I took the dogs to the country for horse-desensitizing on Monday, three days ago. I got talking with our neighbor Mariana. Mariana is a veterinarian, and boards dogs there. I told her how Benji had attacked Mocha suddenly that morning, a few feet from my desk chair. I worried what might have happened had I not been right there at the time. I did not see what led up to it, but they had been doing their usual rough play before. I have heard a couple of little shrieks from Mocha recently. This time it was sustained terror shrieking. Benji showed no sign of letting up.
Tuesday morning we took all three – including our Shih Tzu Bandido – to the country. They had a great time running around (Bandido is a hoot to see running full-bore in foot-high grass). Mariana saw my wife, so walked over to chat; it’s been a while. Bandido early on escaped his harness, and when Mariana came to the gate he found a way to get out through the side where there’s no dog fencing. No big deal. Mariana handed him back, we put him on the grass. All the dogs had been running like crazy and now settled down near us. I went to the car to get Bandido’s halter. I asked Mariana to adjust it tighter, than crouched down to put it on Bandido.
And Benji attacked Bandido viciously. Benji missed the neck, but was starting to shake Bandido like a rabbit. (Bandido has a puncture on his leg, one stitch; he’ll be OK.) Benji had a harness, so I could grab him easily. I’m 6’3″, 195 pounds, and pretty strong for 64 years. I could immediately restrain a strong 70 pound dog. My wife or Mariana – five months pregnant and outside the gate – would have been helpless. Had I been even ten feet away I doubt Bandido would have survived.
Since this happened right in front of her, Mariana saw that there was no provocation and no warning. She asked me if this was typical. I said yes, there’s never any warning. When he meets other dogs he sniffs like a regular dog for a few seconds but then attacks without warning: no growl, no hackles. It’s been getting worse over time; I no longer dared let him off leash around other dogs.
I said that in the US, by now we would probably have had him put down, but vets here won’t put down a healthy dog.
She – Uruguayan vet – said she would do it. She said this is a dangerous dog. We arranged for that afternoon.
I had to wait a few minutes for Mariana, and a neighbor I haven’t met stopped by on his motorcycle. Country Uruguayans speak very garbled Spanish. He was saying something about a dog. I explained what we were doing. He kept saying what a beautiful dog, and wondering if someone he knew might take it. Mariana arrived, talked with him, and said absolutely no. Dangerous dog. A shame, but a dangerous dog.
It’s done. He went peacefully and quickly with my hands on him. Mocha was there.
The quiet yesterday in the house felt sad. Today it feels more like peace. A background anxiety has been building in me for months because of Benji. It is now beginning to fade.
Benji was getting better on walks, much calmer. I wish I’d known about theonlinedogtrainer.com when we got him at 7-8 months. But at that age I walked with him off leash, and he played with other dogs he met on the beach. He was under four years old.
Oh Doug and Susan, my deep sympathies.
Thanks Savyra. We just had our biweekly massage today, and the massage therapist did a completely different massage than usual, clearing out emotional”trash” (not that the emotions are trash, but he says they mess with your physical body and leave residue, some of which can persist for months, or even show up months later). The loss is not just of a lovely (99% of the time) dog, but also our (especially my) stress because of his unpredictable violence. The latter loss is in fact a very good thing.
It’s always sad when the time comes to put a dog down. Please accept my condolences.
Thanks AJ, agreed. This is the third dog I’ve buried since we’ve been in Uruguay (three cats as well, one of a friend who wanted it buried in the countryside), and indeed sad to put down such a lovely specimen. Maybe the car accident exacerbated it, but this behavior was getting worse long before that. After I posted “Benji’s new friends” (we actually never saw those dogs again), a neighbor warned about one of those dogs being vicious. But look at them having such a happy, playful time. Probably because Benji was still young enough to happily be a beta.
how heartbreaking.
you have written so lovingly of Benji – i almost felt like we (with our dog) were on the beach (with a Good Stick) with you. Something was no longer peaceful in Benji – and to watch the near death of another family member – and with a human-type joining soon – well i just hope he’s romping & playing in doggy heaven.
See my reply to AJ – such an incredible change after age 2 or so. Not sure what you refer to with “near death of another family member” and “human-type joining soon” but hope all is well.
So sad, we mourn with you, as real dog lovers do. GOOD Mariana !
Especially we are facing a similar (but different reason) decision.
Thanks Mike. Our last two were definitely ready to go because of physical infirmity. Karma had a large “tumor” on her belly for months that in one day tripled in size. She followed me around all that day, neither sitting nor lying down. When Mariana said she could do it the next day, I said “no, can’t wait” and she made a house call in the early evening with her father Manuel. Karma lay down on the floor as soon as Mariana entered the room. She was ready. And Mariana said another twelve hours would have been horrible for all of us when this thing ruptured.
Gita was a little more subtle; we realized she hadn’t been able to climb the spiral stairs to her perch for a week or so because of her hips, and was obviously in pain.
Much less subtle, but invisible to us: we heard after a Christmas get-together in western North Carolina how people were appalled at the ragged condition of our first and old dog, Pandora. But she always seemed so happy, even as she struggled to get up off the floor. Susan consulted with a pet psychic in Kansas or somewhere by telephone (who said Pandora wanted to come back to us; hence Karma).
With the gradual degradation, it’s certainly difficult to pick a point of “no more.” Mariana’s witnessing of Benji’s behavior was a blessing. This has been ugly, and only promised to be uglier.
near death – i meant Bandito’s shaking.
and (oops) i misread – the 5 months pregnant person – as your wife – but it’s the heroine vet, i now realize.
sorry for my confusion.
8>/
LOL Mercury went retrograde on Wednesday – such confusion is completely expected (look it up if not familiar; the one thing in astrology I definitely pay attention to)!
This is so sad. I wish that it didn’t have to be this way but I understand. I have followed your tales of Benji from the beginning. What a madcap puppy – barking at balloons, running into a truck, chasing sticks on the beach and finding generally stinky things washed up on the shore, and then napping sprawled out on the sofa after a busy day. I know that you will miss him and I hope that Bandido makes a speedy recovery from his wound.
Thanks Norma. Bandido is mostly back to being his normal snarky Shih Tzu self. I’ve been missing Benji – the one who would play with strange dogs — for quite a while. At least a year. I don’t know when exactly he started getting aggressive, but I could no longer let him off-leash with any but Syd’s and our dogs. At the end it certainly seemed to be getting worse fast. Attacking his pack mates was not good. It’s like he had a screw loose.
It’s amazing and wonderful to have a peaceful house again.