seeing as how you are not the "responsible person" here (not saying youre not a responsible person, just recognizing that you don't seem to have much say in the matter now) i know you must be frustrated. apparently you don't have the luxary of multiple shelters or rescue groups in your area. its a shame, because some would take on a special case dog. it also sounds liek you don't have access to any animal behaviorists. have you looked real hard?? i never knew how many were around here until one day i just happend to stumble across some online. i'm sure you have, but since youre stressed out right now, just checking.
as said, your dogs sudden behavior change could have something to do with the incidents, it could indicate underlying medical conditions, and from the sounds of it, there may be some other things going on that you yourself were not even aware of (ie. father beating the dog). it could be a culmination of these. i understand that you couldnt in good conscience just give the dog to a new home. i've seen dogs like yours come through our rescue system. we had the luxury of a "doggie bootcamp" to send them to to help work out these issues. but some were so unpredictable that adopting them out would have been a liability and could have potential caused harm and we were forced to euthanize these few dogs. the only options you have is to either find somewhere she can go for some training and rehab (like a "doggie bootcamp, a professional dog behavorist), see a vet to look for unlying health problems and possibly perscribe some meds (i've seen this work great too) or put her to sleep(pointy, you know that euthanasia is the last option i would ever suggest.....). From the sounds of it, youre dad most likely won't be willing to look into the first two options, and i know you wouldn't be able to afford to do it yourself, but give it a shot, sit your dad down and talk to him.
as for the "too big for your yard" issue, dont' beat yourself up. many shelters are pretty clueless about the dogs they bring in. they don't have the time or the funds to really properly house, care for, or get to know the dogs. smaller groups do, but the big city/county shelters often don't. and often, they're about getting the dogs through the system, in any way, to make room for the 100 more coming in that week. often i've seen dogs listed as medium, but you take one look at their feet and you knwo theyre going to be huge. they adopt out cute little puppies without bothering to make sure the owners know that puppy is going to grow big, and fast. we have had many young dogs (10 months and younger) come into our rescue group system that were returned to the pound because they got too big (though i love the people who buy puppies from breeders or pet shops and then complain they got too big.......... duh). pardon my rant there.
i hope it all works out for the best pointy, i really do.
as said, your dogs sudden behavior change could have something to do with the incidents, it could indicate underlying medical conditions, and from the sounds of it, there may be some other things going on that you yourself were not even aware of (ie. father beating the dog). it could be a culmination of these. i understand that you couldnt in good conscience just give the dog to a new home. i've seen dogs like yours come through our rescue system. we had the luxury of a "doggie bootcamp" to send them to to help work out these issues. but some were so unpredictable that adopting them out would have been a liability and could have potential caused harm and we were forced to euthanize these few dogs. the only options you have is to either find somewhere she can go for some training and rehab (like a "doggie bootcamp, a professional dog behavorist), see a vet to look for unlying health problems and possibly perscribe some meds (i've seen this work great too) or put her to sleep(pointy, you know that euthanasia is the last option i would ever suggest.....). From the sounds of it, youre dad most likely won't be willing to look into the first two options, and i know you wouldn't be able to afford to do it yourself, but give it a shot, sit your dad down and talk to him.
as for the "too big for your yard" issue, dont' beat yourself up. many shelters are pretty clueless about the dogs they bring in. they don't have the time or the funds to really properly house, care for, or get to know the dogs. smaller groups do, but the big city/county shelters often don't. and often, they're about getting the dogs through the system, in any way, to make room for the 100 more coming in that week. often i've seen dogs listed as medium, but you take one look at their feet and you knwo theyre going to be huge. they adopt out cute little puppies without bothering to make sure the owners know that puppy is going to grow big, and fast. we have had many young dogs (10 months and younger) come into our rescue group system that were returned to the pound because they got too big (though i love the people who buy puppies from breeders or pet shops and then complain they got too big.......... duh). pardon my rant there.
i hope it all works out for the best pointy, i really do.
I don't know what else to tell you. I know you're trying your hardest to find some help for you dear doggie. Have you talked to a vet? At any rate, I'm very sorry and I hope things look up for you and your beloved puppy. Hugs, if you want 'em. Hang in there. We're here for ya.
