There is no hope for my dog

[Pointy_kitty]

i seriously fear for my dog, she obviously has gone insane
yesterday she was pounding and pounding on all the back doors and windows and along the walls ((and she's a big girl so her body weight thrown against even the steal back door sounded like she was gunna break through)
she hadn't been walked yet so i thought maybe she was throwing a major tantrum
i went outside to yell at her and as i opened the door screaming "NO BAD...."
and she was screaming at me yelping and crying and running back and fourth like a maniac
i had never seen her act this insane before
i then looked up to see a wall of flames and billowing black smoke filling the sky above the huge fire
she ran past my into the house
i grabbed her collar but she dragged me down the hall
so i grabbed her heavy duty leash and clipped it to her, then tied a know in the end and closed the knot in the steal door with her inside (just safley leashed)
the firemen came and it turns out it was two houses down from us, and right behind that house in a trailer park
it turns out an older couple turned on their heater and there was a propane leak,
so the trailer exploded and the trailer and bushes that separate our street from the trailer park went up in flames
luckily it had been raining that day so although the flames were very close, they didn't quite reach the bushes directly behind our house
and also luckily the elderly couple were not in the trailer when it exploded

anyways that was just yesterday
she has been totally mental and i don't know what to do with her
then just this morning,
some stupid kids in the trailer park set off a whole wack of fire work all at once
then we heard crashing and banging in the back yard
we called my dog and called her but she was nowhere to be found
then we heard pounding on the front door
she had thrashed our nice new screen door trying to get in
she had either gotten over or gone through our 5ft (roughly) well built fence
i am scared to go outside and look
my dad is gunna kill her
i don't think there is anyway he will keep her now
and i am so scared sinse she will not go with a stranger

 

[Pointy_kitty]

yeah, she went through the fence
busted 2 boards out of it
all because some kids were setting off fireworks

 

[cometcattle]

Awww, I'm sorry Chelsey.

She's probably still wound up from the fire, and the fireworks just made it worse.

You should go outside, and see if you can fix the fence before your dad gets home.

 

[AquaSeaFoam]

Where are you located?
You could at least TRY to find a rescue group that will take her. Just call them up and explain your situation, that she needs to be worked with and socialized. The rescue group will NOT let her go out to a new home if she isn't ready for that.
If you are in the states go to www.petfinder.com and you can search for rescue groups there. If you tell us where you are located i'd be happy to help you search for one too. I'm in kentucky but i can still look around online if you are far away.
good luck!

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Where are you located?
You could at least TRY to find a rescue group that will take her. Just call them up and explain your situation, that she needs to be worked with and socialized. The rescue group will NOT let her go out to a new home if she isn't ready for that.
If you are in the states go to www.petfinder.com and you can search for rescue groups there. If you tell us where you are located i'd be happy to help you search for one too. I'm in kentucky but i can still look around online if you are far away.
good luck!

i am not from the states
i am from bc
and believe me i have looked and looked
we have 2 shelters near us
neither one is that "dedicated"
if she was not adopted, she would be euthanized
they also charge rediculous adoption fees
and i have seen people return dogs since they were not given to appropriate homes
more then once before

not a good situation for her
they also keep their dogs in smelly little tiny cages
thats where i got her from in the first place

 

[lizard]

Not a fun situation, PK. Sorry to hear about it. Have you talked to your vet about your dog's behavior/anxiety? They may be able to prescribe an anti-anxiety type drug for your dear doggy. Might be worth a shot...

Good luck

Pamela
aka Married Lizard

 

[Boggle]

I don't see how you can call your dog 'insane' because she reacts to a fire & then firecrackers. I thought that's what dogs do when they're afraid.

Which is why New Year is the time of year when the most pets go missing because of the noise of fire works.

I would have a few choice words to say to your father, why is it that he would agree to keep a dog that's obviously too big in the first place, and what kind of message is he sending to his kids (eg yourself) that when a pet had behavioural problems, than it's ok to have it put down rather than to have it properly trained?

Maybe next time get a dog that's the appropriate size for the yard & have it trained so one more life isn't wasted.

I know you're trying, and that's great, but your dad needs someone to explain the concept of responsible pet ownership to him.

 

[BlueIce]

Have you consulted with a vet? You can get meds for the dog if it is highly anxious all the time.
Training in obedience school would also help to curb those behaviours.

How long have you owned this dog? Did you get it as a pup? Are these new behaviours?

 

[Pointy_kitty]

I don't see how you can call your dog 'insane' because she reacts to a fire & then firecrackers. I thought that's what dogs do when they're afraid.

Which is why New Year is the time of year when the most pets go missing because of the noise of fire works.

I would have a few choice words to say to your father, why is it that he would agree to keep a dog that's obviously too big in the first place, and what kind of message is he sending to his kids (eg yourself) that when a pet had behavioural problems, than it's ok to have it put down rather than to have it properly trained?

Maybe next time get a dog that's the appropriate size for the yard & have it trained so one more life isn't wasted.

I know you're trying, and that's great, but your dad needs someone to explain the concept of responsible pet ownership to him.

i do not care for what you have said at all
my father is a responsible person
i have already said our shelters are poor
we had no idea that she would grow this size
they said she was a medium breed that would be suitable for our yard with regular walks

as for the calling my dog insane, i am simply expressing the state of panic and insanity she is now constantly in
the fire works are gone, and she will not go outside, she freaks out when we let her out for 2 minutes to pee
this dog has now gone through a fence, made to contain larger animals, tore a gate into pieces when we put her in the dog run, destroyed 2 knew screen doors, and scratched to hell 2 steal doors, not to mention thrashed the side of out house
in a state of panic
she does this damage in a matter of seconds if put outside

you have no idea what we have gone through with this dog
the reason that euthanization came up in conversation, for the billionth time, is that she will not go with anyone else
she was very well trained and obedient before now and now has lost everything we have taught her
she does not listen, she is panicked
and she will bite any stranger who approaches her
we do not have good shelters to at least give people her background or ask if they have children, or anything
we do not have dog phsyciatrists
we do not have schools with enough experience with this mental a dog

and for the billionth time, euthanization is a last option, we are doing everything we can for her right now, we have stuck with her through the damage and anxiety

now before you decide to judge my father,
just think,
do you know this man?
have you lived his life?
he loves this dog
do you think it is easy for him?
it would be irresponsible to dump her on someone else
she would litterally kill herself with fear,
she'd be terrified of the stranger, knew sorroundings and is at high risk to be a fear biter
up until now she was, as said before, an excellent dog for us
very well behaved, protective, devoted and loving

my father is a good man, and i asked him to buy this dog, and he has gone through this whole mess with me
we are trying everything we can
you have no idea what we have been through

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Have you consulted with a vet? You can get meds for the dog if it is highly anxious all the time.
Training in obedience school would also help to curb those behaviours.

How long have you owned this dog? Did you get it as a pup? Are these new behaviours?

we got her from a shelter
she was a pup
she has always been protective and afraid of men
this frantic behavior is very new
she used to be very well behaved and trained
we've had her for almost 3 years now
this is very odd behavior for her

 

[BlueIce]

Speaking as a former akc dog breeder...

You need to get this animal to a vet.This behaviour is new..and at her age,very odd.It could very well indicate some underlying medical condition .Dogs don't just suddenly change in this manner.
Does she have all her vacs? If so,when was the last update on them?
When was her last physical?

If nothing in her environment has changed to cause this ,then the change could and probably does have a medical explanation...possibly a treatable one.

 

[Sorrell]

Speaking as a former akc dog breeder...

You need to get this animal to a vet.This behaviour is new..and at her age,very odd.It could very well indicate some underlying medical condition .Dogs don't just suddenly change in this manner.
Does she have all her vacs? If so,when was the last update on them?
When was her last physical?

If nothing in her environment has changed to cause this ,then the change could and probably does have a medical explanation...possibly a treatable one.

I completely agree I'm a dog behaviorsit, and many many dogs benefit from anti-anxiety drugs, especially prozac. If you were having problems her whole life that would be one thing to be dealt with, but new behavior is completely different. However, I don't see the big mystery as to where the behaior is stemming from. Both instances you have named have very understandable driving factors.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

Speaking as a former akc dog breeder...

You need to get this animal to a vet.This behaviour is new..and at her age,very odd.It could very well indicate some underlying medical condition .Dogs don't just suddenly change in this manner.
Does she have all her vacs?  If so,when was the last update on them?
When was her last physical?

If nothing in her environment has changed to cause this ,then the change could and probably does have  a medical explanation...possibly a treatable one.

I completely agree I'm a dog behaviorsit, and many many dogs benefit from anti-anxiety drugs, especially prozac. If you were having problems her whole life that would be one thing to be dealt with, but new behavior is completely different. However, I don't see the big mystery as to where the behaior is stemming from. Both instances you have named have very understandable driving factors.

we've had her for almost 3 years, her last physical/ vaccinations were over a year ago now

so do you think these instances have scared her for life or do you think after some support from the family she will recover and become her usual well behaved self?

my grandfather suggested getting a second dog for company
she was raised with another dog, who died at 19 years old (last year)
before then my dog (sammy the one we're having trouble with) was never afraid of noises, fireworks, thunder or anything and since the passing of her "mother" she has been spooky about thunder and lightening (although not to this extent)
he thinks another dogs influence and companionship would help
of course my father would not go for another dog


i know that being trapped in the yard when two houses down a trailer exploded shooting flaming pieces into the bushes behind our house and leaving a wall of fire and black smoke must have been tramatizing for her

do you think thats what pushed her over the edge?
before she would just be a little spooked but now she is mental

 

[Never2Bknown]

Anti-anxiety meds may help. My cat--with whom I share a sort of "special bond"--is on such meds now. She kept on getting stress-related urinary infections; instead of bacterial infections, it would be caused by crystals. She would end up peeing all over the place because she couldn't get to the litter pan in time. Now she--like myself, actually--is on anti-anxiety medications for the rest of her life. She's a lot better for the meds, though; no more recurring urinary infections so far. Maybe it could work for your dog, too.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

well, we're getting rid of my dog
i have no clue where she is gunna go
our shelter wouldn't take her
my father won't let my grandfather have her because he doesn't think she'll get enough exercise there
when my father saw that she has now ripped through the lathing (criss crossed boards covering benieth the sundeck), gone through the fence twice, tore through 2 gates, ripped through a wall (you can see daylight through the wall from the inside) scratched to hell to steal doors, demolished 2 screen doors, ripped a metal gate off of our deck (ripping metal from welded metal), scratched up all of the vynal siding of the back of the house and even broke holes in some, he flipped
he grabbed her and started beating her and kicking her and she was crying out
i yelled at him to stop and that she doesn't understand and her turned on me
we have had a big fight because i refused to back down and be intimidated no matter how harsh he got towards me
and he wants me out of the house
he said if he had some property to go to he would shoot the dog
noone will take her
i don't know what to do

please no harsh comments towards my father
there is a long history behind his behavior which i do not wish to discuss
i have some major family problems which are not the issue at all here
the problem is that i have nowhere for my beloved dog to go
she is in the house right now baby-gated in the mud room (entrance way)