 
 "Dad & Son Lounging"
After Rowdy died, I found a book by Carol Lee Benjamin called Dog Problems. "People like to think they have more options than they do when they fail to retrain an aggressive dog. The most unlovable monster can be lovable to his owner, so it can be painful beyond words to have to put a dog to sleep, even if he's bitten you. An owner's feeling for his pet are deep and genuine. Even when they are unrealistic and foolishly hopeful, feelings cannot be discounted. I have never taken a client's affection for his dog lightly, nor should you treat your own feelings that way. However, if you have a dangerous dog and you have given his retraining your best shot and failed, you do not have the option of keeping him anyway. Neither can you give him away, sell him, pass him on to a breeder or even put him in the pound. If you tell the truth, no one else will want him. If he is unsafe for you, he will be unsafe for anyone else, all but very rare cases. This being so, he should be painlessly put to sleep by your veterinarian. It is the only humane and honest thing to do. If that makes you sadder than almost anything you can think of, that is a fair and reasonable testimony to the fact that you loved your dog and tried your best. When you finish crying, which may take hours or months, you may want and need another dog. That too, will be testimony to the love you felt for the dog you lost, and is just fine. No one honest ever promised you a life without tears, and if you had one, it would mean that you never took a chance and loved another creature, man or beast. And that's an option I'm sure you won't want."       
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