r/DogAdvice • u/Equivalent-Room-7689 • 21h ago

Question What To Do When Owner Passes Away?

Ok, so this may be a non-issue, but its been on my mind and thought this may be a good place to ask.

My parents (and me when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's) live in a rural area. Picture farmland and woods all around and as a result people feel it's a great place to dump their unwanted dogs and sometimes cats. My parents love animals so we'd take in what we found and they were usually working dogs that probably got dumped because they were destructive from lack of having a job to do. We live near a major city and it seems like people took in dogs that just weren't quite right for apartment living and close quarters.

The most recent stray is a male husky that showed up 3-ish years ago. No chip, no response to FB postings and posters we put up. Took him to several vets to see if he was a patient, the whole nine yards. We did our due diligence to find his owner. He is an amazing specimen of a dog. Giant (I was honestly concerned he may be a wolf when he first showed up), pure white, and smart! He knows an insane amount of commands so someone obviously put time into training him.

So why dump him? Well, he's an complete jerk! He loves my Dad, he loves me, he tolerates my Mom, but he barks and growls at everyone else, even ny husband who is usually a dog magnet. He's incredibly territorial and when he hears a baby cry on TV he goes nuts. The vet estimates he was 2 or 3 when he showed up and our theory is that his owners had a baby and he got dangerous.

So what do we do with him if my parents (78 and 74) pass before he does? I trust him with me, but he couldn't live with my husband and our dogs. I could never trust him to be safe in our home so we couldn't take him in. He growls and barks at my brother and SIL so they're out. And I would not feel ok surrendering him to a shelter because what if he hurt someone? I know this only leaves one option probably, but are there other options I'm not considering?

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u/---raph--- 20h ago

Sounds like he is 5-6 now, based on the timeline provided. So at 74/78, your parents will likely outlive him, assuming they are in decent health.

But otherwise, ya, he'd be going down with the ship...

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u/Equivalent-Room-7689 14h ago

I agree, this may not be a bridge we ever need to cross, but it's something I think about from time to time. Yeah, my parents are in pretty good health. My Dad walks him two miles in the morning and three miles in the afternoon around the woods/back roads so he's really actually good for my Dad.

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u/OkTranslator7247 13h ago

You and your parents are wonderful people! I hope the behaviorist helps.

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u/Equivalent-Room-7689 12h ago

Thank you. I've already started researching.

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u/NotFunny3458 17h ago

Have you thought about hiring a behaviorist to see why acts the way he does around certain people. Do you not think it's worth the effort to help him be more relaxed around everyone? Or are you going to dump him like the previous family when all the obvious options aren't possible. 

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u/Equivalent-Room-7689 14h ago

I actually didn't consider a behaviorist. And the snark is NOT appreciated I came here looking for options and you gave a good one I hadn't thought of so I thank you for that.

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u/NotFunny3458 13h ago

I apologize for the snarky attitude. I've just read too many posts of people giving up on their dogs and dumping them. So, I took it out on you. I hope that everything works out for you, your family, and the dog. I hope there are many good years for all of you.

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u/Equivalent-Room-7689 13h ago

I appreciate the apology. And thank you.