I need some guidance on what to do with my chow

I think you are correct, Glenda.  I do think that it is hard for a woman who is trying to lead a "normal" life to bail out of that life for the rest of this dog's lifespan.  I might, and you might, but I don't think she will.  I do not have a problem with her making the decision to euthanize a truly dangerous dog.  I only have an issue with doing it before the dog is given a chance to undergo thyroid testing, and a decent behavioral evaluation.  mickeyboo, if you think you want to do that, just for your peace of mind, Google on Dr. Jean Dodds re the thyroid panel.  If you need a behaviorist to eval your dog, Animal Behavior Society has a list on their site.  Good luck.

The behavior in this thread is unexcusable!
 
Be supportive of the OP and stop fighting over the differences of opinion or we will be speaking privately

hey guys..
I'm sorry this thread has been heated. I don't want anyone here get into arguments because of my situation.
I appreciate your thoughts and supports greatly. Willowchow and fisher, you guys both have great advices. In fact, many on here have great advices.
Willowchow, it's not that I don't try to work with Boo. I've been posting and searching for ways to help Boo after his first time biting people. I've tried almost everything-have him on his allergy medication, switching food, followed some socializing suggestions from others on other forums, isolated him when I have guest over, ect..everything BUT behaviorists because they are costly and I truly couldn't afford it. I've called several places for price check and they are very expensive. It was also because of Boo I went and got myself a house with a backyard, which now put me in deeper debt. It's a heartbreaking situation. I still have a hardtime breathing when thinking of euthanizing Boo. I want to try everything I could to help him. But I feel I'm uncapable of giving him a good life. He needs special care and I know that if I want to live my life the way I always dreamed of- get married, have kids, ect...then I won't be able to give him a good life he deserves. This kills me inside.
Fisher, how long did it take you to give up Laika? If you dont mind, can I ask you what happened?

Hey MB,

Laika almost killed a little dog and maimed a big dog and bit my husband a number of times, drawing blood and leaving large open wounds, and lunged at a huge number of kids in a way that could have been very bad but she was on a leash at the time. We worked with a trainer and a behaviorist and the behaviorist basically said that she couldn't train Laika not to bite, but that she could teach us how to manage her. She gave us a prescription or a picture of what Laika's life would be like:

1. She could never be outside without a basket muzzle and two leashes, one clipped to the handler's belt
2. She couldn't exercise outside unless the chances of other dogs or kids being outside was practically nonexistent (exercise was a serious trigger for her, kids were increasingly a trigger)
3. She predicted that Laika's behavior would worsen over time, not get better.
4. She could never, ever be off lead again, never play with other dogs again.

And so my husband and I sat down and figured out what this meant:

1. We would always be walking a dangerous dog, and would have to be very aware of that and take all these precautions, especially around children.
2. We could never leave town until she died because we could not entrust her to anyone else.
3. Basically, all her favorite things were becoming triggers for aggression. So we had to account for the fact that her life was getting smaller and less joyful.

We decided that keeping Laika alive would make us feel better because we wouldn't have to do this terrible deed.

But that Laika would, in the process, become this little secret of a dog that was only in our home, living a smaller and smaller life. And that we could not guarantee the basic safety of the other people and dogs in the neighborhod as long as we kept her alive. And then we really got honest and talked about how stressful and terrifying the whole situation had become, and how it was putting a real strain on us. We worried about her all the time, worried about what she might do.

I know that there are people who are saying that predicting future aggression from Boo is rather like playing "what if", but the behaviorist I worked with said the same thing Jean Donaldson said in "Fight!" (a great book about aggression that you should read). She said that aggression in the past predicts future aggression. And in a court of law, and in our own minds, we knew that we would be completely responsible if she bit a child. That we knew that that was going to happen.

Honestly, as someone who has shelled out the cash, I can say that the behaviorist can't teach Boo not to hurt other people. Very occasionally the behaviorist can find a medical reason for the aggression, but the behaviorist I worked with said that more often biting has simply become a self-reinforcing behavior--the dog does it because she enjoys it, because it feels good and/or makes things that don't feel good stop.

The behaviorist can teach you how to manage his aggression and decrease the number of aggressive incidents, but nobody can teach Boo not to bite, or not to break skin when he bites. It was good for my peace of mind to have consulted with a behaviorist, because like you I was racked with guilt and shame over such a horrible horrible decision. But it wasn't like consulting with the Wizard of Oz or anything. She pretty much immediately came out from behind the curtain and told me that she didn't really have too many tools when the dog has a hard mouth. And this jibes with what Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson have written about the subject.

MB, I would have given anything not to have had this happen to me and I feel terrible for you. I am so sorry.

fisher,
I'm so sorry I had to go through this. I know, it's a terrible feeling and I'm sure it's not something you could just forget and never think about it. I sympathize for you as well. But at least you had your husband with you and I'm glad it was something you worked with your husband. Almost everything you listed on your description of Laika is what I've been going through with Boo. It's very emotional situation and it's draining me.
My decision to put Boo down should have been made a couple years ago but I was delaying it because I love him too much and was not brave enough to end his life. But now that I have been educated about how Boo would not be fit in the safety of the community, it's time for me to do what I should do.  It just really sucks that this is related to my moving w/ my fiance thingie.
I have a friend who is a big lover herself and she said that she loves her dogs as her children, but if her dogs ever bite a human being, it's her responsibility to treat her dogs as dogs. I find this very true and encouraging.
Fisher, I truly appreciate your input and sharing of your awful experience. D o you now have another dog after Laika?
 

Yeah, I just got a puppy this July, his name is Sascha and he is a real joy.

It does suck that this is causing conflict with your fiancee--it adds a very confusing layer and Paula is right that it must be your decision. My husband and I definitely dealt with conflict because of Laika too. I was more emotionally attatched, and he was much more afraid of her (makes sense as he was the bitten one). There were hurt feelings all around and it took a lot of discipline and trust on our both our parts to stop defending a side and start working together.

This may sound counterintuitive and may not be the same as your situation, but in order to make my own decision, it was really important for me to understand how frightened my husband was of the whole situation. He was looking at this as someone who had been bitten and gone to the emergency room, as someone who had a much harder time handling her and a much clearer, more rational picture of all the bad things that could happen and seemed more and more probable. I, on the other hand, was having a much easier time rationalizing her behavior and was hellbent on fixing her.

I loved that dog so much, but it was important for me to remember that I loved my husband before I even knew her, and that I meant it when I married him, and that I would be devastated if he kept me in a situation that frightened me as much as Laika did him.