What Does Intentionally Adopting an Owner Directed Euthanasia Case Look Like?

My El Chupacabra

From late 2020...

I can no longer say that I have never foster failed a dog before.

And since it’s not any secret, I figured it’s time to introduce El Chupacabra... so here he is, El Chupacabra.

Chu, or El Chu, has been a part of the household for awhile now but it took me longer to admit that the little asshole got ahold of my heart and sucked the blood from it. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I first met Chu in early spring. He belonged to a client of mine. He was owned by a large family and they contacted their breeder when he was 7 months old due to his aggression. He bit three family members multiple times and went after several guests. He bit when they tried to take things from him. He bit when they reached for him. He bit when they touched him while he was sleeping. He bit when they tried to wipe the goop from his eyes. And he bit when they petted him. He caused nerve damage to one of the owner’s hands and amputated a finger. By 7 months of age.

He also had zero rules, boundaries, or structure. If he didn’t want to go into the crate, they let him stay out. If he put the brakes on and didn’t want to go for a walk, they’d bring him inside. He terrorized the small dog in the home. He constantly stole items. He guarded things and people. He had free run of the home. And he was constantly coddled. He basically was allowed to do whatever the hell he wanted and the sad part was that his vet records stated he showed aggression with body handling at only 2 months of age. It was suggested that the owners do something then, but they didn’t until he was older and bigger. While he did/does have anxiety, he also grew up as a total asshole. They sent him to a trainer, to no avail. As usual, sending dogs away to a boarding facility for aggression towards members of the dog’s own household, rarely works. As the issue - the home - is not part of the equation in “training.”

During the couple of sessions I had with the family, it was a challenge to get anyone to listen to my directions. I watch him go after the son as well as another member of the household during the appointment. I knew that this dog was not going to ever be successful in this environment. The family made a half hearted effort to change their ways but after two additional months and more displays of aggression they decided they could not safely keep him. While considering euthanasia, they contacted Rising Star Rottweiler Rescue. The only way RSRR would be able to take him was if an experienced enough person/place was available for him to go (i.e. me). Otherwise, the owners were going to put him down. So in late May of 2020 I offered to foster him.

What does living with a dog like this entail?

Here are some highlights:

- Several initial days of screaming in the crate.

- Temper tantrums on the leash.

- Counter conditioning to leashing up and body handling.

- Lots of sitting.

- Lots of waiting/impulse control.

- Lots of “leave it” work.

- Tough love.

- Being more persistent than the dog.

- Slow dog-dog introductions.

- Muzzle training.

- Anti-anxiety medication.

- Super vigilant observations of body language.

- Exercise.

- Rules.

- More rules.

- Limited freedom.

- Lots of patience.

- Constant training.

- A continuation of all of this because he’s still an adolescent asshole and will be until 3 years of age.

But he’s my adolescent asshole and doing really well, and I do love and have a soft spot for all my owner directed aggression Rottweilers and cases. Eventually I couldn’t bare to see him get failed by someone else who wouldn’t listen or be equipped to handle him the way he needs. So, he became an official RotNDog. I chose the name Chupacabra because he’s a scrawny gangly teenaged blood sucker. So... yea. First ever dog foster fail.