Sad situation.....advice please

[tatsxxx11]

Oh Emily, how sad I ditto all of Alicia's (Albea) comments. Getting a dog from my rescue group, North East All Retriever Rescue (NEARR) is as difficult and involved a process as adopting a child! Your neighbors are a good example of why we are.

There has to be a knowledge of the breed, dog experience, and with small children in the home a fenced in yard. We also work hard at matching up the right dog for each family, their lifestyle, etc. No dog can be left tied out, ever and we do weekly follow ups for 3 months and then monthly for 6 months, to help the family deal with any issues.

It's strange that this rescue group wouldn't take the dog back, as it doesn't seem to have true aggressive tendencies and has been evaluated by a behaviorist who states the same. Little kids can be very provokative and insite the gentlest of dogs. Personally, it doesn't sound to me that this family is really suitable for this dog; I'm not sure they have the time to commit to any dog right now, especially one that has issues that need to be dealt with, as do most rescues.

The problem with having the family themselves rehome the dog, is that there's no assurance he won't wind up in a similar circumstance. I would look for other Lab/Golden/Retriever rescue groups in your area. From your description, I know we would take him into NEARR, but he's too far away This is a dog that we would most probably place in an experienced Retriever home with no kids. Ugh. I wish I could help Emily. What a beautiful dog he is and so deserving of a good home that has the time to commit to make him a well socialized, happy pup. We track our adoptees closely. What about this group? Doesn't sound like they've been too involved post adoption, and didn't do a very good home/family evaluation to begin with. They already notified the rescue group about the bite, right? If they didn't make an effort to remove the dog from the home at that time, if I were the family, I'd try placing him privately. What a sad situation Keeping my paws crossed for Mitch Did you do a Retreiver rescue search in your area? By the way, his he a Golden or a Lab?

[Albea]

Any news about Mitch, Emily?
I don't know if you have the time but, if you can't find a local family to take him, you could check the sites of other Golden Rescues in neighboring states.
If you go to http://www.ygrr.org there is a page under "Links" that has the Web sites of other rescues. If they are responsible organizations they would have a transportation system set up.
By the way, take a look at the "Successful Adoptions" photo of Princess in the YGRR home page and you'll see what a good "rescue" does to get a pup ready for adoption.

[MariaM]

Please tell them to read The Dog Listener before any serious decisions are made!!!

[Denyce]

I just came across this thread. These people really shouldn't have a dog. *sigh*

What has happened with Mitch? Is there any news?

Denyce

[clara4457]

Okay - I am going to play devils advocate. Just because it is a so-called "rescue organization" does not mean it is legitimate. I have seen many rescue organizations that are actually animal hoarders in disguise. I have also seen rescue organizations that have released aggressive dogs without any thought to the consequences. I have seen so called "rescue organizations" adopt out a dog that they know has the propensity to bite without thinking about the ramifications.

Since your friends have already contacted a behaviorist - I would say they should surrender it to a QUALIFIED rescue organization. They can assess the dog and determine whether or not it can live a FULL PRODUCTIVE life in a different home. If not - they can take the appropriate steps. I think they should contact the behaviorist to suggest the best place for the dog.

Trust me when I say that there are a great many wonderful rescue organizations that will place a dog in the APPROPRIATE household. My gut feeling is that the dog is highly sensitive and needs to be in an adult only household - and there are a great many of us out there. A qualified rescue organization will find the perfect home.

My heart goes out to you - I hope your neighbors find a solution. It sounds like their hearts are in the right place, but they cannot in good conscience put their kids at risk, and they are not "dog savvy" enough to understand doggie language. My feeling is if they found the right dog, it could be a viable family member, but they probably have a dog that is a little more than they can handle. I do not feel like they shouldn’t have a dog – the fact that they contacted a behaviorist says a great deal. Maybe they just adopted the wrong dog.