*EX URGENT*RALEIGH NC*SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DEAF *OWNER WILL PTS*

[riccimao]

*EX URGENT*RALEIGH NC*SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DEAF LITTLE BOY HAS NOWHERE TO GO *OWNER WILL PTS**

Hey All,



If anyone knows anyone that would be willing to take a 16 year old Beagle, Homer, that is VERY over weight and mostly deaf please let me know. I have a client that has a 1 year old and Homer has snapped at her a few times now and showing a lot of aggression towards the baby. She has tried gating him, putting him in a different room, etc.....he then becomes destructive. He has always had full reign of their home, she said it's just getting worse and she can't handle it anymore.



You can see him here - http://www.cindythe sitter.com/ images/homer. jpg She has contacted all the shelters and rescue groups within 3 hours of Raleigh, has sent tons of emails and begging for someone to take him and has no luck yet........if no home is found she is putting Homer to sleep, she had an appointment for that today but cancelled it and everyone is trying to help her find a home for him by Friday. I know it's a tough decision and sad and I am not happy hearing about it but she feels she has no choice, her child comes 1st, etc......



She wants the dog to be happy and go to a good home, but needs a home ASAP. Please spread the word you may have already heard about poor Homer, again, it's so sad!!!!



Happy Holidays to All!



Cindy Golden



919-605-5133 919-605-5133

http://www.CindytheSitter. com

Please help this poor little boy - he must be so confused. He goes from being his mummy's little boy to being shut in another room *DESPERATELY URGENT*PLEASE REPOST AND SHARE WITH YOUR CONTACTS!*

919-605-5133

[Diana R.]

I have a friend whose daughter and son-in-law had the same problem with their deaf dog who actually bit their toddler when he startled them. They contacted a behaviorist to come in and work with them and it helped. Would she even consider this? Diana

[riccimao]

I have a friend whose daughter and son-in-law had the same problem with their deaf dog who actually bit their toddler when he startled them. They contacted a behaviorist to come in and work with them and it helped. Would she even consider this? Diana

Hello Diana,
I don't think this woman is considering this option unfortunately, she was going to have Homer put to sleep a few days ago but Cindy, the kind person who runs the pet-sitting company in Raleigh stepped in to try to find him a new home. Had she not done this Homer would be already dead
But you are absolutely right, that is what any responsible pet owner who loves their animal would do.
I hope this poor bewildered looking senior boy finds a home soon.
Thank you for caring about Homer!

[riccimao]

SAD UPDATE----THE "Owner" had this poor dog PTS!!

[Friend2Dogs]

How sad, some people should never ever even take a dog into there home. It is for life and some do not get it. My opinion and sorry if it makes any one mad.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Friend2Dogs, my immediate reaction was sadness. You can't adopt out an aggressive dog. It is an extreme liability. That's why I kept Possum for the rest of her life. I took her in from Texas as a foster, to socialize, train and adopt out. She was unadoptable. Besides the fact she was deaf and blind, she had full blown OCD (CCD), IBD, mangled teeth, flooded colon, fho repair which was deteriorating because of her constant spinning, well... you name it, she had it. Despite this, she did make huge progress for many months and a lot of her conditions improved. Then the downhill slide started. Doc said when she turned on humans that would be the end. And she tore her beloved kennel-mate, Christy's, face up. In themiddle of the night. From a dead sleep.

I feel certain there were issues behind the beagle's aggression, but you can't take chances with a baby in the house.

At first I was horrified that a 16 y.o. would be tossed aside, then I reflected on the aggression and the journey we were on. Had there been a baby in the house, well.... Possum was unpredictable. turned on me twice and Christy twice. Tore Gabriel up every single day.

Possum's aggression got worse at the end, until she lay on the floor, ears back, mouth snarling with a low attack growl coming from her throat constantly. Despite months of trying, medication, monthly and more often trips to the vet, there was no cure there was no answser. It cost her her life. She is at peace now, and I feel this beagle is as well. It is beyond sad, because again, there were issues behind the aggression for this beagle.

This old boy was unadoptable. A huge liability for any rescue to undertake. Lawsuits are ugly things and that was foremost in my mind in making the decision that Possum was unadoptable and would stay in my family, even though it was the worst thing for my other dogs.

[riccimao]

I'm afraid I don't completely agree here with putting Raleigh to sleep.
Of course it would be unthinkable to place the dog in the company of the baby he clearly saw as a threat, in his old and frail state, but I believe that a cherished companion of 16 years deserves maybe another chance at happiness. Older dogs can enjoy life as much as young ones, laying in a warm spot and looking forward to dinner and a friendly pat on the head, and I've always been amazed at how quickly animals can adapt to new situations, given a chance, even older ones.
Raleigh was not being aggressive to all and sundries, just towards that baby who stole his 'momma's' attention and love.
With an approved rescue for special needs pets or in the home of an elderly person without children visiting, maybe wearing a muzzle out on walks for extra safety, Raleigh could have lived out his very few remaining years in the quiet environment he needed.
Although I sympathise with the owner as it clearly sounded like an unlivable situation, I do believe that she might have considered behavioral therapy or even boarding him while searching for a suitable placement for her old and cranky lifelong friend, giving him more than a few days to find a placement with a suitable rescue or family, which in the case of an old and partially sighted/hearing animal could take a while.
If even ex-fighting dogs can be re-educated, surely a chubby, cranky old beagle might have stood a chance!
Anyway, it's too late for Raleigh now. But I personally think that death in this case could have been avoided.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

True, if there was someone like me, willing to take the chance, the extreme commitment of heartache, expense, risk to ourselves and the liability, understanding I could not adopt out an aggressive dog, that would be the answer. There are not a lot of folks who will take that responsiblity and knowledge that the dog has shown aggression. I understand there are issues behind his aggression. I understand that completely. It is the liability factor I speak to. I could not afford to take that risk. I made the decision to keep my severely dysfunctional foster, long after everyone else had given up on her. Some dogs are not adoptable, some are. The ones that are not we keep. If we are able to and they are enjoying a quality of life. Any quality of life. If you visit Possum's thread in the seizure forum, you will see a year and a half of work trying to keep a dog alive who was completely unadoptable. She didn't lose her battle even after she tore Christy's face up. Every vet will tell you when the dog turns on people they love and who love them, well, there simply is no trusting the dog. Possum and we lost the battle when she progressed to the point where she lay on the floor with her ears back with a constant snarl and growl.

This old boy deserved better than a baby in his life, but those are the cards dealt.

Believe me, I know the heartache of aggression. And there simply are no folks out there besides myself that I could find anyway, who will willingly take on this ... um ... challenge.

Aggression kills almost as many as overpupulation does. There are no easy answers. Aggression is a killer, plain and simple.