Rough day......

[Longhunter89]

oYesterday was one of the hardest days of my life. I had to put down my 6 year old blue heeler. I've had probably over 20 dogs in my lifetime. Mostly working/hunting dogs but this one affected me very badly. He was the best dog I had ever owned. And I had to put him down because he had just got too mean for his own good. It became a struggle of dominance between me and him. And I made some mistakes and did not correct it early enough and it cost me and him both. He turned on me and bit me thursday afternoon did a pretty good number on my finger. My wife immediately told me I needed to put him down. Which I knew already but I sat there all afternoon on the porch steps trying to work up the courage to do it. Meanwhile listening to my middle child crying her eyes out in the house. It was brutal. What made it so bad was he was that dog would do absolutely anything you asked him. Highly obedient but always slightly aggressive with a high prey drive. He was always right up under my wife's feet and lived in the house. At some point due to various reasons we put him out of the house about 2 years ago. And thats when the problems started. He was highly possive of my wife and when we put him outside he couldn't handle it and took it out of me. Long story short I couldn't do it Thursday night- it was just eating me alive. I went in to work and thought about it all day. I was going to buy a outside kennel and keep him in it and work with him for 30 days and see if I could get this issue figgured out. When I got home I let him off the porch and after about 5 minutes I tryed to call him to me and pet him. He came at me slowly head down and nose up with a low growl. I realized right then and there what I had to do. We was never going to be the same and I had to put him down. He had no respect for me and I would get bit again or maybe next time one of my kids. Even though he did all that it was devastating to my family. While I don't put dogs on the same pedestal as people it was incredibly hard on us because we remember how loyal and steadfast he had been. How he had protected my wife and kids from bad situations multiple times. I never thought I would say this but putting him down even after everything he done to me was one of the hardest things I've done in my life. He had just got to mean and I was worried he would eventually bite one of my kids.

 

[specialk]

wow, that was hard to read....i know it was hard but i got to feel that somewhere deep inside you got to feel some type of relief now.....

 

[Longhunter89]

wow, that was hard to read....i know it was hard but i got to feel that somewhere deep inside you got to feel some type of relief now.....

I do feel relieved in the fact that I don't have to worry about him biting someone. He was always a very aloof dog even as a puppy. He was so overly possessive and protective of my Wife(stay at home mom)and kids I could not trust him around anyone. He would not let anyone around them period. I had to lock him up if anyone except a few family members stopped by. We tried to correct him constantly but never could get him to act right.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Man I feel for you, but you done the right thing. If you can’t trust him, you can’t trust him. Many people will have a situation like this and give the dog to someone or take it to the pound. What ends up happening is some one who thinks they know dogs picks them up and a child gets bit. Dogs with high prey drive or strong working instincts need to be stimulated both mentally and physically. It often requires more than the average can put into them. Heelers are a herding dog and very smart and use their eyes alot. Used in a working environment they are tuff to beat, but they go to bed tired every night. It’s tuff to do….but you done the right thing.

 

[Longhunter89]

Man I feel for you, but you done the right thing. If you can’t trust him, you can’t trust him. Many people will have a situation like this and give the dog to someone or take it to the pound. What ends up happening is some one who thinks they know dogs picks them up and a child gets bit. Dogs with high prey drive or strong working instincts need to be stimulated both mentally and physically. It often requires more than the average can put into them. Heelers are a herding dog and very smart and use their eyes alot. Used in a working environment they are tuff to beat, but they go to bed tired every night. It’s tuff to do….but you done the right thing.

Your right. About the giving him away. I couldn't in good conscience do that knowing how he was. He was so funny about being around strangers and would not tolerate anyone other than family.

 

[ghadarits]

I hate that for you. I know it was hard on you.

 

[Nicodemus]

As a life long Blue Heeler man, my heart goes out to you. I hope to God I never have to make that decision.

 

[Longhunter89]

As a life long Blue Heeler man, my heart goes out to you. I hope to God I never have to make that decision.

Nic, There ain't a finer dog in the world than a blue heeler. This was my second one. But this took it out of me so bad I don't know if I could own another one.
I got a old redbone that is dear to me and I think the world of her....but she ain't half the dog that heeler was.

 

[JustUs4All]

Tough situation and very difficult to deal with. You did the right thing and have my sympathy and respect.

 

[1eyefishing]

At least you saved yourself and your family.
There was probably no saving him.

 

[pjciii]

I am sorry for your loss. You did the right thing.

 

[Bkeepr]

I'm so sorry for your loss, but you did the right thing. I love herding breeds in general and have had 3 heelers myself.

This year at age 63 I became a dog bite victim myself. I was bitten Sunday Memorial day weekend by my nephew's 2 year old Australian shepherd and the deepest puncture has finally scabbed over and quit oozing. This was after 2 10-day courses of antibiotics. I was probably the 6th person to be bitten but also had the worst bite. My brother playfully shoved me, and the dog "me too'ed" and bit me on the back of the calf, just a stockdog type grip and release but pretty deep.

I have very mixed feelings about the incident. I don't want to be over at our family campsite while the dog is there. At this time they are going to try training because they say that the dog only bites when he is running loose at the campsite and that his behavior is racheted up by my other brother's 3 German shepherds..which it is. But the German shepherds just bark and then go lay back down. The Aussie stays jacked up. He targets any person that he sees as an outsider, someone who hasn't been around him constantly while he grew up. He starts circling and rolling his eyes at his next victim. He got me from behind. My brother, his wife and his son don't pay close attention to him to even notice that this is leading up to a bite. Now they have hired a trainer and are keeping the dog leashed and muzzled. He calms down alot when he is on a leash or when another family member's pitbull mix is there. I don't know if he is fixable or not. While one brother blames the other brother's German shepherds, I think something is intrinsicly wrong with the Aussie and he would just find another trigger to cause a bite.