hornblower Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I'm confused...I can't think of any time I've seen a dog stand on another dog's feet. What makes this a dominance move? I don't think I've ever had a dog do this to me. I've had dogs do it too me. My mom's cavalier sometimes does it. It's like she's snuggling up close. I don't think dogs do it to each other because their paws are much smaller and not directly under their faces, kwim? Though I suppose a small dog could do it to a large sitting dog. Our feet - comparatively - are these giant things sticking out .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
againstthegrain Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 Just got a phone call from the rescue's behavioralist. She said we were right to bring him back and was going to watch for a better match for our family. Here's to hoping. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 as I said - I've never had a "friendly" dog do this to me. only ones that give off a feeling of "my territory". (even in public spaces.) I've had friendly one's lay on my feet when I've been sitting down - and they promptly lay their head on the ground. they also get up when told to. these dogs standing on my feet - are starting at my face - and won't move voluntarily. I'm wondering if it is because the obnoxious small dogs I knew were always in their owner's arms/purse/etc? I've had friendly dogs try to get as close as possible, but not obnoxious ones that seemed to be upset with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebastianCat Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thank you all. I got ahold of the Sheriff's office who told me about a backdoor area they take pets they pick up with Animal Control at this rescue center. We took the dog there, surrendered him and after seeing my 6 year old's bite mark and bruises, we received a very heartfelt apology from the rescue center regarding their oversight on the screening for risk with kids. I feel like a dog owner failure. We have waited 6 years until we could buy a home to adopt a pet. We flunked. We have BTDT, except with a puppy, not a rescue. We purchased a lab puppy from a very reputable breeder about 7 years ago. We knew within a few days that the dog was WAY more than we could handle. Our kids were 7 and 5 at the time, very similar ages to yours. We ended up returning the puppy to the breeder, who happened to live on a farm where he could run and (quite literally) get exercise ALL....DAY....LONG, which was what this dog needed to be a happy and well adjusted pet. I totally understand your feelings of failure, but you are NOT a flunkie! I would look to adopt with a different rescue, or have a dog trainer go with you to a shelter to evaluate dogs that you might adopt. It took us several years to work up the courage to try again, but we ended up with a really wonderful dog that is perfect for our family. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Just got a phone call from the rescue's behavioralist. She said we were right to bring him back and was going to watch for a better match for our family. Here's to hoping. I would stay as far away as possible from that rescue. There are so many out there. Sorry you went through this - you are not in the wrong! I am extremely sensitive to this, having been bitten, and having a great fear of dogs. I've come a long way in the past year, because we adopted a dog that was very reactive, and I had to kind of get with the program. He has never bit, though; he isn't agressive. A few months ago, I got another sketchy rescue (totally my choice) so now I've got two of them. Luckily, my other two are very well behaved. There is a lot of help and resources out there for dogs that have had a hard life, but you have really got to be willing to put in some time and money with them. And I would not have done it with little kids, any younger than my 9yo. There are so many awesome family dogs out there - you will find one!!!! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Just got a phone call from the rescue's behavioralist. She said we were right to bring him back and was going to watch for a better match for our family. Here's to hoping. Well, that was nice validation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 I'm wondering if it is because the obnoxious small dogs I knew were always in their owner's arms/purse/etc? I've had friendly dogs try to get as close as possible, but not obnoxious ones that seemed to be upset with me. The small ones I know (purse size dogs) that do this strike me as approval-seeking, if that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Thank you all. I got ahold of the Sheriff's office who told me about a backdoor area they take pets they pick up with Animal Control at this rescue center. We took the dog there, surrendered him and after seeing my 6 year old's bite mark and bruises, we received a very heartfelt apology from the rescue center regarding their oversight on the screening for risk with kids. I feel like a dog owner failure. We have waited 6 years until we could buy a home to adopt a pet. We flunked. The rescue center should never have homed a dog who had already nipped a child with you. Please don't feel like a failure. It is a learning experience and with some more research into how to adopt a dog and what sort to get, I think you are likely to have a better experience in the future. You get an A actually in my book for dealing with the situation. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Adding: When adopting a dog who has had a former home, there is almost always a reason it needs a new one, so figuring out what happened and if you can handle that is helpful. And assume that whatever the problem is said to be is worse than reported. For example, I had a dog who was rehomed for a digging problem. This really was something I could handle, but the "digging" should have been described as "excavating." I would assume that anything you are told like "nipping" is likewise a euphemism. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 My disabled dog is always sitting on someone's feet. It's her way to say "pet me"! It is obnoxious though and I do watch to make sure that she doesn't do it to other people. In our family, we just move or tell her to knock it off (while giving her the attention she wants once she's not on our feet.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 We had a similar situation, and it was really hard at the time, but we do have a family pet now who really fits with our family and what we need. Our dog now came from Craigslist, a family was living in an apartment and the management said they couldn't keep their dog (or told them they would have to pay a high extra fee -- so same difference). At the time I felt bad about benefiting from someone else's hard time, but really now I think it worked out well for both of us. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 My disabled dog is always sitting on someone's feet. It's her way to say "pet me"! It is obnoxious though and I do watch to make sure that she doesn't do it to other people. In our family, we just move or tell her to knock it off (while giving her the attention she wants once she's not on our feet.) sitting on your feet, laying on your feet, etc. isn't what I was asking about. yeah, most dogs who do that are "I want attention, I want to be close to you" etc. these dogs are standing on my feet while I'm standing up - front paws - with very determined looks on there faces and not being friendly at all. they don't stop when told no. If I pull my feet away, as soon as I put my foot on the ground, they do it again. even if they have to move to where I am. the owners are never what i would call "assertive" or "with-it" in regards to their mutt's behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I'm so sorry y'all had to return the dog, but it was definitely what needed to be done. This is one reason why I have a tough time with adopting older dogs. I know there are many, many wonderful stories of pet adoption, and thankfully many people who adopt unwanted/abandoned pets, but I won't do it. I have too many kids in and out of my house to take chances. Around here the shelters are so overloaded and foster homes so hard to come by, that the screening process is weak. They just want to move the dogs through, place them into homes and get the next ones off the streets or out of the kill shelters. I think it's a fabulous thing to do, and I love animals, but some dogs are just not adoptable into families, and those bad ones are keeping good ones from getting homes. We have a dog right now that we've raised from a puppy (from a littler of puppies my dd found), but he has gotten aggressive with us lately, and he snapped at my granddaughter a couple days ago. At this point he is locked up anytime the kids are here, and we have discussed having him euthanized. It will be a tough thing to do, but I am just not willing to risk it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 (edited) . This is one reason why I have a tough time with adopting older dogs. ... We have a dog right now that we've raised from a puppy (from a littler of puppies my dd found), but he has gotten aggressive with us lately, and he snapped at my granddaughter a couple days ago. this makes no sense to me. - As your own experience shows, raising a dog from a puppy doesn't guarantee there will be no problems. Getting an older dog is sometimes better because what you see is what you get - IF you know how to assess a dog. Your dog that's changed behavior lately - have you done a full vet workup, including a blood panel & a urine test? Any bhvr changes you need to rule out medical problems first.... Edited July 12, 2016 by hornblower 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 (edited) I am an animal rescuer and am dealing with a serious situation that most people couldn't handle. It is a lot of work on me but I simply don't rehome animals. Once they reach my property, they are here to stay. I do evrrything I can for them. That said, that dog couldn't stay in your home. Your kids would be at risk and even I wouldn't tolerate that. I would definitely try again. So many dogs need forever homes and will never get a chance. Specifically look for dogs known to love kids. Make your ssituation well known and make sure the rescue know you can't deal with aggression. I usually adopt the harder to place animals. In your situation you may want to consider a younger dog or a puppy. You can help shape the dog as it ages. Still, there are no guarantees. I would adopt an animal which loves people and kids. They are all over. Edited July 12, 2016 by Denisemomof4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I need to turn spell check back on ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 was going to watch for a better match for our family. I would avoid that organization in the future. They placed with you a dog who shouldn't have been placed with you, and when you tried to make them aware of this, they gave you a hard time. You had to call the sheriff to get help. This organization shows tons of red flags. I would never, ever return to them were it me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 I would avoid that organization in the future. They placed with you a dog who shouldn't have been placed with you, and when you tried to make them aware of this, they gave you a hard time. You had to call the sheriff to get help. This organization shows tons of red flags. I would never, ever return to them were it me. Yes, this. Are they trying to keep your money by finding you another dog? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 OP :iagree: I wouldn't trust that rescue in the future. There are too many like them that blur, ignore, erase or downplay an animals past and that can endanger new families and gives the animal a poor placement that will likely result in sadness for them and the new family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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