[Scotty]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday I rehomed my female shephard "Moxie" to a very nice couple that own another shepherd and wanted a companion for him. I REALLY hated to see Moxie go but she needed far more exercise than we could give her and it was causing behavior problems. The straw that broke the camels back was last week when Moxie and my other Shepherd Thello somehow got out of my fenced in backyard and chased some school children around, a little girl got a few scrathches on her leg and that scared me because I could have been sued or one of the dogs been put down had the scratch bled. I dodged a bullet on that incident and decided that Moxie had to find a better home. We all know how heartbreaking it is to lose a pet for any reason and even though Moxie will be happier at her new home I miss her. Since becoming a first time dog owner on Feb. 9 2009 I now have a deep hate for anyone who is cruel to animals and a deep love for shepherds and animals in general. Things are much better now with just my male in the house and no snarling and snapping going on, it's so quiet ! We are all lucky to have these animals in our lives.

Thanks for reading my story and enjoy your shepherds as much as I do,

Scott

 

[ikeenzo07]

Hello,

Sounds like you made the right decision on re homing her. I Am sure they will take care of her. Take care.

Alyssa

 

[Deuce]

Sorry you had to rehome her but I think you made the right decision, too.

 

[ba1614]

It must have been a tough decision for you to make, kudos for making the tough one.

She's a beautiful girl!

 

[Scotty]

Thanks ! It helps to talk to others that know my dilemma.

 

[London's Mom]

You did the right thing no matter how difficult it was.

 

[ken k]

you did the right thing, around here if 2 GSD`s got loose and went to play with the school kids, they would have been shot by the cops

 

[mssandslinger]

thank you for doing the right thing and not just giving up the dog to a shelter! makes me happy to know people CAN handle situations the right way.

 

[Emoore]

Sounds to me like you should keep Thello in the house.

 

[doggiedad]

first time dog owner with 2 dogs snarling and snapping
at each other. i say you did something wrong in your training.
you left 2 dogs unattended in your yard and they got out.
that's one of the many reason i don't leave my dog unattended.
now that your dogs got out once they know how to do it. keep
an eye out on your dog. is your dog trained? you could teach
him not to leave the yard when the gate is open. you could teach
him boundaries so he doesn't leave your property.

i don't have that sentiment "oh, poor guy had to rehome his dog",
my feelings are you had to rehome your dog because you weren't
responsible enough for her welfare. on the other hand you did
the right thing by rehoming one. train, socialize and take care of the one you have. you can start by leaving your dog in the yard unattended.

 

[Scotty]

Well Doggiedad thanks for your input, I guess. I rehomed Moxie also because she was so high energy that having her cooped up in the house was starting to cause behavior problems and that's not fair to her. The solution would have been a LOT more exercise which is what her new place will provide her with.

As for the snarling and snapping issue : we got our female Moxie then 4 months later brought our male "Thello" into the picture and it took awhile for them to get along but Moxie would still pick on him causing skirmishes and since I have a 7 month old baby with the possibility of another baby on the horizon I decided that having two shepherds around two little kids is too much risk. Yes I could have done better but how much better ?

 

[DJEtzel]

first time dog owner with 2 dogs snarling and snapping
at each other. i say you did something wrong in your training.
you left 2 dogs unattended in your yard and they got out.
that's one of the many reason i don't leave my dog unattended.
now that your dogs got out once they know how to do it. keep
an eye out on your dog. is your dog trained? you could teach
him not to leave the yard when the gate is open. you could teach
him boundaries so he doesn't leave your property.

i don't have that sentiment "oh, poor guy had to rehome his dog",
my feelings are you had to rehome your dog because you weren't
responsible enough for her welfare. on the other hand you did
the right thing by rehoming one. train, socialize and take care of the one you have. you can start by leaving your dog in the yard unattended.

I agree. I think most here do though, just trying not to cause problems...

Well Doggiedad thanks for your input, I guess. I rehomed Moxie also because she was so high energy that having her cooped up in the house was starting to cause behavior problems and that's not fair to her. The solution would have been a LOT more exercise which is what her new place will provide her with.

As for the snarling and snapping issue : we got our female Moxie then 4 months later brought our male "Thello" into the picture and it took awhile for them to get along but Moxie would still pick on him causing skirmishes and since I have a 7 month old baby with the possibility of another baby on the horizon I decided that having two shepherds around two little kids is too much risk. Yes I could have done better but how much better?

You could have NOT gotten a dog (let alone two) that you could not take care of. If you can't exercise Moxie then what's Thello getting?

Yes, she was having behavioral problems because you weren't training or exercising her. That's what happens. It sounds like shepherds are not for you.

 

[Holmeshx2]

just my POV here but anyone notice I believe the female was the sable telling me she was more then likely working lines which can be a disaster in waiting for someone who doesn't excersize their pets properly possibly poorly bred poorly trained etc.. Do I feel sorry no not actually was it for the best definitely. As much as I hate dogs being rehomed I'd rather then get over being rehomed then to be kept somewhere that can not take care of their needs.

 

[Scotty]

Definitely a crappy situation that is now resolved. I learned a LOT, made mistakes and now know what to do better in the future. I will be periodically checking on Moxie and if she is being mistreated or neglected I'll take her back and do things right.

 

[DJEtzel]

Definitely a crappy situation that is now resolved. I learned a LOT, made mistakes and now know what to do better in the future. I will be periodically checking on Moxie and if she is being mistreated or neglected I'll take her back and do things right.

So if she has to come back to you you'll exercise her only then?

 

[Mac's Mom]

Its obvious that coming to the decision to rehome Moxie was tough for you. I respect you for rehoming him and committing to check on him. A lot of people dump dogs off at the shelter. I don't know how much exercise your dogs get or what your training methods are. But I can tell you that Mac requires more exercise than I ever imagined. If I had a baby or even a full time job...I personally couldn't do it. So I understand how you feel. Take care.

 

[vat]

I am glad you did the right thing. It does sound like you have realized that you bit off more than you could chew. GSD are high maintenance, some more than others. Hopefully you will learn some great tips here to help you with the dog you still have.

 

[Scotty]

Thanks everyone ! hahaha I just got a phone call and Moxies not working out at the new home so back here she comes. Sheesh. Now what ?

 

[Elaine]

There are a number of all breed rescues you can call and see if they will take her.

 

[Runswithdogs]

They only gave her a day to adjust? How did they handle introductions etc?