“I Dropped My MIL’s Dog Off As A Stray At A Shelter, And I Don’t Feel Bad”
Interview With Expert
Most people love dogs. They can bring a lot of happiness to our lives and are often invaluable companions that will loyalty stay by your side no matter what.
Unfortunately, not everyone realizes that having a pet like that is not only a joy but also a responsibility. A great example is a story that one woman recently shared on Reddit. Her MIL always loved having dogs, but not as much as vacationing. While her old dog was well-behaved, her new puppy, whom she had once again left with the woman’s family, turned out to be evil incarnate and had to be left at a stray shelter because of biting kids and tripping the husband down the stairs. Scroll down to read how it all went down!
More info: Reddit
Some people don’t seem to get that owning a dog comes not only with joy but also with responsibilities
Image credits: LRM Exterior (not the actual photo)
A woman and her family were left to take care of her MIL’s husky puppy while she was off vacationing, as she did all the time
Image credits: Kateryna Babaieva (not the actual photo)
The puppy turned out to be very aggressive, biting the woman’s children and tripping her husband down the stairs
Image credits: u/PopInternational917
The woman lost it and took the pup to the animal shelter and explained the situation, while her husband called his mom and told her the dog ran away
The OP’s MIL loves vacations and goes on them around six times a week for no less than two weeks each. She would always leave her old dog with her DIL’s family, who eventually remained to live with them full time, and they couldn’t be happier about it.
But now the woman decided to get a new husky puppy. Unfortunately, this pup was nowhere near as well-behaved as her old dog. But, of course, the problem was not her’s to deal with.
As usual, the woman went on one of her vacations and dropped him off at the OP’s house, where the puppy decided to raise hell. In the first 4 days of his stay, he bit, chewed, and stole everything he could. But that wasn’t the worst of it because he also snarled at one of the author’s children, ripped off the other kid’s diaper while she was eating, and bit the third one in the face to the point of bleeding.
To top it all off, the husky tripped the OP’s husband down the stairs, leading to a dislocated shoulder and a concussion, at which point, the poster had enough. She drove the puppy to the animal shelter and dropped him off there, informing the workers of the pup’s behavior, while the husband called his mom to tell her that the dog had run away.
The woman expressed relief after doing what she did, even though she expected to feel bad, to which the commenters showed her support and said that she did the right thing. Most people in the comments were bashing the MIL for being so neglectful of her dog and shedding the responsibility, while others also shared their own engaging stories about huskies.
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA (not the actual photo)
Aggression in dogs is not unheard of and is not something that should be ignored. Since this is an important subject, Bored Panda reached out to Julie Bond, an animal behaviorist who has counseled many pet owners dealing with similar issues.
The expert began by explaining that dogs are not really malicious as that would imply that they actually intend to do damage or harm, and that’s hardly ever the case. But on the other hand, aggression can be a serious problem that can cause a lot of frustration to the owners and people around them.
The aggressive behavior in dogs often peaks when they reach maturity and around 12-18 months of age, but it is not limited to that time period. “The earlier it occurs, the more difficult to treat, and the more likely to have a genetic component,” said the animal behaviorist, adding that some dog breeds are also predisposed to certain types of aggressive behavior.
Resolving these issues is not easy. However, there’s more to it than meets the eye. “Aggressive dogs are anxious dogs, and aggression is a true behavior problem, meaning it has nothing to do with a lack of training or obedience. There are actually fourteen different types of aggression recognized in dogs; there may be overlap between the different types, and any one dog may experience more than one type.”
According to Julie, no single type of aggression predisposes a dog to develop other forms, meaning that aggression toward other dogs does not indicate a higher risk of being aggressive with humans. But the combination of the two is also not impossible. “Aggression directed toward people is the hardest to work with, particularly when children are involved, as they are at great risk for a bite.”
Image credits: Picas Joe (not the actual photo)
The animal behaviorist explained that had the owner just dumped the dog at the shelter without informing workers of his behavior, it would’ve been a highly irresponsible move that could also put other people at risk. “At this point, at least in California, the owners would have scienter, the legal knowledge that they own an aggressive dog, which means liability can become a factor as well if they aren’t really careful about the situations they put the dog into.”
The expert summarized that while aggression is not a curable problem, it can be managed using various strategies that make it safer and more predictable. “Some dogs have obvious triggers that can be better controlled, while others, unfortunately, do not. Huskies are notorious for being pushy, assertive, high-activity, and boundary testers,” said Julie, adding that all issues are worth treating and working on, especially since we’re talking about a puppy, but it’s essential to make sure that no one gets hurt in the meantime.
In the end, life poses many challenges, and, as this story testifies, being a pet owner comes with a set of its own. Fortunately, there are always ways to overcome these problems, but if you decide you’re not up for it, it’s wise to seek professional help, and it is crucial to be responsible about it, just like the OP was despite her MIL acting the opposite.
Have you ever had any similar experiences with aggressive dogs? How did you deal with these situations? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
The commenters supported the poster’s decision and were shocked by how irresponsible her MIL was
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A story about an aggressive husky. Yet one ahole has to make a snide remark about her pitbull. Go f*** yourself.
Puppy propably has a better chance with a less flighty owner who puts effort in training. As a husky puppy they have good chances at most shelters. Since MIL already left the older dog without batting an eye I actually think this is a better even if not perfect solution.
This. Honestly, a husky puppy isn't going to be in a shelter more than a few days, tops. MIL had no attachment to the dog. Everyone wins here.
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Well I get they no longer wanted him around, especially with the kids. But what is it about all the passive aggressive solutions? They should have told the MIL after the first time they would not be watching the dog anymore or at the very least this time that they had to put him in the shelter for safety reasons. This lying is just plain sneaky.
“ She doesn't ask. We have a crate on our front porch and she literally just put him in there and sent a text when she was in the airport.” I mean, like you I’d be all in favour of a more upfront resolution, but sometimes you just need to do what’s best and let those who are self-entitled and uncaring deal with it.
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I think it's weird they lied to the shelter. It just makes them look like they adopted a husky and couldn't handle it. It would have been better to say who's it was, how it came to be in your care, and that this person has a history of animal abandonment, and that you can't afford to house another one of her novelty purchases. Name names. Also, take the damn kennel off the front step because she clearly sees it as her unplanned baby drop off site.
As I read it they only lied to ML not to the shelter.
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Giving the dog to a shelter is the best outcome here. MIL wasn't prepared to stick around and give it a consistant home, or deal with the behavioural problems. At least this way there's a chance he'll get an adopter or fosterer able to train him and manage his behaviour before he bites someone badly enough that he gets put down as dangerous. There's a big difference between taking a pet to a shelter just because you don't want it, and surrendering one because the pet will be better off in a different home because you can't meet its needs.
dogs like huskies are not for everyone. in fact pets in general arent for everyone, my husband grew up with huskies and they take serious dedication, time, energy and training. we both want one but we also know our home situation would not benefit one at all. we both refuse to give any pet less than our full devotion and time. OP did the right thing putting their family first
I adore dogs, but my partner and I agree we don't want one because we wouldn't give it the amount of care and proper attention it needs and deserves. Dogs aren't meant to be just furniture that gets excited when you come home. I'm better off as a dog auntie than a dog mom.
Load More Replies...
In this circumstance, I would tell the MIL I would not be looking after any of her pets, and if she dumped an animal at my house I would take it straight to the nearest boarding kennels. She would then have to go there to get the dog back, and pay for board and lodging.
MIL will buy another dog. Will OP bring the next one to a shelter as well? She really should have been honest to MIL.
I am dog-sitting a huge Husky. He is the best dog. His "parents" are terribly neglectful and currently homeless. I told them I'd be happy to keep housing him until they found a home, but they gave me some excuse that their child is attached to him. She is not. They neglect him, in a month this family has been in our house, they interacted with the dog for maybe 10 minutes combined. This Husky is nothing like the dogs in this post. He is truly the best boy, obedient, funny, playful. When I first told this family to shack in our spare room, they wanted to hide him from me and keep him in the car. I told them that no animal was going to be living in a car while at my house. They are leaving today for good (they did no job or house search for the first 3 weeks with a series of lame excuses) and insist on taking their dog with them, even though they likely will be living in their car at least some of the time. I am devastated and feel like I letting the dog down.
Huskies are high maintenance dogs that don't make particularly good pets. They're working dogs that require ALOT of effort to train. Require lots of physical exercise and mental simulation. They do best on raw diets and should be regularly groomed to prevent matting and compaction of their undercoat; which, can affect their ability to thermoregulate. As an artic bred they don't do well in hot, especially humid, climates. They are a gorgeous breed but looks aren't everything.
Best outcome all around. The lady does not deserve a dog (of any breed), and the dog needs a firm, loving owner. We adopted a 7 month old husky pup (Thunder Jack the Wonder Husky), and he was a handful at the start. Plenty of love, plenty of play and a lot of exercise - the almost 15 years we had him were a true delight, and he got along famously with the resuce cats (as many as 14) we took in as abandoned ferals. Huskies are very intelligent, but like cats, may decide to free lance rather than do what you want. The OP's situation would not allow the training period to safely acclimate the pup to the household. I hope the pup finds a forever home with loving attentive people.
My family had a husky when I was a kid. My mom said she was a good dog but also, my mom had the training and ability to take care of her properly. People forget that working breeds are bred for certain traits, it's why you'll sometimes see cattle dogs who have never even seen a farm do some herding maneuvers in the dog park. We bred Huskies to have minds of their own. Why? Because if you're about to order them to pull you off a cliff or into dangerous terrain, you want them to not take that order. You want them to evade if you're being chased. Then people get these dogs and get mad that they have minds of their own.
The MIl sounds like someone who gets pets for the 'looks' and not for the love. She should just rent a dog when she feels the need! The OP did the correct thing for the dog and for her family.
I've never known anyone with a husky but they do seem wilfull, I say that as someone who's alsatian are all their toys (and I still loved him, still do now and he's been gone nearly 30 years).
six vacation per year, at least two weeks each, getting a expensive pet at a whim, i smell entitled richi bitchi karen who doenst have a job
I wouldn't have given it to a shelter. I'd have put it in a kennel and billed the MIL for the kennel fees. She could pick it up when she gets back from her trip.
Huskys require a boat load of exercise and training. They can be great but that work drive does not stop.
To call a husky puppy evil because they don't have the time and energy to properly care for him shows just who truly is evil incarnate in this situation and it's not the poor dog. The mil, the son and the dil are all aholes and shouldn't have any pets. Huskies are very intelligent but they have a lot of energy and require an owner who has alot of time for them to go on runs, exercise and play with them. I hope this puppy goes to a loving home that will take good care of him and knows how to meet his needs.
Not sure about her, but if the dog bit my child in the face, MIL would come back to a dead dog. Mama bear would come out and dog would no longer be in my house for another second.
The dog has attacked more than 2 people? Sorry, but it needs to be put down. It's the owner's fault, but the damage has been done and given the sheer number of animals in need of a home, it's best the time and energy go to one that hasn't done these things. Odds are that's what's going to happen anyway, unfortunately. But if she ever uses your outside crate like that again (seriously, get rid of that), immediately take it to the nearby shelter as an abandoned animal. Tell them everything, get her name on the do not adopt to list.
Did you bother reading the full story before jumping to conclusions and rushing to the bottom of the page to leave your comment?
Load More Replies... A story about an aggressive husky. Yet one ahole has to make a snide remark about her pitbull. Go f*** yourself.
Puppy propably has a better chance with a less flighty owner who puts effort in training. As a husky puppy they have good chances at most shelters. Since MIL already left the older dog without batting an eye I actually think this is a better even if not perfect solution.
This. Honestly, a husky puppy isn't going to be in a shelter more than a few days, tops. MIL had no attachment to the dog. Everyone wins here.
Load More Replies... Well I get they no longer wanted him around, especially with the kids. But what is it about all the passive aggressive solutions? They should have told the MIL after the first time they would not be watching the dog anymore or at the very least this time that they had to put him in the shelter for safety reasons. This lying is just plain sneaky.
“ She doesn't ask. We have a crate on our front porch and she literally just put him in there and sent a text when she was in the airport.” I mean, like you I’d be all in favour of a more upfront resolution, but sometimes you just need to do what’s best and let those who are self-entitled and uncaring deal with it.
Load More Replies... I think it's weird they lied to the shelter. It just makes them look like they adopted a husky and couldn't handle it. It would have been better to say who's it was, how it came to be in your care, and that this person has a history of animal abandonment, and that you can't afford to house another one of her novelty purchases. Name names. Also, take the damn kennel off the front step because she clearly sees it as her unplanned baby drop off site.
As I read it they only lied to ML not to the shelter.
Load More Replies... Giving the dog to a shelter is the best outcome here. MIL wasn't prepared to stick around and give it a consistant home, or deal with the behavioural problems. At least this way there's a chance he'll get an adopter or fosterer able to train him and manage his behaviour before he bites someone badly enough that he gets put down as dangerous. There's a big difference between taking a pet to a shelter just because you don't want it, and surrendering one because the pet will be better off in a different home because you can't meet its needs.
dogs like huskies are not for everyone. in fact pets in general arent for everyone, my husband grew up with huskies and they take serious dedication, time, energy and training. we both want one but we also know our home situation would not benefit one at all. we both refuse to give any pet less than our full devotion and time. OP did the right thing putting their family first
I adore dogs, but my partner and I agree we don't want one because we wouldn't give it the amount of care and proper attention it needs and deserves. Dogs aren't meant to be just furniture that gets excited when you come home. I'm better off as a dog auntie than a dog mom.
Load More Replies... In this circumstance, I would tell the MIL I would not be looking after any of her pets, and if she dumped an animal at my house I would take it straight to the nearest boarding kennels. She would then have to go there to get the dog back, and pay for board and lodging.
MIL will buy another dog. Will OP bring the next one to a shelter as well? She really should have been honest to MIL.
I am dog-sitting a huge Husky. He is the best dog. His "parents" are terribly neglectful and currently homeless. I told them I'd be happy to keep housing him until they found a home, but they gave me some excuse that their child is attached to him. She is not. They neglect him, in a month this family has been in our house, they interacted with the dog for maybe 10 minutes combined. This Husky is nothing like the dogs in this post. He is truly the best boy, obedient, funny, playful. When I first told this family to shack in our spare room, they wanted to hide him from me and keep him in the car. I told them that no animal was going to be living in a car while at my house. They are leaving today for good (they did no job or house search for the first 3 weeks with a series of lame excuses) and insist on taking their dog with them, even though they likely will be living in their car at least some of the time. I am devastated and feel like I letting the dog down.
Huskies are high maintenance dogs that don't make particularly good pets. They're working dogs that require ALOT of effort to train. Require lots of physical exercise and mental simulation. They do best on raw diets and should be regularly groomed to prevent matting and compaction of their undercoat; which, can affect their ability to thermoregulate. As an artic bred they don't do well in hot, especially humid, climates. They are a gorgeous breed but looks aren't everything.
Best outcome all around. The lady does not deserve a dog (of any breed), and the dog needs a firm, loving owner. We adopted a 7 month old husky pup (Thunder Jack the Wonder Husky), and he was a handful at the start. Plenty of love, plenty of play and a lot of exercise - the almost 15 years we had him were a true delight, and he got along famously with the resuce cats (as many as 14) we took in as abandoned ferals. Huskies are very intelligent, but like cats, may decide to free lance rather than do what you want. The OP's situation would not allow the training period to safely acclimate the pup to the household. I hope the pup finds a forever home with loving attentive people.
My family had a husky when I was a kid. My mom said she was a good dog but also, my mom had the training and ability to take care of her properly. People forget that working breeds are bred for certain traits, it's why you'll sometimes see cattle dogs who have never even seen a farm do some herding maneuvers in the dog park. We bred Huskies to have minds of their own. Why? Because if you're about to order them to pull you off a cliff or into dangerous terrain, you want them to not take that order. You want them to evade if you're being chased. Then people get these dogs and get mad that they have minds of their own.
The MIl sounds like someone who gets pets for the 'looks' and not for the love. She should just rent a dog when she feels the need! The OP did the correct thing for the dog and for her family.
I've never known anyone with a husky but they do seem wilfull, I say that as someone who's alsatian are all their toys (and I still loved him, still do now and he's been gone nearly 30 years).
six vacation per year, at least two weeks each, getting a expensive pet at a whim, i smell entitled richi bitchi karen who doenst have a job
I wouldn't have given it to a shelter. I'd have put it in a kennel and billed the MIL for the kennel fees. She could pick it up when she gets back from her trip.
Huskys require a boat load of exercise and training. They can be great but that work drive does not stop.
To call a husky puppy evil because they don't have the time and energy to properly care for him shows just who truly is evil incarnate in this situation and it's not the poor dog. The mil, the son and the dil are all aholes and shouldn't have any pets. Huskies are very intelligent but they have a lot of energy and require an owner who has alot of time for them to go on runs, exercise and play with them. I hope this puppy goes to a loving home that will take good care of him and knows how to meet his needs.
Not sure about her, but if the dog bit my child in the face, MIL would come back to a dead dog. Mama bear would come out and dog would no longer be in my house for another second.
The dog has attacked more than 2 people? Sorry, but it needs to be put down. It's the owner's fault, but the damage has been done and given the sheer number of animals in need of a home, it's best the time and energy go to one that hasn't done these things. Odds are that's what's going to happen anyway, unfortunately. But if she ever uses your outside crate like that again (seriously, get rid of that), immediately take it to the nearby shelter as an abandoned animal. Tell them everything, get her name on the do not adopt to list.
Did you bother reading the full story before jumping to conclusions and rushing to the bottom of the page to leave your comment?
Load More Replies...
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