Sad Day

Had a really bad day last Wednesday. Had to make one of those heart wrenching decisions. I had to have our dog put to sleep. She was a beautiful dog. Everyone that saw her loved her. She was one of those dogs that has a tongue as long as a cow (believe me they are long) and would lick you to death. She was 6 years old. The last 3 years we have been struggling to keep her as part of our family. We have three other pets (2 cats, and another dog). She would decide to snack on the other animals. Upon experiencing several attack and subsequent vet bills, such as surgery on one the cats to put his intestines back inside his stomach wall and several dealing with the other dog, we had gotten to the point that she was kept separate from the other animals unless leashed with an adult. This was a big pain, but one that we were willing to deal with as we loved our Emily. We talked to vets, specialist, dog trainers, etc.. We took her to dog training classes, which she did pretty good at. We looked at options of animal shelters after each attack, but didn't have the heart to remove her from the family. She crossed the line on Wednesday by attacking my youngest son. He is no worse for wear for the most part at this point and the skin was not broken, but at that point she lost our trust and any chance of being an adoptable pet, etc... With this unprovoked incident she sealed her fate. If she were to have a vicious episode with one of the children, her 75 lbs would leave them defenseless. The choice of my childrens safety or having a dog that may turn on them at any point left me with an unfair choice. I had to have her put to sleep.

I know that it was the right choice, but it still pains me as I loved her so. Emily Lucy rest in peace. We love you!