Tomorrow I take our reactive Corgi back to the breeder and my wife and I are devastated. This is our story

[foreverhis84]

@williamis Yes absolutely children need to be taught how to behave properly around animals for everyone's safety, not to mention the animal's wellbeing. I have a friend who gave her kids a pet bunny, and they would scream at each other and fight each other to hold it. The poor creature was absolutely terrified and would struggle like mad every time they picked it up. We managed to teach them that you have to be calm and gentle with an animal, especially a prey animal like a bunny. Not bad kids, just excited and enthusiastic, so they learned. But with something like a dog that can do real damage if it feels scared or threatened?? And then of course the dog gets put down, which is a tragedy.

 

[juliadesusa]

@sacredword This is very similar to my story, we had a reactive dog who was lovely and gentle with us, so soppy and affectionate, but she had fear based anxiety and showed aggression to other dogs and people she didn’t know. She started getting aggressive with our other dog when our baby came along and her anxiety increased tenfold. We had to make the decision to give her back to the rescue as our home did not feel safe anymore and with a new baby you want to do anything you can to protect them. Most of her management fell on me too as my husband was out the house working 5 days a week and I was trying to manage this and a tiny baby. It Broke my heart. She was my baby before my baby. But She is now in a great home where she is getting exactly what she needs to live a calm life. But I miss her so much. It sucks, I’m sorry.

 

[kbriann]

@sacredword As a relatively new parent I feel compelled to comment on this… I teared up when you were talking about how you had to separate yourself from your baby for the well-being of your dogs. I could not have done that or tried as hard as you did. You are a gold star top tier dog owner in my opinion. You did EVERYTHING you could. I hope you find peace in that hugs

 

[beriisnow]

@sacredword You should feel proud of yourselves that you've done everything you can and that you have decided to do what's best for your child. It sucks that it didn't work out for you but this sounds like it will be much better for everyone.

 

[woodenhue]

@sacredword When children are involved, especially babies it changes everything. Babies are extremely unpredictable and some pets just can't handle that. I'm sorry you guys are going through this but it is the right thing for your family.

I've never heard that about trazadone, my bigger dog takes it on occasion. Our vet puts our bigger pup on and off it.

Our pom has food aggression but not as bad as your corgi, we have been working with him and taking advice from our vet. We keep the dogs separated when eating, it is just how it goes sometimes. Treat time my husband diverts them from each other to avoid our little one fizzgiging on our bigger one. Thankfully our pom isn't a biter but can be intimidating when he gets vocal. Our bigger dog now ignores it and starts licking his face when it happens. Very brave pup but it does oddly calm the little down to just grumbles.

All that said food aggression, from what I've seen, isn't something they get over, it can be more manageable but you can't chance that with a baby, they are notorious for dropping food.

Hopefully the breeder can find C a home without children or other pets cause that seems like it's best for their temperament.

 

[radicalmonk]

@sacredword Im so sorry this happened. We have 2 corgis. The female is vocal and could possibly bite but hasn't yet. The male is 3 yrs young and shy , with no aggressive issues . We also have a shelter mix. He gets muzzled when we are out and about. Yes, we try everything, but sometimes it's not to be. Please forgive yourself it is for the best.

 

[kingly342]

@sacredword I appreciate your telling of your story. And I am so sad for you and your wife. You will be great dog parents again, I am sure, when the time is right. Be kind to each other and grieve as you need.

 

[kstoves]

@sacredword I read it all and I'm glad you absolutely gave C your all. You didn't just throw in thw towel with the first issue. I think you can ci fidently know you did all you could and are making the best choice for all.

 

[thisgenerationfulfilled]

@sacredword I read it all and it seems the right decision will not be easy… but it’s still the right decision. I think the breeder will find a home for C where there are no kids and no other dogs. I know friends who have adopted dogs like C and homed only them bc of these reasons. Best to you and your wife.

 

[ande12]

@sacredword I am an adult with a scar on my face. Our family dog attacked me when I was 2 when we were playing. I have 3 scars on my face and I'm 32. You made the right decision. I know it was a hard one. My condolences

 

[primjames]

@sacredword I am so sorry you have to make this awful decision But something has gone terribly wrong in your corgi’s brain has this is the best choice for everyone involved.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@sacredword You’re doing the right thing in your circumstances.

 

[sa_sha_nova]

@sacredword It doesn’t always feel good to make the right decision, but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. It sounds like you and your wife have done everything you possibly can for C. You’re caring owners and parents; try not to be too hard on yourselves and hang in there!

 

[williamis]

@sacredword The breeder sounds like the entire problem. Clearly C's issues are genetic considering the lack of trauma in their upbringing. I have had a few purebred dogs and I've had only one mutt and the mutt is by far the chilliest good boy I've ever had the pleasure to parent. He's made up of three little demon breeds (Yorkie, Dachshund, Chihuahua) yet he is super mellow, gentle and extremely affectionate. FTR I love all three of those breeds and Chihuahuas are my favorite but they can all be little hellions sometimes depending on breeding and their owners.Anywho, I've even been able to train him not to bark unless it's truly necessary. I won the lottery with Mr Kibbles and I feel very blessed to be the one to raise him and love on him everyday. Try again when your broken hearts have mended a bit. There's a good boy out there that needs a good family. He simply may have not been born yet but he's coming and he'll show up right when you need him the most, as did my sweet Mr Kibbles. I wish you luck on finding the perfect little brother or sister for your new baby daughter.

 

[coachboone73]

@sacredword My mini poodle was on Trazidone and now Prozac. He has done better, still snappy around strangers and fearful
of other dogs. Much better then he was, still a little crazy.

 

[rolandv]

@sacredword I feel your pain, I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. We give our hearts to our pets, and it's devastating when it doesn't work out. You are superheroes for all that you did to try to fix things. I hope you find peace.

 

[truthinapologetics]

@sacredword Hey man it’s okay, you’re doing what’s right for your family. The dog is going back to the breeder, you chose a responsible breeder. Props for that.
Dogs should be safe and manageable and it’s okay to not want an unsafe dog around. The breeder will have more resources to help the dog.

 

[halpplz]

@sacredword So sorry you’re going through this. We have an appointment scheduled to rehome our 6y/o female corgi/puggle mix soon. Identical situation, food aggression, a bite history, and we can’t fully trust her anymore. She will go feral at a pin drop, show no warning signs prior to going kujo, and stays in this blind rage. I contacted the “breeder” we got her from and she says she doesn’t take any dogs back. Our girl is muzzle trained, a very good listener, and protective (almost to a fault). She cannot be around any other sort of animal and extremely timid towards new people. We had our child 4 years ago and she did fine when LO was a baby but the more mobile they got, the more I realized I needed to safely separate them. When LO was 2.5, they were sitting next to me on the couch, dog was sitting on top of the couch, LO turned her head and looked at her and dog snapped. Nipped LO in the face, I can never forgive myself for that. I became complacent. LO was okay, it somehow didn’t make her scared of her, but I knew I needed to look at my options. I wholeheartedly understand how you’re feeling right now because we feel the same, however, I do not want you to feel the dreaded guilt if anything bad would happen to your child. She is not the right fit for our family, I feel like an asshole because I’ve had her for 6 years, but she is meant for a single person home who can give her all the attention she needs. I’ll be thinking of you OP!!!!

 

[deehive]

@sacredword I am currently snuggling with a senior reactive dog who was in a situation similar to your Corgi. With a second baby on the way, his family understandably gave him up. My parents adopted him from a foster, and I live with my parents. The dog doesn't trust anyone other than me. He's the gentlest, sweetest guy when we're alone together, but absolutely cannot be trusted around any animals, children or strangers. Even my parents have to be careful to not trigger him. However, he's happy. I cannot say if your Corgi going to the breeder is the right choice for everyone, but I can say some dogs should not be in households with children. Giving up your dog is absolutely the right thing to do, for the sake of your child. It's unfortunate that the breeder is in denial, but you can't control other people. Just never recommend them or buy from that breeder again. And now you know new questions to ask before you ever get another dog. You have every right to grieve for everything, including what could have been, what was, and what your dog may be facing in the future. But you don't want to be grieving your child.