My sister had her dogs put down today. Well her dog Tucker and my niece's dog Snicker. Reason, Snicker got off his chain Christmas day and killed the neighbor's dog. Tucker was there and so is guilty by association, though I doubt he had any real part in it.
Now on the part of the neighbor, I completely understand, though his monetary demands are somewhat odd. His family lost their dog, and no matter what was paid for said dog, it was still a family pet and if it was my dog.... well, I can't even begin to imagine.
Now a part of me wants to cry for my sister and my niece. They lost their dogs too. HOWEVER, I told both of them months and months ago that Snicker needed to be socialized and that he needed to get into some sort of training classes. I told Steph that if she wanted a Husky that she needed to know what she was getting into. That he was not gonna just be some pretty face that would fit smoothly into her family and be just like all the other dogs they'd had before(all labs btw). I told her he needed lots of exercise and lots of training. Lots of attention and that he would be more dog than any other she had had before. That was met with,"I know I know I know." And a fair amount of eye rolling by my sister who thinks I'm a dog "loser" and of course go way overboard with my dogs.
When I finally went to my sister directly in hopes that she would intervene with Steph on Snicker's behalf, she shrugged and said,"Oh well, he's not my dog. My dogs nice. Not my problem." And now, both dogs are dead and so is another innocent dog.
The other part is that the neighbor was not calling for Tucker to be put down. Only that he be contained to their yard. But Tucker didn't like being tied up. He may have been abused by his previous owner while tied up and so he would cower and shake when he was chained. OH WELL! Build a freakin fence! I hate the idea of a dog being tied up in the country when no one is there anyway. This is wolf country and as far as I'm concerned that's just dangerous. There is a 23 wolf pack roaming around up here somewhere. And dogs have been killed by them this winter. A secure kennel is IMO a much better option anyway. Instead, Tucker was euthanized this morning. He was kind of old and had arthritis. Jeez, my sister had been giving him meds for it everyday. She bought special grooming tools for him when she found he had different coat than any other dog she'd had before. I thought she was changing. That maybe I was having a bit of an effect on her.
And so I sit here, shaking because I'm so mad. I'm mad at my niece for not listening to me. At my sister for shrugging me off. And mostly at myself for not pushing the issue effectively. And for not knowing just how bad things had gotten. Tracey told me today that she was surprised that Snicker got off his chain because he hasn't gotten off it or off a leash since he first started getting aggressive. That was this summer or slightly earlier. I know for a fact that Steph does not walk him, nobody does. That family is above cleaning up dog poop so walking in town is a no go, and walking in the country on a leash is stupid.(their opinion not mine) So he has had no exercise in months other than running around on the 20 or so foot line he was tied with.
Part of me still hurts for them. And a huge part of me is hurting for my other niece and my nephew who lost their dog today too.
And I'm so sad for Tucker. He was a good dog. Fat and lazy, but a well tempered beast anyway. Loveable if not a little smelly. Sweet and respectful and oh so greatful to get a little lovin and to be safe from human harm. The first few years of his life were rough for him. We know a little of his back ground and its not good, but it made him who he was and I forget how Callie puts it but we were glad for that boy. Run Free Tucker. Who will he look for at the Bridge? Maybe my nephew...
The dog from across the road. I'm not sure what kind of dog it was, nor gender nor name. But I want him or her to run free as well.
And finally Snicker. Snicker was never hit. He was fed well. Groomed well. Had his nails clipped regularly. He was a rescue dog from a good rescue up here. I was happy when I finally convinced Steph to adopt a rescue pup rather than buy one from an online site I caught her looking at one day. Now, I wish I had managed to talk her out of it like I try when so many other's show an interest in my breed. But Steph doesn't do things halfway. She goes full bore into everything and I was a fool to think that she would do the same with a dog. Snicker's led a life on a chain. He came in the house when people were home. Was a part of the family, but kind of the sort that nobody really liked. Likely they would have rehomed him long ago if it weren't for me. Not that I advised against it, but they likely thought I'd be mad. So he was chained instead. He could have been a good dog in the right hands. He was a beautiful baby. Run Free Snicker. My Pint is up there, she'll show you the ropes and teach you to be a good boy. Don't mess with her though, she might be little but she'll whoop ur butt boy! Oh Snicker, you deserved so much more. :'(