I finally came to the conclusion that I will need to find a new home for my beloved Mr. Six (our newest dog). Between his attack on Jake, his aggression towards authority figures, and his obsession with eating the cat, I just don't feel confident that he won't hurt anyone again.
Boo.
I'm afraid if we give him to the Pound, they'll euthanize him right off, since he bit Jake-- and I'm not so sure I want to be so directly involved in his death (guilt guilt!)... but I also know that since he has the potential to do harm, I could never give him to another family.
And to be completely psycho, I have already been looking for a replacement, a breed that would do better with a family. I guess Shibas are really high strung, very dominant, and possessive-- not too good with other animals and need to be the head honcho. That really doesn't work around here, since Six is pretty low in the pecking order and no amount of bullying will convince the other animals that he's the boss. But in the meantime, he's making all the other animals-- and subsequently, everybody else--pretty miserable.
Drat!
UPDATE #1 5/3/07:
OK, I chickened out. It didn't take long...
I had an epiphany today that if Six is plagued with neurotic tendencies, maybe he needs some of "Mommy's Little Helper", aka "Dorothy's Best Friend": a wee bit 'o Zoloft. Being high strung and neurotic is a family tradition in these parts, so Mr Six probably came to the right place, where my medicine stash of samples alone could medicate a small village (I have a very generous Dr who lets me try anything I want. Unfortunately, I don't like to take meds so I'll take a couple doses and forget about it. Duh!)
I started Six on a dose of Sertraline after looking it up on the 'net : http://www.dermapet.com/articles/art-06.html
-- they say it's good for "obsessive tendencies", which is Mr. Sixy in a nutshell (no pun intended). Is medicating your dog from your stash less ethical than handing him over to be euthanized? I guess that's one for the Ethics Board.
Me, I love a good science experiment, doggy neurotransmitters and all-- who knows, it may be just what this overbred Puppy Mill dog needs to have a happy life, free from his obsessions.
I'll keep you updated:
UPDATE #2 5/4/07:
I've discovered Sixy likes to take car rides, and rides really well. So I'm going to take the initiative to take him for a car ride as often as I can to get him out of the house. I'm also going to try hard to get him on the leash and go for a walk every day, even if it's down to the mailbox to get the mail (our driveway is really looooong!). Maybe these additions to his schedule will help him relax and move him away from some of his obsessive behaviors.
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