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Location: United States
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2
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Can my dog coexist w/ other pets
Hi! This will be long. Any advice is helpful.
So I have been volunteering at my local shelter for about a year and have been looking for the perfect dog. I didn't want to bring in a rescue dog at first, because I couldn't be sure of who they were/their history etc. I got over that when I met my dog. She seemed perfect.
I had been waiting so long to get a dog because I had specific criteria. The number one thing was the dog could not be a cat-chaser. I have a cat, a rabbit, and a parrot in an apartment. I've had foster dogs here before and after an initial stressful first few days, everyone learned to live together. My pup was so sweet at the shelter, and I put her on hold and thought about it and went through her behavior notes, talked to the behavior director as well as all the techs who handled her, and they all agreed she seemed a great candidate for a multi-pet household. Her notes said she was loving and sweet and thats how she acted. I walked her and she ignored other animals and the rabbits in the shelter, so I decided to take her home since she showed promise.
So now, two weeks later, she seems to be going backwards when it comes to living in a multi-pet household. I was told she was 6-11 months old, the vet said she is more like 2-4 years old so her rowdy, mouthy and chasing behavior is likely her personality and not puppy energy. She hard-stares at my other animals, and if they make a move she tries to chase. She is not allowed out with any of them, and we tried to do a leash intro to the cat and she just stared and shook and lunged and when he moved she tried to bolt at him.
Just today she saw a cat outside and went insane, lunging and falling and growling and whining. The behaviorist at my shelter implied that I was being paranoid that she would hurt another animal. I don't think so. What should I do? Can dogs that are this fixated on small moving things ever be trustworthy? We really love her. But my other animals have gotten absolutely no attention since she came here. My cat is trapped in my bathroom. Bird is stuck in the bedroom, rabbit is barricaded away from her. It's so awful, I really tried to make a good choice and she seemed amazing at the shelter. I am sorry it's so long. I still feel like there's more to say
Any advice welcome. Please don't make me feel bad. I waited and waited for the right dog and she seemed like the right one for us.