I loaded Gus into the car, called The Reluctant Farmer at work explained he did not look well, and we braced for what we thought was goodbye. When I got to the vet we were rushed back to a treatment area, and it was discovered that Gus had been the victim of a dog fight, and not a small dog fight. Due to the fact Gus' bruising was so severe and only on the bottom of him, it was easy to see he was in a submissive state while he was being attacked. This just makes me sick. It also makes me mad.
Tonight I had to take Gus back to the vet because he now as cellulitis in his groin. He has a fever, and is leaking bloody serum from the would. I found myself again mad all over again at the dog that created this problem. Mad because he injured another one of my dogs and mad because his behavior is making it impossible to have a harmonious household.
I don't think I have ever had a dog fight in all my dog rescuing/owning years. It has never mattered what I have brought in, or what has stayed. I don't baby my dogs or treat them like humans, and I consider myself to be pretty confident in my dog owning abilities. How this happened is beyond me, and what to do about it now leaves me in a mess of tears, but I know the beings in my house can't live like this. It isn't fair to anyone, and rotating dogs in and out of crates makes this house feel less like a home and more like a prison.
What to do?!
The aggressor needs to go, Emily. You cant have an innocent little dog brutalized and terrorized. You will come home one day to a nightmare. We must protect our charges, and sometimes that includes culling the pack for the betterment of all. It is not easy, but we are farmers, and this is what we must sometimes do. My heart is with you.
ReplyDeleteI agree Barb. This desicion is so hard, but truthfully I can't have him stressing out the rest of my pack. It isn't fair to them, and it isn't fair to him. I am going to try to find him a home where he will be an "only child". If it isn't dog related, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. (He LOVES kids and all people!) I think that is the problem. I think he loves me and would rather be a dog of one vs. a dog of many....
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