Not a pit bull - American Bulldog

[Amy Hendrickson]

Looking for thoughts. Rose, the American bulldog is coming back to me. She went after one of the children in her adoptive home. I have made an appointment to put her down on Sat, I can't place her. I just don't have enough confidence in my ability to place an AB. She is one tough ass dog and is a dominant dog - even with people. She was great with the kids on the pre visits, confident but not overbearing, not really paying a whole lot of attention to the girls.

I know she let her get up on the bed with the girls and that's probably a mistake and where things started. She's just a dog that needs to be treated like a dog. I don't want to put her down, I don't want to tell the adopters I'm putting her down but I don't know what I can possibly do. She will bite someone with the wrong kind of owner and it's not something I will accept from the pit bulls I place so I feel like I can't cut her slack. that and she's a damn big dog, she's about 23" at the shoulder - she's taller than my corso

She's tried to exert herself with her owner like she did with me when she was here, eye contact and growling to get attention, barking at me up close if I'm ignoring her, pushy things and it was a daily battle. We developed an understanding and I can handle her but I can not legally keep her with my dog limit where I am.

I am sad, looking for thoughts, please be kind, this is not what I want to do.

[jamielvsaustin]

Typically I'd want to know the situation in which the dog went for the kids. Granted dogs should have some tolerance if they're going to be in a home with...well people...but sometimes kids can't read dogs.

But, if you think this is the right thing to do then I'm confident it is. You don't seem like the type of person to make snap judgments and I really believe you have the best at heart for the dogs that come through your doors.

Sorry you have to make this decision.

[MissKitty]

Have you/they talked to a behaviorist?

I doubt that letting her on the bed lead to this, more likely the owners were clueless to body language cues.

[Sweet72947]

I don't blame you for coming to this decision. Yes an AB does have guarding instinct and they can be "bullheaded" because they are bulldogs, but they should not behave the way you have described. Maybe I would give a little leeway to a teenage dog and see what I could do with training, but her behavior really doesn't sound like a stable dog of her breed.

(hugs) you have done what you can for her.

[Amy Hendrickson]

It was a tough decision, one I hope I don't have to make again. I liked Rose but that said, she was a lot of dog and it's hard to live with a dog that wants to body bump you or stand in your way just for the heck of it. As for the kids, there were two in the home, one older and younger. She was fine with the younger child, the confident outgoing child, it was the quiet child, the one that was a little shy that she went after. I just could never trust her not to show aggression if she thought she could. I cut her some slack in the beginning because she was so badly hurt but I guess she really didn't have the right stuff. It's so easy to second guess things now.

[Celesteandthebullies]

Not to sound rude, but dogs don't be aggressive just because they can.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beh ... -not-apply

[chako]

I'm sorry you had to make such a difficult decision, but I completely understand your desire not to place a dog that has proven unsafe around children. If more people were as responsible and thoughtful as you, there would be far fewer headlines and, ultimately, many more lives (dogs and humans) saved as a result. If all dog owners and rescuers were so responsible, there would be no impetus for breed bans, insurance blacklists, etc., which translates to many, many more lives saved.

And I'm of the opinion euthanizing a dog in a foster situation is much kinder to the dog than having that dog euthanized in a shelter (as often happens when it bites someone, gets confiscated, ends up in a shelter, and is ultimately euthanized).

-Dawn-

[Celesteandthebullies]

I agree, it is often fairer to the dogs than putting them through the stress.