Suggestions greatly appreciated - need home for our dog

[mom_of_gia]

Hi.

We have an adult female Akita dog and are desperately in search of a new, loving, responsible home for her. She, unfortunately, is not good around young children or other pets. She is, however, a wonderful, loyal companion and would make a wonderful addition to the right home.

Do you have any ideas how we can find a good home for her? We're in Orlando, FL and have been in contact with our local Akita rescue group - but unfortunately they haven't been very helpful. We were told they would post our ad on their website but it's been over a month and nothing. I've posted some ads on the internet and am awaiting responses - but truthfully she may not be adoptable.

I don't know if any of you have been in a similar situation and found yourself having to find a new home for your pet because of the new human addition to your family. It's been very stressful for us and we need to get our dog a new home soon. We're concerned for our daughter's safety.

Sorry this is so long - I'm just not sure what else to do.

Thank you.

[searchdog]

The biggest thing you need to do is be 100% up front with any potential new owners. You might look around the internet for other Akita rescue groups that might have advice for you since your local one isn't much help.

[KBecks]

try an ad on craigslist or your local paper, also network as much as possible

[Momof3Labs]

Not all rescue groups are created equal, IME. I'd agree that you should try another rescue group. How old is your dog? Some rescue groups will not deal with older dogs (don't get me started on that...), some are good-hearted but disorganized, and some are downright unethical. Is she spayed and up to date on her shots?

Did they just offer to post your ad, or are they willing to take the dog into their rescue and adopt her out (perhaps with you fostering her in the meantime)? I'd look for a group that offers the second option, personally.

IMO, your dog does not sound like she is not adoptable, she just needs to be placed as an only pet in a child-free home. Have you brought in a professional trainer to work with her?

Since you are concerned for your daughter's safety, you need to make 100% sure that the dog and baby do not come in contact AT ALL. Use a crate or sturdy baby gates to confine the dog, letting her out as needed. It's probably not what she is used to, but Akitas are large, strong dogs and you NEED to keep your DD safe.

Here's a list of Akita rescue groups:

http://www.akitaclub.org/web/rescue/resgroups.html

Since there is only one FL group, try groups in neighboring states and explain your situation. At a minimum, they may agree to post your ad on their site. Or they may be willing to take her in and try to adopt her. But I'd bet that ALL rescues in the south are overwhelmed right now with animals coming from the hurricane-ravaged areas, and it may take longer to find her a home than you'd like - but you owe your wonderful, loyal companion that much.

ETA: I just checked out the FL group's webpage, and it hasn't been updated since late June. They may have lost their webmaster, or may not consider it a priority to maintain their website. It's hard to say. Have they offered ANY other assistance in helping you place her? Overall, they look like they are doing things "right" but also look like they are dealing with a lot of dogs (and strays always have first dibs on an available slot in rescue groups).

[BethS]

No help but we are in the EXACT same situation. We have an 8 year old husky akita mix that has not adjusted well at all to the addition of young children to our family. We'd hoped for things to get better but just this weekend she nipped at DS. We cannot tolerate that. I'm looking forward to some of the responses.

[Wife_and_mommy]

Just wanted to say I hope things get better quickly. There are SO many unwanted pets. It's sure to be a chore finding a new home. I agree with Lori that your dog probably needs to be an only pet but I have no tolerance for any kind of aggression for any reason.

If it makes you feel any better, we have a large dog who's wonderful with DD and we still keep them separated almost all the time. I mistrust DD more than the dog, honestly. She's gentle one minute and beating doggy with a spoon the next. Life will be a little stressful until you find a home but please remember to be extra vigilant if your DD is a toddler as even with gates between them, they're still accessible to each other.

Another suggestion I just thought of was to call your Humane Society. Ours has a breed wait list you can be put on. Maybe someone is wanting an akita and is on the list. Just a thought.

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/dogdogcrd20040405_4_My+child+is.png

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev035pb___.png

[JFC]

I think the PP's idea about the breed list at the shelters is a great idea - it works, my neighbor got their puppy from a private home via the list.

Also, we were in a similar situation last year and found that the non-breed specific rescues were actually more helpful than the breed-specific ones. Perhaps look for some other rescues - and go ahead and post a description/photo on any/all of their websites (through them you can sometimes get onto Petfinder. as well).

Also, can you talk to your vet about it - perhaps they know someone/a rescue - they often have great networks for this sort of thing. Or at least maybe they can post a flyer w/ a photo in their lobby?!

HTH. Good luck, I know this is a hard situation to be in.

[kozachka]

Did you post an ad at the local dog park? That's how a lady I know placed her dog after having a baby with allergies. You said your dog is not good around other pets so it's not an ideal avenue, just another idea. Maybe one of the dog park regulars knows somebody who wants an Akita etc.

[mom_of_gia]

Thank you all so much. You've given me some great suggestions. I've just posted some ads on some websites and will contact our local SPCA re breed lists. It's certainly worth a shot. My vet did say that they would post a flyer for us so I've just finished typing that up.

Thanks again and please keep your fingers crossed for us.

:-) Denise

[mtrattner]

Denise,

I would really consider finding a trainer. There is no reason that your dog and baby can't get along. We have a 2 1/2 yr old dog and an 11 month old baby. I was really nervous about it at first but with the help of our trainer they are really getting along well. Especially now that DD can give the dog some of her food at feeding time. They have a great bond. Also DD used to feed biscuits to the dog when DD was only about 5 months old.

A lot of the dog's behavior is just from you. The dog is used to being the #1 baby in your life and now someone else came along. Find a good trainer and there is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep your dog.

I have so many other tips that I would be more than happy to share them with you. I don't want to go on and on but I am just a huge dog lover and it just wouldn't be an option to get rid of our dog.

Best wishes!
Melanie

[mom_of_gia]

The dog has already attacked the baby. It was a horrible thing that I hope you never have to witness. We are very sad about this and do not want to say goodbye to our dog, but it isn't safe to keep her.

[Momof3Labs]

When you say that the dog attacked the baby, do you mean attacked with bites? That broke the skin? If the dog has bitten any person, you should NOT rehome the dog but put her down instead. No reputable rescue group will rehome a dog that has attacked a person, and if you do so yourself, you could be liable for the next attack. Not a good situation at all.

I've seen a dog-on-dog attack (between two of our own dogs) and it was positively horrific; I can't imagine what it would be like if it were my child instead.

[jhaud]

we are also in this situation. we have a boxer who has growled at dd several times. we are not giving her the chance to do more. of course we will be moving within the next year and will either be renting and/or have a very small yard and were considering our options regarding our pets. so, with the recent events we contacted the rescue group we adopted her from. the adoption contract states that they have to be contacted and given the opportunity to have her back if we could no longer keep her. luckily the rescue group we are working with (carolina boxer rescue) is wonderful. she is still with us. we havent had to change the living arrangements as the kitchen dining area where our two dogs stay when indoors is already gated off and so no contact without supervision.

we have in the past fostered two dogs that were dropped in our neighborhood until there was room at the county shelter the next county over - which is a no-kill shelter. (the one in our county is horrible and is a kill shelter.) again, they couldn't take the dogs immediately so we had them for a while, but the situation wasn't critical.

i'm glad to see your vet will post your flyer. you may want to keep trying other shelters/rescue groups. i know it is a hard thing to go through. i'm really feeling like i'm letting our dog down... she had already been abandoned at least once before (her previous owner after receiving orders for a foreign country dropped her at the pound) and we have seen separation anxiety and she also has foot issues... so i feel badly that this dog whom we took in thinking we were her forever home, we are now turning out. i also know she will miss our lab terribly - they are great friends.

sorry so long, just know that you are not the only one going through this

good luck,
jennifer

[mom_of_gia]

There were no puncture wounds, but there was bruising and superficial skin damage. We were very blessed to have this "warning" instead of the potential harm a 100 lb Akita could have done to our daughter, Gia. Suzi was asserting her dominance. The attack, fortunately, looked and sounded much worse than it ended up being.

We may, in the end, have to have her euthanized. We are, however, hopeful that there is a home out there that would be perfect for Suzi. While she has been animal aggresive and showed discomfort around small children, she had never before (or since) shown any type of agression toward a human. Our local animal services department has made us well aware of any liabilities we may face. It's been a very stressful situation all around.

I really appreciate the time that each of you has taken to post your input on this matter. As a parent and a fellow pet-lover it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

Denise

[Wife_and_mommy]

Oh my gosh! I can't imagine what that must have been like. I've said since our dog was a puppy, I'd kill her myself(with my bare hands) if she *ever* was agressive towards a human.

I know you didn't ask for opinions and it aches me to say it but I would not look for another home for her. If she's tried to assert her dominance once, it's likely to happen again and the end result could be much more severe.

I'm so glad that your baby is safe. I think about this all too often just because our dog is 90 lbs. We've heard lectures about giving her up. She was adopted with the intention of keeping her forever. She's always been great with kids but the "what if's" never leave me. I'm a little obsessive about it because I want to avoid any/all problems before they could occur. I'm so sorry you're going through this. How very hard it must be.


http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/dogdogcrd20040405_4_My+child+is.png

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev035pb___.png

[Vajrastorm]

I wish you luck with finding a new home.

Sadly, it may be difficult to find a good home for a dog such as yours. :(

We had to put a dog down earlier this summer. He was one of my babies, but he was dangerous. I could not in good conscious send him to a new home, and the reality was that any person who would take him was probably not a good ownwer. :( Someone who wanted an aggressive/tough dog would have been a terrible owner for my Ivan.

Some dogs have issues that can be worked with if the right owner is found. How to find that owner - very tough. If I could have found the perfect home for Ivan, he would have blossomed. His needs were too great, and there was no chance I could find such a person.

I sincerely hope you are able to find someone willing to take your Akita, who is also prepared to be the owner she needs. If not, and you need to put her down, my heart is with you. Dogs are not people. For all that they are domesticated, they are also wild in their own way. Reasonable dog behavior can be deadly to people.

[Momof3Labs]

As much as you want your dog to live (with another family, of course), I think that the responsible thing to do is to euthanize her. Next time, she may attack and kill a child walking past her house, through her yard, whatever. I've worked with Lab rescue for many years and we would NEVER place a dog who attacked anyone (child or adult) like that.