Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
Not good with dogs,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
*This dog is a courtesy listing and NOT a Helping Paws dog. To get more information, please contact the owner at melissa.j.moreno@gmail.com*
Hello and Thank You for your time. I am reaching out in hopes that your rescue can assist me to re-home one of my three dogs. Unfortunately, my husband and I have been experiencing interpack aggression between two of my three boys (Not littermates. All neutered) for over 4 years now; however, the confrontations are becoming more frequent and the triggers becoming smaller. I have come to the very difficult and heartbreaking decision that Kimber (the aggressor, in my opinion) would do best - even thrive! - as an only dog in a family home.
Kimber is an American Staffordshire Terrier - a bully breed. He will be 10 years old in March and is in great health, apart from skin allergies (one 16mg Apoquel per day) and a slow thyroid (one .8mg dose of Soloxine, twice daily). He is about 80lbs, neutered and up to date on vaccines. Although he is very muscular, he is not athletic and prefers to lounge around the house or the yard in a patch of sun after a very brief walk. He is extremely food motivated but does not really care for toys unless his human engages him, and even then, he will lose interest after a few minutes, and is not at all interested in entertaining himself with toys.
When the issues began, we immediately sought the help of a professional trainer - and all was well for a couple of years. Until it wasn't. We did not anticipate and are wholly unprepared for the amount of consistent work, discipline, and structure that managing this behavior requires. Our family's lifestyle cannot reasonably sustain it, and as a result, everyone is suffering, myself in particular. I've never considered myself an overly anxious worrier, but I am a wreck all the time now and I know my dogs can feel it. I've considered euthanizing Kimber because I cannot bear the thought of him going to some unknown, unqualified family that won't treasure him and also it pains me to think that this is now our life. Constant kennel rotations to maintain safe distance between the two that are not getting along. Bickering among the humans about how to approach each scenario. Trips to the ER when a human gets in the middle of a confrontation - this has happened twice now. Luckily, no vet trips have been required; we've always been able to intervene fairly quick and their fixation level is not so intense that they cannot be separated, but still, the emotional toll is way high! When we decided on permanent separation, I reached out to our trainer (who is now a friend) for support and he advised me to reach out to as many reputable rescues as I could because, knowing Kimber and having spent a considerable amount of time training and boarding my Pack, he knows that Kimber is a very sweet, people-friendly dog, he is an excellent companion and his life (what remains of it, he is 10) matters. We know a good match is out there. My trainer genuinely cares about Kimber and has so generously offered to assist Kimber in his transition to his new home, if he possibly could.
I am ready, willing, and fully capable of financially providing for Kimber for the rest of his life: grain-free diet, medications, wellness checks, etc. I am willing to pay for a fence/enclosure for Kimber at his new forever home.
