January 18, 2010

Uncertain Future

After some very careful thought--we have come to the sad decision that Lily may not be adoptable. Perhaps she was borne with brain damage or perhaps she was allowed to behave badly at her first home (escalating her bad behavior)--but unless we find a single person to adopt her--we may have to put her to sleep.

Lily has some resource guarding issues with humans and while she bonds very hard with one family member--she tends to growl at any one else who comes near that person. She can also be unpredictable with some dogs but does better with dominant ones who can help her behave better.

If you think you can offer Lily a safe forever home--please consider filling out an adoption app. With strict obedience work--she may thrive in a working home.

Note: While staying with us and all the pictures and videos you see here, she really is a sweet dog, BUT did and does have this human guarding issue. We, IBR, thought that maybe it was her choosing my husband as her best buddy and me coming by him while she laid in his lap that caused her to growl, but she was moved to another foster home that doesn't allow furniture or lap sitting, and in just the few days she has been there, she is showing the same thing. Protecting the male in the house. And with her getting along with my 4 Female dogs and having a Male foster dog here, she didn't seem to mind any of them, just the opposite. She is not liking their Male dog and has shown aggression towards him, only in the house. When she first arrived at my home, she didn't attack other dogs in the house, but did growl at them. Outside, she did fine with them and even wanted to play. It took a couple weeks for her to accept them in the house and then become best friends with them all and played indoors. It is our hope that she can work through these issues and become a sweet companion for someone. Putting a dog down is not something that we take lightly.