Been debating with myself on whether or not I would post this or not...
Yesterday my wife and I had to put our beloved dog, Riley, to sleep. Riley was a 5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. We've had him since he was a puppy and unfortunately since he was in the house before we had our kids we've never had an easy time with getting him to accept that they are above him in the hierarchy of my house. We also know now that this breed is not known for being really good with kids. We've had some aggression issues with him both with our kids and with friends kids which culminated in him snapping at one of my boys last year and drawing blood on his arm. At the time we thought we'd have to give him up but after talking with our vet and a few trainers we decided to try some serious obedience training. We did a very intensive boot camp style training with a guy that is known around this area for doing a lot of work training police dogs. Everything was great for the last year or so, although we never got to where Riley was really comfortable around my boys, more that he tolerated them. We knew how to manage him so things have been good for the most part.
Last Monday, the 11th, my mother was at my house watching the boys during the day (for those that dont remember, I have 3 year old twins) She was in the kitchen with one while the other was in the living room, Something happened, no idea what, exactly, and the dog attacked Cameron, the smaller of my boys. Riley bit him on the head and face. He ended up with a large L shaped laceration about 2 inches above the hairline on the left side of his head and a few scratches from the lower jaws on his forehead. The wound needed 5 staples to close. He's fine now and is getting the staples removed tonight. Thankfully, due to where the wound is on his head we wont have to worry about scarring since its up in his hair.
We spoke to our vet and a number of shelters in the area and were told that the private shelters would not take a dog once its bitten someone, especially a child, and while the town shelter would take him they didnt consider him to be adoptable between his aggression and some medical issues which require about $150 a month in medication. So, after some heartbreaking conversation, my wife and I decided that the best course of action for the dog was to have him euthanized as we couldnt bear the thought of him languishing in a cage at the town shelter before they did it themselves.
So, last night at 5:50PM we lost our beautiful dog. We were both there with him til the end, when the light went out of his eyes forever.
Being an adult and having to make decisions for the well being of your family can really suck sometimes.
Riley as a puppy
A little older
Last winter out in the snow
Yesterday my wife and I had to put our beloved dog, Riley, to sleep. Riley was a 5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. We've had him since he was a puppy and unfortunately since he was in the house before we had our kids we've never had an easy time with getting him to accept that they are above him in the hierarchy of my house. We also know now that this breed is not known for being really good with kids. We've had some aggression issues with him both with our kids and with friends kids which culminated in him snapping at one of my boys last year and drawing blood on his arm. At the time we thought we'd have to give him up but after talking with our vet and a few trainers we decided to try some serious obedience training. We did a very intensive boot camp style training with a guy that is known around this area for doing a lot of work training police dogs. Everything was great for the last year or so, although we never got to where Riley was really comfortable around my boys, more that he tolerated them. We knew how to manage him so things have been good for the most part.
Last Monday, the 11th, my mother was at my house watching the boys during the day (for those that dont remember, I have 3 year old twins) She was in the kitchen with one while the other was in the living room, Something happened, no idea what, exactly, and the dog attacked Cameron, the smaller of my boys. Riley bit him on the head and face. He ended up with a large L shaped laceration about 2 inches above the hairline on the left side of his head and a few scratches from the lower jaws on his forehead. The wound needed 5 staples to close. He's fine now and is getting the staples removed tonight. Thankfully, due to where the wound is on his head we wont have to worry about scarring since its up in his hair.
We spoke to our vet and a number of shelters in the area and were told that the private shelters would not take a dog once its bitten someone, especially a child, and while the town shelter would take him they didnt consider him to be adoptable between his aggression and some medical issues which require about $150 a month in medication. So, after some heartbreaking conversation, my wife and I decided that the best course of action for the dog was to have him euthanized as we couldnt bear the thought of him languishing in a cage at the town shelter before they did it themselves.
So, last night at 5:50PM we lost our beautiful dog. We were both there with him til the end, when the light went out of his eyes forever.
Being an adult and having to make decisions for the well being of your family can really suck sometimes.
Riley as a puppy
A little older
Last winter out in the snow
