Miscellaneous

Whatever shall we do about Norris?

And now for something completely different.

Our much-loved, much-blogged Norris has become a danger to our much loved, much-blogged Peach.  I never thought I'd be in this position - never understood how anyone could ever "get rid" of a beloved pet - but now I do.  I hate myself for even thinking about it.  I feel like the biggest failure of a dog owner ever for not getting past this or coming up with a solution. 

He has tolerated her far, far more than he has ever tolerated another child.  When she was a disconsolate infant, he would howl along with her cries.  But he was never safe around her.  The gates up around our house?  They've been there since the beginning, to restrict his access to her, because we knew he hated children, and had since he was a puppy.  He drew blood on a child at the vet's office the last time I took him in. Having a baby when he was 9 wasn't going to magically transform him into a child-friendly dog. 

And it didn't.  We have had a few warning signs that put us on edge, but today, when we were all in the kitchen together, he snapped at her face, four times in a row, lightning-fast.  This is absolutely, completely unacceptable.  The choice has to be made. 

Someone said, "Yeah, you're going to have to find another home for him."  If only it were that easy.  But how does one find a home for a three-legged, cancer survivor, dog-aggressive, child/teenager-aggressive, small-animal aggressive, 10-year-old Belgian Malinois?  I'd contact his breeder (in North Carolina), but he didn't even email me back when I gave him the FYI about Norris's cancer.   I guess, maybe if someone has some cats they're trying to get rid of, he's the dog for them.  He's quite loyal and sweet, but is limited to basic in-and-out of the house movement because of worsening arthritis/strain on his one front leg. 

No, not the easiest sell in the world. But I love him - his squirrelly hopping in circles, his nagging bark to let him out, the way he terrorizes the nasty Lhasa Apsos next door and the Bichons behind us.  (Yes, I secretly love the fact he terrorizes small dogs.  I am not a small dog person.) And yet.  It's awful to admit it, but I keep hoping he'll keel over dead, so that I don't have to make the  decision about taking him to the vet.  God, how selfish is that? 

Full post as published by The Menagerie on November 02, 2008 (boomark / email).