Foster doggie attacked Sophie today,,,,,
Submitted by ArchimedesMommy on May 3, 2015 - 3:23amOh WOW, we've had this sweet girl 2 weeks, and we've TRIED....and we feel so SORRY for her because she came from hoarders
that had **17** dogs in outdoor kennels !!!!!! Needless to say, she is VERY starved for love, and we have given it to her!!! She
even slept in my arms like a human baby last night.....She and her four siblings came to our local bulldog rescue 2 weeks ago,
so they are VERY busy trying to find them homes! Thankfully, one of her siblings has found a permanent home, and the other 4 are in foster
homes.......----but here are the problems.....
....
Since she's probably never played, she FREAKS OUT when Daddy plays with Meaty and Sophie every night. This is their
FUN time, and they chase a ball they are OBSESSED with. Welll, it stresses our Foster girl out, and she cries and started
nipping at Meaty---AND, she bit him on his ear---(it bled profusely!!!) -we figured it was not a big deal, probably and accident, she was
excited, etc....decided to keep her away from them when they play. A couple nights later, she got away from me, and
bit Meaty's SAME ear....again!!! Needless to say, we've kept her safely away from them during play time! We asked the resuce people for advice, and they've been very helpful, saying maybe she was trying to "mother' Meaty and her nipping at him and biting him were ways of "protecting" him..
....
Then she stared bearing her teeth/ growling at Sophie after a week of being here-----why??? UGH!! Again, got good advice from the rescue peeps. We did NOT wanna give up on this girl---she is SO comfy here and SO attached to us....she cries even when I leave the room!!...
....
But then today...omg.....she attacked Sophie and it was HORRIFYING!!! She had Sophie's jaw in her mouth and would NOT let go!!! I still
can't believe what I saw! Thank Goodness my hubby was here and had to de-tach Sophie from her grip !!!! (and of course, he could've
been hurt, too! Thank Goodness he's okay!!!!) Once Foster girl was put in the bathroom, I assesssed my poor Sophie's chin, and she had four small puncture wounds on her outer chin with just a tiny amount of blood....Since Sophie's mouth was open, I also checked her gums to see if there were wounds inside, but there aren't any. Of course I washed them gently, and Sophie didn't wince or act like she was hurting at all....I was ready to rush her to an Emergency Vet, but hubby thought she was okay, no need.......
....
I spoke w/ the head of resuce, saying we hated to give up, but she has to go! Rescue lady totally understood and said that 2 female bulldogs are known to be this way, they totally understood. Since our rescue is overwhelmed right now, we'll keep her a few more days, and we're keeping her and
Sophie separate as much as possible. ...
.....
Have you ever had these issues? What did you do????? I am SO sad to let this girl go, because other than the bites, she is SO sweet!!!!
I told the Resuce lady that maybe our next Foster could be a mellow, neutered male....she agreed, and we laughed.....
Our sweet Archimedes "MEATY" Bones (or as we say...boneSHHH!) ---born 11/28/08---- our first bullllyyyy!!!
And SOPHIE Bubbles *Rapscallion* (LOL!) ---born 4/3/11----our second bulllllyyyy!!!!
So sad for Sophie and Meaty...
they don't understand this kind of behavior. Very important to keep them separated until she gets picked up. She would most likely do very well in a home with no other dogs. She. We got Jessa she would grab a toy and guard it from the others. She will also go after them if they have a toy but she's gotten better. But shes never tried to hurt any of the boys. Sad for you all.
So sad for Sophie and Meaty...
they don't understand this kind of behavior. Very important to keep them separated until she gets picked up. She would most likely do very well in a home with no other dogs. She. We got Jessa she would grab a toy and guard it from the others. She will also go after them if they have a toy but she's gotten better. But shes never tried to hurt any of the boys. Sad for you all.
Sorry
iphone.
So very sorry to read this.......
you did your best. sometimes dogs just have to be separated. this poor girl knows no better.....hugs to you all for trying!
Mack 'n' Tillie Mae Mack
attitude is altitude!
our rescue group is SO full right now...
They offered to board her and another female that's one of our girl's siblings who's also causing problems at her foster home. Both the other foster couple and my hubby & I do NOT want them boarded, so we're all gonna keep them longer....It's a shame our group has SO MANY new intakes recently....there really is nowhere to place them. They're even asking us if we can take at least one more foster. Some of the wonder-bull foster parents in our group already have 2,3,4 fosters already ( in addition to their own pets!) They are such giving, sweet people!!!...
....
We just keep an even CLOSER eye on them now, and will separate them more! We were also told to try spraying the foster girl with water when she starts snarling at Sophie. Maybe if we do that enough, it'll stop!!! We love the little gal and don't want her bounced to different homes....she's been through enough trauma!!!
Our sweet Archimedes "MEATY" Bones (or as we say...boneSHHH!) ---born 11/28/08---- our first bullllyyyy!!!
And SOPHIE Bubbles *Rapscallion* (LOL!) ---born 4/3/11----our second bulllllyyyy!!!!
thank
you for your patience with her. i wish lynn king was on........but i think minimizing contact is best. she is just so uncertain of what is going on. you guys are Angels!
Mack 'n' Tillie Mae Mack
attitude is altitude!
Wow I'm sorry you are going through this.
What a rough first go of fostering. It sounds like your girl has a lot of things going on.
The first and biggest issue is that she's likely never been socialized at all. So she doesn't understand that Meaty and Sophie are just PLAYING with your husband. I bet the noise, and hyped up level of excitement in the room just causes her to become over stimulated and she doesn't know how to properly channel those emotions and feelings. I'm 99% confident her reaction to them playing is fear. She's worried about what is going on and wants to protect you and your husband from Meaty and Sophie. Dogs who are not well socialized are often easily over stimulated in new situations. I certainly recommend that when play time happens she is kept in her kennel in a seperate room with a radio or fan on to help drown out the noise of the game playing.
Second, her attacking Sophie. I am SO glad that no one (including you or your husband) were seriously hurt in that incident. While you have her in your home I recommend that she always be in a harness and on a leash so that you can have control over her at all times. Never allow her to be near Sophie. If she reacts negatively to Sophie (just seeing her in the yard or walking past her in the house) you need to immediately redirect her attention. I would also have Sophie on a leash as well so that you can stop her from going after the foster and instigating any scuffles.
At this point, as much as she cries, she needs to be kept separate from your dogs 100% of the time. And always in a harness. It's important that you spend time with her, take her for walks, help expose her to new an different things, but always keep her a safe distance from any and all other dogs. You might work on finding a game for her to play (either one of those treat dispensing teaser toys or a game with you and your husband) to help keep her mentally stimulated as well as taking her for walks. A tired dog is a good dog.
You might also ask your rescue about the possibility of getting her a prescription for her anxiety issues. I am not a vet, nor do I pretend to be one on TV, but what you are describing to me sounds like she's got pretty significant resource guarding and separation anxiety. There are medications out there that might help ease her anxiety and calm her nerves.
Shannon and Winston :)
My swimming bully buddy!