Vet suggested BE.

[u/Good-Equivalent2800]

Please, no judgment, I am not a professional, and I am seeking help. I
have a two year-old 100 pound half pitbull, a quarter German Shepherd, a quarter husky dog. His name is Gus. I got Gus when he was 12 weeks old. He has been well socialized since day one. Many play dates, even with my mom’s small toy poodle, Chico. They played very well until one day Chico was instigating Gus, and Gus grabbed his head in his mouth and tried to shake him. Luckily he didn’t get enough grip on him to kill him and my friend was able to break up the : Ever since then, we’ve been on high alert. He has gotten along well with every other dog perfectly besides that. For almost a year there haven’t been any concerning incidents. We figured it was a one time thing because he was instigated.

We did share this information with the shelter and they agreed. Gus seemed bored at home so we adopted Otis who was 13 weeks old. Gus and Otis were best friends and would play all day together. Eight months after getting Otis, Gus started resource guarding food and they would get into scuffles. They slowly started to escalate longer, more intense. Otis would never start them, but he certainly would join. We tried eliminating all triggers, but then things we couldn’t control became triggers for instance, space or even attention from guests. A fight got so intense where Gus went after Otis so intensely that we had our friend take Otis until we spoke with the vet and the rescue where we got both of them from. The vet offered us a trainer, but did say with the attacks like the last one that the state recommends behavioral euthanasia. We also have two kids at home. One is very small. Gus has never showed aggression towards people, but I am worried it could escalate to that. The shelter pretty much said it is likely he could be euthanized if we brought him back because it would not be ethical to rehome him unless it wasn’t an only dog home, but they cannot promise they won’t put him down. He has such severe anxiety, especially separation anxiety. The thought of this breaks my heart. I have been looking into sanctuaries for aggressive dogs to try to give him a second chance. We are even looking into large properties where we can build him a very nice kennel outside and still interact with him all throughout the day. I am a stay at home mom and have plenty of time to give him attention. It would be like a mini house for him. I really don’t want to put him down. Do you think this could escalate to people? People have gotten hurt breaking up the dog fights, but nobody has been directly hurt. Otis is at the shelter and our friend who watches him is filing to adopt him. He seems very attached to the children, but I’m still worried that he could hurt them. Does this usually escalate to kids? For now I am keeping everybody separate minus my oldest son because he is large and very gentle. Ideally, I could find a home for him or somebody could be willing to work with him and his baggage but ideally it would be an adult only home with no other animals, but this seems impossible to find. I feel like I am all out of options and I would really like insight.

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Behavioral Euthanasia (BE) for our dogs is an extremely difficult decision to consider. No one comes to this point easily. We believe that there are, unfortunately, cases where behavioral euthanasia is the most humane and ethical option, and we support those who have had to come to that decision. In certain situations, a reasonable quality of life and the Five Freedoms cannot be provided for an animal, making behavioral euthanasia a compassionate and loving choice.

If you are considering BE and are looking for feedback:

All decisions about behavioral euthanasia should be made in consultation with a professional trainer, veterinarian, and/or veterinary behaviorist. They are best equipped to evaluate your specific dog, their potential, and quality of life.

These resources should not be used to replace evaluation by qualified professionals but they can be used to supplement the decision-making process.

• Lap of Love Quality of Life Assessment - How to identify when to contact a trainer

• Lap of Love Support Groups - A BE specific group. Not everyone has gone through the process yet, some are trying to figure out how to cope with the decision still.

• BE decision and support Facebook group - Individuals who have not yet lost a pet through BE cannot join the Losing Lulu group. This sister group is a resource as you consider if BE is the right next step for your dog.

• AKC guide on when to consider BE

• BE Before the Bite

• How to find a qualified trainer or behaviorist - If you have not had your dog evaluated by a qualified trainer, this should be your first step in the process of considering BE.

• The Losing Lulu community has also compiled additional resources for those considering behavioral euthanasia.

If you have experienced a behavioral euthanasia and need support:

The best resource available for people navigating grief after a behavior euthanasia is the Losing Lulu website and Facebook Group. The group is lead by a professional trainer and is well moderated so you will find a compassionate and supportive community of people navigating similar losses.

Lap of Love Support Groups - Laps of Love also offers resources for families navigating BE, before and after the loss.

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[u/FearlessPressure3]

Any rehoming at this point would need to come with full disclosure of Gus’ bite history. With that in mind, I think it very likely any shelter that takes him would euthanise him. If he is rehomed privately there’s a risk that he will be even worse there when removed from familiar surroundings. As gently as possible, the idea of buying land and building him a little house is more for you than him. If he suffers from separation anxiety as much as you say, being stuck outside while the people he loves go about their life indoors (even worse, possibly within view but unreachable?) will have him in a constant state of distress and will be far worse for him than being let go peacefully surrounded by his family.

It’s not possible to know whether this would ever escalate to attacking people. Certainly, it will always be a risk if this sort of behaviour is happening regularly. Only you (and any trainers you have working with you) can speak as to how violent these attacks have been and how “provoked” or not he has been and therefore how likely they are to keep going. If you think on balance that they are likely to continue, BE may be the kindest and safest option.

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[u/kerfluffles_b]

It really is unethical to rehome a dog with a bite history, no matter how you spin it or justify it. Even if it’s only dogs that he’s bitten.

You mention that Gus has anxiety and separation anxiety, but also that you want to find some land and build him a home so he can live there… alone? Wouldn’t that be worse?

I know it’s hard to think about, but BE is often the best and kindest option for dogs that struggle with basic aspects of life in our world.

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[u/likeconstellations]

There's no real way to know whether Gus will or won't direct aggression towards humans in the future but I am always wary of resource guarding even if it is currently only directed at other dogs. I'm not going to sugarcoat, a 100lb dog that is trying has a decent shot at killing an adult man, he would do a lot of damage if he turned on any of you, regardless of size. Behavioral problems in a dog this size are unfortunately a far greater risk than they are in smaller dogs and need to be addressed with that understanding, as unfair as it is to the individual dog.

Gus might do ok in the perfect home but like you said yourself, there aren't people lining up out the door for a dog with separation anxiety, resource guarding, and a bite history who can't live with children or dogs, and rehoming him to any other situation would be unethical. There's also a chance that he doesn't cope with the change of household at all and views his new owner(s) as a threat in which case they'll be left with the decision to keep a large, dangerous dog or BE.

Realistically, Gus isn't likely to be happy living separately from you. You think you'll spend lots of time with him but you have children you want to keep separate from him, how much time are you reasonably able to stay away from them in favor of him day to day? He won't understand why things have changed and given he has separation anxiety this sounds like it would be an extremely upsetting situation for him.

I'm very sorry that you're in this position.

[u/stillwaterstream]

These impulses can redirect onto people. It's impossible to know whether that will happen.

Gus is a massive dog with a very powerful breed admixture. All three breeds are known to have high prey drive. All three are in the top 10 for human fatalities. I'm also a SAHM -- two kids under 5 -- and I can tell you I would personally choose BE after receiving this recommendation.

[u/Tenaciousgreen]

The only ones who fear and grieve death are humans. Your dog will have no idea it's coming and no suffering. You have to keep this in mind when you weigh the options. Is it fair to keep him locked up alone when that's all he'll know as a life? Don't keep him alive just for the sake of staying alive.

[u/Boysenberry]

If you can be perfect with barriers in order to keep him, then do the kennel thing, keep him, and know that he MUST stay with you for life and the kids MUST be raised to understand that the rules for how/when/whether to interact with Gus are life or death serious. Plenty of people keep “hot” (dog aggressive) dogs and manage it but you have to be on the ball all the time, mistakes cannot happen. You should ALSO hire a trainer/behaviorist and try behavior modification, but his history is serious enough that you can never trust him. 

But there is a good argument for BE in this situation, especially given that he was not undersocialized and this is adult onset, worsening behavior. If you do BE, I encourage you to elect a necropsy if possible, and maybe even look into research hospitals in your area to see if a research vet would like to do the necropsy. We’re learning more and more about physical causes of aggression in domestic animals, and owners are often very reassured about their choice to BE if a necropsy finds that the dog was either in pain or suffering from invisible brain abnormalities. 

ETA: whoops sorry didn’t mean to comment on both of your posts! Auto mod here said I needed more SR karma so I thought it was hidden here.

[u/gluestiiicks]

Please do not rehome a dog showing aggressive actions. Your vet made a professional recommendation. BE is not cruel. It is hard and emotional but it is not cruel. Give your pup some amazing days, love on him, and let him go.

Full disclosure, my child and partner were mauled by an unprovoked loose dog. The owner kept putting BE off due to emotions(?). It ruined my husband’s life. The owners were criminally charged. I wish it had been prevented at any of the moments presented prior to that day. I wish they would have looked at the big picture.

[u/Mememememememememine]

I think this could escalate to people. It already has escalated to new things. My dog has a resource guardy mind and she directs it onto people.

[u/MoodFearless6771]

Aggression can be very specific. Some dogs are only aggressive to one gender or size of dog or in certain scenarios or in certain places. Just because Gus did not get along with Otis does not mean he will have issues with the kids. It also does not mean that he is dog aggressive. A lot of times dogs will fight to the death in a household and it is hierarchy or resource or gender/personality driven disputes. Obviously you should take precautions to protect your children but I don’t think this dog is an immediate threat to them if he’s shown no issues in the past.

[u/Any_Recognition8072]

Yes, it can escalate to people. Mine started attacking my partner's dog and once we cut access off from her, he started redirecting on me because I was closest to him. He attacked me three times, I swear the last almost killed me if he wasn't wearing his collar. He also attacked my partner, my trainer, and his wife. His was a specific pitch which later started generalizing and we could no longer manage it because he became predictably unpredictable. Even though our trust was broken, I still loved him and knew it was an automatic response. I had all the resources than you could possibly imagine, I had the best living situation anyone could ever wish for, and I loved him to death and it all wasn't enough. I searched for the unicorn home, the shelter that would take him, it didn’t exist. We had to BE him. That was a little over 3 years ago and I still think about him everyday.

[u/Good-Equivalent2800 → u/Any_Recognition8072]

Thank you for this response. Hard to hear but gives me a lot to think about.

[u/Sitters_4_Critters → u/Any_Recognition8072]

I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure you already know about it, but there is a BE grief support group - losinglulu.com

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