Althouse: "I wanted cute but got Cujo."

May 21, 2007

"I wanted cute but got Cujo."

"I have an identical [twin] sister and I don't look like her anymore."

6 comments:

vet66 said...: Animal abuse is abhorrent. I hope they take the ex-con who perpetrated this outrage down hard. On a visceral level they should use the leather whip on him.

I would settle for charges of assault and battery since he trained the dog through abuse.

Sick bastard!; 5/21/07, 6:39 AM
Ron said...: "I wanted cute but got Cujo"

Good epitath!; 5/21/07, 7:46 AM
Synova said...: We had one of our dogs put down. She didn't attack a person but the second time she mauled one of our other dogs I felt we had no choice. One moment bouncing puppy happiness, the next moment buzz-saw.

So I took her to the vet and what do I get? "Have you considered bringing her to a dog rescue?"

I patiently explained that if I gave her to someone else it would be *my* fault if she tore up some four year old.

So they put her down and I cried all the way home.; 5/21/07, 11:49 AM
blake said...: Good for you, Synova.

We recently got a dog that, while great in many ways, randomly snapped at our 5yo and 1yo. (He was aggressive toward women, I think.)

When we took him back to the pound we found he had had several previous owners. But they referred to him as "energetic".

Great. So, in all likelihood, his aggressiveness was known and covered-up. And I got to break my kids' hearts by having to take him back. (I think he was rescued, though, and some of the rescues are good about noting aggressiveness. Others are just scams.); 5/21/07, 2:02 PM
Synova said...: Our little dog snaps at small children. All of our kids are older and he never snapped at them since we got him when my youngest was about 5 years so I was shocked when he growled at a friend's two year old.

When my brother was here with his family we kept the baby gate up, dogs downstairs, babies upstairs.

Something like that can be worked around. He's a fine dog for us but a family with toddlers couldn't have him.

And he did *growl*.

What really freaked me out about my lovely Petra was that there was no warning before she went berzerk.; 5/21/07, 4:19 PM
mythusmage said...: When a dog acts out of turn you assert your dominance. But, it's also a good idea to learn about canine behavior before getting a dog.

Dogs get excited, dogs forget themselves. You have to set boundaries and maintain them. Dog gets rough you get hard.

Synova,

Sounds to me like your dog is scared of very small children. Small animal in a world full of large, unpredictable beasts. I can't blame him for warning them off. Considering how unpredictable a one year old can be, better the two be separated.

A five year old is another matter. Them you can give a good talking to. Along with a swat on the butt if they won't listen.

Advie for everybody: If you're going to get a pet --- dog, cat, parakeet, boyfriend --- learn something about their normal behavior. Show that you are in charge and show that you trust them.; 5/22/07, 7:13 AM