Decision About Pet

Hell T..
Yes this is a very difficult decision to make.
My female greyhound was like this in her elder years. i had to confine her upstairs when my babysitting children were at my house because it got to where I didn't know what she would around them. She was just old and mean. I think it is senility sometimes. If it happens to us, why not them? This is a choice that you have to make unfortunately. You live with this dog and know it better than anyone else. If you think that there is no quality of life and she is getting worse, then perhaps it is the right decision. I would pray about it and ask God to bring you peace about the decision you must make. I had to put down a black cat I had (he was about 3 yo) that was so evil, he attacked us, he had a infected ear and I couldn't give his medicine to him so he got worse and meaner (if that is possible). It was so awful. We were scared of him because he would attack us all the time. In our face, there was no handling him. I think he was possessed personally. He was shear evil to everyone.
I am so so sorry about you having to make this choice.
W.

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T.,
I am sorry for your position, but I strongly disagree with most of the comments here. I do, however, agree with Susan H. It isn't the dogs fault. They require lots of 're-training' once children come into the picture. Dogs, like kids, get jealous and hurt when they are no longer the center of attention. And, shame on your vet for taking the easy way out and not teaching you how to deal with your dog. It really doesn't take that much time to change your dog's behavior, but it does take cosistency! Your chihuahua has had you all to hisself for so long and will change if the proper steps are taken to teach him about the new family dynamic. I recommend a book from 'The Dog Whisperer' Ceasar Milan. Your dog is screaming for attention. I hope that you reconsier your decision to end his life because he is putting too much stress on you. I know it's hard (I have 3 dogs and 2 cats and one 5 month old), but it will be worth the effort to keep him alive. If he were sick I would agree, but he is just extremely sad!

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Hi T.,
If it helps at all I agree with your decision. You gave him a very good life and at 13 he is old and you said no real quality of life.
DONT FEEL BAD FOR YOUR DECISION IT'S A GOOD ONE!

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It sounds like this dog has had a great life. You have poured your love into for 13 years. Your kids safety is the most important thing so if he can't live with them and not bite at them it's not safe. I love dogs. We have a westie that didn't do very good with my first child. She snapped at him and growls all them time when either of my kids get near her while she is eating. We talked about giving her away but she is so much better now since my 2nd came along. I think she has figured out her place in the family and has learned to love both boys. When a dog gets so old their health can get bad. It sounds like you are going to help him by putting him down. How good of a life is he really having?
I know it is hard but your kids will not be afraid of dogs in the long run and you can get a dog that your kids grow up with that knows there place in the family right away.
Hope this helps !

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I am sorry you have to have your dog put to sleep or find someone else to take him. It is a tough thing to have to do. But, you have a responsibility to protect your children. They are too little to protect themselves from your dog. Make a decision to get another dog when the children are old enough to care for a dog. We have a very child friendly dog and my children love him. If you keep the dog in your home they will be afraid of him. Animals bring such joy to our lives. You do not want your children to grow up afraid of animals. As much as you love your dog, your children are always your first priority as a mom.

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I am so sorry to hear of your situation. I can totally identify. We had to put down my 16 year old mutt when I was about 6 months pregnant. Not only was it difficult because she had been such loyal companion, but my hormones were raging to boot! Anyway, I truly believe you are doing the right thing. If he doesn't know who he is anymore and you don't see the playful little puppy that grew to be your great friend when you look at him, then it's time to set him free of the bonds on this world. Have faith that you will see him again and enjoy his company once again.
It was very hard for me to let go, and we elected to have our dog cremated. If you don't think that's too morbid or weird, you may consider doing that so that you can have something physical you can look to and remember him by. You really are doing the right thing for him.....and your family.

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I am so sorry for you. You are doing the right thing. If he hurts one of your children you will be so mad at yourself. I have a dog and a cat that I love but the safety of your children is number one but you already know that. It will be so much easier for you when you don't have to always be watching the dog.

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I think you are making the right decision.

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T.,
Look at it this way. I know you love the dog and if you can find it a home, great but like you said, if he has gotten mean no one will have him. Now... a dog is a dog. Your children are more important. You have to put them first.
When it comes to my children, I would never feel guilty about that and you shouldn't either. You are doing the right thing. That dog could hurt one of your children badly. He lived a good life and was a good dog while he was alone, now it is time to move on. Life is much different now. Your children are number one and they come first.
If it makes you feel any better, I would have gotten rid of the dog long before you did.
Don't look back

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I have been there and it is a very hard thing to do, but I truly believe it is the right thing to do. Someone once reminded me that pets don't anticipate death like we do. They live in the moment so there is no fear for them. I had to have an old boy put down last year. It was a tough decision, but once done, a tremendous feeling of relief and I know it was the right thing to do. May you feel peace about this.
<>< Blessings,
D.

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I am so sorry to hear about your pet dilemma. Before I had my daughter, I always had dogs that were my "children" and so I know how these animals can become your family members. It sounds like the dog is entering the nursing home stage of his life and now you're too busy with two small children to baby him along and he's too dangerous to be left alone with them. My miniature schnauzer was acting kinda like that and we started supplementing her with our liquid vitamin product, Vemma because she developed metabolic issues and wasn't eating right. Vemma is an acronymn for Vitamins, Essential Minerals, Mangosteen and Aloe Vera. There's Green Tea in there too but they didn't call it VemmaGT for some reason. ;-) Anyway, some of the properties of this supplement was anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, so whatever the infection, it should help that. The dog was experiencing dimentia so the minerals would help the brain processes by enabling the neurotransmitters to fire properly and it's anti-depressant benefits would help improve her mood. People have experienced great improvement with Alzheimer's patients too so I thought if she's getting senile, why not! She got very stiff in her movements when she first stood up so the anti-inflammatory properties would help that, just like the Cox II inhibiting drugs do for humans that have trouble with arthritis. I would give it to her in a turkey baster but my poodle will drink it in her water and love it! It also gets rid of parasites, which is why I gave it to the poodle. I don't expect you to order it for your Chihuahua unless you think you might like to try it yourself too. We just did it because we were already taking it. But eventually, I had to go to Las Vegas to our national convention and had to let her go on to be with the Lord because I knew I was the only one crazy enough to feed that dog like that every day! It's extremely tough when you have to make the decision but it's for everyone's best interest. I pray that God will give you abundant grace and your children will be young enough that it won't effect them negatively. Blessings, Mel

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As a fellow Chihuahua lover, I really feel for you and him. Several things you wrote stand out to me. One is the whining for no apparent reason. He might be in pain or general misery. Also, that he seems to only exist. As hard as it is, it truly sounds like you've made the right choice. Since it's a permanent decision, you're obviously being cautious and conscientious about making it.

I would suggest one more check though. How are his teeth? I had a sweet little boy whose teeth were bad. He couldn't eat well and was so skinny (he was already elderly when I adopted him). Once the teeth were taken care of, he began to eat normally, gained weight, and became more energetic.

I eventually had to go through this decision with my little fellow. If you decide to go ahead with it, have a special weekend with him. If he has any favorite things left (food or activities), indulge him. Then give him a sweet goodbye.

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Good luck in your decision... it's only yours to make and you need to do what is right for you and your family despite any of our advice, but I will give you mine anyway!

I found a great website that talks about treating your dog like a human instead of the pack animal they are. I would read it to see if any of the advice might work now, or at least for if and when you get another dog.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/humandog.htm
Scroll down and read the additional topics on the right... there is a lot of amazing info about puppy training, dog walking, and every other issue. A godsend to a dogowner that wants a well-behaved dog! How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend is the BEST dog book ever- I trained two very stubborn Dalmatians to come when they are called consistantly with advice from the book. (If this advice doesn't help you, I hope it might help someone else reading this.)

DO at least consider a rescue group. My 13 year old dog died of natural causes (bloat) in March and I cried so much I thought I was going crazy (even though he had some major health issues and we had been considering putting him to sleep!) We considered rescuing another dog of his breed close to his age, kind of just to have another chance... I wish I had a do-over! For different reasons, there are people that might adopt a dog that just cannot live in your house that know full well his temperment. We found our current dog a few weeks ago on the internet after searching all the rescue groups of the breed! Here's a rescue listing website link:
http://www.rescueinfocenter.com/register.php

In any case, you are doing the right thing if you can't train out his behavioral issues to remove him from the situation. It's not good for you or him and your kids do come first!

Good luck!

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I also support your decision, even though I TOTALLY understand how hard it is. I have FOUR dogs that are like family members, but if any of them were acting the way yours is I would do the same thing. Not only is it not safe for your kids, but your dog is obviously very unhappy. Maybe you can have a little time alone with him before the end, and just give yourself a chance to say "goodbye". We did have a dog once that was VERY unhappy about our second son coming along and he ended up running away - I never did know what happened to him and I think that was worse. Just remember that you WILL grieve the loss of your dog and that's OK. Try not to let yourself feel guilty about the decision. Remind yourself that it is what's best for him too. And when the kids are older you can get a dog that will be friends with them as well as you. I do think kids need a dog in their life, but not a mean dog.

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You are DEFINITELY doing the right thing. He is telling you he's not happy with his environment. We had the same problem with a 3 year old lab. She was great until we had our twins and she was no longer the baby. She growled at our daughter, and then a few days later went at her face. Thank goodness she didn't hurt her, but she could have. Because she was only 3, we found her another home that has worked out beautifully. I know it's hard to lose them when they have been family, but it's just not worth the risk. I called a good friend of mine who's husband is a vet, and she said we were doing the right thing. At 13 years old, it would be hard to find her another home. When you're ready, you can get another dog who should adjust better since you will already have the children. She's obviously not happy... I'm so sorry! But you are doing the right thing.

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so sorry to hear about the pet and the problems. before you go through with putting him down on monday, have you had your vet check his teeth carefully? If theres no problem with his health have you considered checking to see if there is a group in your town that will take him to do valuable work with a local nursing home. he may do very well with cheering the elderly. sometimes that breed can be set in their ways and not very tolerant of children. we had to put down our thirteen year old boxer a year ago this past jan.due to illness and I was still in tears yesterday as we celebrated our 12 yr old husky's birthday. we still miss him so. hope it all works out. I wanted to add that our boxer was with bladder conditions for ten of the thirteen years of his life, it was many nights spent trying to help him pee and to the point that I was catherizing him the last two years. I said I would never put a pet through that ever again. I think we want to hang on because we love them and they are a member of our family, but we need to remember the quality of life before we think of only our selfishness to hold on to them. God bless you in your decission.

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Dear T.,

I am so sorry to hear about your pet. I do believe it is the right thing to do, putting the poor little thing out of his misery. And the safety of your children must be a priority. I pray the Lord will comfort you during this stressful time. Perhaps after some time has gone by you will be blessed with a young dog that will love and protect your children.

D.

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Hi T.! I know this is a really hard decision, but you can't have a dog that is trying to bite your children. I havea similar situation going on, but our dog just gives gives my son dirty looks right now. We'll probably have to do the same thing as you are. SHe has bitten people in the past, so I know ahe has it in her. I know this is hard, but you are doing the right thing. Good luck, K.

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Hi T.,
First let me say how sorry I am you are going through this, having been through it I know what a difficult decission it is to make. But I believe you are making the correct one. It sounds like your beloved dog is no longer enjoying life. This said and with the issue with your children you are doing the right thing. I made the decision to have my 2 lasa apsas (brother and sister put down at the same time, one was ill the other deaf and nearly blind) I took them to the vet and they were on the table together and went to sleep together and peacefully. They were always together, for 14y. They had a great life as it sound like your Clyde did as well, Cherish the memories, and let him go. I still think of them. It has been almost 4y since that trip to the vet. I wish you well.
D.

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I'm in the same boat as you are. I have a 12 yr. old Maltese and a 6 yr. old Daushound. The Daushound HAS bit my 3 yr. old and the Maltese is grumpy,mean, and pees in the house. They were the "babies" until the "real" baby came along. I think they are just really jelous. I don't want to get rid of my dogs, so we just try to keep them seperate from our little boy (especially when he is eating). It's hard b/c I want my little boy to beable to play with them, but I'm afraid of something really,really,bad happening. I'm not much help for you, but I just thought I would share my same issues. Please...any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

A little about me: I'm a 37yr. old who works outside of home. Happily married with a 3 yr. old boy.

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Just keep reminding yourself that your family is more important than the dog.

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I don't know a whole lot about Chihuahuas but I have always had a dog. From my very little experience with those types of dogs they can become aggresive, just as pretty much any dog can given the right circumstances. I don't know the life expectancy of Chihuahuas but 13 years is pretty old in my opinion. It sounds like he is in some sort of pain if he is whining and doesn't even want to move around for no apparent reason. If our dog ever went to bite my child, I would have to seriously consider putting him down. Like you, we have had our dog longer than we have had our kids so he is our "oldest child" and we love him dearly, but when it comes down to it, he is a dog and the kids are our kids, we obviously would choose to protect our kids. Our dog is a golden retriever and if you consider getting another dog in the future, I would highly recommend them. They are AWESOME dogs with kids. I am so sorry that you are having to go through this. You could always call a Chihuahua Rescue (if there is one in your area) and see if they can help you at all with your decision. Most places like that will not take a dog once they have bitten someone but you could always check with them first. Good luck with whatever you decide. I would not want to be in your shoes. So sorry.

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Dear T.,

Whatever you decide to do, it will be the right thing for you. I'm very sorry you have to go through this. My 11 year old dog had to be put down (cancer) when my older son was 3 1/2. When the time came, we carried him to the couch and put him in my son's arms, took pictures of them together while my husband and I both cried. My son knew the dog wouldn't be there in the morning, and he realized that this was his time to tell our pet goodbye. I know you can't put your pet in your son's arms, but you might talk to him about the dog having to go to another home so that he will have the chance to say goodbye. I don't think you should actually tell your son what's going on, since you don't have to. I had to because it was so evident to my very bright child.

I hope you can get another dog for your children, a breed that is more friendly towards kids. Do a lot of homework, and try to spend some time with the dog before deciding, but stay away from the puppy mills. Also invest in some family training with a reputable trainer so that your job in handling a new pet is easier. I know it's hard to think of a new pet when you're starting the mourning process for your current one, but there's no better tribute to him than getting another dog to take on his job of loving your kids. He just can't do it in his present state.

All my best to you, T.. D.

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13 is geriatric for a chihuahua, but before you decide to ends it's life, make sure you have considered all of the options.

If you are absolutely sure that there is no medical reason causing the changes and the dog is miserable, then have it put to sleep.

My yorkie did the same thing - wouldn't eat, started snapping and biting - and we found out that he has Cushings Disease, which is managed with medication and a few small lifestyle changes. We also were considering having him put down - until we found out it's something manageable. Now he will have a few more years of life and the quality of his life has improved drastically.

good luck with whatever you choose. It's an incredibly hard choice.

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T.,

I am so sorry about this. Although I never had a chihuahua, one of my neighbors had 3 when I was growning up. When she first got them, they were fine, by the time they turned 11 all 3 of them turned mean. They used to be such playful happy dogs and would go to everyone and kiss and play with them. I am not an expert but it seems that the older they get they do get meaner. I also had to get rid of my two dogs when my daughter started crawling. They were both German shepard/lab combos. One would let her crawl all over him, pull his hair and tail and would just watch and kiss her. The other one would run when she would start coming toward him. Then one day my daughter surpirsed this particular dog and he growled and snapped at her. I then had no choice but to get rid of the dogs. They were both 10 years old and getting on in years. I know you love your dog, I loved my dogs too, but my baby came first and that is how you have to think of this situation. Your children come first.

You will cry and grieve, but remember your puppy as a puppy when he would run, jump and play with you and not as he is now. Life goes on and now your children need you.

Good luck

E.

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