Yup.  That's what makes it so sad... but if he's as perfect as he sounds, he will be adopted quickly...

Sarah,

Once I get Mickey and you and your husband decide you want to adopt him, email me privately - suzie_redhead01@yahoo.com and let me know.  Mickey won't be up on the website for 2 weeks after I get him for his evaulation period, but if you decide you want to adopt him before that, please let me know. 

Sue

Okay I completely understand this situation, from first hand experience!! My Benny Dog (dog is his middle name ), was on a rampage after he was bred. He bit my son and brought blood, he would growl and snarl at me and my husband if we got in his "space". He was getting ferocious!! As you all probably know from past posts I am a member of several yahoo groups. I emailed all of my groups about his behavior and practically everyone told me to have him put to sleep, because he was un fixable!! I was so mad that I cancelled a lot of memberships to my groups. The groups that I stayed in I sent out emails stating I would never put my baby to sleep or surrender him to a shelter!! Then I got to talking to one of my myspace friends--the one who introduced me to this group and she taught me the ways of Nothing in Life is Free. It WORKED!! Benny was back sweet old self!! We still have issues with him when one of girls go into heat, but I think that is just because we are not allowing him to breed. He even growled at me last night for letting Ellie May out and not him (which she is due into heat in about a week.) Which she is not going to be bred either, but I don't think that he realizes that.

The morale of this story I think anyway, is when someone has an issue with their dog, they go to the wrong places for advice. Too many people are not educated when it comes to dog behaviors. Believe me I have done ALOT of research!! I did for a bit think about giving Benny away...but to my grandfather who was looking for a dog at that time. I even let Benny have a week at my grandpas and he did not act out at all, that's when I figured out that Joan (myspace friend) had been right all along. It was all about being top dog, and at that time it sure wasn't me. I plan to get Benny neutered if he keeps acting up everytime a girl goes into heat, but he will definately not be leaving my home . It does take time and ALOT of patience, but I honestly believe that aggressive behavior can be fixed!! One last thing--Children SHOULD NOT be left unattended with ANY dog. Children DO NOT realize their actions could cause a dog to bite them!! Just like with my son when he got bit, he was trying to give Benny a hug from behind Benny. Which in my son's mind he was being nice, but in Benny's mind he thought he was being attacked from the back!! Which at the time I was stupid and didn't realize the error in my son's ways. He may have even squeezed Benny too hard.  At that moment though all I could think was OH MY GOODNESS BENNY BIT CAIDEN!!!! Still though all I would have done is let my grandpa have him--which I would have regretted for the rest of my life, because Benny is one of my babies!! He would have been well taken care of, of course, but still he wouldn't be here for me to snuggle with anymore!! I hope that someone reads this that is thinking of having their poor baby put to sleep, so that they can see there is ALWAYS hope!! (By the way Benny is my Avatar--he is the adult in the pic.)

I wish people would research a breed before they get one because the puppy is "oh so cute!". I also wish all people could develop the mentality that pets are not disposable.

Part of our journey as dog owners is to mold the puppy to our needs but we also need to accept and appreciate the pup for what he is; some puppy's go from pampered rock star status when first brought home to "pet rock" status a few months or years later when they don't get as much attention; so they start to bark or chew things... and behavior issues surface, which gets them attention but not the pampered kind they want or need.

So as behavior problems start , pet and humans are at a stalemate and the pet always loses; the family decides the dog is too much trouble and dump them at a shelter; The dog usually does not get rescued because the dog has "issues"...and the family, unfortunately, will get another dog someday and repeat the process. 

All breeds are not for everyone... and I have huge issues with people who don't research a breed to determine UP FRONT whether or not a specific breed will fit into their lifestyle.

But most any breed, with some training which requires commitment and patience... and consistency...no matter how complicated life becomes they will remind you of simple joys and make you smile. What would we do without them....

That is very true, but I will admit - my first dog I had as an adult was a Rat, his name was Bandit and came from a local rescue here in Albany, and I had never heard of Rats nor did I do any research. I saw a Rattie puppy in a pet store, and was so enchanted by it, until I was told she was on sale for $1,100!! At that time, I couldn't afford that kind of cash (still can't!!!), so I looked in the paper and saw an adoption clinic ad posted by a local rescue and had this dog listed as a Chi. Well, I called and they said oh, it's not a Chi, it's a Rat. So I went to see Bandit, and I remember saying to myself "that is the UGLIEST dog I have ever seen!!".... well, little did I know that Bandit had just survived sadistic abuse and neglect to where he almost died - his collar had grown into his neck and he needed surgery to remove it......he had been kept outside in the upstate NY winter w/out food, water, shelter... etc........... to make a long story short, he became my heart dog. He was my traveling companion who was with me during the terminal illness and subsequent death of my Mom (she lived 3 hours away and we went there every weekend)....... I fell in love with him and this breed, and after I had to have Bandit euthanized because of cancer at the young age of 6 years..... and after I adopted my first Ratbone dog, Sandy, it struck me that I wanted to help rescue other Rats who were in the same situation that Bandit was in, because I didn't want Bandit's death to be in vain........ he lived such a tortured life and I only had him for a short year and a half, it still pains me to think he died such a horrible death......

Sue, I've worked with many different breeds of dogs, but like you... when Bailey first showed up at my house with no identification (he was six months old), I was clueless about what type of dog he was. I thought he was a "funny looking" jack russell terrier! LOL My vet was the one who set me straight... said he was a "feist", and that if his business relied on rat terriers, he would go broke because he has known many of them who live to be almost 20 years old. So that was my introduction to the breed. He too has become my "heart dog" as no other has.  Rat terriers simply are not a common breed in this area.  Bailey, in fact, came from Indiana.   My neighbor purchased the entire litter of three.. two of them got into anti-freeze and died.  Bailey, thank goodness... was not around the other puppies when that transpired. 

You're right ... no dog is perfect. No human is either!

LOL at the comment about kids needing to be leashed sometimes! So true!

I had no idea what Mitzy was when my friend found her on the side of the road.  We thought she was a chi-Jack Russell mix....or a really ugly chi!  I'd always had big breeds but had been around JRTs at various stables I worked at so I wanted her.  She turned out to be a rat terrier and she is the most awesome dog I've ever known.  She is  why I got Mayfly and why I want more ratties.

I guess Ron White said it all when he said, "YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID!"  

I knew nothing about Rat Terriers when I got Rattagan. I had 2 children 7 and 10 at the time. I saw this wonderful little pup across the road at my neighbors. I thought it was a chi and wanted to see it. My neighbors had just gotten her she was 8 weeks old and they told me what she was and that ratties love kids and have plenty of energy to keep up with them. So I talked to my hubby (ex now) and we went to see the dogs where they had gotten Abby. In fact they had wanted a male but Rattagan was the only male the breeder had at the time and he couldn't leave his mother for another 4 weeks so they got Abby. I went to the breeder and and saw Ratty and his 2 sisters. I held each one, the girls just lay there but Ratty climbed my sweater and snuggled into my hair and went to sleep. That was it, he was my "heart pup."  I had to have him, I didn't care how long I had to wait. I went to visit him every week until he came home. Now he grew up with the children and they got bit a time or two, I had warned them time and again, if you keep on he's going to bite and he will not be put to sleep for it but you will get your butt tore up. And it happend too, more than once, now here it is 11 years after my little man came into my life, the kids are grown and off on their own. But Rattagan is still with me, loving me unconditionally, and I will take care of him and his new little sister Cameo for the rest of their lives. It is what any decent, humane person would do for the animals they bring into their lives. I've had to re-home some of my pets in the past but I knew the people they went to and they were well cared for and I could visit if I wanted.  When you take a critter into your home it is YOUR DUTY to see it cared for as you would care for a skin child. PERIOD! The world would be a better place if people did understand but they don't.

I am going back to school to learn to market my children's stories and maybe some stories along these lines would help children learn. Now I can't wait to get started, it is a goal to reach for me. To help teach children how to be a responsible, humane human beings, so that maybe they won't have to grow up thinking of dogs as disposable. Hmmm, it's a thought.

Thank you Sue and Ratbone Rescues for all you and other resques do for these precious little dogs. Love to you all.