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  • 1.  What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-01-2022 09:09 AM
    Hello!

    I would love to get some opinions/feedback on what you would do with a dog that came to your shelter as owner surrender with history of fatally injuring a small dog or puppy.  Though not many, we had a few cases of a larger dog fatally wounding a small dog or puppy and the owner would not want to keep the dog after the incident or would have to relinquish due to fear of law suit.  If the dog seems social and friendly with people, would you adopt him/her with full disclosure?  Does the outcome depend on the dog showing no signs of reactivity towards other dogs at the shelter and can be in a play group?  Or do you have a policy that if a dog killed a member of its species, such dog would not be adopted?   How about if the victim was a cat?

    Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

    Namiko
    #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment

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    Namiko Ota-Noveskey
    Kent County Animal Shelter
    Grand Rapids, Michigan
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  • 2.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-01-2022 04:43 PM

    Absolutely adopt out with full transparency - as long as you have the capacity to provide a good quality of life while in care and you have the resources and a plan to get them adopted.  

    Consider joining the Big Dog Masterclass by Maddie's Million Pet Challenge!  It's free!!

    https://maddiesmillionpetchallenge.org/big-dog-master-class/

    ​

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    Sarah AGUILAR
    Austin Pets Alive
    3609903371
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-02-2022 07:16 AM
    Thank you for your response, Sarah!

    What are your thoughts on how the community may or may not be ready for accepting dogs with such background?   As a shelter, we can come up with a sound policy that considers behaviors in their context, but we also have corporate counsel that may consider liability.  What would be a good way to plant a seed in the community to be amenable to adoption of such dogs?

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    Namiko Ota-Noveskey
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-04-2022 01:24 PM
    Hi Namiko,
    At the facility I work at we have adopted out pets that have either injured or fatally wounded another animal while with/ in the adopters care or have been returned due to incidents similar to what you are describing.  If the circumstances and behavior assessment do not categorize them as a dangerous animal, we will adopt them out with full disclosure and ensure they have a very clear understanding of the level of responsibility they are taking on and what could happen if they are not attentive. If we are relayed information that during the incident the pet redirected on a person or bit a person those pets, unfortunately, are labeled dangerous and are not safe to return to the community, and not all but some are euthanized. If the animal that was attacked was a cat we will not adopt that pet into a home with a cat or small mammals and express in great length to the owner why this pet should never be left alone with a cat or smaller mammals. If the animal attacked was same species or younger same species, we will try to assess if there were any specific indicators before labeling the pet as "needs to be the only pet in the home" for example would the pet do better with the opposite gender, were they the aggressor, were they resource guarding, would they do better with pets their size or larger, etc. We try our best to not allow a pets past keep them from the ideal home, but we are honest about any behavioral concerns that they need to be aware of to ensure the safety of the pet, owner and other household members, and the community. I hope this is helpful.

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    Auriana Brown
    Placement Manager
    LifeLine Animal Project
    Atlanta, GA
    404-490-1427

    Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice and
    Pet Support Services Specialist
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-04-2022 01:35 PM
    Very helpful, Auriana!  Thank you for sharing what you do!

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    Namiko Ota-Noveskey
    Kent County Animal Shelter
    Grand Rapids, Michigan
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 02-05-2022 12:06 PM
    Hello Namiko,

    I agree with the others who responded. Transparency is the key if you are considering adopting these dogs out into new homes. When returned, try to gather as much information as possible to determine why the behavior may have occurred and if there is anything that can be done to reduce the risk in the future.

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    Christine D. Calder DVM
    Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
    Calder Veterinary Behavior Services
    www.caldervbs.com

    Veterinary Behaviorist
    Behavior Specialist, MPF
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 03-02-2022 07:22 AM
    In our large, municipal shelter currently with a 96% live outcome rate for dogs, we follow the policy section in our SOPs that reads:

    • Additional provisions for dog-on-dog bites.
      • Florida law requires a dog that has killed two or more be declared dangerous and therefore is not adoptable and would have to be euthanized if the original owner did not reclaim the dog under the provisions of dangerous dog state law requirements.
      • If the victim dog is smaller than the biting dog: behavioral wellness will evaluate the dog for adoption and/or rescue.
        • If behavioral wellness sees no major concerns the dog may be placed for adoption.
        • If additional training or work would benefit the dog moving it to adoptability according to the behavioral wellness team, the dog may be sent to rescue
        • If the dog fails to have appropriate bite inhibition, the dog may be euthanized after review by the euthanasia review panel.
      • If the dog severely injures or kills another dog or animal of equal or larger size: the biting dog cannot be adopted or placed with rescue. Euthanasia is required.


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    Scott Trebatoski
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:40 AM
    Thanks for sharing these specific markers that your shelter uses, Scott!

    Out of curiosity and if you have time, how does your team determine whether a dog has appropriate bite inhibition when measuring dog-dog interactions? Normally when I see folks use the term "bite inhibition" they are referring to how much pressure a dog exerts with their teeth, and typically it seems to refer to dogs who use their mouth without causing harm. Since it sounds like this is something your team investigates when there has been an injury, I could see an argument that the dog who did damage must have a reduced inhibition or have intended to bite with damaging pressure.  What kind of metrics do you find helpful for determining what level of bite is "appropriate" for a certain situation?

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    Emme Hones
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: What do you do with a dog that killed or severely injured another small/young dog?

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:53 AM
    I have to say I'm not an expert in this area but I have the utmost trust for our behavioral wellness team.  Bite inhabition as we use it does not necessarily deal with the strength of the bite but rather if the dog either quickly disengages by itself or immediately upon being told to do so (and doesn't go back to biting after the break). It's more a matter if we see the dog respond appropriately when it knows it has done something unacceptable or if it continues even when the action is designated unacceptable to the dog.  It may also include if the dog always responds with a bite to a stimulus that other dogs do not respond with a bite and is not socially acceptable.

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    Scott Trebatoski
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    Original Message


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