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chellethomp68

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Hi I am looking for some advice, perhaps someone has been through something similar. We rescued Brandi 3 years ago. She had been taken off the streets and was so thin you could see every bone in her body. She had seen three vets by the time we had her and nobody was able to pick up that she was pregnant. A month later we had six puppies! Joe and I worked our way through rearing and finding new homes. They are all well adjusted happy loving dogs with no problems at all. I grew up with Great Danes and Terriers. My mother used to show and deal with rescue dogs as well, so I am very relaxed around dogs. We kept Scooby whom we have absolutely no problems with at all. In fact he is the best dog I have ever had. Brandi has had all sorts of issues that we bought in a dog behaviourist. He assured me I was doing all the right things and to keep going with her. She has a big thing about food as you can imagine and I have got her feeding out of all of our hands without any problems. However the food is stored in the garage, their secure zone is the utility room next to it. Brandi has taken to guarding both rooms so much so that she barkned snarled and growled at my mother in law and 7 year old daughter. This is not the first time. She attacked a friend who was going into the fridge for milk and she has gone for myself and Joe. She has just attacked our cat and if I had not been there would probably have killed her. Is it time to give up and take a one way trip to the vets or can we do something. She seems to have a reset button in her head. We make such much progress and then we are right back to square one. Help!
 
It is your dog and your decision........whether you are prepared to let it attack your family and visitors........it's a tough one.......but hope you make the right decision before someone is injured. What does the behaviorist suggest?
 
Oh my goodness..

We had a few problems with Ripples, but only when she has a bone/treat etc... she was a bit funny with her food ut she is okay now with that after we took her to an intense training session.

Is there anywhere local you can go for some good training?
 
We have spoken to someone who specialises in food aggression and they feel that we have done all we can. It is time to put her with someone who can dedicate their whole time to putting this problem right. Bless her Brandi has come on so far with us that we did not want to give up on her. Someone is willing to take her on and work constantly with her. She also has an offer of a home on a 900 acre farm today. She can run free with other collie type dogs and have a warm bed at night with food supplied regularly. So we now have to decide what is going to be best for her in the long run. In both cases she will be away from children and small animals. From what we can work out, we think she has been hit regularly and tormented by a group of boys. She has been starving on the streets. So she just has this one issue to be overcome. I just felt we owed her more than just dumping her back in the rescue centre or putting her down. But we have definately decided she cannot stay with us as we don't have the right set up to take her any further. However we do feel a responsibility to make sure the people she goes forward with will know absolutely everything we have learnt about her. She is a lovely girl in so many ways. She will be the first dog I have ever had that I cannot fully help. I feel so sad.
 
It sounds like you really tried.

Will the people she is going to keep you informed of how she is?

Does where she was rescued from allow rehoming?
 
We are really disgusted with the rescue place we got her from. They didn't want to know about having her back. They didn't tell us she had all these problems and they didn't even pick up that she was pregnant. The rescue place who specialises in animal aggression is where we have taken the advice from and will take her and work with her. They will let us know how she gets on. The farm we could visit any time as they are friends of a very good friend and very trustworthy. We won't just drop her off and forget about her, we cant as we love her.
 
Oh dear - thats not very good is it?

I am glad you will be able to keep contact with her and see how she is doing - 3 years is a long time to put so much into saving a little person to not be able to keep up with her.

Can we see a picture of her?
 
By the Way I haven't mentioned any names as I am not sure whether I can or not. But the new rescue place was recommended to us by the RSPCA when we contacted them for advice as they deal with problem dogs all the time. They have advised us that we have done all we can.

I will get my husband to post pictures slightly later today as I am not so hot on things like that!!! We have some lovely ones. Joe is taking Scooby to the vets for his innoculations.
 
That's so sad. I wouldn't put her back in rescue (though this one that deals with aggression sounds like it could be positive). The farm idea sounds workable so long as they know what they're getting into.

Heartbreaking as it can be sometimes the best thing we can do for a dog is let it go. It's got to be awful to be in the frame of mind to have to be 'on alert' all the time. Hopefully the farm situation will work out. It does sound like you've put everything you can into her and taken it as far as you can. I'm so sorry :(
 
This is a fairly common problem and a totally fixable one. :)

Please read Mine! by Jean Donaldson.
 
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