- Messages
- 2,622
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
Arthur's death was sudden and devestating, but it would appear that some people (nobody from K9) have taken it upon themselves to start a witchunt against me. Click here for details. I have therefore written Arthur's story, not as a defence but an explanation.
This is his full story, to the best of my knowledge.
Arthur was born on 4th October 2003 and there is some suspicion that he was taken from his mother at too young an age.
His first home treated him so badly that he was removed at 5 months of age on a cruelty charge. He had been beaten and forced to fight other dogs. He ended up in a rescue in Manchester.
Soon after he was adopted by his dads, Tony and Rik. They had not been prepared for what they took on, and did their very best with what was an extremely damaged young dog. Arthur's separation anxiety was such that at one time, on returning home, they discovered the kitchen splattered with blood as Arthur had scraped at the door and floor to the point of rubbing his claws down to the quick. He had not been left long.
This is just one of the issues that I am aware of that they tried to deal with. There are others things that I don't know about. I only know for sure what happened a few months later.
Despite seeking advice and doing their utmost for him, Rik and Tony were floundering with Arthur and his issues. Tony works from home, and he especially felt trapped by Arthur's separation anxiety. Arthur was destructive in the home, and had moments of aggression towards other dogs when outside.
They came to breaking point and with broken hearts decided that it would be best for all if Arthur was rehomed. They approached EGLR, who advertised him on their website, but who unfortunately did not have any foster places for him.
Aware of the situation through a mutual friend, I reluctantly offered to foster him until EGLR had a place. This was a private arrangement, although I did let EGLR know about it. I met his dads at a half way place and brought Arthur home.
Not long after Arthur arrived, I knew he was going to stay. His dads were thrilled, so I sent another email to EGLR to say that Arthur was staying. Even then I did not feel it was fair for this particular dog to be moved on again, as he was so sensitive and highly intelligent.
At first timid, scared witless and definitely hand shy, Arthur soon decided he liked it here and blossomed into a friendly confident young man. After some work, and with the other dogs for company, we were able to put his separation anxiety behind him. At this point his fear and food aggression became very apparent. With more careful handling and some environment changes, we were able to almost remove his food aggression, but he still remained unpredictable with dogs both inside and outside the house.
As Arthur's confidence grew, his bullying and unpredictability increased. In the house he made Oliver's life miserable, constantly beating him up and leaving puncture wounds on him. I am deeply ashamed that I let this continue for as long as it did! He would pick on the others as well, but Oliver bore the brunt of it.
Outside the house, he went from very aggressive to other dogs to really wanting to kill them. The last straw was when I was away and all the dogs were in my parents' care. They, well aware of his issues and how to handle them, took him out with some of the others. He was muzzled. They were all off lead, and Arthur saw a small terrier dog. Before he could be called back or caught, he attacked this little dog and would have killed it if he had not been wearing his muzzle. The other dogs behaved as a pack and joined in, with the barking at least. Fortunately, the little dog was unharmed, but Arthur had nearly got his muzzle off before my Dad got to him.
This incident upset my parents' greatly and they said they would be reluctant to care for him again. Added to this, his attacks on Oliver were increasing, and poor Oliver was terrified.
Arthur was also unpredictable with children, actually mouthing one 2 year old leaving bruises on his face, and snapping freely at another child. This was on separate occasions, months apart.
I was left with an awful decision to make. I couldn't keep my special boy because he was terrorising Oliver and the others, and this was escalating. He couldn't go to a home where there were children, dogs, or small furries, but without canine companionship he suffered terrible separation anxiety. He couldn't go to kennels and share with another dog, and I couldn't bear the thought of him spending the rest of his life in kennels on his own. He was only 21 months old.
Wherever he went, there was always the risk that he would somehow manage to get at another dog. Accidents do happen. Rightly or wrongly, I did not think it would help his already damaged psyche to be moved again. Neither did I feel it fair to pass an un-rehomeable dog to a rescue, only for them to have to struggle to find the funds to support him for the rest of his life.
Ultimately he was my responsibility and I loved him greatly. I didn't feel that I was left with much choice, but I resolved to be with him until the end.
Dad and I took Arthur to the vet on 27th July 2005. I explained the situation to my vet, who did not take the situation lightly. Arthur fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, never knowing what was happening to him but taking comfort from my presence. I was devestated, as were my parents.
A week later I summoned the courage to tell Tony and Rik and, although gutted, they have been very supportive, as they have been throughout.
This has been a very private grief, shared only with his dads, my parents, and 1 or 2 close friends. I am sharing this with you now as there are so many lies and much misinformation being freely spread.
The positive news from this is that Oliver is now a different dog: happy, confident and carefree. I have noticed significant changes in Albie, Freddie and Claire, and my parents' springer, Cassie. There is no more tension between them and their characters are blossoming once again. Arthur is in a place where he cannot be hurt anymore. I know in my heart that I did the right thing for Arthur, for me and for my family.
I have had to suspend registration on The Zingy Zone for now, but if anyone wants to sign up to respond to anything, then just let me know.
This is his full story, to the best of my knowledge.
Arthur was born on 4th October 2003 and there is some suspicion that he was taken from his mother at too young an age.
His first home treated him so badly that he was removed at 5 months of age on a cruelty charge. He had been beaten and forced to fight other dogs. He ended up in a rescue in Manchester.
Soon after he was adopted by his dads, Tony and Rik. They had not been prepared for what they took on, and did their very best with what was an extremely damaged young dog. Arthur's separation anxiety was such that at one time, on returning home, they discovered the kitchen splattered with blood as Arthur had scraped at the door and floor to the point of rubbing his claws down to the quick. He had not been left long.
This is just one of the issues that I am aware of that they tried to deal with. There are others things that I don't know about. I only know for sure what happened a few months later.
Despite seeking advice and doing their utmost for him, Rik and Tony were floundering with Arthur and his issues. Tony works from home, and he especially felt trapped by Arthur's separation anxiety. Arthur was destructive in the home, and had moments of aggression towards other dogs when outside.
They came to breaking point and with broken hearts decided that it would be best for all if Arthur was rehomed. They approached EGLR, who advertised him on their website, but who unfortunately did not have any foster places for him.
Aware of the situation through a mutual friend, I reluctantly offered to foster him until EGLR had a place. This was a private arrangement, although I did let EGLR know about it. I met his dads at a half way place and brought Arthur home.
Not long after Arthur arrived, I knew he was going to stay. His dads were thrilled, so I sent another email to EGLR to say that Arthur was staying. Even then I did not feel it was fair for this particular dog to be moved on again, as he was so sensitive and highly intelligent.
At first timid, scared witless and definitely hand shy, Arthur soon decided he liked it here and blossomed into a friendly confident young man. After some work, and with the other dogs for company, we were able to put his separation anxiety behind him. At this point his fear and food aggression became very apparent. With more careful handling and some environment changes, we were able to almost remove his food aggression, but he still remained unpredictable with dogs both inside and outside the house.
As Arthur's confidence grew, his bullying and unpredictability increased. In the house he made Oliver's life miserable, constantly beating him up and leaving puncture wounds on him. I am deeply ashamed that I let this continue for as long as it did! He would pick on the others as well, but Oliver bore the brunt of it.
Outside the house, he went from very aggressive to other dogs to really wanting to kill them. The last straw was when I was away and all the dogs were in my parents' care. They, well aware of his issues and how to handle them, took him out with some of the others. He was muzzled. They were all off lead, and Arthur saw a small terrier dog. Before he could be called back or caught, he attacked this little dog and would have killed it if he had not been wearing his muzzle. The other dogs behaved as a pack and joined in, with the barking at least. Fortunately, the little dog was unharmed, but Arthur had nearly got his muzzle off before my Dad got to him.
This incident upset my parents' greatly and they said they would be reluctant to care for him again. Added to this, his attacks on Oliver were increasing, and poor Oliver was terrified.
Arthur was also unpredictable with children, actually mouthing one 2 year old leaving bruises on his face, and snapping freely at another child. This was on separate occasions, months apart.
I was left with an awful decision to make. I couldn't keep my special boy because he was terrorising Oliver and the others, and this was escalating. He couldn't go to a home where there were children, dogs, or small furries, but without canine companionship he suffered terrible separation anxiety. He couldn't go to kennels and share with another dog, and I couldn't bear the thought of him spending the rest of his life in kennels on his own. He was only 21 months old.
Wherever he went, there was always the risk that he would somehow manage to get at another dog. Accidents do happen. Rightly or wrongly, I did not think it would help his already damaged psyche to be moved again. Neither did I feel it fair to pass an un-rehomeable dog to a rescue, only for them to have to struggle to find the funds to support him for the rest of his life.
Ultimately he was my responsibility and I loved him greatly. I didn't feel that I was left with much choice, but I resolved to be with him until the end.
Dad and I took Arthur to the vet on 27th July 2005. I explained the situation to my vet, who did not take the situation lightly. Arthur fell asleep with his head on my shoulder, never knowing what was happening to him but taking comfort from my presence. I was devestated, as were my parents.
A week later I summoned the courage to tell Tony and Rik and, although gutted, they have been very supportive, as they have been throughout.
This has been a very private grief, shared only with his dads, my parents, and 1 or 2 close friends. I am sharing this with you now as there are so many lies and much misinformation being freely spread.
The positive news from this is that Oliver is now a different dog: happy, confident and carefree. I have noticed significant changes in Albie, Freddie and Claire, and my parents' springer, Cassie. There is no more tension between them and their characters are blossoming once again. Arthur is in a place where he cannot be hurt anymore. I know in my heart that I did the right thing for Arthur, for me and for my family.
I have had to suspend registration on The Zingy Zone for now, but if anyone wants to sign up to respond to anything, then just let me know.
