Emails That Make Me Mad

Leerburg's Q&A database has 2949 entries from multiple categories. Ask Cindy at Leerburg

I get a lot of emails. I try and answer all of them even if it's only to point the writer towards article that are written or Q&A sections on my web site. Occasionally I get emails that are so far out in left field that they just make me mad because they reflect how poorly some people treat their pets. My only response to these emails is "Some people should not own dogs."

For no other reason than it helps me vent, I am going to start to add these emails to my web site.

My dog (one, heeler mix) and a neighbors 3 dogs ( one Doberman, one boxer, and one heeler mix) run the fence and bark at each other often. On one occasion my dog stuck his snout through a 2" x 4" fence square and the neighbor's dog grabbed it and chewed it off requiring extensive surgery. Unfortunately, the last occurrence resulted in the death of my dog when my dog stuck his paw through the fence and the dogs grabbed his paw, pulled the leg through, and ripped his leg off at the shoulder.

The neighbors vet told them this was normal behavior, that running the fence established territory, and that my dog crossed the territorial line. I have had and known many dogs and never have I seen this "normal" behavior.

The heeler mix is the alpha dog, the Doberman is a pup, and the boxer is not too smart, but of course, has the jaws of life. We have seen the heeler provoke and the boxer attack viciously. The heeler can be called out, but the boxer...no way.

I have two other Australian Shepherds who do not run the fence. All the dogs mentioned previously are male with my late dog be neutered and both theirs not being neutered. My dogs are fenced in a five acre homesite and after the first attack we installed an electric wire ...their dogs run in a pack through the neighborhood and have attacked four other dogs. All dogs in questions are/were ages one to three years.

The questions are: Is it normal for dogs to kill other dogs through fences? Should this be reported to the police? Will neutering their dogs control this aggressive behavior? Should they be concerned about these dogs with their two small children?

I am very concerned about these viscous dogs and their lack of training, not to mention their owners attitude that this is normal. I understand that dogs will be dogs; am I be overly sensitive because of grief, or is this normal behavior?

Thanking you in advance,

Stephanie L. Gunman
dog lover

My dog was given to me by a neighbor 6 years ago when he was still a small puppy. He is a bulldog--looks a lot like a pit bull, but is smaller. I have a female rottweiler/doberman mix who was also a puppy. They were raised together and get along well. My male is not neutered--couldn't afford it when he was a puppy and now I think it's too late.

A friend came to stay several years ago with her male (neutered) dog. That is when my dog began fighting other dogs.

Two weeks ago the same neighbor who gave the dog to me got a full blooded pit bull male (un-neutered) who is one year old. This dog has been hanging out with another neighbor's pack of dogs.

The dogs came up the road toward my house, and my dog and this pit bull fought. I managed to run them down the road, screaming, and they broke apart. The younger dog ran home.

And then he returned two days later--and the fight began. The owner of the pit bull was with him. We tried pulling them apart, tried hitting them with sticks. They seemed to think the other dog was doing the damage and fought harder. When we tried pulling them apart, and they were locked together, we just made the wounds worse. Another neighbor came in his truck, honking the horn and the dogs moved off the road, still fighting.

Finally, the owner of the pit bull ran off to get a canvas bag he had which he put over his dog's head. That broke up the fight!

My dog was injured badly, and the pit bull wasn't harmed. They said they would keep him contained, but he has been up this way 3 times just today. My dog squared off with him, and they both turned away after a while. I stayed back and didn't interfere--they handled it themselves.

I think I'll get muzzles and pepper spray.

Just wanted to add that wrapping something over their heads will break up a fight. That can be done without getting your arms in really close.

Your information is great. Thanks.

Tzadi Turrou

Ed's Response:

I would be getting a shot gun – but then you are just as responsible by allowing your dog to run loose. So don’t be blaming your neighbor when you are part of the problem. If you have your dog in a dog kennel the other dogs will not attack it. Sounds to me like you have a “dead dog walking”

HI,

I have a friend who wants to breed her mutt so her kids can experience the
'miracle of birth'. I do training and rescue and would like to know if you
have videos available so the kids can have the experience without adding to
the problem. Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Karen

Ed's Response:

I have a video on whelping puppies http://leerburg.com/118.htm

Amazing how stupid people can be - just amazing. This could go under DUMB
and DUMBER too.

QUESTION:

Dear Ed:

I have 6 male dogs, all neutered. One GSD/Sharpei mix, two pit rott mixes, a Leonberger mix, a yellow lab mix, and a cocker-doxie mix. For the last 2 1/2 years we have been experiencing dog fights. They are always when I am with them, not my husband, and they are usually about toys or food. How do you recommend that a single person break up a multiple dog fight where they are "packing up?" I have used pepper spray with some success and am now going to get smelling salts, because of something I saw on your website. In all the dog fights we have had, we had only REQUIRED 1 trip to the vet. Keep in mind that I have been rescuing animals for 10 years, have antibiotics, etc., at the house and do not run to the vet for typical dog fight lacerations. My male GSD mix did require stitches last summer but the vet said that on a scale of 1 to ten, his wounds were a 3, so, not so bad.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Anna Knudsen

ANSWER:

You have a dog pack. I get a number of emails like this from people like you. I don’t consider what you do as rescuing dogs. I consider you a dog collector who abuses dogs by how you house and keep these animals. If you want to stop the fight – keep the dogs separated all the time. Use dog crates or individual kennels. If you cannot do that, then find homes for the dogs and only keep what you have crates for. If you were indeed a caring person you would not keep dogs like this.

Somehow I doubt that this is going to happen. Dog collectors have grandiose visions of what they think they are doing. They are blind to the facts and don’t have a clue about pack behavior. The sad thing is they don’t want to learn and are too pig headed to see the trees for the forest.

To Top

Mr. Frawley --

We have a 9-wk. old female German Shepherd of Czech and East German lineage. She's a spunky little beauty, but, I fear that I made a big mistake in going along with getting this puppy. We have a really small house (890 sq. ft.) and no yard... just a lot of sand. Prior to this, my partner wanted to get a pitbull (a dog that "will deliver") when I was a live-in apartment house owner/manager, but some of the tenants threatened to move out! We have since moved and he then made arrangements to get this little GSD gal. I thought that a dog might be good for him. We are both retired. But, I am dismayed with how he sometimes treats her.

The problem: At times, my partner is yelling at her and cuffing her hard on the nose, head, or shoulders when he's gotten mad that she didn't act like he wanted her to. (e.g., peed on the floor, jumped up inappropriately, mouthed or bitten) He's kicked at her. Another time, he lifted her up 2 steps by her collar when she turned to see what I was doing and he wanted to go inside. He's loving toward her a lot of the time, but his anger gets out-of-hand. Because she has demonstrated high intelligence, I think he expects way too much of her. I do NOT like the way he treats her when he's angry. And, he gets angered easily.

I'm concerned that she will develop hand shyness and/or aggressiveness as she gets older. I see evidence that she is starting to respond only to harshly-voiced commands. Like the wife in one of the FAQs on your website, she still wants to mouth/bite me. This afternoon, she was out-of-control, so I put her in her crate to settle down. She does get to go outside frequently and gets exercised well each day. I don't want to be harsh like my (perhaps soon-to-be ex?) partner to get her to behave. He thinks that is the way to get her to mind. I think it's cruel treatment of a very young dog. What will this kind of treatment produce in a dog?

I printed out an article that said, "Never hit a young puppy. Praise exuberantly. Be consistent with your dog, rather than harsh." and the FAQ from your website about the GSD that would not obey the wife, but he doesn't want to read them. We have had her about 18 days. I am very close to taking HIM back to Seattle where he used to live and taking her back to the breeder. At the least, I don't think I want him around her.

He also hopes to breed her some day and make a living wage from the puppies!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANSWER:

The only mistake you made was not in getting this dog it was with your selection process in this partner. He is a dumb ass. Find a new home for the dog or kick the bum out and find a different boyfriend.

QUESTION:

Hi,

I have two friends who have four dogs - 11 (female), 8 (female), 5 (male), and 3 (male). The two females belong to one and the males to the other. The boys are never a problem, even when the girls fight, but my friend with the females has had some difficulty with fighting. She has had the 11 yr old from a puppy and bottle fed the 8 yr old after finding her. They have never fought before, but began to about 3 months ago and have been fighting more and more frequently since. We originally thought that it was because the 8 yr. old is now taking over the dominance role. But after seeing several fights, it is clear that the older dog is the aggressor and initiates. She seems to be a fear biter. She shakes when the younger one is around and then growls and bites when the 8 yr. old has made no aggressive advances. When the older was my friend's only dog, she was picked on relentlessly by a
different roommate's dog. So maybe she learned to bite out of fear? But why would she be afraid of this one now if they've always known each other? Is she senile? That sounds funny, but I'm serious. She is in WONDERFUL physical condition, but maybe she's losing her senses. I know she has some trouble hearing. Could that be a cause? What do you think
could be the root of this problem?

The 11 year old is really ill-equipped for fighting, as one of her canines broke and has been removed, and the remaining canines are worn and rounded off so they are really no help in her defense. She also has a much thinner coat and skin. The 8 year old has a coat like a bear and knives for teeth. Dealing with their wounds and fights breaks my heart because they are so wonderful. I can only imagine how bad it makes my friends feel. It is concerning because if we weren't able to get them apart, we really fear it would be a fight to the death. Although the younger of the two doesn't start it, I don't think she would stop once she was winning.

That brings me to the problem of breaking them up. Your method of breaking up fights would be ideal, however, the 8 yr. old has hip dysplasia and cannot be pulled by her hind legs because of dislocation, not to mention increasing her anger and attack reflexes because of pain. Should we use blankets to cover their heads and then separate them? Should we leash them at all times for quick control? Should they be muzzled when together for prevention? Will this happen forever? Should my friends and I jump off a cliff? If muzzles are the answer, what size?

I would so appreciate any response/advice from you.

Ellen

ANSWER:

This is ridiculous.

Does your friend have mental problems? Because it sure sounds like it.

What part of "keeping the dogs separated with dog crates, dog kennels or separate rooms" does she not understand?

Maybe when she is 80 years old she will find herself in a nursing home where another member of the home beats the crap out of her (similar to what's happening to the 11 year old dog), she will then understand and be able to relate to her old dogs.

To Top