Saturday, October 04, 2014

Love dogs? Don't have kids or cats? Maybe you can help us.

I never thought I'd end up here - my whole life I've had dogs from when they were puppies (or when they found me on the side of the road) until they died. Friends for life.

But Pele and 2 year olds just don't mix, and after a TON of attempting to get him used to Bean, it's becoming clear that it's not going to happen. Worse, as more kids come over to our house, the odds of someone getting nipped or full-on bitten are going up and up, and that's just a disaster for everyone involved if it happens. He was a stray when we got him and I think some of his paranoia and skittishness around loud/unpredictable kids is never going to go away.


So - looking for a very smart, active dog who is lots of fun and loves to be outside? Drop us a line, but remember:
-He doesn't do well *at all* with small children.
-He has a twisted front paw from breaking his leg 5 years ago that never healed straight, and that has caused him hip problems - so he can't go on runs/bike rides. Hikes and walks are his thing now.
-He considers all animals other than dogs and humans food to one degree or another (ie, he will kill cats, squirrels, rabbits, etc, if he can)
-He generally does well with other female and/or submissive dogs but is quite alpha and will fight with other dominant dogs in some cases.
-He's 10.

Best friend Zoe from happy days in Boulder

The bottom line is that we can lock him away from the rest of the family most of the time and make him miserable, or we can take him to a shelter where I'm assuming he'll be considered unadoptable due to his age and behavior around kids and other small animals and put down. I'm hoping someone out there (preferably in UT but we're not picky) wants a dog like Pele. I feel terrible about this, and it's a long shot, I know - but the situation just isn't sustainable here.

2 comments:

Spiff said...

That's a tough spot to be in, Walt. I've got family in UT, some of whom are dog lovers, I'll see if they're interested in taking on another.

Feldy said...

sucks