Margaret Tyler
Posted : 10/12/2006 9:49:11 AM
ORIGINAL: heidandseek
it sounds like your fil is terrified of dogs and is not able to stay rational in a situation where he feels threatened. i feel sorry for him in this situation too. i have a very unrational fear of heights there is no getting around it... i do not feel safe over 3' off the ground and that fear carries over to include being in an airplane.
that being said when the dog started to growl or whatever reaction it was having the owners should have removed the dog from the situation. i feel they are more at fault than your father in law.
the other thing i question is the quality of care this dog was receiving... if they couldn't afford a rabies shot or the impound fee, what would have happened if the dog needed emergency vet care?
to me it sounds like your fil was traumatized by this situation and can't believe how people are "blowing off his fear and taking the side of the dog" so to speak.
as a dog owner i take every precaution to keep my pets out of trouble. i put them away in any situation where they feel "threatened" from the meter reader entering our yard to read a meter or the neighbor knocking on the door for a fund raiser.
and if my dog was actually in a situation that she was allowed to bite someone ... i would never have allowed the dog to be euthanized. i would have begged and borrowed to keep that from happening. there is a pawnshop to start with and check cashing places as a last resort.
just my take... my sympathy to the trauma your fil must have felt and to the owners of the dog.
Very, very well put. You're the first person to put his feelings in a way I can understand. And yes, he does have an uncontrolable fear of dogs and, funny, cats. "Blowing off his fear and taking the side of the dog," very well put. Thank you for your clarity. I am beginning to feel a little more resolve with this situation.