Pic: I am a forever dog

[shireen]

102. it's hard ....

Dogs and people have to be carefully matched.

Dogs with issues need to be adopted or fostered by people who have the knowledge and time to work with the animal. They're not for everyone, especially families with small kids. Shelters need to be more aware of this when they adopt out dogs (cats are a bit more manageable).

I'm really sorry the lab didn't work out for you, and glad he's now with someone who knows how to handle him.

My friend's kid had a similar experience twice. The first one had cat aggression issues that they could not fix. The second one was fine at first, then started to get aggressive towards them. They tried training, had her checked out for medical problem and had her on some skin medications. Unfortunately, things got really stressful at home and my friend's kid had to make the heartbreaking decision to return her. If she can't handle the dog, it does not belong with her. Period. She had good reasons for returning the dogs, as did you. (She's now doing well with a young hound mix that's a better match for her personality.)