by Beth Clifton
We made the difficult but necessary decision to end Tommy’s eight-year life today.
This morning Tommy woke up hungry and happy. That boy could eat!
Tommy was a mix, but definitely had Great Dane and hound in him. Two veterinary clinics we visited with him agreed that he weighed just over 100 pounds, down from 114 pounds when last weighed, according to his previous veterinary chart.
Tommy hadn’t seen a veterinarian in over two years. He had become obese. His claws were more than an inch long, but otherwise he appeared healthy.
(Chuck Sorenson Facebook photo)
Adopted from Mexico by owner who died
In my week of intensive digging for answers about Tommy, I discovered he had been adopted by his previous owner from the Puerto Vallarta SPCA at a bit less than age one, seven years ago.
His previous owner died in his sleep from a terminal illness in late July, only 12 days ago.
Tommy shut down as the life he knew with his evidently loving owner came to an abrupt end.
Just months before, Tommy’s almost lifelong canine companion of years, another big dog named Piper, had also passed.
World turned upside down
Tommy’s world was turned upside down. Sadness was evident in his eyes and tucked tail, but his seemingly good nature remained. His deceased owner’s sister and her husband desperately looked to find placement for Tommy. He was not a candidate for their home, four hours away, with multiple cats and young grandchildren frequently visiting. They made that clear.
Our local humane society, practicing limited admission as a “Best Friends Animal Society rescue partner,” turned Tommy away.
We met Tommy in a restaurant parking lot at lunchtime not even seven days ago, as he sat waiting in a car for his deceased owner’s relatives to return to him.
Having our lunch at the same deli, Merritt and I were approached by Tommy’s owner’s sister and her husband. who saw the ANIMALS 24-7 shirts we were both wearing. They were hopeful that perhaps we could help them find a shelter or rescue to take Tommy. They mentioned that euthanasia might be necessary.
(Chuck Sorenson Facebook photo)
We understood the urgency
At the time we understood the urgency for them and their unexpected situation. Their mentioning euthanasia as an option, as it turned out, would have more meaning to us days later.
We chatted with the family through lunch, sharing some possibilities locally for Tommy, all of which were outside chances. After lunch, we walked to their car. I wanted to meet this unfortunate fellow.
Perhaps both Merritt and I toyed with the idea of giving Tommy a new home with us, yet we had not verbalized this to each other yet. They opened the car door and out came this huge, obese, friendly canine. Huge in height as well as girth.
Channeling my vet tech days, I guess, I greeted him with a smile and a kind, friendly voice. He allowed me to briefly check his teeth and body.
His coat was beautiful, his eyes clear. But for his weight and nails, Tommy appeared to be a well-cared-for dog. The sister and her husband told us that they were on their way to his favorite, much frequented dog park, and then on to a veterinary appointment. Tommy had not seen a veterinarian in two years, but he was up to date on his rabies vaccination.
(Beth Clifton collage)
We wished them well
Merritt and I wished the family and Tommy well. We asked them to keep us in the loop about Tommy’s prospects, and went on our way.
As it turned out when Merritt and I left them, we had both thought that maybe Tommy could become our dog, joining our eight-year-old, 20-pound rescue dog Teddy, our 18-year-old rescue cat Sebastian, our immense rooster Henry, and his hen companion Arabella.
We knew Tommy would come with challenges. At the time we were unaware that fear-biting would be the biggest and most intractable challenge.
We called Tommy’s family just moments later after talking things out together. We would meet them at the dog park. Merritt and I expressed interest to them in adopting Tommy and we met them at the veterinary appointment after leaving the park.
Tommy had never been seen at this veterinary clinic. We wondered at the time why the sister and her husband did not schedule his check-up with the clinic that had his records, but did not put deep thought into it. Perhaps we should have.
All concerned for Tommy’s wellbeing
It was heartening to see four adults, along with the veterinarian and vet tech, all concerned for Tommy’s well-being. Everyone felt very positive that Tommy had a happy future. As the exam progressed after some basic questions of the family, the physical exam began––and abruptly ended, with Tommy shrieking and trying to bite the middle-aged female veterinarian. Tommy was terrified and defensive.
Then the veterinarian and vet tech placed a muzzle on Tommy. His shrieking and fearful, defensive behavior only worsened. He shrank into a corner, ready to bite anyone who tried to handle him further.
Tommy did finally come out on a leash.
The veterinarian, in my opinion, expressed in not so many words that this was not just a fear of the muzzle, but indicated a deeper underlying issue with Tommy.
We thought “How could this be?” Not an hour or so before Tommy had let me handle him, look in his mouth, and feel around his body for tumors, etc.
Tommy became our dog
We concluded that the veterinarian had been too quick to examine Tommy. She did not greet him and had no bedside manner. Therefore Tommy was reacting to a stranger who was “all up in his stuff.”
The vet prescribed medication to pre-sedate Tommy for a future appointment and the exam ended. Tommy’s family, with Merritt and I, decided that we were not particularly satisfied with the veterinarian and would schedule an appointment for Tommy with our own veterinarian of 30 years, in whom we have complete confidence. He has treated many other dogs for us, including dogs rescued from known abusive situations and one dog who was suffering from terminal cancer.
The family drove Tommy to our home where he became our dog.
After a few days, Tommy had settled in and even seemed to be bonding with our little dog Teddy. He showed no interest in our cat Sebastian. He was clearly bouncing back to becoming again the happy dog we were told, and believed, he had always been.
(Beth Clifton photo)
Took Tommy to the dog park every day
We took Tommy and Teddy to the dog park every day so that Tommy would see familiar faces, both human and canine. His human friends at the park were happy to see Tommy. Tommy and his owner had been regulars at the park. Tommy’s owner even ran a Facebook group page for the dog park.
One afternoon a pack of five aggressive small dogs, led by an especially nasty mini-Schnauzer, attacked Tommy, who instead of responding in kind, tried to find his way around them, back to us.
Tommy could have eaten all five little dogs for lunch. Instead, he avoided trouble, as if they were merely unruly puppies, leaving any discipline to their mama. The little dogs’ two owners pulled them away.
(Beth Clifton photo)
Ordered a giant comfy dog bed
I ordered a giant comfy dog bed for Tommy on Amazon. The large one we’d gotten for him the first day was not big enough.
Tommy was very agile for his size. In a surprise move one evening, Tommy hopped up on our bed, all 100 pounds of him. His tail was no longer tucked in his body. His eyes were no longer sad.
Tommy just meshed into our family with very little trouble. He was good-natured and even affectionate, pushing into our chests for attention and love. Of course he received as much or more than he gave.
The morning of Tommy’s vet appointment with our own veterinarian arrived on his sixth day in our home.
I had done my due diligence by calling Tommy’s former veterinarian to find out if Tommy had aggression issues with her. I was told that there was nothing noted in Tommy’s chart about dangerous behavior.
Bit the second vet
I wanted to be sure that our veterinarian was not at risk of being bitten.
At the appointment Merritt and I related to our vet all that had transpired, our thoughts about his failed appointment days before, and that I had called the vet whom Tommy had seen two years prior.
Our veterinarian took a great deal of time trying to get Tommy to feel comfortable with him. If any doctor could win Tommy over, it would be him. The moment of truth came when the doctor felt Tommy was ready, petted him, and slowly began the exam.
Tommy reacted exactly as he had previously, only this time he made jaw contact and bit our vet on his hand.
I was mortified and devastated that Tommy had bitten the doctor. The veterinarian, taking the bite in stride, then had me raise Tommy’s front legs a bit off the floor so that the vet could examine his chest and stomach. Tommy freaked out again and tried to bite me, afterward his teeth chattering as he delivered nonstop air-bites in my direction for at least 10 seconds.
Potentially a very dangerous dog
At that point we had a conversation with our veterinarian about the prospect of keeping Tommy. The veterinarian was very concerned for my safety, and Merritt’s, and the safety of anyone doing future handling or exams of Tommy.
I did not have to be convinced that Tommy was potentially a very dangerous dog. Our veterinarian thought it best to end the exam. We took Tommy home to discuss what our plan for Tommy would be.
The contradiction was that on the one hand Tommy was a nice dog, well-mannered in all respects and affectionate with us.
But that afternoon, when Merritt tried to clip a nail as a sort of experiment, Tommy went for Merritt to bite him also. Merritt was quicker, and Tommy’s bite fortunately missed.
I was heartbroken.
(Beth Clifton photo)
Chased our rooster
Though Tommy remained a good dog in most other respects, he also chased our triple-sized rooster Henry, who normally does not run from anything or anyone.
Henry has both chased a raccoon and beaten up a coyote who sneaked into our coop, and then, under Henry’s attack, ran every which-way, bending wire panels and even knocking two screws out of a hinge, before finding his way out, leaving panic-stricken tracks and never returning––at least not yet, almost a year later.
About an hour after chasing Henry, Tommy began to show aggression toward Teddy. Nothing serious, but it potentially and likely would escalate.
After much discussion Merritt and I decided that we had no other choice but to have Tommy euthanized. Tommy was not a candidate for another home. Rehoming Tommy, knowing his size, strength, and unpredictably violent reactions, would have been completely irresponsible.
“You made the right decision”
Our decision was affirmed by dog trainer, behaviorist, and animal communicator Martha Norwalk, who is a friend from her radio program “Martha Norwalk’s Animal World.”
What Martha said was, “I do agree with the decision you have made. Great Danes can be wonderful dogs but there is an issue with extreme and irrational aggression in the breed. It relates to an underlying endocrine immune disorder/imbalance that has been missed by traditional medicine.
“Obviously, especially due to his size,” Martha said, “you made the right decision to help him go. The recent behavior you described is very typical of the imbalance I mentioned to you. When they are so large the risk can just be too great and you obviously know that.”
(Beth Clifton photo)
How fast we become attached
We believe that there was a reason Tommy briefly became part of our lives. How fast we become attached to our canine companions, and the depth of pain we experience when having to say goodbye!
Our vet came to our home the next day. Tommy was euthanized with Merritt and me by his side, but even after two hours of slow, gentle, gradual oral sedation, Tommy was still reactive enough to bite Merritt on the left wrist while receiving an injected final sedation, fortunately not breaking skin, and to lunge after the veterinarian before the needle even touched him.
Tommy’s last days of his eight-year life were happy ones. We enjoyed his presence in our home. Tommy was our dog and we loved him.
(Beth Clifton collage)
Tommy was buried in our yard, as have been many other loved animals who came before him. Behavioral euthanasia is a tough, but necessary pill to swallow.
Tommy in his short time with us made an indelible mark in our hearts and memories. Tommy was a good dog today, his last day, and that is how we want to remember him.
Please donate to help our work:
www.animals24-7.org/donate
Discover more from Animals 24-7
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I am so sorry, but you made the right decision. I hate the number of dogs and cats being euthanized that would make good pets. Maybe some day things will change. Unfortunately a dog with temperament issues that big can be quite dangerous.
Beautifully and honestly written. Thank you.
It would be considered wrong to compare a person’s spouse to a pet, but behavioural changes in a beloved pet can be as hard as having a loved one going through stages of Alzheimers. Sorry for your loss, but know you showed him a final act of kindness.
As you undoubtedly know, I am not a “dog person.” But your account of Tommy’s life as you knew it brought me to tears.
Some years ago, my aunt, who was very much a dog person, adopted a dog from an ad. The situation was very similar to Tommy’s and my aunt made the hard decision to return him to the person from whom she adopted him, as she was elderly and grieving the loss of her dog who had passed very recently.
We rarely, if ever, know the true history of those we adopt. I suspect that, in many cases, we would not want to know.
I am so very sorry for your loss, and I am also very glad that, even for a short time, Tommy knew love in your family and home.
Merritt and Beth, thank you for sharing Tommy’s story with such honesty and compassion. Behavioral euthanasia is one of the hardest realities in animal welfare, and your willingness to tell that story honors not only Tommy, but every dog whose suffering is too often misunderstood.
Tommy mattered. His life had value, his struggle was real, and your love for him shines through every word.
Thank you for giving him a voice and reminding us that compassion sometimes means carrying heartbreak with grace.
This was a tough decision, but the right one for a big dog. I picked up a Pomeranian from the vet for a dog rescue. The people getting rid of the dog posed it next to a baby when they made the surrender request. The vet tech told me, “Good luck with that one once the anesthesia wears off.” The dog was gorgeous. He also ran from me and snapped at me for three days. I had to use a broom to herd him into the house at night. After three days, I sat down on the floor in the garage and cried, realizing I would have to return him to the rescue. He climbed on my lap and curled up. He didn’t try to bite me again, although he was terrified of men. I took him to an adoption event and told the men who wanted to look at him that he would bite them. He tried. A woman really liked him. I warned her he was a biter. She told me that she didn’t like men either and was willing to try him out. He snapped at her when she took him home and then didn’t try again. Because he is so small, he isn’t a danger to grown women. I was sure I was going to foster this dog forever. It is dishonest not to pass on information about a dog’s bite history.
Very thankful that Tommy passed with a loving family all around him. I am convinced that we will see him, and all animals, again someday.
So sorry you went through getting attached and then having to make this very difficult decision. You made the right call. Tommy had a good 8 years, but it was a brave and good decision to let him go before he caused a serious injury to a person or another pet. Dogs can have genetic triggers to bite that can’t be managed or trained away, as you know. And Tommy had a relatively low threshold for biting. RIP, Tommy
This is a deeply poignant piece by Beth, a beautiful tribute to Tommy’s memory. Despite his tragic loss, Tommy’s final days were immeasurably enriched by your presence in his life. He left this Earth surrounded by love, a precious gift that many are denied.
Thanks to you both. Yes, been there and done that. Hardest decision I ever made
Thanks for writing the story. Again so sorry but certainly there was a reason why Tommy came to you. I am glad to see a photo of him, the hound energy is very strong, they too have issues with this type of aggression. Many refer to it when witnessed as a Jekyll Hyde type of thing. I am sorry I was not able to work with him when he was younger. Anyway, thank you for all you did for him and going through what you did to honor him and give him a great few last days. Blessing, Martha
Martha Norwalk
Animal World
Facebook: Martha Norwalk’s Animal World
Martha’s Canine, Feline and All Creature Counseling
http://www.marthanorwalk.com
360-217-7258 (landline, no texts please)
Thank you for sharing this story of your deep but somewhat challenged relationship with the lucky dog Tommy who, despite his inherent behavioral flaw, did manage to find two good homes..a gift not all dogs can enjoy.
If one has a special feeling and compassion for animals, including domestic dogs, this is or can be a colorful journey, as was yours with Tommy, but I agree with the other readers that you made the best decision for both of you. You are now both at peace.
I was so fortunate that both my mix breed mutts were pure angels, and saying goodbye was exceedingly painful, and, though this has been years now, they both live alive and well in my dreams.
I am so sorry for the pain that you had to go through, but Tommy was so blessed by the love you shared. I picked up a small puppy out of a Walmart parking lot and loved her for 5 years. She grew into a 125 lb. Bloodhound/Mastiff mix that we named Bella. She started killing things in the yard…moles, a nest of baby bunnies, and even caught a mouse and killed it! I hired a trainer and he said she had a very strong prey drive. When I brought a homeless cat into the house it apparent that she would eventually be able to kill the cat so I re-homed it right away! To make sure her energy was always expended I trained her to ride in a golf cart and then she would jump out once we got to the cemetery across the street and we would drive up and down the paths with her running at full speed. I would then take her for a long walk with a Chihuahua every day. I had to move to start a new job and on the morning of my first day at work I took both the dogs for a walk at a local park. She had never shown any aggression toward people or other dogs but on this morning she lunged and broke free from me as I fell to the ground. About 200 ft ahead of us was a little old man walking his Yorkie. She barreled at him with me chasing her and the Chihuahua trailing behind. I was yelling to everyone who could hear, “Don’t worry she’s friendly,” as this huge dog raced ahead of me. She caught up with a little old man who turned around to see what the commotion was all about and in a split second she picked up the Yorkie in her mouth, shook it several times, and placed it back down on the ground. I raced the man with his Yorkie to the veterinary hospital but I knew she had bled out by the time we got there. They confirmed that she had passed and there was nothing that could be done. I asked that veterinarian to put Bella down for the aggression and they refused. I called around to several local vets and no one would do the behavioral euthanasia. I thought to myself thank God the old man didn’t reach down for his Yorkie or Bella might have hurt him also! I knew of an old country vet that agreed that this type of aggression tends to escalate and we said our tearful goodbyes as she went peacefully across the rainbow bridge. Once again I’m so sorry for your loss and grief.
I totally understand about behavioural euthanasia but this particular dog lost his owner less than a week before the rehoming. Was he known to have behavioural issues at the dog park where the owner and dog were popular and well known? My guess is no? Did he not need more time to decompress after all these changes, the way a long-lost cat appearing “feral” needs time to drop their fear and become their former love-bug self? Forgive me for asking these questions as I am not a dog owner but have taken care of plenty of cats labelled “vicious, do not go near” who later became the most amazing and compliant cats ever.
“Dog park issues” were never the problem with Tommy; handling issues were. No one at the dog park –– and we most certainly did ask a lot of people who knew Tommy –– had ever had occasion to to handle Tommy as a veterinarian or groomer would. The length of Tommy’s nails, meanwhile, the infrequency of his veterinary visits, and that he had apparently never visited the same vet twice, moving from vets within blocks of his home to vets ten miles or more away, attested that these handling issues went back years before his previous owner’s terminal illness.
I see. That wasn’t clear from the article, which only mentioned that his previous vet, who Beth tracked down between the two vet visits with you guys, had encountered no issues with aggression and that Tommy hadn’t needed pre-sedation there.
All around, a sad situation that for safety reasons it’s not always possible for big, powerful dogs with PTSD to have a grace period. My most cuddly cats all started out blood-drawing vicious, and judging by their later transitions I always considered the original behaviour was at least partly due to loyalty to their previous humans before whatever happened for them to end up struggling on the streets in dire situations.
Beth and Merritt, my deepest condolences. It’s obvious you gave careful consideration before making your decision.
Tommy’s story could have had a worse ending had he gone to another family. Euthanising for behavioral issues is a tough call, but, ultimately, it can spare both the animal and its humans from tragedy.
I’m glad his last days were happy and that he experienced love from you.
Thank you for sharing this experience and for honoring Tommy.
Such a sad and typical aggression story, the dog who is fine in XYZ situations but a potentially life-changing danger in others. I think some people don’t understand that a dog can be fine in those XYZ situations but if he’s dangerous in even one scenario, he’s an aggressive and dangerous dog. Regardless of his positives, regardless of his loveable qualities, he’s dangerous if he’s willing to bite readily and/or wildly in normal situations like a vet exam or handling. Even small aggressive dogs are a misery to own, even when they’re not potentially deadly. They can be loved and loveable, and yet be too dangerous to live. My condolences.
Thank you Sara. Your comment summed up our and Tommy’s situation perfectly. As you pointed out there are some people who just plain do not understand the decision we made for Tommy or why we had to make it. Some people (mistakenly in my opinion and many experts) accept aggression from a pet within their families, which we see everyday in our work which result in maulings and dog attack fatalities. And we don’t pass on our problem animals to unsuspecting people. Our animals, all of them are our responsibility and we take that responsibility seriously in their daily care and just giving them the best life possible. In Tommy’s case his euthanasia was not only to protect people, but to protect Tommy from the repercussions of his aggressive behavior. It was bad enough that Tommy bit our veterinarian who went above and beyond to be non threatening to Tommy. I knew at that moment what needed to be done with no ifs, ands or buts!
You made the responsible decision. We can talk about behavior management with a 10lb dog, but never a 100lb dog. The risk is simply too great. With a dog like Tommy, your life can change in an instant. There are things we cannot fix, no matter how much we want to.
I’ve had to let several go due to behavior. It’s not pleasant. You can’t help but question yourself every single time, even though you know you did the right thing.
A rescuer’s job is to prevent suffering. That includes mental suffering. A dog who snaps like that is not a happy dog. There is a part of them that is always on edge.
I’m sorry it fell on y’all to deal with it, but I am thankful that you took the responsibility seriously. It’s wrong to pass the problem on to someone else.