OT - Dog Troubles (a little long)

#1

I just don’t know what to do.

Thus far, this week, our dog (a ten month old puppy, really) has completely damaged a wire metal kennel and the new plastic one we bought last night ($100 right down the drain). He chewed through the back in under 4 hours.

He’s torn up the carpet in the bedroom (literally, ripped it back off the floor. There’s a good 2 foot tear in the carpet now) and today, after breaking out of the carrier/cage/kennel/whatever you want to call it, pranced about the entire bedroom with poopy paws and a bad case of the runs.

We are in the process of cleaning everything in the bedroom right now, and at some point will have to replace all of the carpeting, and fix the holes and scratches on the walls, doorframes, and doors.

Unfortunately, I believe I know the cause of all of this: He’s terribly bored and lonely. I’ve worked out of the house since before we got him. My boyfriend has been working from home for a while. Recently he started a new job that he has to go into an office to work. The dog, Brody, is obviously unhappy at being home all day.

Tonight was pretty much the last straw. We have no where to keep him now. I suggested just putting him in the closet until we could figure out what to do, but my boyfriend mentioned that not only would he destroy the carpet further, but with that much space would probably just break through the door.

We can’t leave him outside all day because it gets too hot during the day, we don’t really have a yard (we just bought a condo), and my boyfriend mentioned that someone could very easily steal him, or that he could chew through the tie-out and run off.

I’m so very very sad at the thought of putting him in a shelter. I keep crying when I think about it. He really is a good dog, short of all of this.

I’ve been asking places I’ve found online that offer doggy daycare, but no one has gotten back to me.

I don’t know what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions besides a shelter?
We need to do something tonight or before work tomorrow (and I’m supposed to go in early because of the tropical storm).

I feel like such a bad owner. :verysad: :verysad: :verysad:

[Edited to add: I’m one of those people who sees my pets as my kids. I realize this failure is a reflection of me, not nessecarily the dog. I don’t want him to suffer our failure. I just don’t know what to do…]

#2

Oh Friskums!! :heart: :heart: :heart:

Can you keep him in the bathroom overnight and then let him out tomorrow, supervised, of course, until you can work out what to do?

#3

There’s even more running room in the bathroom. He’d probably just break through the door. Or tear it up pretty bad.

I have suggested it though.

He’s so persistant. I noticed last night that he’s got grooves cutting into the back of his canines. And I thought and thought, how on earth could he manage to groove out part of his own teeth? :??

He’s been trying to chew through the metal bars on the first kennel/cage he finally broke out of (by running it into the wall he managed to bend the bars enough so they no longer hold).

#4

I hate to say this, but he may be too energetic a breed to keep in a condo. :frowning: Some breeds need their space, and LOTS of it.

You might need to take him to the vet re the teeth–he may have done some serious damage to himself, too, given all that he’s chewed! Do you have any kind of chew toy or old shoes you can give him to take his attention away from things you don’t want him to chew?

#5

We were hoping getting him neutered (which we did even a month before it’s recommended. This was ok’d by the vet.) would calm him down. It hasn’t.

He’s fine as long as someone is in the house.

He’s obviously got more energy than is good for a dog to be kept in a condo. I was hoping he’d grow out of it. And I’m sure he will. But, we can’t keep taking damage to our place. I’ve never furnised a condo, but I can’t imagine we’ve got less than a grand or two in damage already.

He’s got a chew bone, and a Bad Cuz. We used to give him pig ears, but he would growl at us when we walked by and he was eating them. (This has actually crossed over to his food now. Just recently. I started working with him right away on it, cuz that’s just unacceptable.)

#6

This may be a little late for you but what about toys for him? When we got our dog as a puppy from a shelter, I went to the second hand store and bought him stuffed animals with no hard plastic pieces. He loved them! Yes he would chew threw them but I would get out the upholstry (sp?) thread and sew it back up and I would even wash the stinky things. Then there is the good old Kong toy also, you can put peanut butter in there and that should keep him occupied for a little while at least. What type of puppy is he? Some breeds just need some more attention than others, and he might respond better to you being gone if he goes through some puppy/dog obediance classes. (not sure if you have done that but I thought I would throw it in!). Right now, our puppy is a 75 lb wanna be lap dog that loves those stinky old chew hooves. They are cows hooves and I have not met a dog that did not like them. And they last longer than a pigs ear! Maybe stop at the pet store and get a few different toys and see what he likes and responds to. I hope that the doggie day care helps you out soon. It may be early for you but if you could try to get up earlier and walk him (if it is safe) before you go to work, that should tire him out for a while too. Are you close enough to home to pop in for a quick lunch and maybe a walk if it is too early for you in the morning?

Sorry it it seemed that I was rambling but the more I typed, the more ideas popped into my head! I hope that I said something that might help you! GOOD LUCK! :hug:

#7

:hug: :heart: :hug: :heart:

I’m so sorry about your puppy troubles. He sounds like one determined little guy!

Do you have a Petsmart near you? They have a Doggy Daycamp that might be a solution – although I imagine that would get expensive. Petsmart also offers dog obedience classes, so maybe one of their trainers would have some other ideas or suggestions for you.

I know separation anxiety in dogs is not uncommon. I hope you can find a solution!

#8

Ok. I just spoke with my boyfriend again. We’ve decided what we’re going to do.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to call this and hopefully get Brody in the 14 day daycare program thing. Then I’ll call the vet in PetSmart, Banfield, and get them to fax a copy of his shots to the daycare place and I’ll bring him there in the mornings, and my boyfriend will pick him up when he comes home from work.

And we’ll do this until we find Brody a new home.

I broke down and admitted that I didn’t think I’d be able to take him to a shelter. I’m very well aware the ratio of the dogs who are dropped off, adopted, and the ones that are euthanized. It’s not good. There really is only a slim chance that he’d be adopted before he was put down. And I’m just not willing to take that chance with his life.

Since he is a pit bull, and with all their bad hype and media, the first place I’ll be looking are pit bull groups that specialize in finding pit bulls good homes. At the very least, they should be able to give me some leads on other places to post that he’s available.
And that he does have the Optimal Wellness Plan through Banfield. So, basic vet stuff is taken care of.

I feel so much better. Obviously, if we’d have known he’d have this much energy we wouldn’t have taken him. But, we have him now, and it’s our responsibilty to make sure that he’s well taken care of. Even if that’s not by us.
(And let me tell you…I’m going to want everything short of a written contract that he’s not going to go from home to home to home to home to home. If this can’t be his forever home, I’ll damn well make sure the next one is.)

Thank you for your suggestions. :muah: :hug:

#9

Do you walk him at all?It would help if you could walk him EVERY day.If you can’t walk for at least an hour then get a pack for him to wear and put water bottles in it for weight.He may need the extra weight for the hour walk anyway if he has that much energy.The weight gets him more exercise in a short amount of time.The kennel problem is something you would have to work on by leaving him in it when your HOME, everytime he trys to chew his way out you have to correct him.And I mean immediately.Watch him for the first sign of him starting to LOOK like hes gonna start chewing.Leave him in there for short periods of time to start with,but DO NOT let him out if hes been chewing.Let him out on a happy note,when he hasn’t been chewing and hes just been lying there nice as can be. Another thing I have done is leave the kennel door open all the time when your home so he can go in and out when ever he wants to.I also feed my dogs int he kennel to make it a happier place for them.My one dog now knows when I’m leaving and she heads for the kennel before I have to say anything.I’m afraid giving him away is not gonna solve the problem.You’re just giving your problem to someone else.And they may not be as forgiving as you are.Sorry to hear you’re having doggie problems :hug: Hope this helps.Be patiencant and calm with him and things will get better.

#10

To be honest, we don’t walk him as much as his engery needs require. It’s not feasible for us to be up at 6am to walk the dog for two hours to get his engery down until he takes a nap. He doesn’t have a turn off or slow down button. He was very energetic when we dropped him off to get neutered, and just as energetic when we picked up him after surgery. Even the vet techs said he didn’t slow down at all while he was there.

He’s fine in his kennel when we are home. Its when we’re gone during the day at work that he tears it up. We do correct him when we see him chewing on things he’s not supposed to.
He’s actually ok for short periods of time as well. We’ll go to the store and come back and there’s no sign of him freaking out.

Figaro suggested coming home for lunch to let him out. My commute in the morning takes about 20 minutes. During my hour lunch, I came home one day, to have lunch with my boyfriend. It took me 35 minutes to get home and another 35 to get back to work. Thankfully I had anticipated it taking longer, so I took a 1.5 hour lunch.

My boss is fine with me doing that once in a while, but it’s not something I can do on a daily basis. And he needs a release daily.

I’m not interested in giving him to a similar couple. Someone with experience with the breed, room to run, preferably he’ll be an only dog as well. Someone who doesn’t have a job they have to leave the house for, or who has other people in the household who can at least let the dog out to potty during the day.

Since we’re both working out of the house now, it’s not fair to Brody. He’s the one getting the bum deal.

I don’t think I’m giving my ‘problem’ to someone else. I’m not going to hide or decieve any potential owners. I want what is best for Brody. Unfortunately, it’s not us. It’s not good for him to be stressing out so much every day.

Err, he’s a mix actually. I don’t know with what, but he’s not purebred.

#11

Didn’t mean to say you were going to not tell people Brodys problem.Just meant to be careful who you give him to.There isn’t to many people who would put up with Brody after what hes done I can see you care very much for him and only want the best for him.You have a very kind heart and I :yay: you for it.Just wanted to try and give you some info that might help with him.Doggie day care should really help your problem.Good luck and give Brody a scratch for me

#12

Oh my… so sorry you are having trouble with your puppy. It sounds like you are an excellent owner and doing the right thing by the dog, so good for you for doing that! I really hope the doggy day care works out until you can find him a more suitable home. Good luck with everything!

#13

I do appreciate your concern and everyones well wishes, and I didn’t mean to come across as anything more than trying to reassure you that I am going to be very careful and specific about who we’ll give Brody to.

I thought about it later but was too tired to come back out and post and I don’t think Brody will have these issues in the right home. Where he gets to be outside more and gets the attention during the day that he needs.
Yeah, in this particular situation there are problems. But, in the ideal home for him, I honestly don’t think there would be.
That’s why, as long as we take the time to make sure the people are good, I don’t feel that we’ll just be giving our problem away.

Additionally, I plan on keeping in contact with the people for a while to make sure there aren’t any problems. If there are, I intend to take him back until we can find someone else.

I apologize if I came across harsh to anyone last night. I was really stressed out.

#14

:muah: :hug: to you and Brody

#15

LOL, as I was reading your posts I thought, that sounds like a pit bull (at one point I had 13 after a litter!) and sure enough, you said that he is…they are such sweet, loving dogs who sometimes fall into the hands of a bad owner and have gotten such bad reps as a result.
Having been the owner of pits I must agree, he’s bored and they are very, very energetic and extremely strong. I agree with the way in which you are handling the situation, it’s so obvious that you love him!
I googled pit bull rescue and this is what I found, perhaps one of these organizations will be helpful to you.
You are right, a condo is too small for a pit. I don’t have one now, I have a mini doxie (big change there!), haven’t had a pit in many, many years. But, my nephew has one…Sue, and she’s a big baby, thinks she’s a lap dog (at 90 lbs of pure muscle!), she loves her big backyard (around 3/4 of an acre) and loves to play on her tire swing…it’s about 5-6 ft off of the ground, she jumps up and bites it and swings on it! She’s full of energy, will do this nonstop for the longest time! Her brother and sister are miniature chihuahuas!
I wish you lots of luck!

#16

:hug: :hug: Frisky :hug: :hug:

I know how hard this is for you & I’ll be thinking about you & Phu during this tough time. I do hope you can find a great home for Brody. :heart: :heart:

#17

Thanks for the link rebecca. I registered there last night and am just waiting for approval so I can list him.
Makes me sad to be there though. And see all the other dogs (1007) that are listed. They’re all either strays or given up by owner. :cry:

I’m so sad about this. Phu’s been wanting a pit for years and years and I was so happy that I was able to find one for him and it’s just turned out so poorly compared to what we were expecting.

I dropped him off at the doggy daycare thing this morning. Hopefully he won’t be too much for them to handle and they’ll call me up and tell me to get my damn dog outta there. :help:

#18

FK, I’m so very sorry for your situation and please don’t take this how it’s probably going to sound but when I read your post about putting him in the closet my heart lept out of my chest. I have read the rest of the posts and am glad you and your bf are taking the best possible route of getting Brody in the best home, but for anyone else reading this, PLEASE DON’T EVER put your animal in the closet and leave them. The trauma they will encounter will be with them till the end of their lives…

I don’t want to sound judgmental but I too am a HUGE doglover (hence my name) and it just scares me to hear of people doing this to animals.

Again, I’m very sorry for what you are going through, I couldn’t imagine having to give up my ‘child’ after only a few months. I wish you all the best. :heart: :heart:

#19

Well, just to clarify. It’s a big walk in closet. It’s where his cage/kennel was after he destroyed the bedroom the first time.

The closet is larger than the kennel he was in. And has a light and everything.

Would that still be traumatic? :?? :shrug:

#20

Has he returned home from daycare yet? How did he do?