Dog Community

Rescue dog, with cat intollerance living in a cat home

Posted : 6/14/2011 12:22:35 PM

I know at this point I am clutching at straws here, but it is worth a try.
Some weeks ago we saw a dog said to be 6 who was going to be put to sleep.
With only 30 mins. to go we said "If he was okay with cats, we would take him"
We were told he would be flown to Bangor (1 Hours drive) and at 2am the morning before
he was due to arrive we got a call saying he was coming into JFK ( a 26 hour round trip)
We did the journey got the dog and he needed some attention, but that has been dealt with.The problem is Luka hates cats, we were told he walked by kittens and had no interest, it really is the opposite.
We think he is older than 6, (maybe nearer 8-9) but that would not be a problem, he just won't have any tolerance
for the 2 cats we have. He weighs in at 67lb, and is a mixed breed so far he has been called:
Chow, shepherd, Akita, Shar pei even Corgi Pit Bull and Lab. We have ruled out Dalmatian LOL
The most likely it seems are Chow/Shepherd. His tongue is pink and Black, his tail is straight, and his face
has worry lines :)
We do not want to put him back in a shelter and would not send him back.
So the question is there any one who is fostering who would do a swop? Or could someone give him the home he needs, where he can be himself and not living this life half in the house half out,I know its a strange request but we don't know what else to do at this point.
We have tried many things but do not feel he will ever be trusted with the cats we have.
The Coon cat is showing signs of stress and we feel that we need to do something for his sake
before we get to the point he will not tolerate dogs, or he leaves home.
Luka is great with everything else, kids, dogs, people, cars walking, he is not food aggressive,
sleeps well, in fact take out the cats and he is perfect!
If you can help please let me know.
Best regards

sharismom

Posted : 6/14/2011 1:08:58 PM

You don't indicate where you are at, but, in any event, I don't think you'll find someone to swap here.

It is too bad you were allowed to take a dog who came from so far away. You don't say whether he came from a shelter or rescue or private party. Have you tried contacting the place he came from to get some support? This, IMO, is the disadvantage of distance. You have no support from the agency that placed him (assuming this is how you got him) and you weren't able to test him with your cat before you chose to bring him into your home.

You need to give your cat a safe room to go and crate the dog when you are not able to supervise Sometimes it can be worked out through slow introductions; sometimes not. The dog breeds you think he is mixed with often have a high prey drive and at the age he is, he may not change.

Have you tried to re-home him locally?

You had good intentions, which I appreciate, and I hope it doesn't end badly for either your cat or this dog.

JackieG

Posted : 6/14/2011 1:45:45 PM

I recommend you contact a certified behaviorist and get some professional help. Good luck. It's not an insurmountable problem if you're willing to spend some time and money.
You can see if there is anyone near you if you look at this link.

http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory

ETA that Tina is right that the dog may never learn to love cats and it's up to you to keep the cats safe while you work on retraining the dog.

Tavish

Posted : 6/14/2011 2:42:43 PM

It was a rescue group. He was in a Shelter. They said he had no interest in the cats he had seen!

We are working on the re-homing.

Thanks

sharismom

Posted : 6/14/2011 2:46:39 PM

It is too bad you were misinformed. Not all shelters/rescues intentionally give out bad info, but there are instances when the desire to get a favorite adopted out to save its life can lead to...untruths.

Thank you for trying to find a good home for him.

JackieG

Posted : 6/14/2011 4:34:22 PM

sharismom

It is too bad you were misinformed. Not all shelters/rescues intentionally give out bad info, but there are instances when the desire to get a favorite adopted out to save its life can lead to...untruths.

Very true. I got into a heated discussion with a shelter manager who told me about a dog they had adopted out twice to people with cats, knowing the dog would attack any cat on sight. Talk about giving the dog a death sentence. :(

It is also possible that the dog, being in a shelter, was not really exhibiting his true personalilty. That's true of many dogs in shelters because they are stressed, etc. I wish you luck in rehoming him and know that you will be sure to mention his behavior around cats to any potential new owners.

Liesje

Posted : 6/15/2011 8:09:50 AM

I would look for a reputable all-breed rescue and explain the situation. I don't think the shelter meant to misinform you but most dogs cannot be accurately evaluated in that environment. I tend to assume a dog will be overly interested in cats until the dog proves me otherwise. The dog probably just needs a no-cat/critter home. You may not be able to keep the dog but as long as you can foster until you find a better arrangement you're helping him out big time. I can't tell where you are but Bangor/JFK makes me think New England. If the dog is part GSD there is the Brightstart GSD rescue in Rochester and the GSD Rescue of New England

Tavish

Posted : 6/15/2011 9:24:19 AM

Thank you all for you help.

I have contacted most rescues now, and they are all full and Foster places are taken.

We have an advertisement out and he is on Petfinder. We have a work around that for now

is working the cats are safe and the dog is doing well.

We are in Maine. We monitor the situation on a day by day basis, and hope that someone will

come forward soon, so he can have the stability he needs.

Tavish

Posted : 6/15/2011 9:29:01 AM

Hi

Your right I would never lie about a dogs behavior, when we take in an pet we take it into the family.

As such it is only going to work if you know as much "honestly" as you can before hand.

Our situation now is not one we would have chosen, its not great for the dog, cats or us.

But we are able to work around it on a day by day basis, I would never do this to another person,

or animal.

Thank you all for your help.