My wife’s dog (my step-dog) is not a good dog. He guards things and will bite people who try to take what he’s guarding. He likes to guard phone chargers, shoes and bags, so this happens a lot. He’s a very small dog, so he hasn’t been put down because he’s incapable of causing serious harm, but his bites do break skin and hurt. He is also very loud, disobedient and will attack almost any dog he sees. This is not due to a lack of training. He knows many tricks and has been to multiple professional trainers. He is simply an asshole, by nature of breeding. He will always be a selfish, evil creature, who will only be a good boy if it benefits him immediately. My relationship with this dog is one of tolerance and mutual understanding, not love or affection.
My wife is more patient with this reproachful animal than I, to be expected. She raised the dog and has more of a connection with him. But even she is a logical person who is not blind to the inconvenience and risk this dog poses to our lives. This dog nipped the hand of my 1 year old baby yesterday. It was a warning bite, not intended to hurt (I’ve become accustomed to all of his bite variants). But the child posed no risk to the dog. I was teaching the baby to gently pet the dog with an open hand, which he was successfully doing. This encroachment of personal space was enough to get a warning snarl and snap in the twisted mind of this fo
People like my wife and I need stop hiding in the shadows and be heard. Whenever we mention our awful dog, others always come out of the woodwork with tales of a terrible dog they have or had. These traumatized people speak cautiously at first; scanning around for some “dog-lover” to blame them for being a bad owner. When they realize they are in a safe space, where they can share their years of abuse without judgement, the true therapy begins. Their eyes widen, glisten with true understanding of the situation a bad dog owner finds themself in. The dog is a money pit, a mess-maker, a constant hindrance to your schedule, all while any complaints will not be socially accepted. Everybody loves dogs and they are all wonderful, innocent creatures according to all the people who enjoy Subaru commercials and wear puffer jackets.
If I know one thing to be a fact, it’s dogs can be malevolent. These same people that anthropomorphize the feelings and personalities of these animals are the same ones that will tell you “there are no bad dogs, just bad trainers.” I wonder if they feel that way about people?
People have came around on pit bulls. There is a large coalition of people who don’t think the breed is suitable for domestic cohabitation in modern society, and I’m one of them. But let’s extend this understanding of risks associated with raising an animal to other breeds, who are also inbred for outdated purposes. I have no guilt-free way of getting rid of this dog. My wife thinks it would be wrong to re-home him to some unsuspecting new owner who will undoubtedly find themselves in the same situation we are in. This dog is like the videotape in The Ring. The only way you survive it is to pass the burden to somebody else.