Almost anywhere you turn on the internet, you can find a post, a topic, a thread - My coworker said their dog was aggressive and they just took it to the vet to be killed. Just threw it away. An influencer said she put down her dog because it tried to bite her toddler. I think that dog was an angel and it wasn't that bad, their videos and photos never showed that the dog was ever aggressive. My family owned a dog that bit me in the face and they didn't give up on our dog. You just don't give up on dogs.
A decade ago, anxiety in dogs (which often manifests in behaviours including but not limited to biting and aggression), behavioural defects and neurological issues were not understood as well as they are now in veterinary medicine. Coupled with the general love that the public have for dogs, the enduring mantras of 'dogs are for life' 'it is never the dog, always the owner', behavioural euthanasia is an uncomfortable, unsettling, emotional topic.
Because most dogs euthanised for behavioural issues are euthanised because they have shown constant aggressive/threatening behaviours, or have a bite history, this is what I am focusing on.
I want to first lay down some context before diving into discussing many of the oft-repeated comments I see repeated on threads again and again. Firstly - I am a veterinary nurse of ten years in a small animal practice. I see lots of dogs. I have a special interest in behaviour and often consult with my vets together on behaviour cases. Much of my career intersected with the life of my fear-aggressive, anxious, Border Collie who I did not euthanise for behaviour. But more on that later.
Unless you own the dog, have been in close constant contact with the dog, you do not know what has happened/happens behind closed doors. People are understandably very reluctant to disclose behavioural issues with their dogs. When other people are talking about how cute their dogs are, how much fun they have at the dog park - most people will not want to tell you that they are scared of their dog or what that might mean for children/children in the future, that their dog tried to bite them, or that they are worried that x, y or z behaviour is going to escalate into something much worse. It is also very, very easy in the age of social media to present any animal as a 'good' dog. Most people aren't going to have a camera on them when their dog is showing undesirable or worrisome behaviour, much less showcase it.
There are much, much worse things than euthanasia. Dogs that display severe behavioural issues, constant inappropriate reactions to stimuli, inappropriate aggression are not happy or stable dogs. They are suffering just like a dog suffering from a physical ailment. Euthanasia is to prevent suffering - and in my opinion, it is to prevent suffering both for humans & dogs.
Discussing & Debunking Common Thoughts
'It's always the owner and never the dog. Love can fix the dog.' This is so sadly and profoundly untrue. The r/reactivedogs subreddit showcases so many cases of dedicated, loving owners that are dealing with dogs that show aggression or that bite, or have bitten. These are owners that are doing everything for their dog.
Some dogs have a temperament that may already pre-dispose them to being an anxious, aloof dog, which in turn can make them more prone to using inappropriate behaviours to deal with and process their world.
All of the love in the world sometimes cannot fix or rehabilitate a dog that has learned that aggression and biting gets them what they want. There is also a difference between dogs that CAN be rehabilitated and their behaviour 'fixed' with a combination of behavioural therapy and medication, and dogs that cannot and their behaviours only managed (and management is tough). Most dogs sadly fall into the latter category.
'The dog just needed to be rehomed'. Rehoming a dog with a history of aggression or a bite history is incredibly irresponsible and is only passing the problem on. There are a limited number of very experienced dog people who are able to manage an aggressive reactive dog, and there are far more dogs than that that would need a home. Unless the dog is reacting SOLELY AND ONLY to a specific trigger that can be easily avoided (ie a dog that does not like children and ONLY children but has NEVER shown aggressive or threatening/threatened behaviour in ANY other context), rehoming is just not an option. Most dogs that are aggressive or bite have MULTIPLE triggers that would be difficult to manage. It is almost never a 'well it bit the toddler but in a house without a toddler it would be fine' kind of situation.
'I can't believe a vet would just put down a healthy dog.' Dogs that are put to sleep for behavioural issues are not healthy dogs. Unless you were in the room with the vet at the time, familiar and knowledgeable with the entire medical and behavioural history of the dog, it is in extremely bad taste to assume that veterinarians are the 'bad guys' for putting down a 'sweet angel dog'. In the many, many behavioural euthanasia cases I have seen, we are the ones advising euthanasia because we are worried about the person and about the dog. There have been people who refused, against advice, to euthanise their dogs despite sustaining bites to their own face, the dog aggressing towards their children, etc.
Additionally, if we do not put the dog to sleep, who will? What should we do? If we do dramatically dress down the person and refuse to do a euthanasia of apparent 'convenience' we cannot guarantee that the person will not go and shoot the dog themselves or 'take care' of it themselves - a fate far worse than a gentle, peaceful euthanasia. What can we as a clinic offer? We cannot take in every animal that a person has made the heartbreaking decision to euthanise. Were you, the commenter, going to take the animal in? Unfortunately we do not have a list of indignant reddit good samaritan commenters that would take every 'unfairly euthanised' animal in.
Personal Experience
Do you know what it's really like living, trying to rehabilitate, and doing 'everything you can' for a dog that is aggressive and is prone to biting? My experience with my own dog is echoed all across r/reactivedogs & though many might read this and say 'oh well she was an extreme' 'you did everything you could and you're not the owners I talk about when I say that the owners of behavioural euthanasia dogs are negligent and should have done everything' ... she is by far not the worst case I've ever read.
My dog was a Border Collie. Like many other dogs with an anxious disposition, was fear-aggressive to both humans and dogs. I obtained her as a puppy during my teens and I put her to sleep of old-age, not her behaviour, at 12 years old. She showed a pre-disposition to aloofness and anxiety even as a puppy, which, even with the meager tools I had at the time, I tried to mitigate. As she grew older, her behaviour became much worse. She was prone to screaming, lunging and attempting to bite dogs and people. She attempted to bite me many times. She would often not give warning. She had a variety of triggers - but mostly she hated being touched. I could often not even pat my own dog before she would try to bite me (or succeed in doing so). She was medicated with prozac and I did extensive behavioural training and counter conditioning, along with consulting with many of my colleagues. She physically checked out fine. Most of the time I was told 'you're doing everything you can' and it still never felt like enough.
She was always muzzled in public. We took walks away from busy areas and either very early in the morning or late at night to avoid dogs and people. I never got the experience of having brunch at a cafe with her at my feet, or letting her run in parks. I was always on alert when out and about with her - crossing the road when people/dogs approached, always on a short lead, always furtively making sure we were alone if I were to let her off leash. My worst fear was that she would bite a child.
For about 7 years I didn't take a holiday for more than 4 days at a time. Boarding her was anxiety inducing, and trying to find a boarding kennel that would accept an aggressive, unpredictable dog was half the battle (then there was the worry whilst I was away that she would hurt someone). House sitting was out of the question. Vet visits were a nightmare. Most of the treatments and diagnostics I would have to do myself, controlling her, with a vet at a distance letting me know what to do.
I watched every one of my peers move on with their life whilst I was stuck in my family home with my dog - who hated me. She often lunged, growled and would try to bite me. I couldn't move out with my dog (my parents would not be able to take care of her and were unwilling to do so). I couldn't afford to live alone with my dog. I hardly ever had my friends visit. I didn't date because I couldn't see how I could introduce a new person intimately into my life with a dog that wanted everybody dead. I cried near constantly about the dog and was always fighting with family members about her. I worried every day that she would bite someone and have to be put to sleep.
I thought about behavioural euthanasia constantly but couldn't bear to face the judgment I felt I would get from my friends and from people who 'knew' my dog. I imagined constantly what it would feel like to have to tell people I knew that I had to put down my dog or that I wanted to because she was ruining my life. This feeling of shame and guilt was only exacerbated by the hundreds of comments deriding people for 'giving up on their dogs' when it came to behavioural euthanasia. And as someone who had always loved dogs and always subscribed to 'it's always the owner, not the dog' and that 'dogs are for life', it was hard not to blame myself that it was my fault she was this way, and that I just felt I couldn't 'give up' on her.
When I finally was able to euthanise her due to a decline in her health, at the ripe old age of 12 years and 8 months, I just felt a sense of relief. I wish every day I had done it years and years earlier. I am ashamed to admit it and am always prepared for the backlash for that comment just like I was for the years where I considered putting her down. The kicker is, in hindsight, I can see how miserable she was her entire life. Dogs that are happy and stable don't often try to bite their owners just for patting them. The entire experience has left me questioning if I ever want another dog ever again.
I always want to ask people that leave indignant, angry comments on behavioural euthanasia posts, at what point is it acceptable to you that someone is 'allowed' to euthanise their dog? At what point do you think someone has done 'everything' and are now free from your judgment?
The point of retelling my own experience and my own story is that I want people to know that I do not judge people for euthanising for behaviour, I want people to know that it's a tough decision but the right one because I would never wish for anyone to go through what I went through and if euthanising for behaviour early on prevents this experience then I think it is the right choice.
Thank you so much for reading my post.
To everyone struggling with a reactive dog - I hear you and my heart goes out to you. I hope that the misguided comments often seen on behavioural euthanasia posts don't dissuade you from doing what is right for you and your dog. Please know that it is not you and you're doing everything you can. To everyone else - I hope this post reframes your perspective on behavioural euthanasia and gives you some food for thought that hopefully can grow a seed of empathy and understanding.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ndcdjl/destigmatising_behavioural_euthanasia/
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