Kirsten,

As a mother who adopted a young dominant dog when I had three young children, 9, 6 and 4, I have grave doubts about this situation. My dog was a problem with my kids, and a far greater problem when their friends were over. This pup sounds (from a great distance) like a fearful pup, and this is not a good match with young kids. Naturally your children want and expect to pet it and groom it, they want it to be their pet dog, too. But it doesn't sound like this pup is going to fill that role anytime soon, and may well bite a child in fear.

Why should a parent of such young children feel obligated to raise a troublesome dog? This is a dog, not a person, and it does not sound, to me at least, like a dog that belongs in a home with young children. Yes, an experienced trainer may do a great job with the pup, but a young mother who is primarily concerned with her children's safelty and well being and who has her hands full with three young kids may find it significantly more difficult. The longer you keep the pup, the harder it will be to surrender it, and the harder it will be for the pup to find a new home. If you take this on as your fight, be prepared for a long campaign. I am sure I sound very callous, I do love dogs, but I love kids more. I appolgize if I have offended you.

Connie and Polly,

I very much appreciate your candor. Obviously, this is a tough choice for me, and I'm having regrets about some of the things that I've allowed to happen (mostly the bone incident, in which I exacerbated an existing issue). But I guess I realize too that the issue(s) were pre-existing, that I'm not the whole cause, and that I'm not responsible for every stray that crosses my path. Another factor in all of this is how much Tulip reminds me of my first dog, Pepe, another found dog who started out as a crazy dominant wild alligator, and became just a fantastic companion to my DH and me. Anyhow, enough confessional. Reading the links that Connie provided, and remembering just how much time I was able to dedicate to Pepe, and later his pal Tonka is helping me make a rational choice.
I homeschool my oldest, have two preschoolers, grow much of our family's food, and bike most places with the girls in a trailer to save money. I don't have much time to spare for the type of intensive training Tulip will require. In addition, my 2 yo is still unpredictable (all the kids had been told to leave the pup alone when she was sleeping, and the pup was at my feet, but it happened just that quickly.) Basically, I've come to believe that I can't do it all and do it all well. I'm going to start looking for a rescue situation today, and I've got high hopes: she's a beautiful golden tan color, red nose and nails, and striking golden eyes. She'd be the perfect dog for anyone who could dedicate the time to her.

By the way, I'm still going slowly acquire a basic library of the DVD's, so that I can be prepared when the time eventually is right for a new pup. I think my basic dog raising skills are OK (when no family is involved), but I've been clueless as to handle some of the problems small children present, and I've been grabbing at whatever advice is thrown my way (and it's ALL DIFFERENT!!!!).

Again, thanks for your time and your honesty, both of you, I really appreciate both.