a good-bye to Colonel

Today we said good-bye to the Colonel.

After a lot of worry, tears and heart-ache we followed the recommendation of the behavior-specializing veterinarian we hired to give us a prognosis for Colonel.

Based on his history of aggression as a young dog; biting us when we would try to pet him, trying to kill the cats, and covering me with bruises, the behavioralist vet said there is likely a genetic component to his problems that could never be trained out of him. If we didn't have a child in the home we could possibly implement a behavior modification plan that would limit the frequency and maybe the severity of attacks, but we could never be sure he wouldn't snap again.

Just a few nights ago I was laying on the floor playing with Ben. I rolled over to pet Colonel and he growled at me. I hadn't even actually touched him... I wasn't trying to make him do something he didn't want to do... I was just trying to pet my dog. Clearly, after biting three people (giving Clay puncture wounds) and then growling at me for no apparent reason, his behavior was escalating, and now I was a little scared to even touch him. He has always been a little crazy and it's lately been getting much worse.

I have always believed that when you get a pet, you are taking that responsibility on for life. However, Benjamin is the most important thing in the world to us, and the behaviorist vet confirmed that it is not safe to have Colonel in the house with our baby. Having him as an outside dog is not an option either, because that would mean neither Ben nor I could safely go into our backyard. Plus, that wouldn't be very humane for Colonel who wouldn't understand why he's being ostracized or made to stay out in the elements.

The behaviorist vet went on to say that the Colonel could never be trusted near children (or adults for that matter) and his aggression is likely to get a lot worse if we re-homed him because of the stress that would cause him. The vet said there is also a danger of whom-ever took him in would be cruel to him if Colonel was as aggressive to his new owner as we predict. I can't stand that thought. The vet said that in his opinion the most humane thing to do would be to euthanize the Colonel.

I wish I could say that the Colonel had been a great dog, but that wouldn't be the truth.

I can say that for much of the time he was a pleasant, fun, and adorable companion.

I can say that for 6 years, the Colonel was my baby, and we tried everything we could to give him a good home; two rounds of dog classes, a professional in-home trainer, and endless love, attention, consistency and exercise.

However, none of this can make up for the danger he posed to Ben as the Colonel's agression spiraled out of control.

But mostly, I can say that we will miss him.

I can say that we loved him, a lot.