has sustained such injuries, and I'm sorry another "pitbull" is being pts because it fell into the wrong situation.