Our dear Daisy Dog is dead

[Ruth]

That was a very nice burial you had. Yes, that woman should definitely do something about that dog. People here would probably take her to court to have something done about the dog. That is such a tragic, sad thing that happened.

[Catherine]

The burial was good, it was peaceful and gentle. We needed to do it and I am glad we had a thaw that allowed us to dig. Daisy is with her mother now. We wanted to have her with us a few more years, but that was taken away from us.

We would never take the woman to court. It is not worth our time and energy. It won't bring Daisy back.
Something does need to be done to address the issue of her dog and its behavior. I haven't run into her yet. She may be avoiding me or it may just be chance.
I don't know what I am going to say, but something needs to be said.

[Libby]

(01-24-2017, 04:22 PM)Catherine Wrote: The woman and the other dog are still unfinished business. Libby, how dangerous is a dog like that. She killed Daisy without hesitation. I have to wonder if this was her first aggressive action.

The woman is such a bad dog owner. Her child is a problem as well. She just does not take responsibility for her actions. She gave Paul a card, I suppose she meant it as a sympathy card, but it was cold and unfeeling. It in no way says she is sorry or in any way accepts responsibility for what happened.

Things are not going to end well for her dog. She will not get help training it. She clearly has no control over the dog and doesn't even try to control it.

Unfortunately large dogs sometimes see small dog as pray.  Mistaking them for rabbits or other things that they see as food.  If the dog also doesn't get along with other dogs the same size it should be muzzled when outside of the house.  A note that not all dogs get along even if they are properly socialized.  Humans don't get along with all humans either.  That being said it sounds like she is clueless and doesn't know the first thing about how to properly train a dog.  I would suggest lessons, there are ways to get dogs to ignore other dogs.  Even helping her find lessons or making a few calls to see if there are any trainers in the area that are willing to work with harder cases.  A good muzzle at this point is a necessity.  If the woman isn't banned from bringing her dog I would suggest she must have her dog muzzled and if it shows the hint of being out of control that her and dog needs to be removed from the building and authorities called if she refuses.  You have a responsibility to keep the animals and people in the store safe and if she is risking any of those lives, like she already has, then while it seems like you are being the bad person you are only thinking of the safety of others.

I know its rough and will take time to heal from the loss.  I'm sure when he is ready he will find a dog in need of a home.

[Catherine]

Thanks Libby.

Right now she is not bringing her dog into the reptile centre. I don't think it is fair to us to ever bring her dog back.
How can we look at the dog and not picture Daisy in her jaws.

There are dog trainers in Toronto so that won't be a problem. We have talked it over and Paul is going to demand she work with a dog trainer. He wants to see the receipts as proof that she has done it, and not just one visit. I think she will have to comply because we could still report the dog for what it did. The dog should be muzzled. It is a rescue and not very social.

I am angry that she knew her dog was not well behaved and she never did anything to fix the problem. Daisy paid the price.

We have talked about another dog. If a dog comes to us needing a home we will take it in. Most likely it would be a customer's dog if they had to move or took sick or something.

Right now we have a volunteer with a wonderful dog, a rottweiler, shepherd mix(with something else). It is so mellow and well behaved. She is bringing it in when she is there so we are not totally without a dog. I think that has made us all feel better.

[Tobi]

[Catherine]

Daisy was definitely there with us tonight. Everywhere we looked we saw her. When I pick up a treat to give her it is because I feel her so close.
For Paul it is even more so. They were together almost every moment of Daisy's life. It is a hard loss.
Someone came in to the reptile centre tonight who hadn't heard and she asked about Daisy because she didn't see her.  In her mind Daisy was still alive. For just a second it seemed that it must be true. In time these things will stop happening and the loss will fade, but for now it is still pretty fresh and our hearts are still broken.

[Libby]

(02-01-2017, 04:09 PM)Catherine Wrote: Thanks Libby.

Right now she is not bringing her dog into the reptile centre. I don't think it is fair to us to ever bring her dog back.
How can we look at the dog and not picture Daisy in her jaws.

There are dog trainers in Toronto so that won't be a problem. We have talked it over and Paul is going to demand she work with a dog trainer. He wants to see the receipts as proof that she has done it, and not just one visit. I think she will have to comply because we could still report the dog for what it did. The dog should be muzzled. It is a rescue and not very social.

I am angry that she knew her dog was not well behaved and she never did anything to fix the problem. Daisy paid the price.

We have talked about another dog. If a dog comes to us needing a home we will take it in. Most likely it would be a customer's dog if they had to move or took sick or something.

Right now we have a volunteer with a wonderful dog, a rottweiler, shepherd mix(with something else). It is so mellow and well behaved. She is bringing it in when she is there so we are not totally without a dog. I think that has made us all feel better.

Sounds like you have it handled.  Demanding lessons and proof is definitely a good idea.  You might could even have it set up though the center.  Where she pays the center and then the center pays the trainer.  That would give you control and you would be able to call the trainer to make sure she is actually going.

However you handle it, I agree that if she refuses to then you should go to the authorities.  Might even want to consult an officer about the issue.  Explain that right now we are handling like this but if she refuses we would like to press charges.  They could help you with laws, what you need to do to press charges, and statute of limitations.

[Catherine]

I think we have customers who could help us  with the whole thing. There are lawyers, teachers, doctors, dog groomers and probably at least one trainer or someone connected to a trainer. We probably have at least one or two people who are with animal services or the police. Lots of different people have reptiles.

We will make sure something happens. I still find it hard to believe that she has not really expressed any real regret or responsibility. She sees it as an incident. I am glad I haven't run into her. I have no idea what to say. I suppose it will depend on who else is at the centre. I would never say anything if there are children or new people present. They don't need to hear about this.

We will sort this out and we will deal with our loss. But she will have to live with what she did for the rest of her life.