Urgent Advice needed re foster dog

jodie3

jodie3

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I took on a foster dog for a rescue, the dog came to me at very short notice from the person the rescue had rehomed her to but had kept her less than 24 hours.

I have had her about a month.

The dog has turned out to be incredibly food aggressive and has seriously attacked three of my dogs.

I have kept the rescue informed of what was happening and asked for her to be rehomed ASAP. Apparently they don't have anyone suitable.

Today she has again attacked and injured one of my dogs and I have told the rescue I cannot keep her and she has to go by tomorrow. I have not had a reply and need to know what if anything I can do?
 
You need to feed her separately from the others. She is probably feeling very insecure and needing to defend what she sees as hers.
 
One of my rescues was food aggressive when I got her (she's been a starvation case) and you cannot trust them for a second - any hint of food and they MUST be kept apart from other dogs. If you don't have a crate then shut the rescue in another room or outside to feed, and make sure all the others have finished their food, bowls are picked up and put away, before letting the rescue back in
 
As others, they should be nowhere near each other when feeding and no shared toys, balls etc either. Keep a very light hand strap on her collar (no loop) so you can grab it, remove her quickly and keep your hands clear if the worst does happen.
 
I only ever feed her in her crate. She only has to get the idea of something to eat and she just attacks which ever dog is nearest.

My problem really is what do I do about getting the rescue to take her back? She has attacked without provocation one of my dogs and injured her quite badly. My dog is traumatised by her and I feel so guilty for letting this happen to my lovely dogs.
 
In the meantime, never leave them together unsupervised and never have her anywhere where there *might* be food - even if that means isolation and dealing/walking with her on her own. Definitely never have her in the kitchen.

What breed is she. Have you anything written on paper from the rescue. For instance, would they agree that even though they cannot remove her for the time being, you may temporarily leave her with another household as a single dog, who were able to cope with her, with their blessing? Or are they just saying, can't cope, won't cope, tough luck?
 
Yes she will be like that if she is food aggressive unfortunately - as I said before, they cannot be trusted with any hint of food. I agree with CC, keep her totally apart from your own dogs until you can get this resolved to avoid any problems.

I'm not sure how you have contacted the rescue if you haven't had a reply, possibly a bit late by now this evening but I would be on the phone insisting that someone came to collect her - they will be able to sort out something I'm sure
 
Personally unpleasant as it is I would be telling the rescue either they picked her up tomorrow or you would take the dog to your local pound or alternatively local vet for euthanasia. IF you cannot keep her, you cannot keep her.
Can you not separate them for the meantime though? How much notice have yougiven rescue?
 
For the time being keep her crated or separated from your dogs, your dogs are your priority and Im sure the rescue will pick her up ASAP. When she needs to go outside for her toilet put her on a lead and make sure your dogs are shut up, dont allow her to interact with your dogs at all.
 
I thought rescues class food aggression as a no rehome? (I may have this wrong)

Horrible situation to be in, poor girl just had a bad life, but its not fair they are not responding to you, is the rescue close enough to visit?
 
I have to say that I feel pts would be the kindest for her. She is only ten months old but I think I am her 5th home. She is a deaf EBT so realistically what are her chances?

When she attacks she means it, my dogs are all bitten and scarred and I feel it is only a matter of time til I am bitten trying to separate them.
 
put a muzzle on her to keep everyone safe

hopefully the rescue are sorting something out although it is very poor of them not to have contacted you, maybe they have not received the message yet?

the rescue need to take responsibility and hopefully they will

good luck
 
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The rescue must have someone with a crate?
Totally unaceptable to foist a "problem" dog on someone.

I have to agree that this poor dog needs someone with experience and no other dogs - & they will probably have the experience to know that a deaf EBT who has been already developed issues is not a good prospect for rehoming.
 
Unfortunately I too agree that this poor dog isn't the best prospect for rehoming, and certainly the rescue should be taking responsibility for her. Might be worth a PM to East Kent on here, she is involved with EBT rescue I am pretty sure.
 
What a horrible situation to be in! The rescue sound completely irresponsible (unless there is some odd explanation for their not getting in touch). I would drive her up to the kennels you got her from and return her.

There are some things that might work with resource guarding but she needs to be assessed by a qualified behaviourist. Not least of all because food guarding may generalise into guarding other resources (e.g. her bed, the door, the sofa) and the rescue need to see whether behaviour modification techniques help her now before things get worse. If you are completely stuck with her I think everyone in the thread is right, you need to keep her apart from the others and muzzled. Do try Adaptil collars/diffusers and Zylkelene just in case they help you for the short term.
 
Zero00000 said:
I thought rescues class food aggression as a no rehome? (I may have this wrong)

Horrible situation to be in, poor girl just had a bad life, but its not fair they are not responding to you, is the rescue close enough to visit?
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You do have that wrong Zero -my girl was from the largest independent greyhound rescue charity, she settled down absolutely fine once she realised she was getting fed regularly, and you wouldnt know there had ever been an issue now. She certainly didnt ever show signs of developing other guarding tendencies as Booboos has suggested, I find that a strange idea personally
 
I was also going to suggest East Kent.

I know she's probably not your favourite dog in the world but she's so young and probably very confused...I hope there will be someone out there who can take her on and work with her.

Did you hear back from rescue?
 
Picklenash said:
You do have that wrong Zero -my girl was from the largest independent greyhound rescue charity, she settled down absolutely fine once she realised she was getting fed regularly, and you wouldnt know there had ever been an issue now. She certainly didnt ever show signs of developing other guarding tendencies as Booboos has suggested, I find that a strange idea personally
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Well I didn't say "it will" I said "it may". If the food problem is purely a food related issue that it is likely to stay contained or be overcome with something simple like regular feeding in a dog that previously had to scavange. If the food problem is an expression of resource guarding it may generalise because it's not really about food.

For example, my food aggressive dog is also soiling in the house (on the bed and sofa), chewing a lot of things even when we are in the room and generalised from her food guarding to guarding the door and reacting to the other dog barking. So the best description of her is not so much food aggressive, that is more a symptom, but stressy and insecure.

I'd be very weary about speculating over the internet, and I am not a behaviourist, but the severity of the behaviour the OP describes in a very young dog suggests an underlying problem and not just a small issue with food.
 
Booboos said:
I'd be very weary about speculating over the internet, and I am not a behaviourist, but the severity of the behaviour the OP describes in a very young dog suggests an underlying problem and not just a small issue with food.
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Well to me the "underlying problem" is clearly a 10 month old deaf EBT who has been passed from pillar to post in her short lifetime, and who needs someone with common sense to give her a decent home, decent parameters and some understanding. I am definitely not someone who would say 'never PTS' but in this case I don't feel it is necessary at all - she just needs an experienced owner with some common sense.

I would love to have her if I didn't already have 4 dogs, I hope the poor thing finds a suitable home :(
 
Picklenash said:
Well to me the "underlying problem" is clearly a 10 month old deaf EBT who has been passed from pillar to post in her short lifetime, and who needs someone with common sense to give her a decent home, decent parameters and some understanding. I am definitely not someone who would say 'never PTS' but in this case I don't feel it is necessary at all - she just needs an experienced owner with some common sense.

I would love to have her if I didn't already have 4 dogs, I hope the poor thing finds a suitable home :(
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Honestly I don't know what you are on about. I never said PTS either. This is not even the OP's dog, she's just fostering it and is stuck with a big problem.

Funny how 'common sense' appears to be quite uncommon and spectacularly nonsensical.
 
Booboos said:
Honestly I don't know what you are on about. I never said PTS either. This is not even the OP's dog, she's just fostering it and is stuck with a big problem.

Funny how 'common sense' appears to be quite uncommon and spectacularly nonsensical.
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My answer is broader than just the comments you have made - the OP suggested that PTS might be an option for the rescue dog in a later post, I have read the thread properly (although it appears you have not) and I am well aware it is a rescue dog we are talking about, not a dog belonging to the OP. I would totally agree that common sense appears to be quite uncommon, the trait of some posters in AAD turning every thread into an in-depth analysis of dog psychology and behaviour is clear evidence of that
 
How sad such a young dog has had such a crappy start to her life. I would say she feels threatened and has learned that a certain type of behaviour (ie attacking what she fears) is what keeps her safe. How is she with people in general? I personally don't think the rescues should have fostered a dog out like this in a home with other dogs (or more than one very quiet older dog) as it seems it's just asking for trouble in what sounds like a very upset, stressed and confused dog. It seems where she's been put is just making her issues worse TBH.

If the rescue are really dragging their heels about taking her back then that's really bad as she is ultimately their responsibility and not the OP's. I really hope there is a future for the dog and being PTS isn't the route that is taken as seems such a waste of such a young dog :(
 
The rescue left me a phone message to say they have secured a space for her in a kennels and could I take her there this evening.

Unfortunately I didn't get the message til gone 7 this evening and couldn't take her. I know I need her gone but I stupidly thought they might arrange collection. They did say they were doing a home check tonight and I feel it would be much better for her if she could go to a home as I think kennels would stress her terribly.

I don't know anything about the rescue, I was asked if I would take her by someone on the deaf dog forum as I was fairly local and have deaf dogs and an EBT so presumably they thought I had the relevant experience. I don't think the rescue has their own kennels, I think their dogs are all in foster homes. She was brought to me by the person they had rehomed her too who had her less than 24 hours and decided they couldn't cope with her.

Despite her aggression to my dogs and one in particular I do think she could be be a lovely dog in the right hands. She is very affectionate and desperate to be loved. I am actually very fond of her and would love to see her settled in a caring home and living the life she deserves. But realistically how likely is that to happen? I would hate to see her being moved on from home to home, getting more stressed and labelled as a dangerous dog.
 
Well,at least she has that going for her that she's generally friendly with people. I think the rescue need to place yer with someone knowledgeable with this breed - and deaf dogs ideally - but I hope they take on board you experience of her and place her somewhere as an only dog as to me it seems she really needs to build up her confidence and feel secure somewhere and any attempts to socialise her with other dogs needs to be done in a controlled environment.
 
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