Most people love dogs. They can bring a lot of happiness to our lives and are often invaluable companions that will loyalty stay by your side no matter what.
Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that having a pet like that is not only a joy but also a responsibility. A great example is a story that one woman recently shared on Reddit. Her MIL always loved having dogs, but not as much as vacationing. While her old dog was well-behaved, her new puppy, whom she had once again left with the woman’s family, turned out to be evil incarnate and had to be left at a stray shelter because of biting kids and tripping the husband down the stairs. Scroll down to read how it all went down!
More info: Reddit
Some people don't seem to get that owning a dog comes not only with joy but also with responsibilities
Image credits: LRM Exterior (not the actual photo)
A woman and her family were left to take care of her MIL's husky puppy while she was off vacationing, as she did all the time
Image credits: Kateryna Babaieva (not the actual photo)
The puppy turned out to be very aggressive, biting the woman's children and tripping her husband down the stairs
Image credits: u/PopInternational917
The woman lost it and took the pup to the animal shelter and explained the situation, while her husband called his mom and told her the dog ran away
The OP’s MIL loves vacations and goes on them around six times a week for no less than two weeks each. She would always leave her old dog with her DIL’s family, who eventually remained to live with them full time, and they couldn’t be happier about it.
But now the woman decided to get a new husky puppy. Unfortunately, this pup was nowhere near as well-behaved as her old dog. But, of course, the problem was not her’s to deal with.
As usual, the woman went on one of her vacations and dropped him off at the OP’s house, where the puppy decided to raise hell. In the first 4 days of his stay, he bit, chewed, and stole everything he could. But that wasn’t the worst of it because he also snarled at one of the author’s children, ripped off the other kid’s diaper while she was eating, and bit the third one in the face to the point of bleeding.
To top it all off, the husky tripped the OP’s husband down the stairs, leading to a dislocated shoulder and a concussion, at which point, the poster had enough. She drove the puppy to the animal shelter and dropped him off there, informing the workers of the pup’s behavior, while the husband called his mom to tell her that the dog had run away.
The woman expressed relief after doing what she did, even though she expected to feel bad, to which the commenters showed her support and said that she did the right thing. Most people in the comments were bashing the MIL for being so neglectful of her dog and shedding the responsibility, while others also shared their own engaging stories about huskies.
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)
Aggression in dogs is not unheard of and is not something that should be ignored. Since this is an important subject, Bored Panda reached out to Julie Bond, an animal behaviorist who has counseled many pet owners dealing with similar issues.
The expert began by explaining that dogs are not really malicious as that would imply that they actually intend to do damage or harm, and that’s hardly ever the case. But on the other hand, aggression can be a serious problem that can cause a lot of frustration to the owners and people around them.
The aggressive behavior in dogs often peaks when they reach maturity and around 12-18 months of age, but it is not limited to that time period. “The earlier it occurs, the more difficult to treat, and the more likely to have a genetic component,” said the animal behaviorist, adding that some dog breeds are also predisposed to certain types of aggressive behavior.
Resolving these issues is not easy. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye. “Aggressive dogs are anxious dogs, and aggression is a true behavior problem, meaning it has nothing to do with a lack of training or obedience. There are actually fourteen different types of aggression recognized in dogs; there may be overlap between the different types, and any one dog may experience more than one type.”
According to Julie, no single type of aggression predisposes a dog to develop other forms, meaning that aggression toward other dogs does not indicate a higher risk of being aggressive with humans. But the combination of the two is also not impossible. “Aggression directed toward people is the hardest to work with, particularly when children are involved, as they are at great risk for a bite.”
Image credits: Picas Joe (not the actual photo)
The animal behaviorist explained that had the owner just dumped the dog at the shelter without informing workers of his behavior, it would’ve been a highly irresponsible move that could also put other people at risk. “At this point, at least in California, the owners would have scienter, the legal knowledge that they own an aggressive dog, which means liability can become a factor as well if they aren’t really careful about the situations they put the dog into.”
The expert summarized that while aggression is not a curable problem, it can be managed using various strategies that make it safer and more predictable. “Some dogs have obvious triggers that can be better controlled, while others, unfortunately, do not. Huskies are notorious for being pushy, assertive, high-activity, and boundary testers,” said Julie, adding that all issues are worth treating and working on, especially since we’re talking about a puppy, but it’s essential to make sure that no one gets hurt in the meantime.
In the end, life poses many challenges, and, as this story testifies, being a pet owner comes with a set of its own. Fortunately, there are always ways to overcome these problems, but if you decide you’re not up for it, it’s wise to seek professional help, and it is crucial to be responsible about it, just like the OP was despite her MIL acting the opposite.
Have you ever had any similar experiences with aggressive dogs? How did you deal with these situations? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
The commenters supported the poster's decision and were shocked by how irresponsible her MIL was
