Introduction and looking for help..

[SuicideAnonymous]

hello,

I was a member on here quite a few years ago, though my account has been deactivated by this time...

Anyways, I have a neighbor up the street who has a pit bull.... the dog officially belongs to the 20 year old kid who moved out a couple of months ago and left the dog there... his mother was taking care of the dog, but she and her boyfriend broke up, and she moved out, leaving the dog with her now ex-boyfriend. He doesn't want the dog, doesn't have the time or motivation to take care of it, and doesn't really want anything to do with him....

the dog isn't in the best shape, they've never really taken very good care of him to begin with... he has a lot of skin problems and has lost the majority of hair on his backside... he absolutely adores his 'people' but has been known to get aggressive with others... he's fine with 'his dogs' but he's been known to get in a few fights with unknown dogs...

he's mostly trained, house trained, knows simple commands.... he's not fixed...
I don't really want to see him put down, though I must admit that might possibly be the best thing for him.... i don't know... I love the hell out of him, he's an absolutely sweetheart in the right environment, though I will admit that he can be a bit unstable with people who aren't familiar with him.... and he hasn't always been treated the best...

What should I do? As I said, I don't really want to see him put down.... ideally I would love to see him go to another home, but I just don't know if that will happen... if he goes to the pound, they'll just put him down without a second thought.... I just don't know... ??

[star_frances]

Thank you for wanting to help this dog.

It could be that his behavior would change drastically and improve if he were in a good environment for 2-3 weeks. That's the result everyone hopes for when they rescue a dog. It's also possible with a lot of hard work and commitment that he could be manageable in the right home even if he does have some lasting behavioral problems. The trouble is, of course, that those good homes are few and far between and finding someone willing to take on a potentially troubled dog is very difficult. Of course, the worst case scenario, and the one no one wants to face, is that he is potentially a danger and needs to be put to sleep. If you do decide to step in, I think it's important you be honest about all the possibilies and willing to see it through to the end, no matter which of those outcomes you may be faced with. Most rescues and shelters are full to overflowing, and taking this dog with the expectations of a group being able to step in and help you are slim to none.

At the very least perhaps you could locate free or low cost neuter options in your area and suggest that to the current owner? It won't solve many or all of the behavior problems, but it could help. The skin problems could be tricky, the dog might be facing mange, food or flea allergy, environmental allergy. Obviously some of those are easier than others to diagnose and treat.

I'd almost be tempted to suggest you take him for a few weeks trial and see how he does, but you'd need to go into it willing to commit from start to finish, not just looking to pass a potential problem dog onto someone else. Best of luck whatever you decide, and thank you again for caring.

[boy1075]

i feel the same way... it is sad that this things happened. it is enough to pray that the dog will be in good hand.

[SuicideAnonymous]

I would love to take him but unfortunately I already have two dogs and two cats, and we're only allowed to have two animals here total, so I'm kinda doubling the limit already... I've given them resources for getting him fixed and getting his shots on a number of occasions, they've just never taken him down there to have it done...

I don't really know what to do with him, the poor guy... he was out wandering around in the street last night again so I took him back up to the house and put him on the porch and shut the gate... he's gotten so much worse in the last month, the skin condition is just taking over and stripping all his hair.... maybe it would be best to just have him put down... I put an ad up on craigslist for him but no one has responded yet, and I don't really think that anyone will.... it's so hard to find a decent home for these dogs, especially one with as many issues as he has.... but I guess all I can do for now is keep trying to find someone who can take care of him...

[SuicideAnonymous]

should i repost this in general discussion?

[Curly_07]

Once a mod approves you to the board, yes you should post this in General to maybe get some more ideas to help you. I've PM'd a few of the mods earlier about everyone waiting to get it. Hopefully one of them will stroll thru soon.

Thank you for doing what you can to help this dog. Oh, and welcome

Sent from my HTC using Tapatalk

[Ilovethepits]

Are there any rescues in your area that might be able to help? I know they are all overrun but sometimes things fall into place. Even getting the dog to the vet and/or evaluated would be a good start.

[Leslie H]

Personally, I would recommend that the poor dog be euthanized, as his history with people is poor. Sorry the poor dog is in these circumstances.