My mom came for a visit, and Jackson's personality changed. He got real protective of the house and wouldn't let her in the first night. I just thought he was being a good watch dog, but then yesterday something happened that freaked me out. We all went for a little walk, and He started jumping up on Hope, I assume it was an innocent puppy thing. But then when Hope started screaming and my mom picked her up, Jackson kept jumping and nipping at her. Again...a puppy thing or an aggressive dog? So then I took her, thinking he was protective against my mom, and he started jumping on me too! I had Ava in the sling in front, and Hope on my back, and he continued relentlessly to jump and nip at her. Imagine me, carrying 2 kids, trying to fight a dog off with my knee. It was so scary! My brave Simeon ended up pinning him down while me and my mom and the kids ran into the house.
So we made several phone calls. Turns out, since we live outside of the city limits, the animal shelter wouldn't come get him. They said we have to call our county sheriff. The county sheriff finally came out at 9pm, observed the dog, and said that if the animal isn't showing obvious signs of aggression (I guess that means growling and chomping on human flesh), they wouldn't remove him. But he left us some coloring books for the kids!!!
Finally this morning, animal control came and took the dog.
I had one very, very, very, very disappointed 10 yr. old boy who insisted that Jackson was just trying to play, and would never ever ever hurt anybody!!!
After spending some time getting all his tears out, here he is coloring to cheer himself up. What a great sport and sense of humor. I sure love that kid.
Hee hee, loved this page on the coloring book.....:)
Parenting is full of hard decisions. I hope I made the right one. Jackson, you will always hold a special place in our hearts......just not on our porch. I hope you find a wonderful home.
P.S. The great news is the shelter he is going to tries very hard to find families for the animals. The other great news is that according to animal control, he is probably not a pit bull after all, but possibly a lab/heeler mix (although I didn't see that either)...hopefully that will improve his adoptability. And the other great news, is that Simeon acknowledges that although he loved Jackson, he loves his little sisters more and prefers their safety over having a cool dog around. We really did love him and will miss him.
10 comments:
being an older sibling is full of hard choices and emotional decisions too.
way to go Simeon.
I'm so sorry you had to make a decision like that. Although it is our job as mom's to error on the side of caution with our kids. It's neat to see Simeon seems to understood that as well. He seems like such a great kid!
Super hard decision. Sorry you had to make it but you did what was best for the kids. I see heeler in him too. Square head along with the merle markings. Heelers do what their name suggests...herd cattle by nipping at the heels of the cows/sheep. He may have thought he was supposed to keep everyone in the 'herd' together. That can be annoying when you have small kids.
Jan
I'm sorry, but glad everyone is taking it so well. I had to get rid of my much beloved dog when he showed aggression to Alden when he was a toddler. In retrospect it was possibly just "doggy" behavior, not true aggression, but it sure freaked me out. Also some of that "dog" behavior can be dangerous. I am much happier and at more at peace with our current pooch who has never shown the slightest aggression toward anyone, but still barks his watch-dog bark when strangers (like the roofers!) are outside.
:)
Justine
You chose wisely, can't trust a dog that is inconsistent
Sorry for the loss, but you have to do what you have to do. You were just being a Momma Bear to her cubs. Protecting them against the unknowns.
We had to get rid of a cat last year because no one was playing with her and I felt so guilty because we just didn't have the time. My kids were very upset and sad. They still bring her up occasionally, but we have moved on. It's not easy being a Mom.
About four years ago, my neighbor's cat decided to come live with me. I tried to encourage him to go home - but here was where he wanted to be. Can't blame him, since the care he received previously was, well, erratic.
So I discussed it with my neighbors, and now Charlie lives with me, although we say he still "belongs" to their daughters (who haven't been down the street to see him in over six months, despite invitations...). Charlie gets regular medical check-ups and care, has lots of toys, is on a special diet now, spends his nights inside (on the foot of my bed) and gets plenty of attention, and seems to like living here. I sure like having him!
I hope that like Charlie, Jackson will find a caring new family. It's clear that your family loved him and cared about him, but he just wasn't a good fit for you. Hard as it was, you made the right decision.
Whoever left the post that he looks like a pit bull has obviously never really seen one. I have several of them and have had them for years. I also have a blue heeler. Jackson is in fact a red heeler mix. I have been doing dog rescue since I was 16 years old (and was picking up strays before then) I have had over 500 animals thru my home in all these years. The nipping is a cattle dog/ heeler trait. My dog Colton (blue heeler) does this. Never hard, but it is what his breed does, just as a border collie. I hope he finds a great home.
All you didn't do was sign his death warrrant. Nice job.
It' s incomprehensible to reprimand by decent info on the web.
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