My neighbors have come to me for advice, and I don't know what to do.
A little background on them first: They have 3 kids, 16, 8, and 4.
They also have 2 cats. Mom and Dad both work, and the kids are all in school. Last summer, they adopted a lab mix, Marley, from PAWS. Personally, I wasn't sure if it was the best idea, but I kept my mouth shut. Marley was about 80 pounds, and the younger kids were afraid of him, so back he went after 2 weeks. My husband and I loved him, he was an awesome dog. Marley is now living with a couple with no children, and doing very well.
Fast forward a few months, and they adopted Mitch from Golden Retriever Rescue:
Mitch is a great dog, he comes over to play sometimes, and has stayed with us before when they were out of town. We never had any trouble with him, except we couldn't get them all to settle down at bedtime!! They took him to obedience classes, and everyone participated, so even the littlest one could get him to listen to commands.
Well, a few months ago, Mitch bit one of the kids who was over to play Not bad, but still, a bite is a bite. They immediately contacted a local behaviorist, said to be the best in the area, and signed up for the expensive training (which surprised me, because they don't have a lot of money). They worked hard with him, and he was so obedient. I was very impressed by how well he listened after all of the training.
Then they were faced with a dilemma. The trainer told them that they still have to work consistently with him every day. They had a vacation coming up. Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with the kids, but Mitch had to go to a kennel, because Grandma is afraid of dogs. Five is too many for me to handle for a week, so we couldn't help out this time. Plus, I didn't want Mitch picking up on my dogs' bad habits The trainer warned them about it, that he may forget everything he learned while they were away, but the vacation was more important, and off they went.
There are some other things I should mention as well. Mitch is outside. A lot. When they first got him, I would see them walking him all the time, but as time went on, the walks diminished, and he was being tied out in the front yard. He didn't make much noise out front, but they moved him to the side yard eventually. He can't see anyone from over there, and he is right next to my fence, so he hears my dogs in the yard, and goes crazy. Just the other day, I went to the store to pick up some food for a cookout. As I was leaving, the little girl and one of her friends were playing out front, and mom and dad were on the porch. I could see Mitch from the car. He was crated in mom and dad's room, and it broke my heart. A perfect little family picture, and one member of the family is put away.
Well, the mom called my husband last night. Mitch lunged at her yesterday, and she's upset. They feel that they can't have an "unpredictable" dog around, with the kids. She said that the doorbell rang, and it was one of the little friends' mom's coming to get her. My husband asked her if Mitch had to be "put away" every time someone came over, and she said yes, that's what they do. Well, no wonder he hates it when people come over!! He equates visitors with having to go in the yard, or in his crate--I wouldn't want company either.
The solution seems pretty clear: they obviously can't handle this dog, and maybe he would be better off in another home. He is only around 2, I believe. This is where the messiness comes in. They signed a contract with Golden Retriever Resce, that if they ever needed to get rid of him, they would turn him over to them. It seems as though the mom has talked to them about his problem, and they told her that since he is a biter, he will be put down if he is returned to them
So, what to do???? He has been evaluated by a behaviorist--he is not a dangerous dog. I don't understand why GRR would even say that--it seems strange to me, but I am not involved with rescue. We have another local rescue, but the contract--they have to abide by the contract, right?? And I'm afraid Mitch is going to have a miserable life if he stays there anyway--I hate to see a dog shuffled around from home to home, but I hate even more to see one tied up right next door to me.
I don't know what to do, the whole situation breaks my heart. I know they never should have gotten a dog in the first place, especially after the first one didn't work out. I hate to see this happen. I don't know what to tell her. She wanted to know if I would be able to find him a loving home, and I told her I could try like hell, but I'm pretty sure they can't break the contract. But what if they do?? I wonder what can happen then.....
I may place a call to the GRR and see what they say.
I'm sorry this is so long, but this is really weighing on me, and I do not want to see this dog put to sleep. Any advice would be wonderful.
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