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Location: North Lanarkshire, Scotland
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 883
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Originally Posted by
Wysiwyg
I wouldn't really call that an alpha roll exactly, as you just reacted to protect your aunt
Was he usually a bit fearful or "aggressive"? just wondering what happened.
Glad you were safe
Wys
x
A lot of things leading up to it as you can imagine. All of which I feel totally responsible for
but my parents wouldn’t let me train him the way I wanted and did a lot of things I didn’t agree with. He had very strong herding instinct (came from a farm) and wasn't allowed to have a job (sorry should have mentioned he was a BC) His instinct and frustration grew and grew as he developed. It was the first time my aunt and uncle came round. We had had visitors before and he was fine with them. We told them about BenJay and they went all old fashioned. "you just need to stare the dog out" I was entirely against this but my mum and dad told him to try. My dad restraining BenJay as my uncle got right in his face staring straight into his eyes. BenJay of course reacted and would not back down, snarling and snapping, and quite rightly to. Eventually my uncle gave up (after what felt like a good 10 mins) and BenJay was put in the back garden to calm down. My dad and uncle sat in the conservatory, BenJay was bouncing up and down at the window snarling and barking at my uncle. He found another job to do (destroying the garden). After a while he was allowed back in to stop destroying things, and to show how different he was when doing obedience work (obviously because he was working his mind). He should have been on a lead being back in the same room- he wasnt. My aunt asked him to sit which he did, quite relaxed, she leaned her body forward to praise him, speaking to him looking directly at his face. The second she moved forward his body froze and I could forsee exactly what was about to happen. I shouted at my aunt to move while lunging myself at BenJay who was now mid air snarling, grabbed him and we both fell to the ground. I held him while everyone around me stared with shocked faces. I took him a walk afterwards just to get him away from it all.
Can you tell ive thought a lot about this
Eventually he bit me, and gave my sister a bad bite. My mum said when they turn on the hand that feeds them theres no hope and made him out to be some savge beast and would not allow me to find a home for him (she wouldnt forgive herself if he mauled a child when we rehomed him), I was 14 at the time but was still adamant I would find him somewhere that was appropriate to his needs. The weekend he bit her he was PTS
He died in my arms and was the best behaved boy while he was there :'( There were so many options, he could have been saved, it was our doing his behaviour, he shouldnt have died for it
That was around 5 years ago and I still will never forgive myself. Which is why I feel so strongly about rescues and people buying BC's as pets without adequate research. I failed him, and will never allow anyone to tell me what to do with my dogs again if I feel its not right. Was one of the reasons I moved out with Muffin. Now im moving back home, they know I train my dogs, my way. He was my special boy, the dog I have felt the strongest connection to, and I lost him
Wow its been some time since ive properly spoke about this, sorry for the essay and far too much info given than needed lol