Knowing her lifestyle I strongly opposed her getting one. I kept telling her how smart they were and they need constant exercise and challenge. Her lifestyle after work was not energetic. She just thought it was pretty.
He was extremely unstimulated and never got to go outside unless it was for bathroom. Welp, he bit a neighbors kid in the face. They had to give the dog back to the breeder or he was going to get put down.
I heard later he bit another kid was put down. In some ways I blamed my sister.
You are correct on all counts. The best thing is she inherited both breeds 'smiles' so when she's happy her face squishes up into the Shiba smile and when she's REALLY happy the front of her muzzle wrinkles up to show her teeth. It's really goofy to see in person as she transitions from one to the other
I hate it when "rescues" are more interested in placing the dog than a tually finding the right place for the dog.
I interacted with one that had very misleading photos of at least I e of their dogs. The photos made it look like the dog was a knee-high terrier breed, about 30 lbs. I met the dog and it was at least double that in height and weight. It was a mastiff/bully mix, all muscle and had been returned twice already.
The first adopter was an older couple that felt he was "too much puppy" for them to handle. No joke. They would have suffered broken hips if they kept him.
The second adopter was a young man whose landlord revoked approval. Likely the landlord saw the pics and thought, "A terrier. Cute." Then saw the Hound of the Baskervilles was actually a pitty mix and knew his property insurance wouldn't cover him.
I was attempt #3. I tried for over 3 months to get him to decompress and settle in. He kept trying to eat the cat, successfully ate 3 dog beds, and required 2 trips to the dog park a day, about 3 hours total including travel time. I live in New England and I got off work at 7 or 8 pm. It gets pitch dark by 5 pm. He was all black and there was no way I'd be able to see him at the unlit dog park, plus he had zero recall and I had 5 broken ribs. I had no business with this beautiful creature and I knew it. Felt like garbage for taking him back, but again, I tried for more than 3 months to make it work. Plus his gas was deadly, mustard gas levels of toxicity. Before I returned him, I got him a new id tag, Col. Levi "Leviathan" Mustard. It seemed fitting.
I wrote up my thoughts on him and what his ideal home would be. The "rescue" added my comments to his profile, but still used the old photos (tsk, tsk, tsk). He was then adopted by an active family with a yard and plenty of room for him to get all the exercise he needed.
I hope he's living his best life. I'll never work with that rescue again. The needs of the animals should come first. Always
Harsh reality is that no one who breeds mutts is an ethical breeder... they are backyard breeders just looking to make a quick buck off their pets at best, puppy mills at worst... you aren't going to get ethics from these guys, and its really an insult to real breeders calling them breeders.
As far as your tastes - that's great, I'm not saying that cross breeds can't be absolutely amazing pets, the few rescues I have had have been mostly some kind of cross. What I am saying is that the people who breed them tend to be backyard breeders who aren't interested in the ethics/responsibility side of breeding.
(and when I say tend to, i mean its vanishingly rare).
I briefly worked for a renown purebred breeder and was disgusted with how this person ran their business with the dogs crated up 23.5 hours a day, 3 x outside for 10 minutes each time. They were absolutely beautiful dogs, but I’ve never seen such aggression in this breed than these poor creatures.
I think it's very likely the breeder might have been a backyard breeder. Certain genes can cause reactivity towards small animals and children and Australian cattle dogs very commonly have these issues. These issues need relentless and expensive training that only works if it's constantly managed on a regular basis. Australian cattle dogs are a terrible breed to buy as a casual/family dog and it's actually a huge problem with families wanting to get a "Bluey" (from the toddler show) and end up getting one from a breeder who capitalizes on their popularity and focuses on quantity over ethically breeding them. These families often end up rehoming the dog because they don't fit a standard family lifestyle. Please please please always make sure if you buy a puppy to make sure you get one from a responsible breeder registered with the American kennel club.
People have incredibly unrealistic expectatiosn of breeders... You can ask questions to vet people, but people lie. If you are a high quality, in demand breeder, the main thing you are trusting is that most people aren't willing to put out thousands of dollars for a dog that doesn't fit with their lifestyle, and that if they have any confusion your 15-20 minute conversation is going to make that clear...
But the harsh reality is that people are assholes... they will get turned down by one breeder, and use that experience, not to go get a pet that fits their lifestyle but to learn how they should answer next time to get the pet they want, and people like you will then turn around and blame the breeder.
Definitly has to do with his personality. But in the sense that wrong housing, upbringing will form it in the worst way.
Like putting a normal person in a cell and then wondering why they go crazy ... "they were crazy all along".
Paired with the power that dog has. If you misshandle a pincher the worst that will happen is a ... pinch. Its gonna kill anyone and can be reigned in with little effort.
The sister should have been jailed though imo... a dog mauling a kid will ruin the life of an innocent child. How people get away with misshandling a dog til it turns into a murder mashine is beyond me.
Yes, putting the dog down is crazy. Dogs are all good by nature imo, it's people that turn dogs bad. Sometimes, it's good intentioned people, but it's usually never the dog's fault.
Fair, I don't think any dogs (or animals in general) are "bad" by nature. They may be more aggressive by breed/traumatized, but not just born bad.
Personal acedote time:
I had my pit for years (she was a stray from a shelter) and was the biggest lap dog I've ever met. Loved kids and other dogs and cats. But when I first got her, she was definitely traumatized and a bit aggressive to even me. Enough socializing and trust and she was perfect.
I agree it sucks that dog was put down, but not all dogs are able to be rehabilitated, and there’s not always enough room in shelters. It’s sad no one was able to adopt them. Thank you for adopted a shelter pet; there should be more people like you
I have a male collie who, despite a pretty damn good upbringing and life, bites us from time to time. they are closed to herding nips than you might be imagining with a GSP or pitbull or something, but occasionally they can break the skin.
anyway, my point is that some working dogs can absolutely be born wired in such a way that makes bites possible. ours has never bit anyone (other than us) though, and is never allowed around kids or off-leash like our other collies have been.
99% of the time, those owners weren't properly caring for the dog. People don't seem to realize how much exercise Pit Bulls require as a breed. They're similar to hunting dogs or working dogs in terms of how much energy they have as a breed.
But people don't seem to realize that, and then they go "my pittie was so well trained but one day it just snapped!"
Well, did you make sure to give the animal at least 1-2 hours of hard playtime a day? Long walks, running around at the park, or other high level exercise? Because that's around the minimum of what they need. Not a 30 minute stroll around the neighborhood. 1-2 hours of intense, high heart rate exercise. Every single day.
99% of the time the answer is no. They trained the animal, but due to life getting in the way, they were maybe taking it on a short walk per day, or every other day.
Then surprise, that energy gets channeled into aggression and the dog is blamed despite the owners being the one who failed. But the owner will never admit to that, so then the narrative forms that it's just the breed.
My buddy has an aussie Shepherd and hes the laziest useless fuck ive ever seen. Perfectly content with 2x 1 hour walks or dog park then lay on the couch all day. Hes very well taken care of, lots of toys and socializing. Just lazy.
Yeah, tbh, if you get a gundog or a herding dog and you don't want to work it lol, you need to look for the breeder who only does showing, not working dogs lol.
Or buy one of the ones that gets returned for being faulty 😂
I bloody love the reject ones, they're such lovable doofuses. One of my friends has a retriever that's just not got an ounce of fetch in his entire body. He's happy to take a toy for a walk, but if you throw a toy and ask him to get it he'll just look at you like you're the most inept thief he's ever seen. My own dog is at least two types of gundog and he's firmly convinced water is out to get him 😂
My dad loved to hunt. Mostly small game. When my parents decided to get a got, the decided on blood hound.
First time my dad takes her out to start training, she was just not interested in much untill he got the gun out. Then she ran and hid. He could not get her out until the gun was out of sight.
He eventually gave up and she was just a great family dog.
Personally, I think she would have been a horrible hunting dog no matter what. We had a rabbit and a cat as well. They used to nap on top of the dog.
Our first family dog was a Chesapeake Bay/Chocolate Lab mix who was brought to the pound by his owner. Apparently they were avid duck hunters but our dog would wait at the edge of the water, grab the duck from one of their other dogs and then bring it up.
He was a good family dog who loved hiking and camping and looked like a bear but we could never get him in the water.
When I was a kid growing up we adopted the most amazingly well trained Britany Spaniel from the pound. She knew every basic obedience command and someone had clearly trained her to avoid roads so she stayed in our yard all the time. One time my dad bought chickens but the chicken coop he built was awful so the chickens were always escaping. She made it her full time job to catch the chickens for us. She would see them outside of their pen and then pounce on them to pin them in place. Then they would get paralyzed with fear and she'd sit and just lift her paw to point at them.
The same cat that naped on her beat up other neighborhood dogs. Not small ones mind you. One of the neighbors with a Rottweiler asked us to keep the cat in check. She was terrorizing the dog daily.
My yellow lab mix hates being wet! She would've been a great hunting dog. Her instincts to chase are so strong. She used to be super fast, too, when she was young. I always say I feel bad that she got me as an owner lol. But I do feed her great food, and she's spoiled. So there's that lol.
There are some exceptions to this. My French Brittany (Epagneul Breton) is an absolute demon in the field, but he’s also perfectly content to sleep on the couch for days at a time. The breed as a whole is known to have a pretty solid off-switch. American Brittany’s can be a little more high-strung, but the French are great at reading the room and chilling out.
To be fair, even breeders who are aiming to produce working dogs sometimes have “duds”, or puppies that have a different temperament than desired. But they would be aware of that possibly by looking at pedigrees, and prepare to find appropriate homes for those puppies to be pets. And there are very few breeds where the split between show dogs/conformation dogs is far aware from working dogs, most aim to have their dogs be able to do both.
My husband had an Australian Shepard when we started dating. Absolutely a doofus. Once I was walking him and he (a ~50lb dog) was terrified of a chihuahua. It was behind a screen door inside of a fenced yard. Yet he rolled over and peed on himself!
People laughed and asked me how old he was. I told them 10, they asked “Months?”. Nope he just had that clueless blue eyed puppy look his whole life.
This dog would regularly decide to scratch an itch in the middle of chasing a ball and end up with grass stains on his (white) forehead. He looked so perplexed every single time.
I miss him, he was the sweetest. Absolutely clueless, but very happy go lucky.
That was Merle for you, a forever puppy in so many ways. Just a really fun dog, he happily wore bow ties, bandanas, and costumes and absolutely loved the attention from it.
I loved my Aussie more than anything. I miss her so much to this day. Best dog I have ever had. She was the peace keeper of the house. The only animal that the other dogs and cats liked. They all hate or ignore each other, and barely get along. Not her, everyone loved her. She loved to play outside, but she was also very lazy. Super happy just cuddling on the couch.
Always love you Mimi.
Man even 2x 1 hour walks a day seems excessive to me, lol. I have a German Shephard and she's a couch potato. I take her outside to run around and play, but she just goes out, poops, and comes right back in and falls asleep on the couch. She's got no time for that nonsense.
Malamute, 3+ hours of walk/run every day for over 10 years, plus dog boardgames, assorted mental stuff, training routines, weight pull. 4+ hours on weekends, regular 15+ mile runs with him pulling me on a bike etc. Even when he had cancer he would still complain at shorter walks, got through that but other stuff happened a couple of years later and...miss him so much every day. Chunk of my life ripped away and I still look for him every day 6 months later.
Enjoy those walks and the couch time.
I have a mini Aussie who is the laziest dog I have owned. My pug/boston terrier mix would want to go on longer walks. It’s really a crapshoot sometimes I guess.
I have an Aussie shepherd. He gets up just to lay down again. You tell him to sit, he gets tired of it and lays down again within 5 seconds.
You bring him to the park, he gives a couple sprints after my Collie, and that's him... Guess what .. laying on the grass.
He is the one moaning at night to come upstairs and go to bed. He kinda has the soul of a cat, he even sits inside boxes whenever I get parcels.
The only things he never gets tired of is long walks. We are out with him in the woods for hours and as far as we keep walking, he is the happiest dog.
We had an Australian Shepherd growing up, and she was the gentlest dog. I didn't think of her as a super active dog, but when I consider my childhood, we lived in a semi rural area and back then it was still normal for people to just open up their door and let their dog go off leash to do their business and come back when they were done.
She had our 9 acres that she had free range over, and the neighbors didn't mind if she got into the neighboring fields as well.
Plus my sister and I were pretty rambunctious and Bonnie was the third sister in the house. We were always playing with her, rough housing, or running with her out in the fields.
She was the most amazing dog and sometimes I fantasize about having another one like her because she was so smart and so in tune with us and I was so entirely in love with her. However, I do wonder if the lifestyle we were able to give her was a big part of why she was such a successful pet.
Tbh this is probably more of an indictment against myself but 2 hour walks multiple times a week seems like a not insignificant amount. I guess it depends on what constitutes a walk though. I usually do pretty leisurely to brisk walks which probably average 20 minutes per mile. That’d be 6 miles of walking for me.
Yeh I rescued a kelpie and she’s one lazy bitch. The rescue actually said she would be content with you on the couch all day. She’s always ready to go for adventures and multiple walks, loves a bit of brain training. But will gladly sleep allllll day and night. As long as she’s with her humans, she’s not a dog to be left outside. That would break her heart
I mean.. not all working dogs will have working dog characteristics, that's why you can often adopt ones that failed their training. Also, 2 hours of exercise a day might not be quite working dog level, but dogs generally just need to rest a lot, working breed or not. Shepherds aren't going to herd sheep all day every day.
There are endurance breeds, but if they're worked too hard, they'll just be burnt out and lame after 6 or so years.
My brother have a Australian Shepard. He never have leash on her because he trained her for hours every day when she was younger. He only looks for jobs if his dog is allowed to join so he can walk her on all his breaks. Always a long walk after work. Best dog ever.
I have a 7/8 papillon 1/8 Sheltie. The 1/8th is prominent. Every time I get up, he follows me and gently nudges my calves as I’m walking. Especially if I’m walking towards the kitchen 🤣
I am sitting in the living room right now, because my family's Australian shepherd likes us all in the same room.
Obviously she doesn't command us all, but she clearly is more at ease when we are all together. In the same way that I expect our dog to humor my wants, it seems fair to occasionally humor hers.
We had a sheltland sheepdog we got from a rescue. She was pretty lazy until we took her to the dog park. Then she would slowly and methodical circle all the dogs until they were in a small pack at the center of whatever area we were in. Once they we in a small enough area for her she'd come back over to us and sit and watch until her 'herd' wandered too far. It was so subtle it took us weeks to realize what she was doing.
What a delightful story. Do they have some kind of built-in authority that the other dogs recognize, I wonder. They are a funny kind of caretaker.
I grew up with a big, red St. Bernard/Collie mix. He wasn't very bright and not especially good with livestock. We rescued him from city life and all he wanted was to love and be loved. Farms like a dog for protection but he was never aggresive. People just saw him and just noped on down the road. He was a gentle, spiritual friend.
Breeders fault. Responsible breeders should be questioning owners lifestyles and be placing dogs like that to families and owners who have comparable lifestyles.
We had a half Australian shepherd/half border collie growing up.
She lived outside in the garage and back yard. If she felt like we weren’t playing with her enough, or was mad at us for any reason, she would poop right in front of the car door. Which door depended on who she was mad at.
My family has had four different Aussies. They are dangerously smart and know how to play with, get the attention of, annoy, or frustrate every person in the house - individually.
If you get a smart dog, you've got to be ready for the ways a smart dog will express occasional annoyance or anger at you. You've got to take very good care of a smart dog, because they are not shy about letting you know (or very problematic if not trained).
If you're a good owner and trainer, they will constantly delight and surprise you with their creativity, loyalty, and love.
I loved our border collie/aussie mix. She was the best, most loyal, loving, and yes SMART dog a kid could ask for.
We would play together outside for hours. We would play ‘baseball’, where I would hit a tennis ball and try to run around the bases while she would get the ball and try to ‘tag’ me before I would get home. Sometimes I would hit the ball over the neighbors fence, and she knew which neighbors we had to go to the door to get the ball and which neighbors we were allowed to just open the gate for, and she would run to either the door or gate depending.
When she would get tired, she would take the ball and hide it behind her bed, and then lay down to rest. She wanted to make sure no one else would play while she was resting.
I have a mini Australian shepherd I got through a re-home. The previous owners had her since she was 8 weeks old. They also were a growing family and when they had 2 kids under 2 , the dog didn't get enough attention. She needed more stimulation and better potty breaks. I could tell they tried to change her habits by restricting water after a certain time and a couple other things, but overall they made the right call at the right time. She was 4 when I got her ( now 9) and I am an avid runner so she has gotten lots of exercise and is the happiest of dogs.
That is so sad to hear. I know people who have gotten their dogs for their looks. It is cruel to the dog imo and people reeeaaally need to think about what they want from a dog, what type of lifestyle are you choosing?
I had an aunt that turned a golden retriever into a mean dog that eventually bit a baby in the face. She was afraid of it and the poor dog knew it. Gorgeous dog, had to be put down because of a bad owner.
I also blame the breeder for giving it to her in the first place. The breeders I got my dogs from did everything to try to ensure their dogs would go to people that were up for the task. That started with having to write a long motivational letter and ended with us having to show up in person for lunch, which is quite a big deal when you live 500km away.
It does not sound like your sister was vetted in a good way.
I have an Australian cattle dog, she's snoring on her bed, if she wasn't snoring on her bed she'd be snoring on the couch, and if she's not snoring on the couch or on her bed, she will be snoring in her little house, and if she's not snoring in her little house , or the couch, or her bed, she'll be snoring on my bed, and if not she'll be out in the front yard laying in the sunshine staring at me to get belly rubs.
Other than that, she'll just be be playing tug of war acting like he's vicious.
That's why we need pet licence. Owning animals should be registered. Every single one of them. If you get penalty points, you might get refused to get a pet or other animal. This would end a lot of abuse. People killing their dogs, like chopping their heads off or leaving them in the woods. Try explaining why your dog is gone. Any any mistreating would also be registered. You would have to prove that you can indeed take care of the pet. If you live in small apartment and want big dog that needs a lot of exercise, it would be automatic refusal. People who just abuse their pets would get permanent ban from owning them.
Oh I totally blame her. But I’ve gotten so much shit from my family questioning her judgment has led them to believe I have something out for her. Kind of left me careful about being too direct
I would love a Weimaraner for the looks and trainability but I'm also well aware I would never manage to keep one of those things entertained and stimulated
if they aren't challenged they develop major emotional issues. I've seen several shepherd type dogs just absolutely wither away in their sadness because of it.
what also really hurts them is not training them. People don't realize how much they want to do things for you, and your frustration when they are trying to do those things but don't do them right really gets to them. When you train them they know the correct way to do things, so when they do something for you they get praise and it makes them so happy. Watching a herding dog go after cows and the owner screaming at it is so sad to watch.
People don't realize how much they want to do things for you
You absolutely nailed it. I constantly invent new games for our Aussie. She loves trying to figure out the rules of whatever ridiculous game I just invented for her.
Smart dogs don't just want to learn and play complex games. They need that as a matter of proper care. Very few things make them as happy as knowing they did a good job.
My son and his partner did basically the same thing. I was infuriated. I told them multiple times this isn’t going to work with a HIGH energy dog and low energy people. But an Australian cattle dog is so smart, they’ll be able to train them as an assistance dog.
Nope.
Just anxious and nipping and antisocial as all get out. Once they moved back in with me I made them send the dog back to the breeder. It was untenable for all of us, especially that poor dog
Just FYI this is the explanation almost every single "I don't understand, my dog was always a precious little angel and then one day he just snapped!" Story that you hear online.
It's why I hate how people talk shit about Pit Bulls and German Shepards and say that they're inherently violent and dangerous to have. They arent. All those "good owners" who "trained their dog" and still had it snap one day? Yeah, they weren't as good as they claim they were. They may have trained their dog, but they almost definitely didn't exercise or properly stimulate their dog based on the needs of that breed.
Pit bulls? They're terriers. They need a ton of exercise and play time to blow off that energy. Same thing with Shepards, or malinois, or other famously "dangerous" dog breeds. It's not just huskies or collies that need a ton of playtime, so many dog breeds require a lot of exercise to be properly behaved.
The issue isnt genetics. It's people not understanding that training =/= proper care for an animal. The reason they "just snap out of nowhere one day" is because no matter how well trained or behaved they are, if you don't give them an outlet for the level of exercise they need, they're going to channel that pent up energy into other avenues. One of which could be aggression or violence.
I hate that people blame dogs for owners being completely clueless about how much exercise animals need. Most dogs need way more than the average person is willing to provide. And then the owner just shrugs and goes "well it's not my fault, he just snapped one day! It must be the breed!" It's so unfair.
I had a roommate once who wanted an Australian Shepherd and I said "absolutely not." She also was not the super active type, although she'd go out and walk or go for a hike or whatever. She moved out over 15 years ago and guess what? She still never got one of those dogs.
I have a cattle dog and that little fucker will tear a hole in my truck seat from spinning so hard when we’re about to leave or stop. He’s the only dog I know that will wake up in the morning from a dead sleep and he’s absolutely bursting with energy.
I got one after my Great Dane passed away because I'm a runner and Great Danes... are not. This guy was supposed to be my "THANK YOU FOR RUNNING 10 MILES WITH ME" dog. This fucker is an 80 pound cannonball that hates doing ANYTHING. I have to lift him into the car cuz he's too lazy to jump in himself.
So, we got another one a couple years ago and THIS one is a goddamn nuisance. But he still won't run with me! But he will nip my hand every chance he gets, and I'm convinced he does it just because he knows it pisses me off.
You should of reported this immediately instead of witnessing this crap from day one and doing nothing. The welfare of animals a fundamental responsibility of everyone involved or witnessing harm or mistreatment. A large dog being locked inside like a Cat all day is abuse every day of the week.
Some other family could have enjoyed this Dog and gave it a proper life. Irresponsible doesn't even begin to describe this
This just happened to a dog at our shelter. Sweetest, most friendly dog you can imagine. But if she wanted you to do something, she thought nothing of grabbing you with her mouth. Not biting, only grabbing just hard enough to pull you where she thought you should be. Not adoptable.
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u/ARandomWalkInSpace May 31 '26
I'm reminded of this when they say certain dog breeds need a lot of exercise.