Heart Breaking Decision

[Guest LunaTheGreyt]

Just offering my love to you and Ami -- Luna probably would have bitten that trainer. Ami has a perfect home out there and YOU have a perfect grey (or any breed for that matter) waiting for you! I am sorry your group has been so unsupportive of you, that's not the way things should work.

[RedHead]

Wow....I won't repeat what everyone else has said, but I can't believe the adoption group is "angry" that you are returning her. As far as I can see, you have gone above and beyond what most owners would have. Don't feel bad in admitting that this isn't the right match or above your expertise. Despite the things the trainer did, it still sounds like you have a dog that has developed many insecurities and can be potentially dangerous in novice hands . I do think it is probably a good idea you are returning her, even though I know you feel horrible about it. Sometimes the best thing these dogs can have is a "fresh" new start in a new home where they haven't developed negative experiences. It also sounds like she may do better with other greyhounds.

 

I have no idea where you are, but I am north of Toronto (Orangeville area) and if you are anywhere close by I would be happy to lend some support, or have you come on some greyhound adventures with us. There really is a great dog for everyone, an easy going, confident grey would probably work out really well. Or...if you aren't ready for a grey there are a lot of other breeds and mutts that might suit your needs.

 

Trust me, there are some real idiots out there that put no effort at all into their dogs and they have no problems. You are certainly capable of owning a dog!! But...take what time you need, and maybe after a bit you will be ready to try again

[BatterseaBrindl]

Sorry you have had such an awful time.

I sent you an email.

[Brandiandwe]

I'll email in a bit when I get home but I can't believe your group is angry with you. You've done everything you can, you and they knew five months ago there were problems. I'm a little too far away for you to meet mine (though you're more than welcome!) but I do hope you get to meet and talk to some people who can give you the support you need (and who may have a lively foster you could meet....)

[Guest DogNewbie]

I have to ask...after doing so well with her yesterday and this morning, why would an assessment by a seemingly incompetent (more on that later) trainer make you decide you need to return her? If your decision is solely based on this trainer's assessment, I would urge you to reconsider. If it's based on your entire experience with Ami and considering whether you're up for this task, then it may be the best choice. Especially if you are scared and not comfortable working with her, it may be better to let her go to a more experienced home.

 

I agree with Batmom that trying to train her to sit was inappropriate. How experienced is this trainer with greyhounds? While training 'sit' is often one of the first basic commands and is fairly easily taught to most other dogs, it is one of the hardest things to teach a greyhound, and something many greyhounds don't do naturally or comfortably. How exactly was the trainer trying to teach sit that made her aggressive?

 

Regardless of what the trainer was trying to do, provoking an aggressive response is harmful and totally unnecessary. To me, this is a sign of an incompetent trainer who does not have a good understanding of canine body language and stress. The fact that she worked with Ami for 2 hours is another red flag - way too long of a session, especially for a dog who is stressed. I also find it disturbing that the trainer would deem her "not pet material"...does that mean she would recommend euthanasia? IMO, there are few dogs who are truly 'not pet material'. Most are just stressed and need an understanding home that can put the time and effort into earning their trust and teaching them basic manners and guidelines.

I am sure no dog or greyhound expert, but we got Wiley in July and he can't sit. I have NEVER seen him sit on his own and I think it hurts him (it turns out he has some arthritis starting in one hip he is only 3!). Our trainer just had us skip the sit and just go to the down. This worked for us!

 

Just wanted to offer some hugs! I can't imagine being in that situation Good luck!

[djsgreys]

I emailed as well. What a tough situation for both the family and the hound. If anyone else should get a response and find out what group placed this grey can you pm me and let me know. Thanks.

[philospher77]

I will say that my Katie is a very spook of a greyhound, with the saving grace of not being a bit aggressive. I am also lucky enough to live in the same town as Nicole Wilde, author of _Help for Your Fearful Dog_, who was able to recommend a very good trainer to work with. To give you an idea of the difference, the first meeting (at 100/hr), involved her just talking to me about how to manage the environment, etc., because she had quickly sized up Katie and realized that she was too stressed to even attempt to handle at that point. So I got advice, and had her out again to give more advice, and that time she could actually touch her, with a lot of reinforcement (i.e, chicken). And over time, Katie has taught me a lot about dogs, and introduced me to a world of dog-training and some very helpful people that I probably would not have met otherwise. But those first days were not what I had been imagining when I got her, even though I had asked for a "more difficult" dog, since I had found my first one so easy. One of the difficulties in dealing with a "project dog" is that you don't get a lot of the positive feedback that you do from a normal dog. Unless you can really change your mindset, it's not all that rewarding working with a dog that won't leave a 3 ft square area in your house for over three years (which is what the founder of the shy-k9 Yahoo group had to deal with). And one of the sayings on that list is: "It's ok to realize that you want a pet, not a project."

 

So… breathe, grieve, and then hopefully open your heart and home to another dog. You sound like the kind of person who will make a great dog owner, and just need to find the right dog to realize that.

[Guest Amis_Ma]

I've read all of your responses and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't have good news. It was decided that Ami may have a brain tumour based on her past seizure, behaviours and blood shot eyes. I don't know when but between today and Monday she will be euthanized. I am in shock. I droped her off at the adoption agenct last night. These past 6mts have been difficult but I don't regret a second of it. Ami was my best friend, if only for 6mts.

 

RIP Ami

[Batmom]

I wish I were close enough to come get the dog myself.......

[zimsmom]

You gave her all the best help in the world. Take your time to grieve (I'm even sitting here with tears in my eyes) but from reading your posts you will make a wonderful grehound owner. They have their quirks but otherwise are just great dogs. Please try to keep in touch with people on this forum who live near you and maybe use the adoption group they used. Or better yet maybe dog sit! I will be thinking of you over the next days....

[dmdsmoxie]

 

 

. It was decided that Ami may have a brain tumour based on her past seizure, behaviours and blood shot eyes.

 

It was a diagnosis by a vet or the adoption group?

[Batmom]

I have to wonder if this group knows anything about any type of dog, much less greyhounds.

 

If the dog had a brain tumor, she'd've had more seizures than the one.

 

Red eyes are common when a dog has allergies or is excited or frightened.

 

If a trainer treated my dogs the way this "trainer" treated Ami, a majority of them would have growled, snarled, and lunged, too, and a couple would have flat-out bitten.

 

I am beyond appalled.

[jetcitywoman]

I've read all of your responses and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't have good news. It was decided that Ami may have a brain tumour based on her past seizure, behaviours and blood shot eyes. I don't know when but between today and Monday she will be euthanized. I am in shock. I droped her off at the adoption agenct last night. These past 6mts have been difficult but I don't regret a second of it. Ami was my best friend, if only for 6mts.

 

RIP Ami

 

This is totally armchair quarterbacking and I realize I have no control over the situation, but it really appalls me that the adoption group would jump to this on merely those symptoms - without getting an MRI or CT scan of Ami's brain. I know it costs a lot, but come ON! For the last two years I've been working with galgo rescue and watching Tina from Galgos del Sol get appropriate medical care for dogs in MUCH worse shape than Ami and get them fixed up and homed. She gets the dogs what they need, then posts pictures and asks for donations and people jump to help out. I guess this is another example of how this adoption group is poor.

 

AmisMom, I'm so SO sorry for what you've gone through and that not only did you have to suffer the guilt of returning her, but then to also hear that they're going to destroy her. It makes me want to cry and I'm not even there. When you're ready to try again, do NOT use this adoption group. There are many out there who truly serve the best interest of the dogs and will set you AND THE DOG up to succeed, not fail.

 

:

Edited December 7, 2013 by jetcitywoman

[Guest DeniseL]

 

I've read all of your responses and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't have good news. It was decided that Ami may have a brain tumour based on her past seizure, behaviours and blood shot eyes. I don't know when but between today and Monday she will be euthanized. I am in shock. I droped her off at the adoption agenct last night. These past 6mts have been difficult but I don't regret a second of it. Ami was my best friend, if only for 6mts.

 

RIP Ami[/quoted]

 

Ummmmm....is the adoption group making this medical diagnosis???? How can they say she has a tumor from blood shot eyes???? I am no vet, but when I took one of mine to the vet recently for seizures, she had a bloodshot eye which they attributes to stress, etc.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need an mri to confirm a tumor???

How can the group do this? This is a FEARFUL dog, like my baby Miami, who acted the same way. I took him to a behaviorist. He was given prozac which reduced his stress to the point where we could work with him and he is my heart today!

OP you are not at fault I am so sorry you have gone thru all of this, but that adoption group...omg.

Sorry, I realize that I just sort of jumped into this thread, but I read over if this morning and im heartbroken!!

[krissy]

Erg, quote function doesn't work at work (ha, I made a punny).

 

You cannot diagnose a brain tumour based on clinical signs. A dog with a brain tumour does not show any one set of clinical signs. They may have seizures, aggressive behaviour, behaviour changes, disorientation, OCD type behaviours, blindness, and on and on and on. It depends on the location of the tumour, how quickly the tumour grows, the type of tumour, and so on. We can sometimes suggest that a tumour might be possible... sometimes in an older dog who has started having seizures that do not respond well to anticonvulsant medications, having serious behaviour changes, etc. But I would never tell a client that their dog absolutely has a tumour without an MRI or a postmortem. I simply am not able to diagnose that based on clinical signs.

 

This is such a sad situation all around. It makes me want to cry and hug my hounds close.

[RedHead]

I would also be very curious as to whether this was diagnosed by the vet or the group. It almost sounds like an easy way for this group to dispose of a difficult dog. So sad Of course I don't know the whole story, maybe they did bring her to a vet, so I apologize if they did and it was officially diagnosed. I only know of a few adoption groups here, I can't imagine any of them doing this, so I have no idea where you are located, but am hoping and wishing that a close-by GT member could step in and take this dog or contact a local grey group that will take her in. She at least deserves one more chance. I am sorry you have had such a bad experience...

[Batmom]

If there were anyone in the area who could get the group to turn loose of the dog, I would sponsor her.

[Guest RMarie]

Oh my! This is more shocking than the letter from the "dog trainer." To make such an irreversible decision on physical appearance and behavior alone...

 

Are they that selfishly cheap that they won't get a brain scan performed? How can this group get away with this?

[Guest DeniseL]

Does anyone know what adoption group it is? And where in Canada they are located? I think that poor baby needs to get the efff out of there...I wish I was closer. As said earlier, we don't have the whole-story, but it sounds to me like an easy way out of a situation the adoption group didn't want to have to deal with in the first place, as was demonstrated when they gave the OP a hard time for returning.

 

Unbelievable. This poor baby might die because of this unfortunate situation.

[Guest DeniseL]

Oh my! This is more shocking than the letter from the "dog trainer." To make such an irreversible decision on physical appearance and behavior alone...

 

Are they that selfishly cheap that they won't get a brain scan performed? How can this group get away with this?

 

They either don't have or want to spend the money (or they could just wait and see if the situation gets worse, as will happen with a brain tumor)....more likely they are not being honest about their motives to the heartbroken OP who made the difficult decision to return her dog, who she though would be in a safe place.

[cometdust1]

This whole situation has left me speechless! My heart goes out to you! Your adoption group has failed you in every way possible, and then some.What a shame. So sorry this happened. When I had to return my 1st greyhound because of severe separation anxiety(she was an only greyhound and hated my labx), I was very upset, I, like you, did not want want to give up on my girl. They were extremely supportive and assured me there was a better fit home for her and a better fit hound for me(which there was). This should have been your experience and I'm so sorry it wasn't. My condolances to you on your group's descision with Ami. So sad, and most likely unnecessary.

[RedHead]

I did a google search with the dog's racing name....I won't post the group or location out of respect for the OP but it looks like this group is far from most of the Canadian GT members.

 

 

[Guest grey_dreams]

An undiagnosed "seizure" and an undiagnosed "brain tumor". So they are going to kill the dog. Unbelievable.

 

I wonder if the Lexus Project could help?

 

Just sent an email to Robin at the Lexus Project. Hope they can reach out.

 

Amis mom: You can reach out to the Lexus Project too. They help greyhounds who are in danger. Here is their webpage (click on the link).

Edited December 7, 2013 by grey_dreams

[Houndmommy03]

Wow! I have no words. So disappointed in the adoption group.

[MachosMom]

I dont have words. I... Well.. yeah I just don't. Ami doesnt deserve this. Amis_ma you dont either. :'(