My wife and I are expecting our first child this spring, and there's a very good chance we'll be moving out of state and into an apartment, all of which is bringing to a head a long-simmering issue: she wants to get rid of our two dogs--one each from before we met. "Her" dog doesn't present much issue here: aside from whining a bit at feeding time, she has the disposition of a friendly rug, so I suspect she's easily adoptable. "My" dog, unfortunately, presents some challenges (despite overall being a good boy!).
He's extremely friendly to all people he's ever met, and can play really well with some dogs, but he has limited/selective dog aggression and (perhaps relatedly) moderate anxiety. Specifically, he's gotten into two dog fights at a dog park (no severe injuries, but drew a trace amount of blood) and, after ~10 stays, got kicked out of the dog boarding / daycare facility we used when travelling, due to occasional dog aggression. (They also started requiring he stay in a "suite" after he escaped his kennel at night one of the stays.) Furthermore, when on leashed walks around the neighborhood, he could get triggered by the scent/sight/sound of a dog (far from all, but some), and has on two occasions drawn blood from whichever one of us was next to him when that occurred. (We both believe he didn't try to bite us, but he was highly dysregulated and we were "in the way.") Finally, around the house, he's usually just fine, but can be severely triggered by certain unpredictable sounds (which my wife worries could result in injury to an infant).
We've worked with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, and through a combination of multiple daily medications and literally hundreds of hours of training, his escalations at home are less severe and easier to redirect / recover from, but he hasn't gone on a full walk for 2+ years, and he requires "socially selective" (isolated) boarding now, only available at one spot we've found in our metro area of a couple million people.
This is all to say: it's my understanding "my" dog is not conventionally adoptable, so surrendering him would mean euthanasia at any local shelters. Other than his occasional reactivity/aggression, he's a sweetheart of a dog, and in good health (at ~6.5 years old, mutt, ~60 lbs). I believe that he could have a great life and be a fine pet in the right home (likely with a lot of land / no close neighbors, either as an only dog or matched with the right other dog(s)), but I also don't know many people who would want to take on this "risk."
Does anyone have knowledge or ideas for surrendering my dog that would be more humane than euthanasia? I've heard rumors of certain ranches or programs that might take dogs like this, but my behaviorist indicated the one that she knew of had been reported for some animal cruelty allegations, so she wasn't sure that was actually more humane than euthanasia.
edit: I'm not sure if it matters, but I've had my dog since he was ~3 months old--a rescue from the Humane Society. I've put a ton of time, energy, and money into this dog, and feel a pretty strong commitment to his care, but I do need to put the needs of my wife and future child first.
Also, we're in the U.S.; I'd be willing to drive quite a long way to get him to a good home, if such an option exists.
tl;dr: My dog has bitten a few other dogs, my wife, and me (but I think it sounds worse than it is). Is there any ethical and humane way to give him up that isn't euthanasia?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/juhj1o/surrender_options_for_dog_with_limited_dog/
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