 Rascal
You absolutely did the right thing. I find it hard to believe that a shelter would adopt out a dog knowing it was a biter and not knowing or at least having a good idea of why he bites. Don't blame yourself, you did all you could. There are some cases where no matter what you try, it just doesn't work to stop the behavior. I can tell you that biting isn't always caused by abuse....... sometimes the owners don't stop the biting behavior as a puppy because then it seems cute and only playful. They let the dog become the boss. The dog becomes the dominant one in the relationship. The dog continues to become more and more dominant with time, the owners, who've let the dog take control, become afraid of the dog, then get tired of being bitten and turn it over to a shelter.
Please don't give up on rescues......... you can find wonderful, well adjusted dogs in many of them. Most will be honest and tell you everything that is apparent about the dogs' personality. Most will not take biters and certainly will not adopt them out because of the liability. Sadly, through no fault of their own, some can't be adopted. I can give you many examples of biters who were taken in by kind people, with the best of intentions only to end up causing tragedy for those who took them. Personally, and sadly, I will not take biters. It's too much of a safety risk for my own dogs and my family. It's an issue that constantly comes up in rescue.
Get another Yorkie, no matter where - find one!!! They are wonderful little companions... |