OMG My Rmmate Abused My Shelter Rescue Yesterday!

[Rizzo's mom]

I have to get this off my chest! I can't believe what happened yesterday but I saw it with my OWN eyes! I rescued my first shelter rescue for ytnr on Feb 23 and he is a male yorkie that is unaltered. So you know that males can sometimes become aggressive but yesterday was a nightmare! There is a 10yr old male s**tzu here owned by a rmmate and she is pissed because Rocco (my rescue) has been aggressive a few times with her dog. The aggression has been inconsistant but I get Rocco by the nape of the neck so he is not hurt nor is the other dog hurt in breaking up this scuffle.
I have explained to my rmmate that altering will help immensly plus you don't know what this dog faced as a stray or in the shelter. I have been working with Rocco with crating him and other things to avoid this conflict. Actually Rocco is a love, sweet, gentle and my husband & I adore him. He is fine with the other dogs in the household.
Well the s**tzu owner & her daughter have been increasingly hostile to me over Rocco's issues. I have shown her how to deal with this without kicking Rocco out of the way or grabbing him anywhere except the nape of his neck.
Yesterday a scuffle broke out in the back yard and I was at the the kitchen window....What I saw was Rmmates daughter ( 23 yrs) grab Rocco by his hair on his back which in turn the dog snapped at her in self defense because she hurt him by pulling his hair and then she threw him at least 4 ft into a metal dog crate that I had on the deck where this happened. He yelped and was limping.
I flew outside in a new york min all over her about "throwing & abusing my dog" her unacceptable behavior and what went down was a scream fest on her part about how Rocco was a piece of s**t, vicious and bit her and on and on. I told her if she yanked my hair like that I would have bit her too! All the excuses well the dog did this and this....Abuse is never ok. that is like the husband who beats his wife but says he does it because she deserved it. I told her she was not welcome on the property ever again had a discussion with my rmmate about her & her daughter and said she could hit the road if she can't deal with this because I won't allow her to touch my dog EVER!
I have talked to her repeatdly on how to work with this situation in the proper manner so the dogs are diciplined but in a healthy manner. How would they feel if I threw their dog (not that I ever would EVER) but she would have had me arrested if I hurt her dog like that.
Rocco was ok but was he Shook Up. It is my job and responsibility as his foster mom to protect him, work with his character defects and keep him safe until he gets re-homed. If this dog is vicious I am the president of the US I think their attitude toward him is encouraging his dislike of them and their dog....
God help either one of them if they EVER touch Rocco again I will be on the 11:00 news in an orange jumpsuit for aggravated assault.
Any thoughts I would love to hear them........
Foster Mommy to Rocco

[angelakc]

omg..... that is sooo horrible. i think you handle yourself very well. i would have been in jail if anyone grabbed zsa zsa like that. i so hope everything works out for you.

[cynsir]

I think you handled that well. I would have flown out the door and knocked her down. You are the only one that can protect that little angel of yours and you need to do everything you can, including evicting your roommate, to protect your baby. You could also tell them that they have to get rid of your dog because this is Rocco's home now.

[manina]

Originally Posted by Rizzo's mom

I have to get this off my chest! I can't believe what happened yesterday but I saw it with my OWN eyes! I rescued my first shelter rescue for ytnr on Feb 23 and he is a male yorkie that is unaltered. So you know that males can sometimes become aggressive but yesterday was a nightmare! There is a 10yr old male s**tzu here owned by a rmmate and she is pissed because Rocco (my rescue) has been aggressive a few times with her dog. The aggression has been inconsistant but I get Rocco by the nape of the neck so he is not hurt nor is the other dog hurt in breaking up this scuffle.
I have explained to my rmmate that altering will help immensly plus you don't know what this dog faced as a stray or in the shelter. I have been working with Rocco with crating him and other things to avoid this conflict. Actually Rocco is a love, sweet, gentle and my husband & I adore him. He is fine with the other dogs in the household.
Well the s**tzu owner & her daughter have been increasingly hostile to me over Rocco's issues. I have shown her how to deal with this without kicking Rocco out of the way or grabbing him anywhere except the nape of his neck.
Yesterday a scuffle broke out in the back yard and I was at the the kitchen window....What I saw was Rmmates daughter ( 23 yrs) grab Rocco by his hair on his back which in turn the dog snapped at her in self defense because she hurt him by pulling his hair and then she threw him at least 4 ft into a metal dog crate that I had on the deck where this happened. He yelped and was limping.
I flew outside in a new york min all over her about "throwing & abusing my dog" her unacceptable behavior and what went down was a scream fest on her part about how Rocco was a piece of s**t, vicious and bit her and on and on. I told her if she yanked my hair like that I would have bit her too! All the excuses well the dog did this and this....Abuse is never ok. that is like the husband who beats his wife but says he does it because she deserved it. I told her she was not welcome on the property ever again had a discussion with my rmmate about her & her daughter and said she could hit the road if she can't deal with this because I won't allow her to touch my dog EVER!
I have talked to her repeatdly on how to work with this situation in the proper manner so the dogs are diciplined but in a healthy manner. How would they feel if I threw their dog (not that I ever would EVER) but she would have had me arrested if I hurt her dog like that.
Rocco was ok but was he Shook Up. It is my job and responsibility as his foster mom to protect him, work with his character defects and keep him safe until he gets re-homed. If this dog is vicious I am the president of the US I think their attitude toward him is encouraging his dislike of them and their dog....
God help either one of them if they EVER touch Rocco again I will be on the 11:00 news in an orange jumpsuit for aggravated assault.
Any thoughts I would love to hear them........
Foster Mommy to Rocco

Sounds bad , did u talked to yr roomate b4 u got Rocco ? When their's more than one person in a household everyone should b on the same page !!
I feel sorry for Rocco , he is now in the middle of a household that 1/2 don't want him there. Please try and rehome him asap
bark@ulater!!!!
manina,mileymax.

[amanda350]

I am not trying to be rude, and while I applaud your willingness to help this poor neglected baby, I have to say that as an animal lover, I do not feel that Rocco is safe in your home as long as this lady is living there. I cannot imagine my husband and I sharing a home with anyone other than our children but I realize some people need help. Is this your home that she is living in, or are you both renters on a lease? Is it possible for you to put this woman out? You cannot possibly watch Rocco 24/7 and that means that the opportunity for this lady or her daughter to purposely hurt him is there..Mean people retaliate in crazy ways. If I were the director of this rescue, I would immediately remove him from your home until there was evidence this lady was no longer living there.. I am sorry if this offends you, but I am only thinking of poor Rocco who has been through lord knows what in his life and now that he belongs to a rescue, he is supposed to be safe.. It seems to me that he is not..Please do what is best for Rocco which is either she goes, or he goes to a different foster home...

[amanda350]

Originally Posted by cynsir

I think you handled that well. I would have flown out the door and knocked her down. You are the only one that can protect that little angel of yours and you need to do everything you can, including evicting your roommate, to protect your baby. You could also tell them that they have to get rid of your dog because this is Rocco's home now.

I'm sorry, but I assume you mean for the woman to get rid of her Shih Tzu but I do not agree with this at all.. It is not either dogs fault and neither one of them should be punished. "Getting Rid" of a living creature like last weeks left overs is not the answer to her problem.. If this woman is living in their home or if they are on a lease together, there is an eviction process that has to take place. You cannot just tell her to go and that's it. It seems to me that the woman was just warned about her daughter and that no intentions of having the woman move out are there so with that being the case, I think that it is best for Rocco to be returned to the rescue so they may find him a safe foster home.

[Adi-and-Missy]

First off, thank you for taking in and fostering this little guy. And for helping him with his issues so he can find a great forever home. I think you did the right thing in kicking out the girl who throw him. She's lucky you didn't call the cops (or punch her in the nose!). But it might be best to find a new room mate. What if she brings her daughter in when you're not there? I am concerned not only about Rocco, but your other babies as well. I'm worried they'll retaliate as well.

[ellabee]

what a difficult situation - it makes me so, so upset to hear of a pup being thrown, or grabbed, or hurt. i agree with amanda, the situation sounds like it is a little beyond your control. if you cannot guarantee this pup's safety 24/7 then please consider allowing the resuce to find another foster home for him?

[PenniesMom]

no way you kewep that dog and kick that **tch to the curb all i have to say is YOU GO GIRL!!

[amanda350]

Originally Posted by PenniesMom

no way you kewep that dog and kick that **tch to the curb all i have to say is YOU GO GIRL!!

How do you know the OP is not living in this womans house and not her own. Or if they signed a lease together which would mean that she has no authority, only the landlord does. Once you establish residence somewhere which means receiving mail, then you cannot just be thrown out over night.Which means if the OP is the owner of the home and she is letting the woman rent a room, then she has to file paperwork to evict her.. There is a LEGAL process and I am afraid that it would take to long. The dog needs to be protected TODAY!

[kidmuzicdotcom]

OmG you did handle it well I don't think I would have had your strength to deal with it as well as you did...to the curb with them!!!

[Jennxling]

I give you for how you delt with it!!! Good luck!! I hope things get better!

[megooego]

Originally Posted by amanda350

I am not trying to be rude, and while I applaud your willingness to help this poor neglected baby, I have to say that as an animal lover, I do not feel that Rocco is safe in your home as long as this lady is living there. I cannot imagine my husband and I sharing a home with anyone other than our children but I realize some people need help. Is this your home that she is living in, or are you both renters on a lease? Is it possible for you to put this woman out? You cannot possibly watch Rocco 24/7 and that means that the opportunity for this lady or her daughter to purposely hurt him is there..Mean people retaliate in crazy ways. If I were the director of this rescue, I would immediately remove him from your home until there was evidence this lady was no longer living there.. I am sorry if this offends you, but I am only thinking of poor Rocco who has been through lord knows what in his life and now that he belongs to a rescue, he is supposed to be safe.. It seems to me that he is not..Please do what is best for Rocco which is either she goes, or he goes to a different foster home...

I completely agree.

[kandikalistar]

I've read this post over and over... Being as I'm new here I didn't want to say anything to piss anyone off. However, I couldn't have said this any better myself. thanks Amanda!

Originally Posted by amanda350

I am not trying to be rude, and while I applaud your willingness to help this poor neglected baby, I have to say that as an animal lover, I do not feel that Rocco is safe in your home as long as this lady is living there. I cannot imagine my husband and I sharing a home with anyone other than our children but I realize some people need help. Is this your home that she is living in, or are you both renters on a lease? Is it possible for you to put this woman out? You cannot possibly watch Rocco 24/7 and that means that the opportunity for this lady or her daughter to purposely hurt him is there..Mean people retaliate in crazy ways. If I were the director of this rescue, I would immediately remove him from your home until there was evidence this lady was no longer living there.. I am sorry if this offends you, but I am only thinking of poor Rocco who has been through lord knows what in his life and now that he belongs to a rescue, he is supposed to be safe.. It seems to me that he is not..Please do what is best for Rocco which is either she goes, or he goes to a different foster home...

[red98vett]

I would hit the roof if I saw anyone throwing ANY dog and don't blame you for going off on her (I would too) but it sounds like you have a problem....this isn't what you want to hear - but you can't be there 24/7 so it just may be that he needs to be in a home without other males...

Neither of the dogs are at fault and while your roomie is trying to protect her dog ....calling him (Rocco) a piece of %#$ is immature but.... actually throwing him is abuse and a sign of what's to come he could really get hurt even if he IS the aggressor.....She was wrong for throwing him. He could have been killed .. I'm glad he's ok

now you have to make sure he's never alone with her....

I take it you don't really know his history ? Were you aware he has issues with other dogs when you got him ? IF not - then I'd be trying to either find a new foster for him or if your roomie moves out - maybe the issue will be resolved ...but I doubt neutering with alter this kind of behavior....it may tone it down but then again - maybe not.

Either way - all the best and I hope you can find a solution before this escalates even further.....he sounds like a little sweetheart but the agression problem has to be dealt with right away for his own good and for the sake of the other dogs in the home....