Had a euthanasia come in today. 8 year old chocolate lab/doodle. Allegedly she bit the family kid 10 days ago. Owner comes in, does paperwork, makes payment. We ask if he wants to be present. He says, "Naw.". He goes out to get her. Brings her in, fighting the whole way. Obviously she doesn't want to be here. He pulls her so violently that he chokes her, but she's inside the building. He hands us the leash, kicks the dog in the butt, tells us to muzzle her and turns to leave. I take her back to the treatment room where my co-worker is waiting. Dog fights with all of her 90 pounds to get back to the door she just came in, and her eyes dart around the room looking for the owner who left her there. I pat her. "It's okay Abby" I tell her, but I know it's not okay. She sits on command. She stays on command. She doesn't fight when we muzzle her. I kneel over her to restrain her while my co-worker finds the vein. As the needle finds it's way into the vein, Abby's tail never stops it's constant drumming on the floor, and she leans into me the way my own dog does. I pull her muzzle off as the solution is pushed into her body and tell her, "You're a good dog Abs. And good dogs don't die with a muzzle on", as my tears fall into the fluffy fur of her head. She slumps to the floor. The tail stops drumming. I lean over her and cry, mourning a dog I've only known for 10 minutes. Why do I do this job? So good dogs never have to cross the bridge without knowing someone loves them. I do. And sometimes it's enough. I hope.
Friday, October 12, 2012
A good dog.
From the VBB Mailbag, a sad story about a good dog. A little advance commentary - I can really already hear the comments on this, before I've even posted. Some readers will say that no dog who bites a child should ever live to tell about it. Some readers will question whether the dog did in fact bite the child (and I don't know, is the answer). Some readers will wonder why Dr. VBB-sympathizer agreed to euthanize an apparently healthy, good dog - and others will jump in and tell those readers she HAD TO DO IT because otherwise she'd get sued if the dog ever bit anyone in the future. Someone will probably call the writer an idiot for removing the muzzle. There are all kinds of angles when it comes to this kind of story and I can argue pretty much every side of something like this. At the end of the day, this is a story about a doctor, who is also a person, who is grieving, and about a dog, who died at the hand of someone who truly cared, because she had no one else in her life who cared enough. Here's the story:
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Euthanizing healthy animals always sucks
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking. Better than living with that asshole I suppose :(
ReplyDeleteThese kinds of stories always make me irritated -- not to mention, how many self-involved people there are in the world. Take a few seconds to figure out what your (non-verbal!) dog is trying to tell you. It's a rare animal that lashes out without warning.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteWhat bothers me the most about this is that asshole owner. I know there's no backstory but an ounce of prevention = a pound of cure. What a doucebag. I hope they never get another dog.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to hear these kinds of stories, but I agree that she's better off now than if she was still living with that owner. That's one thing I love about working with rescues- it's so rewarding to see a dog who was dumped by their first owners for biting a family member join a new responsible loving forever family who knows how to prevent these things.
ReplyDeleteSo, incredibly sad.
ReplyDeleteSit. Stay. Good dog.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being her advocate, even if only for her last moments.
People like the owner are the ones who need to be euthanized. I too have seen many animals that people wanted euthanized for all the wrong reasons. I agree that these animals feel our love for them when we are with them, so at the very least they pass hearing soothing, loving people. I have taken in many cast offs (why I have 9 K9s, 10 cats, 7 birds! Oh, and no money!) from old, sick, aggressive. Truly aggressive animals I can see euthansia as a reasonable solution instead of a hard life of being passed around. Many are just misunderstood. I have known and loved many great animals who would have otherwise been killed. I wouldn't trade their love and trust for all the wealth in the world. I am glad this dog passed while being truly loved and not lived another 5 years shoved outside or dumped on the road.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Abby. For you and every other life ruined, abused and disrespected by humankind. I'm so sorry.
ReplyDeleteI have seen so many cases where bites were highly contextual that it's hard to assume the owner is in the wrong carte blanche. Many dogs who are great for adults are epic failures with kids. Have a dog at my feet right now playing with me who has tried to maul me during a simple annual. If the guy had a kid at home with a big line of stitches in his face I can understand being a bit of a dick. Dogs are cOmplex creatures and I think you can take some solace in the idea that the dog enjoyed its last moments but that behavior might not be representative . Or you can just think I am a jerk too.
ReplyDeleteSo you think the dog just suddenly lashed out with a severe bite without giving any warnings? Not that it doesn't happen, it's just very unusual. I think it's much more likely that the child and the dog were together with no supervision at all, or half-assed supervision by someone who wasn't paying enough attention to see the warning signals and tell the child to back off or just remove them from the situation.
DeleteLittle kids aren't purposely upsetting to the dog. Some dogs are grumpy just because. The person not trusting that dog won't hurt another child, and opts to euthanize instead of rehoming isn't necessarily wrong either. That doesn't give the person the right to kick a dog on it's way out the door.
DeleteI've had a temperamental pet for sixteen years. Some days were harder than others and I cried buckets over the thought of putting either of my beloved "children" (human and pet) second to the other. It was hard work, but we lived happily enough. She was a poodle, I had the option to work through the issues. But I sympathize for those that have to make the choice. However I question many who think it's the easiest way out. My dog bit my kids a few times. It amounted to a "please don't provoke me, I'm warning you." red mark. No blood. Very, very rarely broken skin (two or three times in 16 yrs)
The asshole who walked out though… was an asshole. These are animals, no matter how many human emotions we put on them. They don't think the way we think. They don't reason the way we do. They don't deserve to be kicked hours or days after the transgression. We treat our death row inmates with a bit more respect than that.
FWIW: We worked very hard to establish the ability to live together successfully. My kids know not to run up and grab a dog without warning. Or tap it on it's back. Or put their nose to it's nose.
DeleteWe set places that they weren't allowed to go, it was our dog's spot and her spot only. We also worked with our dog to be more socialized.
It was work. It paid off in the long run. Doing it over again with a new puppy, I probably wouldn't. But the kids came along, long after she did. And she was my heart dog. I think it can be done with smaller breeds. And as you mention later, with Goldens. Socialization is the key. I honestly, firmly believe with the right dog, biting behavior can be modified with positive reinforcement. I understand when someone opts to euthanize. But again, I question several who do when they don't at least *try* to recognize why and what happened, and how to fix it. Particularly with smaller animals.
It's very unusual for people to kill dogs for aggression too. Yes I have known many dogs in veg med and prior to who were fun ball chasers 95% of the time and occasionally bit someone with little or no warning. We have a dog who sleeps every night at our clinic who does just that about twice a year. The top breeds for this are German shepherd/malanois and golden. In fact I have three sets of scars from golden who went from happy to bitey for no apparent reason (ie. we were not drawing blood or examining a hurt limb ect.) . When kids are in the mix the bites tend to be on the face and that ups thx retribution ante. Bottom line is many night animal control has brought in known bits case for rabies observation or euthanasia who behaved exactly as described here even though in the same night they had bitten someone severely enough that the authorities were involved. Only really stupid people (like the pittbull and parolees asswipe) are bitten by overtly aggressive dogs , most bite to adults involve minimal posturing or vocalising. It's different with kids for many obvious reasons but society has a low tolerance for dogs that bite kids. In the end euthanizing an aggressive dog is a hell of a lot more appropriate behavior than pretending the situation doesn't exist which is the more typical response on the part of owners of known aggressive dogs.
ReplyDeleteYes, society has a low tolerance for dogs that bite kids, but a really high tolerance for kids who harass dogs. That generally doesn't work out well for the dogs.
ReplyDeleteYou're talking about what's a more appropriate response after the incident; I'm talking about how it could've been prevented in the first place. You know damn well that the vast majority of bites to children are provoked, and could have been prevented with a little bit of education and/or supervision. In my opinion there's a really good chance that this owner was an irresponsible asshole.
You are all keyed up man, the point is regardless of what you feel happens in the "vast majority of animal bites" we don't know the circumstances of the bite in question. When I was a lad if I messed with grandma's cranky old dachshund cross while she was eating and got nipped I also got spanked for being stupid enough to put my hand in the dogs food bowl . I think that was a good system and I think people today are much less effective at raising dogs and children than they were 30 years ago. But to assume that every dog has a little halio and every owner requesting euthanasia for aggression is a buffoon is not realistic . While I was typing this I was fielding a case on the phone involving a pit vs. lab fight that left the owner mauled in the ER and the lab with an avulsed canine. If the owners come to euthanize that pit (the aggressor per the owner) how do you think the pit will act here away from the stimulus of a fight with his housemate??????? Never the less the is episode 2 for this owner getting bitten so would they be sucks for euthanizing. ? Would he be out of bounds if the sling on his arm makes him want to put a foot up the dog's ass on his way out the door ???? These cases are not black and white.
ReplyDelete"You are all keyed up man"
ReplyDeleteNo shit I'm keyed up; this topic is really upsetting for a lot of dog lovers. I don't even let children come near my dog anymore, because people don't teach their children how to interact with dogs appropriately, and it's the dogs who suffer for it. He's a sweet dog but there's only so much you can expect an animal to endure without trying to defend itself. And if little Jared pulls my dog's ears and my dog happens to respond with a perfectly reasonable snap, that snap could become a "bite" (most people don't know the difference) and then my "aggressive dog" won't be allowed out of the house without a muzzle.
"But to assume that every dog has a little halio and every owner requesting euthanasia for aggression is a buffoon is not realistic ."
I didn't assume that. I wrote that there's "a really good chance" of it, and I chose those words carefully to allow for the possibility that that's not the case. But it is indeed what I consider to be the most likely scenario.
You not only assumed you know what happens in the majority of dog bites you assumed I would join you in your assumption . This story was not about cases of people freaking out because their kid gets scratched by a rambunctious jack russle at the park. For this owner to have his own dog destroyed on his own dime versus shelter dumping it he was pissed. I would surmise this history is most compatible with a significant bite to a member of the family or guest. Since the fellow did not elaborate we will never know. I am assigning based on your phobia of your dog being falsely accused of aggression you own something in a size pitt?
ReplyDeleteAssuming you have a Pitt stupid I phone spell check & fat fingers!!!
ReplyDeleteI understand that this story is not about someone freaking out because their kid got scratched in the park. However, as I said, most (no, not all) dog bites involving children occur because the child was not properly educated about how to interact with dogs and/or the child and the dog were not properly supervised. That lack of education and supervision can cause many different types of incidents of varying severity, from scratches and snaps to severe bites.
ReplyDeleteA phobia is an irrational fear, and my fear that my dog could be falsely accused of aggression isn't irrational at all. He's what a lot of people would consider a large dog (80 lbs) and he's often perceived as a pit bull type dog. He's actually an American Bulldog x retriever, same as Lennox.
Amercan bulldog and Pitt are really similar issues and honestly I have seen a much higher percentage of AmBulls show aggression tonwards people than Pitts. Both breeds have exceedingly high rates of dog on dog aggression and if your dog has a moment it's going to be a lot longer night for the surgeon than if a miniature schnauzer does. You have NO basis for claiming to know the circumstances of the majority of dog bites in this country since even epidemiologist who study dog bites propose that most dog bites are unreported. I work very hard in my job and away from it to educate people that Pitts their crosses and derivatives are much LESS likely on a per capita basis to bite a human being than just about any breed other than a lab. On the other hand bites from bully breeds are MUCH worse than bites from even equally sized dogs of more lupine conformation ( I know they don't have locking jaws but they tend to bite hold and crush tissue in sustained attacks versus a space creating nip or repeated slashing bites, I have been repairing the injuries these critters create on other dogs for 12 years and I can tell you Dobermans don't rip legs of of dogs in a fight ) as a result attacks by dogs who look like your get a lot of noteriety and people are more cautious . It's not because they are whiny assholes it's because even though aunty Emma's schipperke is 100 time more likely than your heavy homeboy to bite someone schipperke bites are treated with band aids not bone plates. The simple solution for those that don't want to face this situation is don't own bullly breeds!
ReplyDeleteYes, most dog bites go unreported, because most dog bites are very minor. The ones that require medical treatment are generally reported. The data show that in most of these reported cases where children are bitten, they provoked the dog in some way, especially in a case when a child is bitten by their own family's dog. In other cases where children are bitten by a dog on someone else's property, it's often a territorial issue, but still quite often the owner's fault for not restraining the dog properly. That was the case when I was attacked by a neighbor's visiting relative's awful Dachshund, and that bite was bad enough to require medical treatment.
ReplyDeleteMy dog has never shown any undue aggression towards another dog nor a person, but as I implied before, I'm very cautious with him. Having seen the way he can tear through an "indestructible" toy, I know how strong his jaws are and how much damage he could do if he were so inclined. He doesn't seem to be so inclined, but I can't predict his behavior with 100% accuracy, nor can I predict the behavior of other people or other dogs. When he does interact with another person or dog, I watch his body language very carefully and will if possible remove him from the situation if he appears to be stressed. That's what responsible dog owners do.
My main point here is that when a dog causes injury, I'm inclined to blame the owner at least as much as the dog. Of course it depends on the individual circumstances, but most of the time, the owner could have prevented the incident and should bear most of the blame.
We are in agreement on most things I just have a slightly different perspective having spent the better part of my adult life working as a small animal veterinarian. I will grant you that owners could have prevented the vast majority of bites through forethought or just being mildly observant. I agree that we live in an excessively risk averse society. I agree that most dog bites are committed by heathenous untrained ankle biters who's dimwitted owner laughingly consider to be "feisty ". However I also know that there are dogs out there who exhibit out of context unprovoked aggression and disproportionate aggression and those are most frequently the one I wind up euthanizing. Sorry to give you such a hard time last night. You sound like a responsible dog owner and in that sense you are a bit of a rarity in this country. Sorry you are so concerned that you will suffer society wrath against the irresponsible inadvertently.
ReplyDeleteDon!, can you provide the sources that you are using for your dog bite information? The last continuing education lecture that I went to on dog bites had some stats regarding when/where children were bitten, but that was about 2 years ago. I was just wondering if your data is ore recent than that presented. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please tell me when American Pit Bull Terriers started being spelled with two Ts? They were fought in a pit which is where the name is derived not a "Pitt" ! I have know truly unstable dogs who have been euthanized. As much for their own "good" as societies. Better put down with someone who cares than passed around so they can injure/live miserably. But truly each case is different, many bites could be avoided with proper supervision. Humans tend to act like the family dog is Lassie, and would never harm Timmy. Why do so many people put babies on the floor and then leave them unsupervised with a dog?! My dogs are well socialized, trained and go almost everywhere with me, but I in no way would EVER say "my dog would never bite anyone" because they could! We are to be responsible for our pets, and that means protecting them from children, yet realizing they are animals we share our homes with. How many people do you see come into the clinic with a puppy as a "starter baby" just to have a real baby a few years later and all of a sudden the dog is just an extra chore? I have seen a good number! It is a hard call to make a judgement without actually knowing the facts. But people act hastily at times, and a child being bitten is usually much more severe due to their size (after all small, fast moving squealing creatures are to be chased down and eaten!)
ReplyDeleteIt's my stupid I-phone spell check, don't know why it was doing that but I get tired of correcting it ( it's not like pit isn't a word!!!!!!). I have seen it said that many people who think they want a dog actually want a cat and only deserve a goldfish! People in modern Barney/nerf society tend to believe in the "no bad dogs" philosophy and loose track of the fact that dogs are by nature predators who need training and supervision to learn appropriate behavior. I think that the message we need to spread as veterinarians is " we love pit bulls, and enjoy having them as patients; however for many if not most people a dog with less strength and prey drive would better suit their wants in a pet". Truly the issue is not aggression against people, which is rare, it's the incessant ant severe inter- dog aggression. Where I practice dogs severely savaged by pit bulls are a terribly common occurrence. Sadly many of these incidents occur at so called rescue facilities who refuse to understand that out of context inter-dog aggression is an innate behavior in many pits. Often these are dogs that we assess as bad risks but the rescuers can't pull the plug until multiple other dogs at whichever pseudo rescue have been harmed. The key is that Americans have limited exposure to working dogs to understand the degree to which genetics influence behavior in dogs ( with some disturbing implications for people). When you have seen Brittany puppies point a dragonfly at 8 weeks old, border collies herd ducks at 3 months , beagles take of baying on their first rabbit ect., it makes one wonder about the utility of intentionally owning a breed designed for out of context aggression against con-specifics! I realize I am jaded after treating so many crushed 2 month old puppies and small dogs whose injuries were all ventral and were by all accounts cletying trying to say "uncle" at the time of the mauling.
ReplyDeleteI cried just reading that. And I'm going to make an assumption (yeah, that's right) and say based on the owner's behavior that poor dog is better off gone from that family. Some people have no business owning animals.
ReplyDeleteSo much we don't know, but I wish we did. My SIL and her scumbag husband bought an English Mastiff as a puppy. After a year and half, they asked if we wanted her, because "it bit the husband and their daughter." We had a small child of our own, and that being said, we still took the dog. Why? Because their OWN acts caused that sweet, docile dog to defend herself. The husband kicked her in the ribs with workboots on, and the child tormented her mercilessly. We've had her for almost her whole life now - I would trust that dog with my life and any child's life. It's the most calm, docile dog I've ever seen. I used to take her to my daughter's daycare for "show and tell" - she would flop down on her side and let 20 3-year olds pat her and love her. She's nine now, and probably doesn't have much longer in her journey, but she had the best life we could give her.
ReplyDeletePoor doc, tech, and pup. <3 At least she had kindness in the end.
ReplyDeleteYou have to wonder about the back-story of the owner's relationship (or likely LACK OF...) with the dog. And the amount of supervision of the child and dog.
ReplyDeleteThank you to the vet and tech that did their best to give the poor dog a bit of love as she was eu'd.
grrrr
He waited 10 days after the supposed bite? Seems unlikely. If he kicked her in your office, he may have been doing worse in the privacy of his own home. Wonder how he treats his children. I wish she had bitten him in the ass before he left. Would serve him right.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if the bite even actually happened. A 10 day wait seems awfully long. He could have just wanted to be rid of the dog, screwing over an ex-wife or something.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm cynical.
-Cygnata
Sad story from all angles. As a tech who has had this similar experience only a few times in the past decade, it is extremely difficult to separate one's perception/opinion on the matter from professional obligation. There's no sense in throwing more fuel onto such fires whether the true a-hole was the client or the dog. Best just to remain professional, be safe when handling said vicious dog, and pray you get the chance to prevent it from happening again by advocating education for both clients and their pets.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the 10 day wait is concerned, some states do require a 10 day quarantine after a reported bite has occurred regardless of rabies vaccination status. In my state, if the pet is current AND can be confined in it's home, the court will usually just order 3 "rabies check" visits to the vet during this time period. If not current, we get stuck with the care of the unruly beast for 10 days, and then vaccinate. However - if the pet dies OR is euthanized before the 10 day period, the head of the animal must be submitted to a state authorized lab for rabies testing. In some states this is optional, but not here.
Without finer details of the situation, one can merely speculate. Did the guy have a court ordered obligation to wait 10 days? Was he cheap and wanted to avoid lab processing fees? Or was he just not keen on the prospect of having his dead dog's head severed? I don't know. Better ask the vet... you know, the one with the crystal ball? ;)