He was the sweetest little guy. Until he wasn't.
We noticed on his second day here that he began growling at the kids when they would try to take his ball from him. I chalked it up to "being a puppy". Surely, he was just playing, right?
So Ken and I sat down with him that night after the kids were in bed. We were playing with him and I wanted to test him a little and see if it really was a growl. Well, I tried to take his bone and he tried to take my hand. It wasn't pretty.
He didn't hurt me because he's such a little guy, but he made it very clear that we would very easily bite if provoked. Then Ken tried to pick him up when he wasn't even holding the bone, and he tried to bite him, too.
We lost alot of sleep trying to figure out the best thing to do. How do you tell kids that the puppy can't stay? But Max will be a very big dog, very soon and we just can't take the chance that he will bite someone.
We called the breeder we got him from the next morning and discussed it with her. She said that it is possible that we just happened to get a particularly aggressive dog. She told us to bring him back and she would work with him some more. Though it was a tough call, we returned Max to the place from whence he came.
It made the kids feel much better that he was going back to be with his mother and brothers again. And surprisingly, they weren't as sad as I thought they would be.
It seems that 2 days was enough time for them to get a good taste of how much work a puppy really is. Although they were disappointed, I was glad that they could see that this was the best thing for our family... and for Max.
So the dog hunt is back on. Hopefully, this time we can choose a little more wisely. We're hoping to adopt from the local shelter when the time is right. But, after a few days with Max, I for one don't mind waiting a little while.
3 comments:
Aww, that stinks. Hopefully, the next one will be a perfect fit.
Poor Max- but you did the right thing- we had to get rid of our first "baby" when he went from being a patient dog to a biter. He bit Tucker (a lot) and that's when you have to say babies before doggies. If you still want a dog (which I'm thinking your a really sweet momma for wanting more things to care for)- I'm sure the right one is around the corner.
I've heard that Golden Retrievers are the breed with the highest percentage of dog bites. Something in their breeding makes them a little neurotic. We have a Newfoundland and a Lab. The lab is still a puppy and has A LOT of energy but is so sweet. The Newfoundland is the best dog ever but drools a lot and is a heavy shedder... That's my 2 cents worth ;) Hope you are able to find the perfect dog for your family!
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