Day 311: Yeh, I'm one of THOSE people

Returned Tank to the shelter today. He just didn't work out. Why? Here's the list:

• He ran away 3 times in 4 days, twice involving the police to get him returned. Last night, he escaped while my mother-in-law was watching him (see yesterday's post), and today he wriggled under the fence and ran away again. Tho he was caught nearby and I was able to retrieve him, escape-proofing the yard proved impossible. He literally tore down a shrub, pushed aside a wood board, and chewed through a wood fence in his subsequent attempts to escape.

• He resisted our attempts to correct him. And rather than becoming more submissive over time, he became more challenging.

• He gave Tori the curled lip on more than one occasion.

• He bit me today while I attempted gently to crate him. It was just a scratch (I have fast hands from years of cat ownership), but it became clear that he was not a reliable animal. And if he'd bite me, he'd bite Tori. And that is not acceptable.

So yeh, I'm one of THOSE people who returns dogs to a shelter after signing adoption papers. But I'm gonna be real clear on this: I returned him NOT because he didn't match the furniture but because he posed a risk to my daughter. There are those who will believe that one little bite is no reason to give up on an animal. But ya know, I'm not Gandhi or Jesus. Frankly, I'm not even sure those guys had dogs.  I'm just me. And the dog crossed the line.

I don't believe Tank is beyond hope, and I put in a good word on his behalf at the shelter to ensure that he would not be put down. But suggested perhaps that he go to a childless adult with the time and patience to work with his particular issues.

So if I lose more readers, so be it.

Dogless again.

Onward.

Comments

[Kathy_B]

I am so sorry Tank didn't work out for you guys. You did the right thing; hopefully he will find the right home and you will find the right dog. I love animals, but my child's safety is top priority.

[Heather P.]

You know you did the right thing for your family. As much as I love pitties, you can not keep a dog that's going to turn into a headline. Hang in there!

[Nanarockinween]

You did your best, Charlie. And Tori has to come first.

[Bob T]

Good move Charlie...something better will come along...safety first when it comes to the kids .

BT

[Kathy Napolitano]

Tori first, dog second. Sounds like good parenting to me.

[Celeste]

Charlie, there are other dogs. There is only one Tori. Good decision.

[Thomas]

When you get right down to it, even Jesus wasn't Jesus.

[Julie]

There are dog returners, and then there are situations like yours. If your readers don't understand that, I doubt you'd want them hanging around anyway.

[Leslie]

Only sensible choice given the events of the past couple days no matter how sad. The possibility of Tori getting hurt makes it very clear. You certainly won't lose me over that decision!

[Dave]

You did the right thing, based on the right reasons.
There is a no-kill shelter here in town I've done work at. There have been some challenging dogs there. One of the worst didn't like me from the start. He was an extremely bright, energetic dog who'd growl, show teeth, fight with other dogs there, injuring two. For some reason, he only got along with one dog, who liked me. Eventually, he began to like me, too. I started to like him back. I knew he wouldn't fit in with my two at home, but I took him on walks and realized what a cool animal he was. He eventually was placed with a younger single guy. And had been thriving the last I heard. Tank sounds like that kind of dog.

I had good results this weekend with no criticizing. I especially noticed a difference at band practice. You're onto something there.

[Jen]

You didn't turn Tank in because of one bite. It was one bite and several pre-bites. Snarls and lip-curling turn into bites if you don't remove yourself from the situation. I'm so sorry about Tank. You did the right thing.

[Melissa in TN]

I'm really sorry he didn't work out for you. I hoped he'd help the whole family feel a little bit better after losing Hammer.

The way I see it is that you didn't have a choice with Tank. If it had been just you and Cec, I bet you would have stuck it out. However, the baby comes first and that is absolutely how it should be.

There's no criticism or lost reader here.

[twitter.com/ninotchkab]

Yeah, giving Tori the curled lip would be a deal breaker alone, much less all the other stuff. I think you did the right thing.

[Charlie]

Thanks for all the support. I definitely agree that Tori comes first, and that she was at the core of our decision to return Tank. Cecily and I have fostered at least one difficult dog before becoming parents, and there is little doubt that we'd have given Tank more of a chance under those circumstances.