As you already know from the last time we spoke, Roxy and Jessie were having some difficulties. Even after our visit from Sarah (Paw Power) things were not looking good. Something had changed in Jessie and we were racking our brains for solutions to our problems. Sarah had even enlisted the help of another dog therapist in Victoria to help heal our little family.
Tuesday 24th May started like any other day - at least since the fighting had started. We got each dog up and harnessed then went for our morning walk. I as always was tense as we walked, but loved seeing the smile on both the girls faces. We got home and feed the girls in their separate areas making sure to lock/close gates and doors. JR went to work then I started getting ready. Just as I was leaving I saw Jessie in with Roxy. They were fine - no fighting - but Jessie was trying to get through the fence and into next door (Jessie had taken to breaking the bottom of fence palings to get into things - another cause of stress for JR & I). I called out to Jessie and that's when it happened - she attacked Roxy again.
I somehow managed to get them separated and locked Jessie in the bathroom so I could deal with Roxy's injuries. She was having trouble walking and was bleeding from the mouth again. Poor Roxy didn't want a bar of me so running on adrenaline I found my phone and rang school (no way I was coming in covered in dust, blood and scratches) then rang JR. I managed to 'catch' Roxy while JR hurried home and we got her to the vet quickly.
Luckily there wasn't as much damage done this time. One puncture wound had reopened under Roxy's chin and she was having trouble walking due to a puncture wound under her front leg. Luckily all that was needed for Roxy was a course of antibiotics this time.
The vet looked after Roxy for the day so we could deal with Jessie. We knew we had no real choice anymore. If we could not guarantee the safety of either dog even when we were home one would have to go. We couldn't keep Jessie in the yard and as much as she was aggressive towards Roxy, she would cry and try to escape when Roxy wasn't around. We also knew that we couldn't trust Moo around children, so even as our hearts broke we made the decision to re-home Jessie. I spent 3 hours on the phone trying to find somewhere for Jessie to go. She couldn't go to a carer with other dogs because of the aggression which made it hard. Most shelters and animal rescue organisations are stretched to the limit at the best of times and Jessie was placed on a waiting list to go in for assessment one day - no one could tell me an approximate time frame.
We didn't have weeks where we could wait. No one I spoke to was overly positive about the chances of Jessie finding a new home. JR & I had the hardest conversation ever and decided if the most likely outcome was Jessie being put to sleep, we as her parents would make the decision, not some stranger. I was not putting my baby girl through more anxiety and pain. I spoke to Sarah then a lady in charge of assessing aggressive dogs at an animal shelter. In the end they both advised that due to Jessie's change in behaviour there was little chance she would pass the assessment to be re-homed, so we made the phone call to the vet. An appointment was made for later that afternoon. JR & I spent the hardest three hours with Jessie, holding her, patting her and crying so hard we made ourselves sick.
As we drove into town Jessie had her head out the window enjoying the breeze on her face, loving every moment. For her last car journey she was happy and didn't vomit - thank God for small mercies.
We were counselled again by the staff at the vets, but we had made the hard decision. Jessie was loving and affectionate right up until she took her last breath. We had some time to grieve with her before we took our other girl home. Jessie was cremated and returned to us a week later. We are so thankful that this service exists; it made the process a little easier to handle.
Roxy thankfully hasn't shown signs of loneliness or taken on any destructive behaviour. She seems to know she has to put up with more cuddles and pats now.
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Time is a great healer. While we miss Jessie so much we are grateful for all the wonderful times we had with her. We couldn't go on the way we were and I realise now how much the stress was affecting all of us.
Justine xox
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