Hi, I have an 8yr old English bull terrier who I have had since a pup he's never really been socialised due to where we lived and over the years he's become more aggressive toward people and animals, I know this is because of his upbringing as in he is the only dog around etc... He now has to be musseled and has gone to attack both ppl and animals recent, I now have no trust in him around my kids but re homing him is impossible because of his behavior and aggression and all the dog centers I have spoken to say they would have him put down...he is just a risk to my kids now although he has been the family pet for 8years I have to do something but make the right decision
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Desperate for help/ advice before its too late :(
- Thread starter lucytank
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Hi Lucytank, and welcome to DogForum 
I really don't envy you this decision- you must be torn every way possible about it.
My first instinct is to say that if you have a dog in a home with children and you know that he is a risk to the children then there is only one decision that you can take. I love my dog to bits and would defend her from all criticism, but if it came down to a choice between my dog and a child I know which would come first.
Before taking any decision, can I please urge you to get him checked out by a vet? There could be all sorts of things, including pain and neurological conditions which are making him particularly volatile at the moment. Another thing to consider is that the average life span of EBTs is only 9-10 years, so it's quite possible that he is simply not coping with the speed of everyday life, and that could affect choices that you take for him.
I have one big question to ask you, and I'm afraid it's a hugely emotive one. How would you feel watching one of your children grow up with a large facial scar?
If you recognise that he is a risk to your children and you don't have a foolproof way to keep them apart then how do you prevent him from harming them? I know dogs that have succeeded in hurting people through a muzzle and dogs that have managed to shred their muzzle in an attempt to get at their target.
As far as I see things you have two possible choices, either letting him go now, or trying to let him live out his life without being a risk, since it's probably too late in his life to take on the extensive training and socialising that would be necessary to enable him to not be aggressive. I don't think that you have even a hint of a chance of rehoming him, and even if you could, is it irresponsible to rehome him knowing that he's a risk? As you have said, none of the rescues would take on the risk of rehoming a dog who is known to be aggressive to people, so sending him to a rescue would simply be a way of having him put to sleep but without actually taking him yourself (and that doesn't really make it a separate choice at all).
Do you have sufficient space to allow him to be separated from those to whom he poses a risk? If you do, and you put him in that space, is he then going to go loopy from loneliness because he's being separated from his human?
Part of the issue is that pretty much every country now has way more dogs than homes, so if you found a rescue who would take him then there is every likelihood that he would live out his days unloved, in a kennel, with no attention or love, and that's something that I wouldn't choose to put any dog through willingly. Taking the hard decision to have him put to sleep yourself would involve a lot less stress and confusion for him, and at the same time expose less people to the risk he may pose (and cost less for the rescue). If you were adopting, would you take the one known to have aggression issues if ones without the issues were available? No, neither would anybody else.
I'm afraid I have no easy answers for you, but I hope you come to peace with whatever decision you take for him
I really don't envy you this decision- you must be torn every way possible about it.
My first instinct is to say that if you have a dog in a home with children and you know that he is a risk to the children then there is only one decision that you can take. I love my dog to bits and would defend her from all criticism, but if it came down to a choice between my dog and a child I know which would come first.
Before taking any decision, can I please urge you to get him checked out by a vet? There could be all sorts of things, including pain and neurological conditions which are making him particularly volatile at the moment. Another thing to consider is that the average life span of EBTs is only 9-10 years, so it's quite possible that he is simply not coping with the speed of everyday life, and that could affect choices that you take for him.
I have one big question to ask you, and I'm afraid it's a hugely emotive one. How would you feel watching one of your children grow up with a large facial scar?
If you recognise that he is a risk to your children and you don't have a foolproof way to keep them apart then how do you prevent him from harming them? I know dogs that have succeeded in hurting people through a muzzle and dogs that have managed to shred their muzzle in an attempt to get at their target.
As far as I see things you have two possible choices, either letting him go now, or trying to let him live out his life without being a risk, since it's probably too late in his life to take on the extensive training and socialising that would be necessary to enable him to not be aggressive. I don't think that you have even a hint of a chance of rehoming him, and even if you could, is it irresponsible to rehome him knowing that he's a risk? As you have said, none of the rescues would take on the risk of rehoming a dog who is known to be aggressive to people, so sending him to a rescue would simply be a way of having him put to sleep but without actually taking him yourself (and that doesn't really make it a separate choice at all).
Do you have sufficient space to allow him to be separated from those to whom he poses a risk? If you do, and you put him in that space, is he then going to go loopy from loneliness because he's being separated from his human?
Part of the issue is that pretty much every country now has way more dogs than homes, so if you found a rescue who would take him then there is every likelihood that he would live out his days unloved, in a kennel, with no attention or love, and that's something that I wouldn't choose to put any dog through willingly. Taking the hard decision to have him put to sleep yourself would involve a lot less stress and confusion for him, and at the same time expose less people to the risk he may pose (and cost less for the rescue). If you were adopting, would you take the one known to have aggression issues if ones without the issues were available? No, neither would anybody else.
I'm afraid I have no easy answers for you, but I hope you come to peace with whatever decision you take for him
