Nearly two years ago, my wife and I adopted a 57-pound, 8-year-old female bull terrier from the SPCA. She was pure white with black patches over both eyes. And she was all muscle.
Some might remember bull terriers as the Target dog, the Budweiser dog or Gen. George S. Patton’s dog. You don’t see the breed too often.
Our bull terrier, whom we named Snoopy, had been used for breeding and was probably abandoned when she was no longer able to produce puppies. She came to us with issues, as is the case with many rescued animals.
On her first day with us Snoopy jumped in the clothes dryer and then hyperventilated — perhaps from anxiety — on our couch. She’d go in the shower, lingering in the dark if we let her. She could seemingly never drink enough water. And nothing mattered to her more than food. In the car she always buried her head in the seat, rarely interested in what was outside.
I mentioned all this and more to our vet on her first visit and said, “I’d love to know her history.” The vet replied, “I don’t think you would. I can only guess, but it sounds like she was not fed or given water regularly, and probably lived in a tiny kennel. That’s most likely why she made a beeline to your dryer. It’s a small, safe place. You know, they are a very difficult breed to manage.”
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Yes, I knew. I’d done my reading on bull terriers before we got her. Some dog trainers believe bull terriers should be on a leash in public, particularly if they have not been socialized as puppies with other dogs.
After eight months with us, Snoopy had calmed down. I could walk her in town with no issues, including when eating at an outdoor restaurant, where she stayed right under my seat, while another dog lay a few feet away.
Then, one day on a walk in the woods, we rounded a corner and came upon a woman sitting with her large dog. Snoopy went nuts and tried to attack it. I managed to pull her away but from that day on, if she spotted a big dog not to her liking, Snoopy would growl and lunge.
I talked to our vet again, who told me, “Sometimes after they settle in, their true nature comes out. Or something triggers them.”
A few months later I left Snoopy in our fenced-in backyard. Normally, I leave her out there for five minutes, letting her back in when she barks. This time I didn’t realize I had left the gate open a hair. Snoopy left the yard, saw a young woman walking her pit bull on a leash and attacked.
I heard a high-pitched scream and looked out to see the two dogs going at it. Even though I’m an old geezer I ran out, put my arms around Snoopy’s chest and my legs around her back legs. The woman was also on the ground, tugging at her dog for all she was worth. But the dogs would not let go. I ended up getting bitten by Snoopy. My clothes were shredded and splattered with blood — both the dogs’ and my own. The police and an ambulance came. Thank goodness the pit bull’s owner was not bitten.
We paid vet bills for both dogs and we did not get sued. The woman was super. She even called a week later to find out how Snoopy and I were doing.
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I learned that there are five dogs that my homeowners’ insurance does not cover: pit bulls, chows, Rottweilers, Dobermans and, of course, bull terriers. Most insurance policies don’t cover these breeds. Snoopy seemed like a loaded gun with no safety. My wife and I loved her but we knew some visitors to our home were intimidated by her and after the attack we were worried. What if something else set her off and she hurt one of us, or worse, someone else? We already knew neither of us was strong enough to control her if she lost it again.
We debated and debated but came to the decision that we had to put Snoopy down. We cried as we brought her to the vet. And then we were informed they would not euthanize for aggression. And the vet told us about anti-aggression classes.
That was four months ago. Snoopy has gone to eight anti-aggression classes. When she’s in public she wears a muzzle at all times and is always on a leash. I have a metal cable that I attach to her harness when she’s in the backyard.
In the car now, Snoopy no longer hides — she looks out the window and puts her head outside to feel the wind. She rarely goes into the shower anymore. When she sits on the couch, instead of hyperventilating she likes to put her massive head on my shoulder. I like it too.
I guess cats aren’t the only critters with more than one life.
Paul Karrer is a writer in Monterey, Calif. He taught fifth grade in Castroville for 27 years and is the host of the podcast “Karrer Shorts.”
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