# I could use some advice...



## petstar (Dec 7, 2007)

My husband and I have rescued all of our pets and worked with various organizations to foster, help place, etc...We've had everything from gerbils, hamsters, raccoons, dogs and cats. 

I worked at a shelter in college where I adopted our first pet (a pit mix) before she was scheduled to be euthanized...we had her for 4 years before having to put her down this year because of mounting behavioral problems and out of control animal aggression that was not quelled with the help of training or a behaviorist. We love and miss her dearly. She was truely a special and irreplaceable part of our lives. In a last ditch effort I contacted rescues throughout America to find one willing to take her but they all had the same advice...It was the hardest decision I've had to make and I couldn't hardly deal with putting my otherwise healthy dog down. I'm still grieving but slowly starting to move on. My only hope is that she is finally free of the emotional turmoil she seemed caught in. 

Shortly after adopting her I brought home a kitten (who she loved and nurtured)...He is now a 17 lb. ball of flame point, Himalayan fur. He's pretty much fearless and rather aloof. 

Our next rescue was our sweet Am. bulldog mix. She was fostered for the first 6 months of her life before we adopted her and she is the sweetest dog I've ever encountered. She's never met a stranger, she plays well with everyone and is very gentle with our toddler. (She took a lot of abuse from our first rescue and even as she grew to outweigh her she always backed down and was the first to submit). They had periods of peace and we went to great lengths to ensure everyone's safety, but in the end we had no choice. 

Our home has felt empty without the ball of energy that was our dog...she consumed our lives. She was very high maintenence...she required constant supervision, was destructive when left alone, would instigate fights with our other female and could not be walked near other dogs and the mere sight of another animal would cause her to lose control and sometimes experience misplaced aggression...

After much contemplation and some thorough research dh and I decided to look for a bulldog to rescue and we finally found one! She's a sweet 4 or 5 yr. old girl who was purchased for breeding but was spayed after she was found to have a health problem. The breeder has kept her and taken good care of her but she's lived her whole life in a kennel and we are adopting her to live in our home. She is good with other dogs (not sure about cats) and she's been around a few children. Of all the dogs I've encountered I've never started housebreaking one at this age...nor have I brought home an adult dog without testing it with cats indoors. So...what can I do to ease her transition? I plan on crating her until she's adapted and housebroken. Any other ideas? I also plan to have the dogs meet on neutral territory and take them on a walk before going indoors. 

Sorry for the long post. I wanted to give you a brief history but it turned into a cathartic release about our pet who I'm still grieving the loss of. Thanks for thsoe who have made it this far.


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## MegaMuttMom (Sep 15, 2007)

How is she with strangers and new situations? 
Our dog lived in a kennel for the first 5 months of his life and he has lots of fears that I think are due to a lack of socialization and exposure to novel things when he was a puppy. He is excellent with other dogs which I attribute, in part, to his life in the kennel situation and being in a foster home with other dogs for the month before we got him. I suppose a breeder kennel would be better than a shelter kennel.
We don't have any huge problems with him but, we have older kids (13 & 16) and have done a TON of pro-active work with him. 
I would have beeen worried bringing him home into a house with a young child as a fearful dog can become reactive if not worked with very carefully.
I hope your dog doesn't have any of these issues but I bring this up because I would hate for you to go through the heartbreak of losing another dog.


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## petstar (Dec 7, 2007)

Thank you for responding!

Her owner said she is fine with strangers...but she didn't mention new situations. (I don't think she taeks her many places often, although she does take her to the vet often and she does well on car rides). We will, of course, watch her with my son, and the cat *very* closely. I'm a stay at home mom so I have ample time to work with her. Thankfully, the previous owner is more than willing to take her back if things don't work out and although she'd still be living in a kennel, she takes good care of her and cares very much about her.


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