My son is medicated and works with a psychiatrist. I can't put my son down. But I put the puppy down.

Dear Mr. Frawley:

I am writing to say I felt great comfort finding your site with your wisdom about dogs. Yesterday, I took our new puppy (18 days with us) to my vet and had him put down. He was a pit bull mix and approximately 4 months old. When we adopted him from the shelter he was a shy, fearful pup who let me carry him into the car. He had been dumped on a highway at about 2 1/2 months and spent the next at this local kill shelter.

I was advised to that training him was key. He was crated and gated and the journey begun by me and especially my 9 year old son. What an incredibly intelligent responsive dog he was. Sit, down, wait, stay, go in your crate, make a pee pee were working wonderfully. At the first vet visit he growled at the vet and the assistant. The vet warned us to be very wary and train, train, train, socialize, socialize, socialize. He was taken on 4 walks a day and a half dozed pee tours, ball and stick throwing tours as well. When meeting strangers he'd back up, bark and growl hackles up. I'd sit him, he'd relax if he saw them coming. It seemed to be working.

One day we took him into Queens where we used to live. He was a great car dog. He did well with the crowded streets until a big guy who was asking allot of questions moved in too fast. He backed up, hackles up all way to tail, barking and growling and then lunge. If I did not have the pinch collar he would have bitten. The next evening my husband came home from work when we were leaving for his walk. He greeted my Husband with barks. When Y put his hand down gently below the dogs face he went for it.

That was it. I knew it was fear aggression. My son has it. He has ADHD and ODD. My son is medicated and works with a psychiatrist. I can't put my son down. But I put the puppy down.

It broke my heart but I know I did the right thing. I took his body and buried his 26 pounds in a 3 1/2 deep hole that I dug myself.

Your site has helped me dealing with this painful lonely day the first day after I put the puppy down. I think there are some very misguided people in these shelters trying to find homes for domesticated dogs who should be put down.

To read about the insanity of wolf hybrids as pets was a helpful distraction. One of my great aunts designed a standing screen. On it she wrote "L'imbechillita umana non ha limiti." Translated it means "The imbecility of man is limitless."

Thanks for having the tenacity to inform all of us. Fear aggression in dogs is a deadly serious issue.

Lucinda
Long Island, New York