We’ve been having problems lately with one of our dogs, HalfJack as he’s become very aggressive towards the other male dog Tempo. About 2 weeks ago he attacked him and hurt him quite badly and we had to make a decision about what to do. It wasn’t fair on Tempo to be so scared all the time and to be bitten so badly. If we decided to get rid of Tempo there was no guarantee that HalfJack wouldn’t turn on Nosh or Roxy. We decided to wait and see what happened and it’s been ok for a while.
Last night though, HalfJack grabbed Tempo again. My dad threw cold water on them and he let go for a split second then went again. He dragged Tempo all the way from the kitchen to the bathroom all the while being hit. Willie then cornered them in the bathroom and grabbed HalfJack and I was in the passage when I heard Willie say “Tempo is gone”. I went cold and just walked away. I didn’t want to be there then suddenly HalfJack let go and Tempo bolted. He was gasping for breath and when I checked him out he just had a little nick on his throat but he must’ve been choking.
Afterwards HalfJack seemed to not even know what was going on or what happened. We had to make a decision and decided it would be better for all if he was put down. We couldn’t rehome him because the danger was there that he would turn on someone else’s dogs or someone. He was very lovable to us but when he snapped he snapped big time.
I took him through this morning and after being checked out by the vet he confirmed that HalfJack’s jaw was locking and that he wouldn’t stop until Tempo was dead. There was also no guarantee that he wouldn’t turn on the other dogs. The vet loved him though and was considering taking him home even after halfJack bit him. It was heartbreaking leaving him there. He wouldn’t go when they tried to take him away and was fighting. I then walked down the passage with him and he followed but when I stopped he stopped. He said goodbye to him and he looked at me as if to say “why?”. It was awful. He’s been with us for so long and he had very unique characteristics. He was also my mom’s favourite and he was very protective of her. It felt so bad knowing that there was nothing physically wrong with him. I walked out and cried and sobbed. So badly that I had to stop the car. I felt so so bad. A little later the vet phoned and said that he unfortunately doesn’t have a choice but to put him down as there was no way he was going to accept a new owner. He went for the vet again and it seemed like he was a one owner dog. The vet explained many possibilities as to why he turned this way. It’s still heart breaking.
In the mean time we now only have smallish dogs and after the bad luck we’ve been having later we think it is important to have a bigger dog. The fact the we love animals has of course got nothing to do with it. Willie and I will be going to PMB this weekend to see if we can find another dog. The worst part is that the other dogs are clearly missing him. Especially Nosh as they were my only two dogs for a while. And they were very close. When I came back she kept waiting at the garage door as if HalfJack was supposed to come through there. Then she sat there and cried for a while. She’s better now but Roxy and Nosh are looking a little depressed. Tempo on the other hand is a different dog. He seems to have flourished in the few hours. He’s playful and active where before he would almost always be hiding.
Sad sad day today. I will miss you halfJack. At least he is with my mom now. Maybe she is feeding him his favourite toast with fish paste and coffee.
These photo’s were taken on the farm. Almost a year ago. Here he is playing with the puppies and the other one he is exploring.
