Selfish.

[sunshine_queen]

Okay. Remember how I didn't want to go into the dog-biting thing last night?

Ready now.

So, almost a year ago, my gram gets this dog named Cyrus, a young german shephard male. About two months after she got him, the dog started biting.

Yes. Biting.

So, we're a bit wary to come up here and stay with a dog that has bitten EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY, but we come up anyway. We have a few close calls, but it took a week for someone to get bit- my sister.

So, there's a whole big traumatic thing last night- Mel's crying, Kate's crying, Mom's crying, Gram's crying, and hell, even I was crying- because the dog forgot what he had done and only knew that he was locked up and he was watching us with big sad eyes.

So, finally, Gram decides that she can't keep the dog because he's a liability and everyone's afraid of him. She wants to call the lady that she trusts, Charlene, to make sure she can get him and place him and whatnot. Fine. Whatever. We don't want to send the dog off to a meat factory (" ") so sure, send him to Charlene.

So, this morning, she calls Charlene.

And Charlene manages to convince her that the dog can be reformed.

Mind you, we weren't supposed to stay last night. Daddy said we had to leave to someone else's house or go to a hotel or, for God's sake, COME HOME, but Mom assured him that Gram was getting rid of the dog.

But no. She's not going to. After the whole speech about doing what's right by us, she's keeping the damn dog. She's forfeiting her family for a fucking DOG.

She complains that no one comes and sees her, but more people did before she got him. Everyone's AFRAID OF HIM. Katie's sister Caroline isn't allowed in the house anymore, my Dad wants us out, Mare Mare only comes if she has to, Carolyn refuses to take the babies down there (with good reason), the Hudson girls are iffy, the Castricones don't want to come and even Katie, who adores that dog, thinks that she should get rid of it.

Anyway. So my psycho grandmother has once again proven that everyone else be damned. I mean, I don't particularly like the woman- but this is mind-bogglingly selfish. Sickeningly so.

Kate and Mel are already at Julie's, and mom's saying I should start getting my stuff together and go charge up the aerobed machine thing. So, yes, we're leaving. Is that what you wanted, Grace?

Apparently so.

Comments

[beccabee.livejournal.com]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

tell mel i love her and that she's really brave.
and send the damn dog to the meat factory.

[miss-rina.livejournal.com]

OMG, how bad was the bite? Has Cyrus had his shots?

[puggywuggy.livejournal.com]

I'm awfully sorry about your sister's dog bite, and sorry that a great deal of your family has gotten bit, too.

Dogs can be reformed--sometimes. My dog's bitten my sister and my mother, (sometimes for no reason, sometimes because they accidentally walked into him or stepped on his tail), and he's snipped at me a few times. My mom heavily considered putting him down after he bit my sister badly, but both of us (my sister and I) got really upset about that. So Mom took the dog to the vet, and the doctor she saw really likes my dog. He didn't sway her--you can't sway my mother--to keep him alive, but he basically said to give him another chance. He prescribed some tranquilizers/sedatives for us to keep, just in case the Fabio got rowdy, and we kept him.

I wouldn't say he's reformed, and he's still the dog we know and love... but I think he's mellowed out a bit. He also suffered the "I Hate You" Silent Treatment from my mother for about a week... so it was like he knew what he had done wrong.

Surprisingly enough, I don't advise for your grandmother to keep the dog. Has Cyrus ever bitten your grandmother? German shepards are, by nature, a very protective breed. Bubba, our old German shepard, ran after a cable guy that hopped into our yard when no of us were home. It could be that Cyrus, for whatever reason, sees you all as a threat to your grandmother.

Then there's the most likely story--he was abused as a puppy. We think Fabio was, which--you can laugh all you want--did psychological damage to him. There's something inside that triggers a certain situation... and it just causes him to snap. Fabio was from a puppy mill, where he had to fend for food and such, so anyone coming near his food bowl is asking for it. It's just like a flip of a switch that can set a previously abused dog off... and yes, it's scary.

Anyway. Someone needs to convince your grandmother that reforming a dog is like a full-time job, and it doesn't always work. She needs to give the dog up--but to someone, or some place, that is dedicated enough to working with Cyrus and, really, willing to treat him. Dogs don't bite for fun... they always have a reason.

Sorry I rambled. I'm a dog person, and when it comes to dogs "versus" people, it gets tricky for me. I hope your family stays well, and I'm sorry about the crisis. :)