Rehoming and saving Freya the rottweiler.

[Enrique]

I’m a dog trainer and one of my customers asked me to try to rehome their Rottweiler. Her name is Freya and she was extremely people and dog reactive (February)

 

I managed to bring her to a level where she spent her days in our doggy day-care without any aggressivity anymore. https://www.facebook.com/supersmartdogs/videos/732809581819424

This video was taken a month ago. Now she is really chilled with other dogs in the daycare.

As requested by law, I do keep a muzzle for precaution and on her as she was declared dangerous dog by the Gold Coast city council.

She responds quite well to a “down“ command on the leash and tolerate peoples and dogs around her during "on leash" walks.

Like most Rotty, she is extremely affectionate once she knows and trusts you.

She is 2 years and 3-month-old.

Last week, the daughter’s owner went to pat Freya while she was eating. Freya turned on her and nipped her arm. Superficial, warning wounds, but enough to scare the owners.

 

Now the owners fear that their kids (9,7,4) are at risk when Freya is eating and asked me to rehome her or to euthanise her.

 

They gave me 2 weeks to try to find a new owner. If I do not find a new owner, they asked me to organize the vet and disposal of the body. 

It would break my heart to have to put her down as she became a completely different dog than what she was. Each time I enter in the daycare, she comes and snuggles against me. I do get really attached to the dogs I trained and specially when I see how I managed to change them. 

 

My contacts are [email protected]

0422 267 168

Regards.

 

Enrique Vanderhoeven

Edited April 3, 2023 by Enrique

[Mairead]

Are you even allowed to rehome a declared dangerous dog?

Do the present owners fully understand the possible consequences and are still willing to take the risk of rehoming? 

If not, are you willing to transfer the dog into your name first then take the risk of rehoming?

Edited April 4, 2023 by Mairead

[_PL_]

Poor Freya but there's sooo many Rotties in pounds at the the moment.  In NSW Declared Dangerous are illegal to rehome, what happens in Qld? Incredible that they have asked you to organise her euthanasia!  

No offence but I can't see your qualifications on your website. It would give people confidence in your rehab of Freya if you published them.  

[tdierikx]

@Enrique... as someone who has owned several Rottweilers over the years, I can tell you that the behaviour shown in that video is far from "chilled", and the only thing stopping a full scale attack is the fact she is wearing a muzzle. The other dog indicates that there is an issue, and you are not recognising it's obvious nervousness at the situation.

 

By your own admission, this dog has a "dangerous" declaration by council, which means that any prospective new owner would be subject to some pretty strong restrictions to keep themselves and others safe from her unpredictable nature. You admit that she recently "nipped" a child who went near her while she was eating, which indicates some level of food possession aggression as well as the other behavioural issues with other dogs and people she doesn't know.

 

I have no doubt that once she gets to know people, she is the biggest cuddle tart, but on HER terms only... this is NOT indicative of a stable dog, and is an accident waiting to happen if you rehome her.

 

Unfortunately, I think that unless you are willing to take her on yourself, then the kindest course of action may be to give her her wings with dignity and love. Better that she meets her end in that arms of someone who cares about her, than as a result of a destruction order later down the track when some new owner drops their guard and she does something unforgivable.

 

T.

[Kazm]

20 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

what happens in Qld? I

The dog that attacked Molly was declared a dangerous dog.  The council told me that to own a dog that was declared dangerous there were rules to adhere by, ie must have a visible sign put up, muzzled at all times when out in public, locked securely in its yard, registration is very high and if you move to another council the same rules would apply. I am not sure about reforming though. 
Personally I think this poor Rottweiler needs to be given its wings. It’s a young dog and sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

[_PL_]

1 hour ago, Kazm said:

Personally I think this poor Rottweiler needs to be given its wings. It’s a young dog and sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

 

Not saying this lightly but I completely agree. She's a time bomb.  

[Mairead]

Far too many stories like this. Not the dog's fault, we humans are supposedly the superior intelligence in these situations. Does her breeder know?

[grumpette]

Having been involved with Rottweilers for over 20 years, and owned 6 of them of varying temperaments, Freya is not "chilled", and the only reason that Penny is not being attacked is the fact that she is timid, very uncomfortable and diffusing the situation. If Freya was with a more confident, assertive dog, or a dog that was able to run away, there would be a massive reaction from her.

 

Regarding the Dangerous Dog declaration, in Victoria declared dogs can't be rehomed, given away or sold. It's illegal. If they move from one council area to another,  the declaration follows them. I also understand that this is now a national law.

 

Under the dangerous dog laws it's also the legal responsibility of the registered owners to euthanase Freya, not yours as they need to notify the council. No vet will treat the dog on your say so, as you are not the registered owner.

 

Freya is a huge liability, but she is not your responsibility. The owners need to step up and do what's best for Freya in a humane way. They owe her that much.

[JulesP]

Rehoming a dog that has been declared dangerous is not acceptable. Putting a declared dangerous dog into the daycare like that is also not acceptable and extremely unfair on the other dogs. Penny was telling you quite clearly that she was not happy with the situation. I would be furious if that was my dog. 

 

However it is not your responsibility to put this dog to sleep. The owners need to do that rather than just washing their hands of it. 

[_PL_]

@Enrique May I ask, why was she declared dangerous in the first place? 

[JulesP]

I'm also going to add that depending on what state you are in it may actually be illegal to rehome a dog that has been declared dangerous. The dog should also be on a leash whilst outside of its enclosure. You are opening yourself up to all sorts of legal issues having that dog loose with other dogs in your facility. 

[Deeds]

I wonder if the dog was declared dangerous in NSW and that's why it is now in QLD.  

[Dogsfevr]

 A declared dangerous dog in a doggy daycare facility your insurance wouldnt even cover that dog & do the other owners know .
This whole post screams so many wrongs especially the fact shes not even wearing the correct collar for her status by law ,not onleash ,dare say not even the correct housing & no sign stating the status of an animal on the fence 
The Am Staffs body language screams get me out of here & all your worried about is a doing a video to prove what .
Your a brave person putting your business details on here breaking so many required laws ,the industry is known for toomany cowboys & this post just ticks all the boxes of why sourcing a good/honest & up to date with laws trainer can be hard.

Like it or not this dog has been declared dangerous you have a legal requirement to do all things honestly by the law .

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by Dogsfevr

[Amazetl]

What a sad situation. As much as it hurts when there is a dog who has some really lovely moments - when they are mostly stressed it’s probably best to bring them peace. I would assume all avenues have first been taken such as medication and training. 

 

I don’t like the idea of rehoming a dog that has bitten even superficially but in an aggressive warning way. That is passing the problem to someone else who may not be experienced or may be naive. 

 

For this reason I’m reluctant to adopt a rescue, not knowing it’s complete history or the way it acts/reacts in all situations like I can know with my own pup I’ve raised. (This is not to say there are some wonderful rescue dogs out there - just personal preference). 

 

Sorry that this is happening. Her owners don’t seem to have a lot of care and just want to wash their hands of her. Either bad breeding/brain disorder or their raising or lack of has caused her to be this way. Very sad. 

 

Does she have a breeder to get in contact with? Or was she a backyard bred dog? A couple of my dogs are seniors but still have a relationship with their breeders and they would want to know if one of their lines was having aggression issues and would advise on best way of going forward. 

 

I don’t think it’s fair on other dogs to have to make her feel at ease. I don’t think it’s fair on her either. Some dogs just don’t dog and some don’t dog and also don’t people.

 

I will never use doggy day cares or dog parks. Let alone not knowing what the other dogs are like, they always seem to wear collars and I have read too many stories of dogs being strangled to death by their collar caught on another dog at day care. I wouldn’t risk it. My dog is my responsibility. Sure good for them to have a good dog friend or two where they know each other well and can play to burn energy but not that traditional set up that seems so popular. I’ve seen the worst and won’t risk it. 

[tdierikx]

@Enrique... I'd just like to remind you that rehoming Freya across the border is ill-advised, OK? She will still be subject to the "dangerous" declaration and will have strict rules around how she is kept, etc...

 

On that note, technically you may be breaking the law by having Freya loose in your "daycare" with other dogs. She should be wearing a specific collar that designates her status, and she should not only be muzzled, but leashed at all times she isn't on her owner's property.

 

I know that you have invested time and effort into working with Freya, and have become attached to her emotionally... but still, those of us who have had Rotties all our lives are seeing some very disturbing warning signs from the video you originally posted here. Most of us Rotti owners/lovers try to see the good in all Rotties, but Freya is definitely an accident waiting to happen, and we do not suggest euthanasia lightly.

 

Unfortunately you may need to learn that not all dogs' issues can be "fixed", and you may also need to put on your big boy pants and admit that not all dogs can be "saved" either. Simply rehoming Freya just shifts responsibility for her issues onto someone else, and that is not fair to her or any prospective new owner. How will you feel if you rehome her and she does something that causes her to be placed under a destruction order... and she dies frightened and confused in some pound back room with no-one she knows present?

 

If you truly care about what happens to Freya, I think you might need to step up and at least be her comfort while she gets her wings... give her that dignity at least.

 

T.

[persephone]

On 05/04/2023 at 6:46 AM, tdierikx said:

the behaviour shown in that video is far from "chilled", and the only thing stopping a full scale attack is the fact she is wearing a muzzle. The other dog indicates that there is an issue, and you are not recognising it's obvious nervousness at the situation.

Yes! That is a scary video

[_PL_]

Video is gone.  

[Loving my Oldies]

1 hour ago, Powerlegs said:

Video is gone.  

Yes, I looked for it last night.   

[Dogsfevr]

7 hours ago, Loving my Oldies said:

Yes, I looked for it last night.   

The poster has deleted alot on Facebook not the sharpest tool in the shed ,there  where comments on the post on FB about how could you put a declared dangerous dog in with another dog.
(1) Pets Wonderland | Gold Coast QLD | Facebook
Is the doggy daycare that accepted a declared Dangerous dog 

[Loving my Oldies]

On 05/04/2023 at 10:35 AM, Powerlegs said:

@Enrique May I ask, why was she declared dangerous in the first place? 

There seems (or seemed now that a lot has been deleted or changed) conflicting information.  Apparently Freya bit the child about two weeks ago, but in another place he said he had had her for about a month.  So maybe he had worked his magic (yeah right), sent her back home and family found it was all smoke and mirrors.