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E11iefant

Updated 1y ago

My Service Dog Was Attacked - Need Advice

My service dog (Paisley) was attacked by a dog (Gizmo) outside of my home today. I’ve been trying to help Gizmo’s owner to get him trained to be a mobility service dog since he is a veteran and an amputee. Gizmo has bitten 3 other dogs in my neighborhood (that I know about). We have young kids in our neighborhood, and I’m genuinely worried for their safety. Any advice?

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sorenachy

1y

I hate to say it, but Gizmo may not be the best choice to have for a service animal. They need to be calm and controllable and it doesn't sound like Gizmo is very controllable. Maybe test the waters with your neighbor about looking at an already trained dog. Because if Gizmo bites someone who reports it, he'll be put down, no ifs, ands, or buts. And no one wants to see a vet be forced to have that happen.
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E11iefant

1y

I completely agree, we have given up on training service work. Another one of my neighbors whose dog was attacked bought a muzzle and prong collar to keep everyone safe, but Gizmo’s owner refuses to put the equipment on him though. We’re working on getting Gizmo into a board and train with a professional because we think it’s his last chance to save him.
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verasama

1y

I hope that your dog is okay. I honestly don't think that Gizmo is going to make a good service animal. At least, not without a lot of professional training. He's going to need to have those aggression issues taking care of, and he's going to have to learn not to bite other animals, people, etc. Depending on his age and a few other factors, this may not be a simple matter to do. Do you know if he's been neutered? I know that with adults dogs, not being neutered can lead to some excess aggression toward other dogs, etc. Territorialism, etc, and if he's fully grown and has not been neutered yet, I'm not sure how much getting him neutered now would help with the aggression. My additional concern is if your neighbor was to look into getting an already trained service dog, there would be little to prevent Gizmo from attacking this new dog as well. If your neighbor really wants a service dog, the only option might be to find Gizmo a home we're perhaps he doesn't have access to other dogs, and then to looking to getting a fully trained service animal.
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E11iefant

1y

I agree that Gizmo is not showing any potential for service work. He is intact, however there’s been a lot of new research that claims neutering/spaying doesn’t improve aggression and can potentially make it worse. My husband has an intact male (Smokey.. yes like the bear) and he has 0 aggression. My husband’s best friend has a male dog who got super aggressive after being neutered. He would kill any male dog near him given the chance. Paisley was in heat when she was attacked by Gizmo, so the fact that he was more interested in biting than humping is alarming. We talked to our neighbor about rehoming(our neighborhood has a ton of dogs because it’s the only dog friendly apartment complex in our town), but he took offense to that, so we’re not sure what to do there. He does own guns, has severe PTSD, and seems like he has a high potential for violence, so we don’t want to report anything until we move out :(
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RissTheTiger

1y

Unfortunately it sounds like Gizmo isn't right for the job. If he bites a human he will likely be put down, no questions asked.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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