@3john3 I'm so sorry but you are absolutely doing the right thing for everyone.
You did the best you could at the time with the resources you had, and you're doing it now. You have a huge heart
dunno if he'll be interested but in my family/friends cheeseburgers (just bun meat cheese) are traditional send off treats for any dog going to the Rainbow Bridge.
if everyone else hasn't already recommended it, the group Losing Lulu on FB has been very helpful to me and friends regarding behavioral euthanasia.
@3john3 My dog was like this until a vet prescribed him clomicalm. If you haven’t had him evaluated for medication yet I would highly suggest it and rethink euthanasia at the moment.
@imagebeastmarkbeast Yes, my GSD would honestly be the same as Flynn in that environment. I would never trust her with children or other pets. Thankfully I do not have children, and I’m able to separate her completely (with a door) from my other pets. I work from home in the same room as her, so she is not completely alone, and she has more toys than she knows what to do with!
Our vet prescribed Prozac, and it’s been life changing. While she still needs to live her life out in my sunroom, she is so much less anxious!
I only write about my experience for others reading. I trust OP will do what is right for Flynn.
@imagebeastmarkbeast Flynn isn't able to have someone near his mouth. We had spoken to our vet about available medications but due to his nature and fears, it's another safety & bite issue- he will go for your face if you try to put hands near his mouth.
@3john3 Same with mine but a few months after medication started we were able to start training classes with a leather muzzle basket on and train that behavior out. This was after several bites. He’s a completely different dog now but it took a year of medication and hard work.
@3john3 I've always given medicine via a piece of banana or cheese. I just throw it to them and they basically swallow it. Just wanted to share if you felt it was an option. Obviously you know and understand the situation most and know what to do best for this dog. I'm so sorry you are even in this position. But regardless i'm sure Flynn knows at the end of the day that whatever you do is because you love him.
@3john3 Does he eat food thrown at him in the air? A good technique is to get a tasty treat and throw it to him 3 to 4 times, then throw the med, then another couple of treats.
@3john3 I’m so sorry. I hope you’re able to find a vet to come to you. We have a wonderful service in our area .. having the vet come to us made things much easier for all of us. Last memories are of our sweet boy in his bed ..
@3john3 We have been in your shoes with a dog that we had a lot of similar issues. We had to do the same thing. I always felt guilty about it til someone told me I gave him the gift of peace. He is no longer afraid. He is no longer feeling the stress and tension of constant anxiety. He no longer feels the need to resource guard or to protect himself from whatever dangers his brain had created for him. He had one more period of anxiety until the vet gave him the last shot of meds and he went to his forever sleep. No more stress. No more fear. No more anger. Peace and calm. You are giving this guy the most humane gift possible. You are selfless in this extremely hard decision and it sucks that he will never understand what you are doing for him even though it is the right thing to do. Sending you all the hugs and love.
@3john3 I'm sorry to read this. I am a veterinary nurse and have encountered similar situations with owners who've done much less than you have. You gave it your all, and it's so sad that Flynn's tough start has impacted him this way; but pets are supposed to be a joy and a pleasure and this sounds like the opposite. Take good care of yourself and try not to give yourself a hard time, it's hard enough x
@3john3 You did everything you could but sometimes life just isn’t on our side. Whether it’s emotional baggage that Flynn could not overcome or something genetic you know you did everything you could to give him the best chance. A life of fear and anxiety is no life for you or for Flynn. You are giving him a way out of a life he cannot cope with. He is stressed 24/7 and you can give him a calm and peaceful escape. It may not feel like it OP but this is a kindness not afforded to our fellow humans and you are doing the right thing. I am so so sorry you have to make this choice. I cannot imagine how you feel right now but know you are doing the right hing for you and for your boy. Sending you all huge hugs.
@joninfoxninja This, as much as things suck for you they also suck for Flynn. It cannot be a good life for him to be in so much reactive distress all the time. You are doing him a huge kindness in making sure he does not have to go on living like this, same as it would be if he had a physical condition. This is a compassionate choice and you are a loving owner.
@3john3 Few questions because I'm curious about working breed mix:
1) Is he neutered?
2) Does he pee in the crate?
3) What's his exercise regimen? I know you said walking on shorelines. Does he do a lot of mental work by sniffing when going hiking or puzzle toys to get the treats.
Yes but he can't be crated either. He ripped two crates apart, having eliminated bladder & bowels all over the place within each one. Gates, closed doors, and crates give him massive anxiety. He has destroyed all of those as well.
He is exercised in the home now. He has a few toys that are thrown, slid, hidden. Puzzle toys, hiding treats, smearing peanut butter in random places, given commands to work for high value foods. His engagement with us is non-stop, even overnight. Unfortunately play time gets interrupted at random when he guards the toys or food and we have to back away. I've had him drop his hockey puck onto my lap for me to throw and then him snap onto my hand when I touched it. I am saying "we" as he is our family dog but no child is able to handle his toys near him. They can throw a toy beside me but aren't allowed to retrieve it from him.
@3john3 But how did you do crate training? Did you do any crate training at all? You cannot take a one-year-old dog who isn't crate trained and just put them in a crate and leave them for hours on end. I find the fact that you put him in a crate and he panicked and destroyed it and then you just put him in another crate again a huge red flag.
Huskies cannot be "exercised in the home" they are high-energy dogs that need long, long walks and tons of exercising.
How have you trained him around children? How have you controlled your children's behaviors around him and made sure they didn't agitate him or snatch toys? I keep hearing you say how this dog is having all of these issues but no indication of how you trained him with the crate etc.
You absolutely cannot just stick a dog in a crate.
@sumune37 Not once did I allude to throwing a dog into a crate for hours. I know how to crate train and have done it with every dog I've had. Flynn was ok with the crate for less than a month before we worked towards closing the crate door and walking away. He tore the door off within two minutes. We tried again and same result.
Crates should be a safe place for a dog to be in. My old dog loves her crate.
Flynn was never abused with neglect to be crate trained and the assumption from your comments are awful.
