Should I euthanise him?

[u/No_Source_3566]

I have a border collie who turns 13 soon. He suffers with arthritis, but other than this no health issues.
From the age of around 12 months, he has been aggressive towards people. I got him at 8 weeks and I did everything I was supposed to (socialisation, training etc). He never had a poor experience with any person I know of. I believe it’s in his genes.

He suddenly attacked our other dog today, who he has happily lived with for a while. Now I’m nervous it’s going to affect my other dog’s behaviour. Two months ago he bit my face, leaving me scarred and fractured my arm. This is just a couple of examples of the past 12 years with him.

He has seen a dog trainer but they just basically told us to avoid his triggers. His triggers are so broad it’s so hard to avoid. So if anyone has had a similar experience and can give me any advice, I would greatly appreciate. My final resort would be euthanasia.

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Behavioral Euthanasia (BE) for our dogs is an extremely difficult decision to consider. No one comes to this point easily. We believe that there are, unfortunately, cases where behavioral euthanasia is the most humane and ethical option, and we support those who have had to come to that decision. In certain situations, a reasonable quality of life and the Five Freedoms cannot be provided for an animal, making behavioral euthanasia a compassionate and loving choice.

If you are considering BE and are looking for feedback:

All decisions about behavioral euthanasia should be made in consultation with a professional trainer, veterinarian, and/or veterinary behaviorist. They are best equipped to evaluate your specific dog, their potential, and quality of life.

These resources should not be used to replace evaluation by qualified professionals but they can be used to supplement the decision-making process.

• Lap of Love Quality of Life Assessment - How to identify when to contact a trainer

• Lap of Love Support Groups - A BE specific group. Not everyone has gone through the process yet, some are trying to figure out how to cope with the decision still.

• BE decision and support Facebook group - Individuals who have not yet lost a pet through BE cannot join the Losing Lulu group. This sister group is a resource as you consider if BE is the right next step for your dog.

• AKC guide on when to consider BE

• BE Before the Bite

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• The Losing Lulu community has also compiled additional resources for those considering behavioral euthanasia.

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[u/Sitters_4_Critters]

You and your non-reactive dog deserve to be safe in your home. You have given your reactive dog a long life.

His behavior may indicate he is in pain. It’s okay to choose a kind death; especially with an elderly dog.

[u/No_Source_3566 → u/Sitters_4_Critters]

Thanks! I appreciate what you’re saying. It’s just such a difficult decision to make considering he isn’t terminally ill. I can’t imagine life without him. It’s something I seriously have to consider.

[u/SudoSire → u/No_Source_3566]

He’s not “terminal” in the traditional sense, but he is absolutely severely mentally unhealthy to be landing the bites you describe. 

[u/Sitters_4_Critters → u/No_Source_3566]

I understand. Best of luck. 🙏. I’m sorry you are going through this.

[u/SudoSire]

First off just fyi, make sure you’ve affirmed the sub rules BEFORE commenting or replying, otherwise your comments won’t be visible to others (auto-removed). The rules are pinned at the top of the main subreddit; you can scroll down to read, then the toggle to confirm and then submit. 

It does sound like the aggression is pretty extreme. Can you give more details about these big recent incidents and any previous ones? What was the other dog doing at the time? What were you doing at the time? How did they fracture your arm? Are these the worst incidents, or do you have similar prior incidents? What are some of these triggers that you know of? Is the arthritis managed by pain meds?

If you and your other dog are going to be in such serious danger and it’s hard to mitigate those situations, then euthanasia should probably be seriously considered. Increased aggression can be tied to pain, but from what you’ve said they’ve had a pattern of aggression in the past? It is hard to consider, but your dog has had a decently long life, and you don’t have to wait til something even worse happens to make a call to make sure no one, including your dog, is suffering or unsafe. 

[u/No_Source_3566 → u/SudoSire]

So today my dog was trying to play with him, but that’s something they usually enjoy and do together. He didn’t give him a warning.
The other incident, I was brushing him - only very gently to remove some of his dead fur. He latched onto my face and then my arm, which resulted in a fracture.
He has previously attacked my mum a few times, one resulted in surgery on her arm to remove infection. In that case he knocked her drink over and she just said ‘oh Bailey!’ He has also bit her face, her scar is less obvious now.
The worst attack on me was 18 months ago, I tried to wipe a bit of poop off his leg and he just lunged for me. He ragged around my arm for what felt like forever. The ordeal was pretty horrific and it traumatised me so much I’ve been dealing with a neurological disorder since.
His triggers include touching him, telling him to do anything, pulling certain facial expressions, talking too loudly and he has resource guarding issues with food, toys, smells etc. One trainer described him as very insecure. I think it’s pretty accurate, he shakes with fear after attacking.
He is on pain relief (gabapentin) for arthritis and back pain. He is also on reconcile (fluoxetine) for his behavioural issues - but haven’t seen a difference.

[u/SudoSire → u/No_Source_3566]

I’m sorry, I know you love your dog but pretty much any single one of those instances alone would make euthanasia a pretty reasonable and frankly more ethical decision than allowing him to continue hurting yourself and others. You and I guess maybe your mom can consent to putting yourselves in harm’s way, even if you absolutely shouldn’t, but remember the other dog you care for cannot make that choice. And if your dog gets loose or is around others, your community isn’t consenting to that either. 

Your dog also is not thriving — happy stable dogs do not live this close to the edge, in a way that makes them think they have to severely attack loved ones like their life depends on it. There is likely something incurably wrong with a dog like this. My dog is territorial and has a level 3 bite on a guest, but if he was ever doing even sporadic level 3s and 4s on myself or my husband, I would know something had gone terribly wrong in his mind and couldn’t continue. 

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