lapritchard
Junior Member
Hello. I live in Independence, MN. I have a situation that requires explanation, so I will give as much detail as I can.
I am 21 years old, living temporarily at home because I could not afford to continue school. My father and stepmom were gracious enough to allow me to live in their home on 47 acres. We adopted a yellow lab from a rescue in Oct 2009; he was a very good dog in the beginning. Since we have so much property he was not always on leash. My stepmom had him out for a walk in November, and let him off leash because he was very good at coming when called. A jogger was coming toward them on the gravel road, and I don't know if the dog perceived it as a threat or what, but he went after her and bit her on the thigh. Obviously the police were called and we were notified if this were to happen again he would be labeled as a dangerous dog.
Had I any thought in my mind that anything like that would happen again I would have invested in a professional trainer right then and there, but I couldn't see any of us letting it happen. One morning, my father (who is very sick) was too tired to take the dog out to his tie-out stake, and just let him outside instead, thinking he'd come right back inside. The dog saw another jogger down on the road and went after this fellow too. For whatever reason this time, he did not bite, just ran along behind him and barked. This fellow called the police also, and they are going to label him as a dangerous dog.
The aggression we have witnessed is exclusive to these two incidents. If someone comes to the property he will bark, but not bite. Around the house he is a loving docile animal.
We have 14 days to 1) register him as a dangerous dog, 2) euthanize him, or 3) appeal the charge. It is out of the question to register him, per my father -- understandably, the insurance cost would bury us alive. The last thing I want is for him to be euthanized. If we lost the appeal it would cost at most $1000. My question is this: Since he did not bite the second time, is this worth appealing? Would an impartial judge be open to my side of this or would I just be stuck with this enormous cost of the court case?
Please no belittling statements. I understand the severity of these acts, I am just looking at all of the options here. He is not a dangerous dog, everyone who has spent any amount of time with him would agree to this, but he does need to be leashed/confined/worked with professionally.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
I am 21 years old, living temporarily at home because I could not afford to continue school. My father and stepmom were gracious enough to allow me to live in their home on 47 acres. We adopted a yellow lab from a rescue in Oct 2009; he was a very good dog in the beginning. Since we have so much property he was not always on leash. My stepmom had him out for a walk in November, and let him off leash because he was very good at coming when called. A jogger was coming toward them on the gravel road, and I don't know if the dog perceived it as a threat or what, but he went after her and bit her on the thigh. Obviously the police were called and we were notified if this were to happen again he would be labeled as a dangerous dog.
Had I any thought in my mind that anything like that would happen again I would have invested in a professional trainer right then and there, but I couldn't see any of us letting it happen. One morning, my father (who is very sick) was too tired to take the dog out to his tie-out stake, and just let him outside instead, thinking he'd come right back inside. The dog saw another jogger down on the road and went after this fellow too. For whatever reason this time, he did not bite, just ran along behind him and barked. This fellow called the police also, and they are going to label him as a dangerous dog.
The aggression we have witnessed is exclusive to these two incidents. If someone comes to the property he will bark, but not bite. Around the house he is a loving docile animal.
We have 14 days to 1) register him as a dangerous dog, 2) euthanize him, or 3) appeal the charge. It is out of the question to register him, per my father -- understandably, the insurance cost would bury us alive. The last thing I want is for him to be euthanized. If we lost the appeal it would cost at most $1000. My question is this: Since he did not bite the second time, is this worth appealing? Would an impartial judge be open to my side of this or would I just be stuck with this enormous cost of the court case?
Please no belittling statements. I understand the severity of these acts, I am just looking at all of the options here. He is not a dangerous dog, everyone who has spent any amount of time with him would agree to this, but he does need to be leashed/confined/worked with professionally.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!
