If you've ever read my posts in regards to Hunter, you know that I can't turn my back on a dog that has problems, but will go to the end of the earth to try my best to fix them. Well, I recently found out about a dog who has been neglected and abused and needs a home. I have decided to take him on...

He is a one-year-old Catahoula mastiff cross, so he's a big boy (150-200 pounds), yet is a very timid dog due to the abuse and having no human contact other than getting fed. His timidity shows as aggression, and he won't let any male near him without putting up a fight (and if the male doesn't walk away, it usually ends in him getting bit). This dog will growl and snarl at anyone (male, the worst), female (only if she gets too close), child (only if he tries to touch the dog who never snaps, just growls).

I've gone to visit him every day this week. He has grown to the point that he won't growl at me, but will just cower until he warms up again. (I will sit on the step and just keep talking to him, and he will walk up and sniff me and then start wagging his tail and turn into a big goof.) When he does warm up, I found out he is an AMAZING dog.

I've fed him and "played" with his food, and when I touch his food, he just lies down and waits for me to give the food back, so he doesn't have food aggression. He knows every command I throw his way (sit, lay down, come, roll over, shake a paw, etc), and listens really well considering he's been neglected and ignored for so long.

I know I can't keep him (with three rescue ferrets on the go, plus the three I have, plus my two dogs, so I know I don't have the time to work with him), but I'm going to try to find a new home for him with someone who has time for him.

I'm just wondering where should I start looking. The humane society, local rescues, and animal control say put him down--so they won't help me. (They don't "tolerate" aggressive dogs.) I've taken the time to see the dog that is hiding behind the aggression, and there is no way I'm letting him get put down... I know he just needs to be socialized and in a home with only females, but I can't just let ANYone take him...

Just wondering if you have any suggestions on who to talk to about finding him a suitable home. Or how to go about finding him a perfect home--what to look for when I set up meetings, questions to ask, etc.

I can keep him for a little while and see if I can get him a little better, since he just needs some TLC.

If you want to suggest putting him down, please don't. I want to give him a fighting chance before I even think about that.

Congratulations for finding the real dog behind the aggression! I rescue cats in a similar way.

My first thought is, has he been neutered?

No he hasn't, he was taken to the vet to get his shots about a month ago, and it ended pretty badly (The vet was male, and they specifically asked for female), so that vet clinic has refused to see him again, and it was the cheapest, so the last week we've been looking for a vet who will accept him (and won't charge $400 as the other clinic was only $200).

I am surprised, a vet should have the ability to handle ( even if somewhat roughly) any animal. When I worked for the local shelter, our vet could muzzle and control any dog that came in.

The first thing they ask is if they've ever bitten a human, we have to say he has, and then they ask if stitches were needed they were, so they say they'll call us back and they never do. Were thinking about bringing him in "pre muzzled", and asking if that'll change anything. He is a strong dog, and very hard to muzzle if he is already upset... so it makes it very difficult for the vet to do (Thats what the previous vet had tried and had gotten his hand bitten)

Emily, where is the dog now and who is 'they' who took him to the vet? Do you have the owner's permission to find him a new home?

This does not sound like an abandoned/feral animal and I want you to make certain you take legal measures to help the animal if he really needs helping. What facts do you know about him and his living conditions versus what you think you know? Where do your 'facts' come from?

Yes, I have full permission from the owners to take and rehome the dog. The "facts" come from what I've seen and what the owners have told me. The owner's daughter took him to the vet (she is the one who asked me to help the dog), they know for certain they cannot care for the dog (hence the neglect), they got him from an abusive situation (trying to help him), and it backfired on them.

Ok, I guess I get to be the *****.


This is a bad idea. Dogs that are aggressive at one moment and aren't the next are a TICKING TIME BOMB!

This dog sounds like he is using the pitty part to get what he wants and uses it. He allows human handling after a certain period and consistancy without any type of environmental change. RED FLAG

He's aggressive to everything that walks this earth. RED FLAG. Coming from the rescue world, regular people just don't have the facility, know-how on how to handle these types of dogs. Not to mention that over 90% of people want their dogs to interact with kids, other people and other dogs. If a dog cannot survive in society like this, then they have no business being in the society. This dog is dangerous and a walking law-suit.

Now.. handling this dog, obviously everyone is afraid of him due to his big size. He is using that to his advantage. Dogs that cower and act submissively aren't always abuse cases. There is a dog in my rescue that will give me every display of an abused dog.. crawling on her belly, showing her belly, avoided eye contact and excessive lip licking. This dog was raised here and she was never abused. She is also an alpha witch that is aggressive towards other dogs... So don't let their body postures fool you. Temperament is temperament.

Now, lets analyze you're handling skills.. Hunter has been in how many fights and has bitten you how many times? One time is one too many. The only reason Hunter didn't hurt anyone is because you raised him as a puppy and kind of know his temperament. This is an intact, 100lb dog that is showing aggression towards a lot of various things. There is absolutely no way you can handle a dog like that.. I don't think I could handle a dog like that let alone anyone else. This is a very dangerous animal (from what you are describing).

If a vet is turning down a dog due to aggression, that should tell you how nasty he is. Vets do have a lot of things to use against aggressive dogs.. if those failed, then yes they can turn away a dog. Neutering him as an adult will not change his behavior from a fire breathing dragon, to a calm dog. Habits have already formed, temperments have already been created and so forth.

I'm not for this at all. I don't know of many trainers willing to take on an aggressive dog like this... but I would suggest that if you insist on this animal being rehabed, that you contact a trainer and DO NOT DO ANYTHING ON YOUR OWN.

As far as rehoming a dangerous animal.. good luck.

Lucky, he was in fact abused, Im not going just by his body language but by actual facts and from what the previous owner admitted doing (he has scars from being cut, scars on his back legs where he was set on fire, etc). And he is only "a fire breathing dragon" when he doesn't know you. Once he knows you he is an amazing dog. Im getting him today, and who knows, maybe once he's off his 3 foot change and not on "his" property his attitude will change completely.

I doubt it...

Adult dogs are who they are... Its very hard for them to change and to revert to something else. He is a known biter that has bitten many people. That is very dangerous...

Now you're putting your entire family at risk and your other dogs at risk of being bitten. This is a bad decision on your part and very poor judgement. But do what you want Emily. You're poor animal handling and lack of dog knowledge is going to get you hurt. Hunter is a "bad dog" also, you're going to have a huge clash of personalities and your Hunter is going to lose this battle and get severely injured. Changing the environment helps to a certain point.. However this situation is only going to put yourself at risk, your family at risk and your animals at risk. Change of environment to a controlled environment will sometimes push these types of dogs over the edge more and can become lethal. This is a big dog that knows he's big and knows how to scare people and knows how to use his teeth. Any type of punishment if given at the wrong time will cause this dog to snap.

Why put so much effort into an evil dog when there are so many deserving animals out there that are killed each day for the sole reason they were born.

Adults cannot change. Especially an adult IN TACT MALE that has already "gone over the edge". Some dogs are just not able to be saved.. and I'd almost bet money that this is one of them.

Like I said before.. I would advise to not do a thing with this dog without the supervision of a very seasoned professional dog trainer that is specialized in animal behavior and aggression. Those trainers are not cheap.

But I know you won't take my advise as advise. You think I'm picking on you...

Emily this bad. Very bad. I'm not trying to be a B here, I'm worried for this dog and the potential victim. An unstable adult dog is not a charity case, you need to do what's right for this dog. If a no kill shelter is refusing to take him on, then there's a reason for that. Take it from me, I do the behavioral testing and aggression testing for the SPCA, I have to see potential good dogs die every week. Is it fair? NO. Is it their fault? NO. This is why it's so important to have proper training for these breeds. Not everyone in the world should own dogs (or have kids for that matter). It really sucks, but you have to do the right thing here, and that might be realizing when to let go.

Let me tell you a story. I rescued a mastiff shepherd mix. Lots of people probably remember talking about this story. He was aggressive from day one. But I was stubborn. I wanted to give him a chance, I thought I could help this dog. He was a very young pup when I got him, so abuse really wasn’t the issue here. I took him to obedience, I took him to behavior modification, I used several different trainers including Bark Busters. He was neutered, he was seen by “doggy therapists”, I spent well over $2,000 on this dog and he wasn’t even 1 year old. He snapped at me one day. If you know anything about me, I have absolutely no fear of dogs. I have been bitten many times, but I am not scared of animals. I was frightened of this dog. He was a menace in my neighborhood. My neighbors we scared of him, my family members were scared of him, he was an aggressive dog. But let me stress, one minute he was fine. He was a sook, wanting his belly rubbed, the next he was snarling and growling at anything that moved.

I called the German Shepherd rescue, they wanted nothing to do with him, I called the SPCA, I called 4-5 different types of rescues looking for help. Not a single one would help me. Finally I received a phone call from a lady who wanted to try and help me. She took Slash in, and he bit her son. To the point of stitches. She promptly returned him to me. I was at a loss. I still didn’t want to have him destroyed. I took him out to my camp and that night he bit 2 women within 5 minutes. The hardest thing I ever had to do was making that phone call on Monday morning. I STILL cry for this dog. I still wonder if I did everything I could do. When I say I am still tortured from this, it’s an understatement. But you know what is more torturous? A week later that lady who took Slash sent me a picture of her 5 year olds hand. He will be scared for life he almost lost his thumb. His hand still to this day hurts him. He can’t bend his thumb correctly and it’s caused him a lot of issues at school. What if Slash b it his face or neck? What if she wasn’t there to grab him off her son?

I hope this isn’t falling on deaf ears Emily. None of us here are for unjustifiably putting any animal down. But you NEED to know when you have bitten off more than you can chew. Emily, I wouldn’t take on a dog that shows that much aggression, and I have been doing this rescue thing for 10 years now. Please, please do the right thing here.