She bought 2 Australian Shepherd pups (sisters) about 5 years ago. She had both of them spayed and all. Always got the best of vet care. The 2 dogs always 'fought' with each other but nothing major. The other day they started fighting in the kitchen and she went to break them up. After doing so, they both started growling at her and charged her. She immediately had them taken to the vet and PTS.
Now, I have always trusted her judgement. She is the one we gave Piper to (and she still has him, as fat as ever). She really is a good pet owner but I have to wonder about this. Do you really judge dogs that have just been in a fight? They have never done this before and she has broken them up from fighting many times. Maybe the dogs just changed?
She called her vet and the vet is the one who recommended putting them down. Perhaps their stress was from living in the city in a very small yard and inside when they were bred for cattle dogs. Either way, I've just never heard of this breed of dog turning on someone. Maybe they are the result of bad breeding.
She said that as much as she loved the dogs, she couldn't risk her grandson coming over and them turning on him. I respect that so much. Her only grandson is John-Thomas (our little one) and I couldn't bear the thought of something like that happening.
Still....I just can't get it out of my mind why that breed would become so agressive.....
I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. I'm not sure what I would have done - I truly think it is one of those situations that unless you were there it is tough to second guess a decision such as that. There are so many aspects to a situation such as this and I too agree with her not wanting to take a chance with children around. Whether they just charged or actually attacked would have a definite impact on whether I had them put down or investigated other avenues such as a complete medical exam, checking with a behaviorist, trying to place them with a breed rescue willing to work with them, etc.
I know I have always heard that it is difficult many times to have littermates much less 2 females - they tend to have more of a problem with fighting between them. I have also heard that that breed does need alot of exercise - physical as well as mental.
I'm sorry she was faced with this situation. I'm sure it wasn't easy for her.
Dog faces me with aggression, I take a club to it [so to speak]. If your mom could not face those critters as Conan the barbarian [and I can, mark my word], it is possible she could not deal... I have, however, seen my own mom wimp out in a dog sitch, and I do despise weaker folk than myself, but I am in no place to judge others...
It's common for dogs to attack/bite whatever or whomever gets near them during a fight. Breaking up dog fight is dangerous. While breaking up a fight, I've been hurt by dogs who under any other circumstances never would have harmed me or any other person. Luckily, none of the dogs involved were mine. At any rate, it isn't personal. The dogs are just so charged up that they aren't thinking straight and don't even really know who or what they're biting.
Since you weren't there to see exactly what happened, you should probably just trust your mom's judgment. Obviously, you wouldn't want either of the kids caught in that situation, so it's a good thing she didn't decide to do nothing to protect them.
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"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
