Kitei
Well-Known Member
We finally made a unanimous decision to put our oldest dog to sleep, this evening. She'll be taken in on Monday. I don't really know why I'm posting, other than I really need to get this off my chest. It's really hurting, but I know it's the right thing to do.
We got Pippa in July, 2004. I was 11. She was estimated to be a year old, though it's likely she is at least a year older than that. We adopted her from our nearest rescue shelter, as a companion for our elderly cavalier, who unfortunately had to be put the sleep 6 months after getting Pip. When she arrived, she was a complete wreck. She'd been an abuse and neglect case. Starved and beaten. She was scared of everything, in particular, men, and would drop to the floor in submission if you turned to look at her. She didn't know how to play, or enjoy herself, and had never seen grass before. The rescue labelled her as a lab x collie, but stucture, speed and temperment-wise, she's more likely to be a lab x whippet.
This photo was taken a month or so after we got her, and she'd put on a lot of weight and some muscle.
It took 2 weeks before she understood how to fetch. 4 months before she would accept strangers greeting her. After 2 years, she was the idyllic family dog; she loved everyone, her recall was perfect, she would run and play all day or just sit by your feet if you wanted. She loved other animals, including hens, ducks, cats, and especially loved baby anythings. I'd put up make shift jumps in the garden from garden chairs, mops, flower pots and anything else I could find, and we'd stay outside for hours, playing at agility.
She was transformed into another animal entirely, and we loved her. I could do whatever I wanted with her. I was terrified of the dark, so when my cat died, Pip would sleep in my room with me.
Then, around 3 years ago, she slowly started to change. She became irritable and nervous. I could no longer take her to meet my younger sister from school, as she'd growl everytime someone came close. It was fine at home, but outside of the house, she was unsettled and on edge.
A year ago, it became a much bigger problem. She began attacking our other pets without cause. She'd be sat in her bed, and maybe a cat would walk past, or a dog would turn around or have a scratch, and the next moment, she'd be trying to kill them. It'd only last seconds, and wasn't often. In June, she bit my dad, and his leg took a month to heal. A couple of weeks after, she went for a cat, and although no one could find any injuries, there was blood all over the kitchen, and the cat now wont walk downstairs. A few days after that, she had my lab by the throat. We were all set to have her PTS then and there, and I still think we should have done, but my parents couldn't face it, and she mellowed out over the summer. Pip always loved the sun, and it was so lovely last summer, that she was almost her old self.
And then, this week, it was the final straw. Wednesday, she went for the Cavalier dog. No provocation. Thursday, she was all set to go for a puppy, until my lab got between them and squared up. Yesterday, she went for one of the cats, and left her limping. Today, she went for my lab. Again, no provocation. Ripley was in her bed, and got out to have a drink, and Pip pinned her in and went for her. She's now limping very badly, and has a bruised windpipe, so is on some pain medication.
And we just can't deal with it anymore. We've been trying our hardest for the past 3 years to make things comfortable for Pippa, and to not put her in situations where she might go off, but she's now completely unpredictable. The next time, she might kill something, or attack a person outside of the family. She spends most of her time now in a room on her own, because she can't be trusted to be with any of the others.
And I just feel so awful. We've tried so hard with this dog, and there's nothing else we can do. Our vet thinks she just isn't all there anymore. She's not the same, happy animal that we've been clinging to. She's not enjoying life because she's just a trembling bag of nerves again. She can't even go on walks off-lead, because although her recall is still good, she just cannot be trusted.
I'm sorry that it's a bit of a ramble. I just needed to share.
We got Pippa in July, 2004. I was 11. She was estimated to be a year old, though it's likely she is at least a year older than that. We adopted her from our nearest rescue shelter, as a companion for our elderly cavalier, who unfortunately had to be put the sleep 6 months after getting Pip. When she arrived, she was a complete wreck. She'd been an abuse and neglect case. Starved and beaten. She was scared of everything, in particular, men, and would drop to the floor in submission if you turned to look at her. She didn't know how to play, or enjoy herself, and had never seen grass before. The rescue labelled her as a lab x collie, but stucture, speed and temperment-wise, she's more likely to be a lab x whippet.
This photo was taken a month or so after we got her, and she'd put on a lot of weight and some muscle.
It took 2 weeks before she understood how to fetch. 4 months before she would accept strangers greeting her. After 2 years, she was the idyllic family dog; she loved everyone, her recall was perfect, she would run and play all day or just sit by your feet if you wanted. She loved other animals, including hens, ducks, cats, and especially loved baby anythings. I'd put up make shift jumps in the garden from garden chairs, mops, flower pots and anything else I could find, and we'd stay outside for hours, playing at agility.
She was transformed into another animal entirely, and we loved her. I could do whatever I wanted with her. I was terrified of the dark, so when my cat died, Pip would sleep in my room with me.
Then, around 3 years ago, she slowly started to change. She became irritable and nervous. I could no longer take her to meet my younger sister from school, as she'd growl everytime someone came close. It was fine at home, but outside of the house, she was unsettled and on edge.
A year ago, it became a much bigger problem. She began attacking our other pets without cause. She'd be sat in her bed, and maybe a cat would walk past, or a dog would turn around or have a scratch, and the next moment, she'd be trying to kill them. It'd only last seconds, and wasn't often. In June, she bit my dad, and his leg took a month to heal. A couple of weeks after, she went for a cat, and although no one could find any injuries, there was blood all over the kitchen, and the cat now wont walk downstairs. A few days after that, she had my lab by the throat. We were all set to have her PTS then and there, and I still think we should have done, but my parents couldn't face it, and she mellowed out over the summer. Pip always loved the sun, and it was so lovely last summer, that she was almost her old self.
And then, this week, it was the final straw. Wednesday, she went for the Cavalier dog. No provocation. Thursday, she was all set to go for a puppy, until my lab got between them and squared up. Yesterday, she went for one of the cats, and left her limping. Today, she went for my lab. Again, no provocation. Ripley was in her bed, and got out to have a drink, and Pip pinned her in and went for her. She's now limping very badly, and has a bruised windpipe, so is on some pain medication.
And we just can't deal with it anymore. We've been trying our hardest for the past 3 years to make things comfortable for Pippa, and to not put her in situations where she might go off, but she's now completely unpredictable. The next time, she might kill something, or attack a person outside of the family. She spends most of her time now in a room on her own, because she can't be trusted to be with any of the others.
And I just feel so awful. We've tried so hard with this dog, and there's nothing else we can do. Our vet thinks she just isn't all there anymore. She's not the same, happy animal that we've been clinging to. She's not enjoying life because she's just a trembling bag of nerves again. She can't even go on walks off-lead, because although her recall is still good, she just cannot be trusted.
I'm sorry that it's a bit of a ramble. I just needed to share.
