Just wondering if I’m missing anything to suggest.

I’ve mentioned before my friends with the aggressive dogs – male lab mix w/4 human bites that I know of, 3 required trips to the hospital, he’s punctured the esophagus of a cat now in my care – female hound not quite a year old, has 3 human bites that I know, first and third in exact same circumstances (got out of yard and bit passerby; b/c you know, not only is it apparently too hard to be outside with your dog, but it’s too hard to put your dog out on a longline when you know it gets out and bites). The female is now under a province-wide muzzle order when off of public property (which is not complied w/nor is there any intention to do so) and they are being sued by the first bite guy. These were the ones who were pregnant, they delivered early and the babies (twins) died, though they are trying again now.

I actually rent the house they used to rent – I think I met the woman who was the third bite this morning, we were out in the side yard and Luc is off-leash bouncing around (Teagan is obviously on-leash) and she stopped at the edge of the property and asked me to grab him b/c she’d had a dog who’d lived here ‘come at her’.

Anyways, they moved up to the country and are renting a farmhouse on a larger property. The bad person in me finds this all funny, especially as they’re always telling me that Teagan is obviously more dangerous than either of their dogs b/c she doesn’t back down easily and while I actually think both their dogs (I’ve handled the male a fair bit; we used to live close to each other and I took him for the day when she moved and walked him weekly when she rode so he’d get some exercise for once) are fairly soft, I manage Teagan and think their comments about Teagan are ridiculous. Anyways.

The landowner also lives on the farm property and appears to be a backyard breeder. She has 4 intact GSDs and an AB (there was a cross-breed ‘oopsie’ litter in February when they moved up there). The GSDs especially the one with the litter were initially fairly aggressive to the two dogs of my friend, and then after the male got bitten fairly deeply things seemed to calm down. However, the hound female gets picked on regularly and was recently attacked while outside. As well, the 4 GSDs recently got off the property and chased some runners down the road and apparently behaved quite aggressively (a complaint was made to Animal Control).

Anyways, while part of me thinks they all deserve each other, and I’m not in anyway suggesting I agree with how my friends handle their dogs (b/c I most certainly do not) – they’re going to build a fence around their yard. Which if the fence-building 'skills' exhibited in the house I now live in are any indication, will be useless. I think the biggest problem is they let their dogs outside and offer no supervision. I have said so, and that they need to be the ones out there protecting their dogs.

But just on the dogs behalf – is there anything else that can be done to keep the dogs, especially the hound female who gets picked on and is fearful/spooky already – safe? Keeping in mind neither owner appears to want to supervise their dogs. I can’t think of anything, but thought maybe if there was some small stupid thing I hadn’t thought of that might help, it’s not Trixie’s (the hound) fault that her people aren’t stepping up.

i don't think there is anything more you can say to them.
But i wonder if given their history, AC can't come in and remove al the animals from their care.
But then too, there would be a good chance the biters would be pts.

i am a worrier too, but also, what if you just cut all ties-
if their dogs bite again and get pts, poisoned by passers by who are tired of them or what not, well than, that sucks, but you can't help stupid. Sometimes, you can't help stupids dogs either. Rescues don't take well to known multiple biters.

i was hoping there was some little quirk of dog dynamics i'm missing....

i did get them to take their dogs to aggression control classes, which trust me, was a HUGE step. mind you, they went to the same trainers i fired for telling me to get overly physical with luc (my little wimp). and the third bite of the hound occured during those lessons.

i have thought about cutting off ties - i have some trouble respecting them b/c of all of this - but when the babies died i put all of that aside (took care of their dogs for a few days while they were at the hospital, which is what kills me, these aren't hard to handle dogs), and i've also realized they care a lot about me, and are good friends, but just horrible dog owners. i generally feel i've said my bit and try to focus on other things, but i got the most recent attack update and it's just so unfair to their dogs. sigh.

Animal dynamics won't help these dogs, it's the human dynamics that need to be fixed. That said, there's nothing you can do, except offer more advice, with the full knowledge that it will probably be ignored. If they have moved to a rural area and the dogs are allowed to run loose there, it may all be moot before long, anyway. Dogs that run loose in a pack, in the country, around livestock, don't last long.

i've kinda given up on the human dynamic. i don't know what else can be done there. not that i'm perfect, i have tonnes to learn, but at least i'm always with my dogs. we have one other friend who has given up, she always advocated euthing the male dog, so she doesn't get told about what the female dog has done.

Isn't there something you would rather be doing than wasting your time with them?

These people will never listen, when these dogs are gone/taken/killed they'll get more and train them to be badly behaved dogs too.

it is hard to let it go, believe me. I know that i can't save every dog, or educate every owner. I try as hard as i can, but i also know when nothing more can be done. You will always wonder "but what if i told them this, or offered to do that" but at the end of the day, they are making a choice, and that choice will likely end up with their dogs being put down.

I agree with letting it go. You will drive yourself nuts worrying about all the lunitics out there.

yeah, mostly i try to pretend they don't have dogs. it's just when i heard this....'augghhhh!'

i get annoyed b/c it's so unfair to their dogs. but i feel like i've already enabled her by taking her cat and letting her slide on that responsibility.

Your dilemma is very real. These people clearly need advice they will heed. Since they are "trying again" to get pregnant after the devastating loss of their twins, you might try asking them how they would feel if their dogs bit, mauled or killed a baby they brought into their home (which is likely given the lack of proper pack dynamics and prior history of biting). They sound like they are in desperate need of a loud wake up call before they bring home a baby. Animal control may not remove their dogs in time to prevent a real tragedy. Sorry to sound so harsh, but this sounds like a disaster waiting to happen and you might be the one to prevent it.