# Struggling with rescue dog



## Helenlea (5 mo ago)

Hi,

We adopted a rescue a short time ago, barely a week has gone by since we brought him home. I expected some issues while he settled but I was open with the rescue that we couldn't deal with any aggression, we simply don't have the experience and would not be comfortable taking that on.

The day we brought him home, he bit our other dog. We put it down to stress and fear. A few days later he went for her again; I think the trigger that time was that our other dog was getting attention. Our other dog has done her best to avoid him since.

Tonight he had a treat and went for the cat. He was then snarling at both myself and my partner for getting close to him.

Other time he seems a happy dog, he's started to play with toys. Normally he loves the cat.

This is my first rescue so I feel I've been naive. I don't know if this is to be expected, I don't know where I draw a line. The rescue assured us he played fine with other dogs and that they don't rehome dogs with aggression problems. 

My gut is saying I have to return him, I also feel bad for giving up on him so soon but I'm terrified he injures or hurts our other pets. I don't like that our other dog is worried by being near him.

Any suggestions or advice welcome. I feel so emotional about this and I'm doubting my own perspective as a result.

Am I wrong to be thinking about returning him so soon?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

No, you're not wrong. Your first responsibility is to the pets you already had.

One of the rescues I applied to recently asked, on the application, if there are behavioral issues I was not prepared to deal with. I said, in no uncertain terms, that I could not deal with a dog who displays human or dog aggression.


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## 3GSD4IPO (Jun 8, 2016)

Return the dog and don't look back. Do it now before one of your other pets gets hurt or you get hurt (especially possible if you have to break up a dog fight or the new dog tries to kill the cat). 

There should be no guilt in protecting your existing pets and yourselves.


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## storyist (Sep 19, 2019)

Another vote for return him. The pets you already have are your responsibility, and as someone who had a rescue foster kill one of her cats and has never stopped feeling guilty, I urge you, return him ASAP and until you can do that keep him secured away from your other pets.


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## Helenlea (5 mo ago)

Thank you for all the replies. I contacted the rescue who, to be fair, offered a call to discuss things. I mentioned that aggression was a dealbreaker and was told the dog was not aggressive but fearful.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

Fear aggression is a thing, and it should have been discussed as a possibility when taking home a fearful dog. Though it sounds to me that this dog may also have some resource guarding issues which, again, can cause aggressive behavior. Now it's possible that these behaviors may lessen as the dog settles in and becomes more comfortable and confident in your home, but that's a big gamble when the consequences could be injury or worse to your other pets and/or you. And it isn't fair to you that this rescue gave you a fearful dog when they knew you didn't want to manage aggressive behaviors, regardless of the cause of that aggression.

I agree that you should return this pup.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Yes, return the dog. Fear can cause aggression, as can resource guarding, and both require extensive training and management. I would make the decision to return to the rescue, as well, were I in your shoes. I would not choose to upset the peaceful dynamic between my existing pets, either.


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## Helenlea (5 mo ago)

Thank you all for the replies. 

Our current dog and the rescue had another fight the day after my last post. I pulled the rescue away by his collar and used my other hand to push our dog back and got bitten by the rescue in the process. I've been to emergency and I'm OK. The rescue that we got him from told us the dogs will squabble but that we you only separate them if it looks like one of them will get hurt. I feel the bite I got was meant for our dog.

My partner still wants to keep the rescue until he can be reviewed by a dog trainer later this week.
I don't want to keep the dog, I've told my partner we've had enough close calls with his behaviour and I cannot ever see me trusting this dog, no matter what a trainer might say.

I'm sad, I feel like if the rescue was our only pet then I would be more inclined to try and work through this. I'm also angry at the rescue themselves - the conversation we had with them was somewhat helpful but a lot of it felt like we were making mistakes - maybe we are, but we've tried the best we know how. I'm scared of this dog and will be insisting he is returned.


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

The rescue failed this dog, not you. I'm furious on your behalf, honestly. 

The rescue was the one who knew that you were not willing or able to handle an aggressive dog in your household, but sent this dog home anyway. The rescue was the one who then tried to brush off aggressive behaviors as fearful, despite the fact that the dog was showing aggressive behavior towards other pets in the home. At that point, it shouldn't have mattered WHY the dog is acting aggressively, because it's a risk to you and your pets, and you already told them you weren't equipped to handle such behavior. And now this dog has a bite record on a human because the rescue didn't take your needs OR the dog's needs seriously, which will make him all the more difficult to rehome.

A fearful dog isn't a bad dog. But they do need to be in the hands of people with the time, resources, and ability to safely manage and/or rehabilitate their fear. There is no shame in not being able to provide that for this dog, and it's not fair to you or your pets to live in fear yourselves because of the position the rescue put you in. Especially if you have no practical way of separating him from your other pets to prevent another confrontation - talk to your partner and make it clear that it only takes one bad bite in the wrong place to kill a cat (unless this is a toy breed, which it doesn't sound like), or to do serious damage to you or your other dog. It doesn't sound to me like you can afford to wait until you can talk to a trainer and hope for the best.


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## 3GSD4IPO (Jun 8, 2016)

I will add that when breaking up a dog fight grab the dog by the back legs and wheel barrow them out of there. As you found out, getting in the middle of the business end is how to get hurt. I am glad you were not badly bitten (many people are and face months of surgeries and rehab. 

Your partner is incorrect in wanting to wait. The rescue was either dishonest with you or the simply just don't know. There is a lot of plain ignorance in the rescue world as people want to save animals at all costs. Blaming YOU is surely a red flag. 

Load that dog up TODAY and return it. DO NOT allow the rescue to guilt you into anymore chances.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

A trainer, even a very good one, isn't going to be able to help. This needs a veterinary behaviorist and even that is no guarantee. 

The only dog bites I've received in recent years happened while breaking up dog fights. One came from my own dog as he tried to fight back against a dog four times his size.


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## storyist (Sep 19, 2019)

I'm with the others who say return the dog. Among the people I'd fault here is your partner for wanting you to live with a dog that bit you and that you are understandably afraid of. Don't spend more money on a trainer, just take the dog back. Then spend some time considering if you really want another dog in your household when things are peaceful as is.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

Yes, as others have said, not even a trainer nor a veterinary behaviorist can 100% guarantee you won't still have problems in the future. The best they can do is help you come up with a management and training plan, but you might still end up with a dog that needs to be separate from your other pets at all times and be out a couple hundred dollars.

The rescue is wrong for feeding you excuses. Yes, _*occasional*_ squabbles that are mostly noise can be normal in multiple dog households, but one dog actively trying to bite the other multiple times and do damage is not.


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## Juliadgreen (Sep 10, 2020)

Helenlea said:


> Thank you all for the replies.
> 
> Our current dog and the rescue had another fight the day after my last post. I pulled the rescue away by his collar and used my other hand to push our dog back and got bitten by the rescue in the process. I've been to emergency and I'm OK. The rescue that we got him from told us the dogs will squabble but that we you only separate them if it looks like one of them will get hurt. I feel the bite I got was meant for our dog.
> 
> ...


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## Juliadgreen (Sep 10, 2020)

What kind of dog is it?


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## Sue66b (Jun 15, 2014)

Helenlea said:


> Hi,
> 
> We adopted a rescue a short time ago, barely a week has gone by since we brought him home. I expected some issues while he settled but I was open with the rescue that we couldn't deal with any aggression, we simply don't have the experience and would not be comfortable taking that on.
> 
> ...


What breed is he??
This might tell us more?
Rescue foster carers LIE.
I just returned a rescue the Foster Carer said he was cat friendly, he wasn't as soon as he the dog lunged at my cat I knew I don't want him, I can't trust him, so I rung Foster carer up, told her she made more excuses then I said I'm returning him. 
It's sad they lie then hope you'll feel guilty fall in love it upsets everyone in family.
He needs a home NO other pets & he'll be right. 
Try again, this time say be honest or look for a different rescue group.
I'm looking thru pounds finding a dog that due to be Put To Sleep soon, them contacting rescue group they put a save on dog then take baby steps, never feed pets together until you know it's OK.


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## Helenlea (5 mo ago)

Juliadgreen said:


> What kind of dog is it?


 He's a mix so don't know the background. He's about collie size. I feel he may have some German Shepherd based on his colouring


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Just like most things in life, quality of rescue organizations and fosters vary wildly. Both of the fosters for our most recent rescues told me that, if things didn't work out 100%, they would drive the two hours to our home, pick up the dogs and personally refund the fees I paid. They were both crying when they said goodbye to the dogs, so I suspect that may have had something to do with it.


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## [email protected] (5 mo ago)

Helenlea said:


> Hi,
> 
> We adopted a rescue a short time ago, barely a week has gone by since we brought him home. I expected some issues while he settled but I was open with the rescue that we couldn't deal with any aggression, we simply don't have the experience and would not be comfortable taking that on.
> 
> ...


I had my g p since pup. Met someone. A year they been fine. My other dog he grew up with had to be put down. Now my g p growls at my new girlfriend. We cant figure out why


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