# Biting, serious behavior problems



## harmony

This was a really hard post for me to write. Please keep that in mind as you read.

I think Kepler must have been abused sometime in his past.  Or something else horrible. He is such a sweet, obedient dog most of the time at home, but when he sees strangers he becomes this crazy dog that will not listen, he's a totally different dog. He becomes so frightened that he lashes out. He has bitten three people in the two months we've had him. That shocks me. We are careful pet owners, we haven't put him in situations where you would expect that to happen. We walk him with a caution harness, we keep him on a tight leash, we don't have people over to the house if we can help it, and when we do we keep him confined.

The first bite was my mom, and that one could have been avoided if we had known about his stranger anxiety. She was the first stranger he met after coming to our house, and he lashed out at her in a way we did not in any way expect. Okay, we thought, we can work on that, it won't happen again.

But it did. He escaped one time and bit my sister-in-law. And another time he was trying to escape from my grip to get to a stranger and got me.

There are other problems that we've discovered: separation anxiety (vomiting, pooping and peeing, trying to escape from the crate or the room he's in), and he's also started trying to run away from home when either my husband or I has left the house - that is, he tries to follow us. He's gotten out of the fenced yard once (6-foot privacy fence, newly installed, we're not sure how he managed it), and he has bolted through the front door on several occasions when the kids opened it to go out to play.

If we had known he had this stranger aggression, we would not have brought him into our house, because we have three young children, and a dog with aggression issues would be a better fit for another family. But the lady we "rescued" him from (that's how she framed it, she said she was a dog trainer and rescued dogs from the shelter and rehomed them... but I have my doubts now) did not disclose any of his issues to us. We asked about behavior problems, we were trying to be responsible. And when we discovered the problems, we started trying to work on it rather than give up on the poor dog.

But at some point we have to realize that as much as we love this sweet, adorable, overly anxious dog, our family is a really, really bad fit for him. There's no way we would have adopted him if we had known about these issues. Our children like to have friends over to the house. That is impossible with Kepler, but that's hard for a six-year-old to understand. We also used to have relatives over at our house, and we used to host church events here. We cannot do that with a dog who cannot be confined easily and who will act aggressively towards our guests. With three children, we are a very busy family. That means that while we do devote time every day to dog training, we just don't have the time it is going to take to help him overcome this stranger anxiety. Short of sending him to one of those boarding dog training boot camp things, I cannot see how we can make this work long-term.

This is really painful for me to write. I feel like a failure, like I'm giving up on him. Does that make me a really horrible pet owner? It certainly feels like it.   But I want what is best not just for our family, but also for him. And I feel like we are not the right home for him. Does that make sense? Kind of like we were the foster home who took him from the shelter and dewormed him, neutered him, groomed him, and loved him and now it's time to find the forever home that's right for him.

We're not going to dump him at a shelter. We're not going to foist him on some unexpecting family like the "rescue" lady we got him from. If we cannot make this work, we're going to rehome him in the most responsible way we can. And we're going to take good care of him and love him and rearrange our normal family life for his sake until that happens.

But it doesn't make me feel any better about it.


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## Hsusa

You're not a horrible pet owner. This is a really sad situation and I feel for you. Poor Kepler.


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## krandall

I feel really bad for you. I feel bad for Kepler too, but I think you are right, that yours may not be the best home for him. It sounds like he needs WAY more work than you can put into him right now, and a biting dog, even a small one, is a huge liability around small children. 

A "training boot camp" would be a really BAD idea right now… this isn't just a training issue… Kepler has some deep-seated emotional and behavioral issues that need serious help.

I strongly urge you to reach out to Havanese Rescue. They have foster homes with people who are very experienced with dogs that come with some "baggage. They might have someone who would be a good fit to rehabilitate and assess him and get him into just the right "forever" home.

Don't feel like a failure. Adopting an adult dog is always a bit of a gamble, and Poor Kepler just has more issues than you can deal with.


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## harmony

I just submitted an assistance request to Havanese Rescue. I figured that was probably the way to go, even though we aren't certain he's havanese. I'm very confident there is someone out there who is a good fit for him. He is a complete joy to have around most of the time. His training - at home, when it was just our family around - was going so well. He's a sweet dog, eager to please, and very cuddly. If we could live our lives with him staying inside our home without ever seeing a stranger, we wouldn't even consider this.


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## Naturelover

So sorry to hear it! It sounded like things were going along well with Kepler but it does seem like it's not workable for the long-term. What a rotten situation for all involved. I'm so glad you've given it such a good try though and will help Kepler adjust to somewhere new.

Our first family dog, when I was a teenager, was acquired in a somewhat similar manner. My mom got him from a newspaper ad, a woman was giving him away from her family. We just didn't know much back then, and at the time he seemed ok. He was a black toy poodle, Charlie. While he bonded very strongly with my mom, and to some extent me and my brother, it turned out that he had serious issues with men and that made it really hard for him to tolerate my dad at all. It turned into a pretty heart-breaking situation, and back then none of us knew about some of the modern, positive training techniques we now talk about on this forum. I wish we did, but it may not have been enough when you're dealing with these kind of major deep-seated issues.

I saw a post make the rounds on social media recently, about a dog named Coconut.

http://themetapicture.com/this-dogs-aggression-was-thought/

I completely respect your decision around Kepler, but just to show you what some rescues do to turn dogs around! So with the right set-up Kepler may well have a chance to learn some new behaviour. Just gotta find that perfect home now that you have the information to be able to be perfectly honest about what his issues are.


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## My2Havs

Just a thought but has he had his thyroid checked? You might do that before you give him up because hypothyroidism can lead to unexplained aggression and mood swings in some dogs. Here's an article from Whole Dog Journal that I think explains it pretty well and, of course, you can talk to your vet about it too.
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/8_6/features/15723-1.html
Monica, Dooley & Roxie


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## 31818

Kepler Momi, where do you and Kepler live? 

I think you are being a responsible pet owner by realizing that you have to do the right thing for your family and for mi amigo Kepler. Work with us here, and the nice peoples will get help for both of you.

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## harmony

Y'all are making me feel so much better about this. Thank you, thank you.

I definitely believe he will be fine in the right home. I don't for a second believe he deserves to be put down for this. He needs someone who can deal with his issues, and probably a home without children and with dogs - dogs seem to have a calming effect on him.

We have had a full blood panel done on him, and I *think* it included thyroid. I will check on that.

Ricky, we live in Georgia.


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## davetgabby

This definitely does not sound good. He needs to be assessed by an experienced professional. If you are going to give him to HRI , they would need to do this and go from there. Sometimes this does not end well for the dog. If you go this route, I would be willing to try and find a behaviorist for HRI should they want my help. He definitely cannot be rehomed without significant behavior modification. Email me privately if you are interested in this approach.


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## SJ1998

There are definitely people who can take on these kinds of dogs. You are making the right decision to contact HRI. The rescue organizations have a lot of people who will try to work with the dog. My friend works with pug rescue and took on aggressive biting pug. It took a lot of work with a professional but they were able to help him. He is not perfect, but living the best life he can live with them, so it can have a happy ending. They still keep him away from children however.


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## MarinaGirl

Harmony - I'm so sorry you're going through this but as others have said, you're making the right decision to give up Kepler. The safety of your children, family, and friends must come first.

Thank you for sharing your story, which highlights the reality of rescuing a dog (or getting a dog/puppy without knowledge of its previous owners or conditions at a breeder's home). 

All the best,
Jeanne


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## harmony

Talked to the lady from HRI. They can't take him because of the liability issues.  She suggests we try local rescue organizations and no-kill shelters as a last option.

But she did say that we have done all we could, and that surrendering him is the right thing to do now. She says the fault is entirely with the lady who we got him from, who acted very irresponsibly by not disclosing his behavior issues to us. That makes me feel better. I never, ever saw myself as someone who would surrender a dog to a shelter, even a no-kill shelter. But if it's our only option....


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## davetgabby

HRI is exactly right. Good luck with your search. HUGS


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## Hsusa

So sad for all of you. But you are doing the right thing.


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## harmony

MarinaGirl said:


> Thank you for sharing your story, which highlights the reality of rescuing a dog (or getting a dog/puppy without knowledge of its previous owners or conditions at a breeder's home).


As Pam, the HRI lady, said, this is not a problem with rescue, it is a problem with _irresponsible_ rescue. We thought we were doing a good thing taking a dog from this lady who said she rescued dogs from shelters. But this rescue lady never disclosed any of these issues, and now that we're having problems with Kepler she is not returning our calls, emails, texts, etc. If she really cared about the dogs she was "rescuing", she would not disappear when there was a problem with the dog and the family. She would try to place the dog in the right home, not just with the first person who called. She would try to keep the dog out of a shelter by taking him back if there was a problem. Pam said that's what HRI would do - if the dog is a bad fit for a family, they will take him back, no questions asked.

It's not rescuing a dog to send a dog with known issues into a home without telling them about it. All that does is pass the problem onto someone else. It makes _us_ have to be the bad guys who have to make very difficult decisions about the dog's future. The more I think about this the angrier I get.  We tried to be responsible. We asked questions about his background, about his behavior, about whether he would be a good fit for our home. We asked if he was good with children, we asked if he was good with dogs. We asked about his training. We would not have brought him home if she had been responsible as well. And then maybe the poor dog wouldn't have been in this situation.

But we have learned our lesson. We already knew we needed to deal with reputable breeders when buying a puppy. Now we know that it's _just_ as important to deal with a reputable rescue organization when getting an older dog.


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## Hsusa

I don't know how true it is but I've heard that some rescues are actually fronts for puppy mills. In addition to getting a "donation" for "placing" the puppies, their organization is entitled to favorable tax treatment as a 501 c 3 organizations. And they accept donations!


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## harmony

That's horrible! Oh, I hope that wasn't the case with Kepler. I would hate to think we supported something like that.


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## Hsusa

I really hesitated to post that because I didn't want to be an alarmist. Or to discourage rescue. But what you said about finding reputable rescue organizations really hit home with me.


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## harmony

No, don't worry about it. It's better to know these things for the future. I'm not going to feel guilty for doing something bad out of ignorance, so long as I do differently once I learn. But I still hope that's not what happened.


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## GoldenBailey

All of my dogs have been adopted from city shelters and have been great dogs, so I definitely agree that rescuing itself is not the problem. 

You might consider the humane society, which I believe are all no-kill shelters. When I was looking to adopt last year, I looked at the Humane Society nearby and went to see one of their dogs. They were great about disclosing her fear issues around children (which we don't have) and let me know that their trainers had been working with the dog for several months. I met her and saw that her fear issues were quite severe; and since we live 1/2 block from an elementary school, I passed on the dog. But I was really impressed with how much work they put into rehabilitating that dog, and the other dogs they had, and how honest they were about disclosure. And the dog had a happy ending too -she ended up being adopted by one of the trainers who fell in love with her! 

Even my local city shelter employs a dog behaviorist to work with their dogs. I adopted a young boxer there and they were great in helping me address her high energy needs and her skittishness around large dogs. You might even contact them (your local city shelter) and see if their staff can do an assessment of your dog and see if he would be adoptable with proper training from them. Kepler seems like such a cutie, and there might be a good fit for him out there. My sister-in-law adopted a dog similar to Kepler and it worked out quite well for them, they adore her, even though the rest of us know to stay clear of the dog.  They are a quiet retired couple and it just worked.

Best of luck to you both!


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## krandall

GoldenBailey said:


> All of my dogs have been adopted from city shelters and have been great dogs, so I definitely agree that rescuing itself is not the problem.
> 
> You might consider the humane society, which I believe are all no-kill shelters. When I was looking to adopt last year, I looked at the Humane Society nearby and went to see one of their dogs. They were great about disclosing her fear issues around children (which we don't have) and let me know that their trainers had been working with the dog for several months. I met her and saw that her fear issues were quite severe; and since we live 1/2 block from an elementary school, I passed on the dog. But I was really impressed with how much work they put into rehabilitating that dog, and the other dogs they had, and how honest they were about disclosure. And the dog had a happy ending too -she ended up being adopted by one of the trainers who fell in love with her!
> 
> Even my local city shelter employs a dog behaviorist to work with their dogs. I adopted a young boxer there and they were great in helping me address her high energy needs and her skittishness around large dogs. You might even contact them (your local city shelter) and see if their staff can do an assessment of your dog and see if he would be adoptable with proper training from them. Kepler seems like such a cutie, and there might be a good fit for him out there. My sister-in-law adopted a dog similar to Kepler and it worked out quite well for them, they adore her, even though the rest of us know to stay clear of the dog.  They are a quiet retired couple and it just worked.
> 
> Best of luck to you both!


Just make sure it's a LOCAL "Humane Society". HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) is a TERRIBLE organization that actually kills a HUGE proportion of the dogs and cats they rescue. They are an extremist animal rights group and have recently lost their right to call themselves a non-profit because of their mis-use of funds.

Bad, bad people.


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## harmony

GoldenBailey said:


> You might even contact them (your local city shelter) and see if their staff can do an assessment of your dog and see if he would be adoptable with proper training from them.


That's a very good idea. I will call and see if they can do that. We have put out feelers with dog people to see if anyone who has experience with dog issues/dog training would be willing to take him for us. But this is another good option.


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## harmony

We found a lady who says she will take Kepler!  She owns two other dogs. One is a certified therapy dog and the other is a rescue who had stranger fear, too. She was already planning on getting a third dog from the shelter when she heard about Kepler. It is not final yet (hopefully by Saturday), so I don't want to get _too_ excited, but it looks very good. That is such a huge relief to me.

It was so refreshing all the questions she was asking me about his history, his vet care, his temperament, etc. And then of course I have been asking her tons of questions about her living situation, her job, her other dogs, her experience training dogs. It looks like her home will be the ideal situation for him, and that she has the experience needed to hopefully help him manage his anxiety.


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## sandypaws

harmony said:


> We found a lady who says she will take Kepler!  She owns two other dogs. One is a certified therapy dog and the other is a rescue who had stranger fear, too. She was already planning on getting a third dog from the shelter when she heard about Kepler. It is not final yet (hopefully by Saturday), so I don't want to get _too_ excited, but it looks very good. That is such a huge relief to me.
> 
> It was so refreshing all the questions she was asking me about his history, his vet care, his temperament, etc. And then of course I have been asking her tons of questions about her living situation, her job, her other dogs, her experience training dogs. It looks like her home will be the ideal situation for him, and that she has the experience needed to hopefully help him manage his anxiety.


That is good news. My fingers are crossed that everything will fall into place and Kepler will well cared for, as I know that is your ultimate goal for him.


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## Molly120213

I am so happy that you may have found a home for Kepler! It will be such a load off your mind if this works out and a new start for this cute little guy.


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## Heather's

Glad to hear you have found a good home for Kelper. I know it must be difficult for you, but it is the right decision.


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## Hsusa

Good for you and good for little Kepler. I am so happy to hear that this is working out.


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## lakesideliving

This entire thread has been absolutely heartbreaking but I am so glad that it's working out for all of you. Best wishes to little Kepler and hugs for your entire family - I can only imagine how rough it will be to bid him adieu.


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## harmony

I talked to another lady from HRI today, a local contact. These are just fantastic people. Everyone from HRI has been so helpful and caring, both about me and my family and about Kepler. I'm so glad I joined this forum. I would not have known about HRI if I hadn't joined the forum, and they have really been lifesavers through this whole process of finding a new home for Kepler. I cannot say enough good things about them.

She said she obviously can't take him through HRI, but if all else fails she can try to rehome him on her own, unofficially. She also said based on all the facts (we talked for a _long_ time), he probably was a puppy mill dog and was likely abused. She thinks - and I agree - that he would probably do best in a home of a homebody who has lots of experience with training dogs. And she said she would send me a list of questions to ask the lady we're meeting on Saturday to help us make sure she's a good fit.

As it gets closer to when we might have to say goodbye to Kepler, I get more and more sad. It's the best for him, but it's going to be hard on us all. I've made him special homemade dinners all week. And I'm definitely going to have a good cry when it's all over.


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## sandypaws

harmony said:


> I talked to another lady from HRI today, a local contact. These are just fantastic people. Everyone from HRI has been so helpful and caring, both about me and my family and about Kepler. I'm so glad I joined this forum. I would not have known about HRI if I hadn't joined the forum, and they have really been lifesavers through this whole process of finding a new home for Kepler. I cannot say enough good things about them.
> 
> She said she obviously can't take him through HRI, but if all else fails she can try to rehome him on her own, unofficially. She also said based on all the facts (we talked for a _long_ time), he probably was a puppy mill dog and was likely abused. She thinks - and I agree - that he would probably do best in a home of a homebody who has lots of experience with training dogs. And she said she would send me a list of questions to ask the lady we're meeting on Saturday to help us make sure she's a good fit.
> 
> As it gets closer to when we might have to say goodbye to Kepler, I get more and more sad. It's the best for him, but it's going to be hard on us all. I've made him special homemade dinners all week. And I'm definitely going to have a good cry when it's all over.


Your post brought tears to my eyes. I feel so sad for you, your family and Kepler, as well. Of course it's the right thing for you to do but ,none the less, difficult. I hope the woman you're meeting with will be a good fit for him and, if not, that the HRI contact will be able to help you out. You will get through this, although it may take a bit of time. Chin up. You are in my thoughts.


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## harmony

harmony said:


> We found a lady who says she will take Kepler!  She owns two other dogs. One is a certified therapy dog and the other is a rescue who had stranger fear, too. She was already planning on getting a third dog from the shelter when she heard about Kepler. It is not final yet (hopefully by Saturday), so I don't want to get _too_ excited, but it looks very good.


It fell through.  He's beyond her level of expertise. She really wants to help him, but he's just too much for her. We're on our last rescue option right now, and my contact there says that one of the foster homes will have to volunteer to take him, which is unlikely with his history. But there is still a possibility. After that, I have to start turning to people who said they really shouldn't take him, but if I was their _last_ option they would. I really hope I don't have to do that.


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## Heather's

So sorry to hear that option fell through for you Hoping the foster home will work out for Kelper.


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## Hsusa

You and Kepler are in my thoughts and prayers.


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## Molly120213

Sorry things fell through. I will keep positive thoughts and prayers that you find a solution and someone will take Kepler.


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## sandypaws

So sorry that things didn't work out for you and Kepler. I hope something works for him soon. I feel so bad for him because none of this is his fault, just the way he was treated as a pup. You are both in my thoughts.


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## Ari214

This is so sad. I'm sorry you're in this position. Rescuing a dog can be such a joyful experience, it sucks that it can be marred by something like this. I totally understand that you can't keep him and I feel for you. I would be equally devastated if Kipper ended up having big issues like this one. Just remember your heart was and is in the right place. If anybody should feel bad is that woman you rescued him from. Though I doubt that she has much of a conscience by the sound of all this.


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## harmony

Ari214 said:


> This is so sad. I'm sorry you're in this position. Rescuing a dog can be such a joyful experience, it sucks that it can be marred by something like this. I totally understand that you can't keep him and I feel for you. I would be equally devastated if Kipper ended up having big issues like this one. Just remember your heart was and is in the right place. If anybody should feel bad is that woman you rescued him from. Though I doubt that she has much of a conscience by the sound of all this.


My husband has sent her several "You should be ashamed of yourself" kind of emails ever since we realized she was ignoring our calls/emails. Irresponsible dog people - owners, breeders, "rescuers" - do absolutely no one any favors, especially not the dog. 

But on the bright side, my please-save-this-dog facebook post seems to have found Kepler a foster home! This lady owns a pet grooming salon, has five dogs of her own (so a pack to help calm Kepler down), and gave me the name of the trainer she had spoken to about helping him work through his behavior problems. She can't keep him forever, but she is better able to train him and keep him from being a danger to others than I am right now. A friend of mine knows her personally and has vouched for her. And she says she will absolutely, 100% take him, that she's not going to meet him and change her mind (as others have done).

Such. A. Huge. Relief.


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## Ari214

Awww, that's great news!!! It's nice to know there are some wonderful people out there to counter the crappy ones!  I hope it all works out for everyone.


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## sandypaws

Great news for you and Kepler.


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## Heather's

Wonderful news! I bet he is going to be very happy with other doggies to play with


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## Hsusa

that's super!


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## harmony

Y'all, it gets even better. I'm about to cry. Do you remember the lady who really wanted to take him but felt like his issues were beyond what she could handle? She still really wants to take him after he has had some training. So he's going into foster care with a home lined up already. Both the foster lady and the forever lady want me to get them in touch with each other so they can work together through this process. It is just amazing to me how everything came together at last. We will take him to the foster home sometime between Thursday and Saturday, depending on her schedule.


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## Molly120213

What a relief for you and how wonderful for Kepler!


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## sandypaws

:whoo: :whoo:


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## GoldenBailey

That is so fantastic!!!
Thank you for working so hard to find Kepler a new home. :kiss:

You have given him a chance to find a good life. You are a true... :angel:


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## krandall

You've done a fantastic job working out a good solution for Kepler! You should be very proud of yourself!


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## Heather's

Wonderful!!! Kelper is such a lucky guy to have found his way to you. It couldn't have worked out better


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## Zoe093014

So glad it all is working out.


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## harmony

Well, it's all done. Kepler was dropped off at his new home this morning. *sniff* It's a good home, and he will get the help he needs. But that doesn't make it easy.

Thank you all for your support through this. Now that we don't have a havanese around the house anymore, I don't know how often I'll be on here. I'll probably still check in every now and then to keep up with all of you and your dogs, but I doubt I'll be posting much for a while. But who knows, maybe we'll wind up with another havanese sometime soon. The plan has always been to get a second dog when Luna was middle-aged, and that's about now. So we'll probably start inquiring around with breeders (probably both havanese and bichon frise breeders) to get on wait lists. Now that we've had this experience with a rescue dog, I think we're going to go the puppy route for the next dog.


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## Deacon Blues

Sorry you had such a bizarre and unusual Hav experience. I had never heard of a Hav with that bite history. Hopefully the lesson won't be lost on others as they look for a Havanese of their own. I think you did the right thing for everyone involved, particularly your children. Best of luck. You'll always be welcome here.


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## harmony

Deacon Blues said:


> Sorry you had such a bizarre and unusual Hav experience. I had never heard of a Hav with that bite history.


When we told my mom and MIL that we were considering getting another Havanese, the response from both of them was, "No! Get another breed!" We had to explain to them that it's not the breed that is the trouble, it was him, that he was either abused or a puppy mill dog, or both. I think they're both kind of skeptical still. It's a shame that was our experience. Hopefully the next time will be much better.


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## krandall

I'm sorry the whole thing happened, both to you and to Kepler. This certainly wasn't a typical problem… even for a rescue Havanese. There are LOTS of rescues that need a lot of "remedial potty training", and a number who are also shy or dog reactive. You just don't hear about many biters, though. I think you just got exceedingly UNlucky!!!

Good luck with your search, and don't be a stranger!


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## civano

I am so glad things worked out for Kepler. You really made sure you found him the right place to go and you did your best for him.


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## Hsusa

By all means, keep checking in. You did such a great job finding a new home for Kepler. It's a really tough situation to have to give up a dog, even when you know it has to happen. It is obvious that you love Kepler, and will miss him. I'm glad you are considering a puppy.


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## Heather's

You did everything possible to find Kelper a good home and the help he needed. I'm so glad you were able to find the perfect situation for him. I hope this experience does not discourage you from possibly another Havanese in the future. Hope you continue to be part of the group


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## rebel926

I have been following this post and it is just so sad for all of you. I can only imagine how hard it was to give Kepler up. You did the best thing for everyone and I hope he will find peace in his new home. Please always feel welcome here.


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## harmony

I've gotten a few updates from the foster. He loves her and her kids (they're older). She's bringing him to work with her every day so he's not left alone at all. She owns a grooming salon, so he's surrounded by other dogs all day long. He loves her work, he loves her co-workers, he loves the other animals there, and generally the work thing is going great.

But then I got another update this morning: "Day 3 - yesterday - I saw Kepler's terrified, evil side. Wow! Looking forward to the behaviorist next Tues!!!! Everyone is fine. He loves my 2 coworkers, me and my kids. He DOES NOT like my husband. He bit him last night 3 times (in a row) and me once by mistake."

I feel awful for her and especially her husband and for Kepler that this is so stressful for them. I know how stressful it is to live with him, it takes a toll on you. I really hope the behaviorist is able to work some magic with him quickly, for everyone's sake.

But I have to admit, there is a part of me that is relieved she is having trouble with him. We have felt so much shame in having to give him up, there's such a stigma of bad dog owner that comes with that, you know? And I've heard this lady called a dog whisperer by some of her friends. If she's feeling this way, then our family wasn't just incompetent at dealing with dogs. We weren't blowing things out of proportion. We did the right thing in giving him up, because he really does need professional help and a more experienced dog owner than us.


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## davetgabby

sorry but this lady does not know what she is doing. This dog needs treatment, not exposure to numerous people at this stage. Already someone has been bit. The dog needs management until this can take place. Biting her is not a "mistake" it's redirected aggression.


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## harmony

Yeah, I think honestly she didn't believe us about the extent of his issues. No one really did at first, to be honest. I'm not sure why, maybe because he is _so_ cute and calm and sweet most of the time. And maybe we do project the image of the incompetent dog owners who are making a big deal out of nothing? We were caught off-guard with him at first, when he bit my mom. But we were told he was a sweet dog with no behavior problems, so I don't consider that our fault. It happened on day 3 with us, too. He had been nothing but sweet up till that point, so maybe that's what happened with her, too. Maybe everything had been going great up to that point and she relaxed her guard?

Being around other dogs really does calm him down, and he has considerable separation anxiety, so bringing him to work with her does make sense I think, so long as she is keeping him confined with the other dogs (which she is, from the pictures I've seen).

Hopefully she's learned her lesson about this and will take proper precautions from here on out. She's involved with animal rescue, and she has dealt with dogs with similar (but perhaps less serious) fear aggression issues before, so hopefully this was just a lapse of judgment that she will not repeat.

(And I agree about the redirected aggression. I thought that was a funny way for her to word it.)


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## davetgabby

this is a serious situation. She does not know how to address this issue. It's an accident waiting to happen. her approach is TOTALLY WRONG


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## HavGracie

I had been following these posts several months ago, and I was wondering if you had gotten any updates on Kepler from his foster home? It was such a sad situation for you and your family.


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## harmony

Thank you for asking.

Kepler has been seeing a behaviorist for the last couple of months. They've learned a lot from that, and apparently he's doing really well. He never ended up liking the groomer's husband, but absolutely loved her co-workers (who are married) and their dogs, so he has been staying with them instead of with the lady I initially gave him to. We are actually going to go visit him next week. My oldest still cries occasionally about it, so I hope this will give her some more closure. I also hope it will be good for Kepler.

The biggest thing we learned from all of this is the value of having a well-trained and well-socialized dog. It's not just to make things go smoothly in your home. A poorly trained and socialized dog is a societal problem. So because of that, we've been focusing more on Luna's training with a long-term goal of getting her CGC.(ETA: Not that Luna was poorly trained before this. She was pretty reliable with what we'd taught her. This is just our way of committing to making dog training a priority.) I don't know how realistic that is, mostly because of the last requirement, leaving with a stranger. She's a velcro dog, and while she _loves_ all people, she does feel anxious when my husband and I are not around. But if we can get her to a point where she would pass except that one requirement, I am happy. That's something to be proud of. If I could give the exam at my house with treats and clicker, she would be there now.  Actually, I think she's pretty close outside the home with treats/clicker. It's phasing those out that's the problem right now.

We have also been talking with breeders about getting a puppy, which will hopefully happen soon. There are a few good breeders around here (looking at bichons and havanese) and it surprised me that just about all of them had very short waiting lists or puppies available right now. Quality breeders, too. I've had some good talks with a few, so that's exciting.


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## Heather's

I have thought about Kelper... So good to hear he is doing well. It's nice that you and your family can visit him.


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