Bessie

One of the most difficult decisions I've had to make came this week. Fighting it for months, we decided to put our dog Bessie down. This will be dog number two lost this year.

We first adopted Bessie (then named Sassy) from the Humane Society. I'll never forget seeing her face behind the cage. She was a very calm, not jumping around, dream come true Border Collie mix.

We decided to get to know her better. I had been researching for MONTHS trying to find a good breed of dog for our family. We wanted an energetic dog, ready for camping trips and family fun. Bessie met ALL the requirements plus she was sweet and gentle.

We brought her home. We found out she was infested with ticks and had been living in a cage outside. The the vet said she had bad signs of cage chewing on her teeth. She must have been living in an awful circumstance. But she was so sweet and we enjoyed having her around. She never went to the bathroom in the house, not once. She never chewed furniture or barked annoyingly. The kids could jump all over her and she would just lay still.

Quickly, though, our dream come true shifted. Bessie developed an unusual obsession with me. Jumping and biting my hands and acting wild every time I entered the door. Not with anyone else, just me. I thought she needed more exercise.

At this point, Bessie was already jogging along side my bike for miles and miles. She would go 6 miles, no problem. So we trained her how to use the treadmill. For over an hour, she would run miles and miles. I was worried she would wear out the treadmill. We gave her chew toys and took her to the dog park regularly. She had doggie play dates every week and even chased our laser light at the park. We even had her run along side our car...we clocked her at 29 miles per hour once.

A couple months ago, after a long run, Bessie got off the treadmill and started playing with our neighbor boy who was over our house. I told her to back off, commanding her to "get back". I recognized her excited behavior and didn't want her to jump on the little boy.

She lunged in with excitement and bit his leg...harder than a border collie "nip". She bit hard.

She didn't break skin, but I was SHOCKED and furious. I grabbed her, she rolled on her back instantly - in submission. Luckily, the boy was fine.

I analyzed the situation over and over. What am I doing wrong? I met with the vet, talked with vet techs, dog trainers and dog owners. I did extensive online research and tried to use different methods to help her.

Every professional I spoke with said I was a great owner and some dogs have compulsive neurological issues. If she didn't improve in 6 weeks, I needed to put her down.

I started an intensive program for her. I didn't want to let her get away with any exwew2cited behavior. Her behavior seemed to improve so we kept her through the summer. Then, as we went to New Mexico this weekend, she bit again...this time a friend of the family. Then she bit Greg.

It was heartbreaking. All the hard work, and we were back to square one. I felt defeated and I felt bad for all who were bit.

After talking with Adam, we decided for every one's safety, it was too risky to keep trying to rehabilitate her. The efforts and the costs have truly been exhausted. I've read so much about the behaviors of dogs and she is definately a "red zone" dog. With the therapy and intense training she's alreay been given, we only can assume this case would be difficult for even the highest trained dog rehabilitator.

It's hard to not feel like a failure. I love Bessie and always will. I never wanted to let her down. But deep in my heart, as painful as it is, there's a voice saying "It's time to let go." I hope the healing will come soon and I hope to reunite with a healthy Bessie someday.