Responsible Multiple Dog Ownership
Recently in my hometown, there was a very disturbing incident involving three Pitbulls that jumped their fence and attacked a policewoman known for her animal rescue efforts, along with her five year old daughter (who was not harmed) and two of her dogs that they were walking. Everyone ended up okay physically after some minor cuts, bruises and bites, but mentally, they will remember this for a long time. This is not a commentary about Pibulls. I love Pitbulls. My Trent is a Pitbull mix. This incident could have happened with any breed but it’s always worse when it happens with a breed that some people find scary.
In addition, this incident happened in a good neighborhood and the owner appeared on the surface to be responsible. But appearances are deceiving at times as in this case.
The first problem here was that this occurred in a front yard situation with a four foot chain link fence when the owner was not supervising her dogs. There are several red flags here. Front yard, chain link see through fence, urban neighborhood, multiple reactive dogs, no supervision: take your pick which was the final trigger. They all contributed to this very scary incident.
The dogs in question were also not neutered. This makes a difference in some cases. I strongly believe in spaying and neutering, especially in breeds that are over bred such as Pitbulls. Responsible multiple dog owners alter their pets when they are pet homes. (I am not going to expand upon the exceptions but note that there are always exceptions.)
If you have multiple dogs that can be reactive, then you MUST supervise all outside visits, with no exceptions; especially when your outside environment offers a view to multiple stimuli. A front yard with a neighborhood view is a prime place for reactivity to occur. Life happens. You cannot stop people and animals from passing your yard unless you own the perimeter to it as well. It is unrealistic to expect your dogs to police themselves.
Training could have prevented this. Supervision could have either prevented or minimized this. A different venue such as a backyard, may have prevented this. Any number of things done differently can make a big difference in whether your dogs are declared dangerous and must be euthanized. It is a big responsibility to maintain a household with multiple dogs. Please respect that responsibility.
Training is even more important when you have breeds that others perceive as scary. You should not accept this responsibility lightly. Training can make the difference in how your neighbors view your dogs. Training can make a difference in whether your dogs are viewed as scary or not. Please be responsible and train your dogs. Be aware of what can happen in any circumstance and be pro-active. Your dogs’ lives may depend on it someday.
I discovered your website last night, and ordered the book. I’m supposed to receive it tomorrow; can’t wait. I recently added a fourth dog to our family; three of the four are rescues there are also 5 cats…well, six if you count the stray who just appeared.) Everyone is neutered, vaccinated and well-fed and cared-for. We are working on slow and well-supervised introductions.
I live in an urban area in Tennessee where mosquitos are very problematic. The last two dogs i rescued were infected with heart worms. The most recent addition, JJ, had complications from the first attempt at treatment and almost died, so we are postponing resuming treatment for two more weeks (he’s in great shape right now, ‘cept for the worms.) My question has to do with $$$. I have a decent income, but am draining the bank account with so many critters. The first three dogs are around 10 years old; JJ is around 4 (?) Of course, the dog we bought (i’m embarrassed to admit that, but my husband insisted) has the most health problems. Any advice on saving $$? I feed them an expensive food (Orijen)but they don’t require very much of it since it is so nutritionally dense and I think it saves money in the long wrong. My vet is great and gives me a discount routinely and has given me very reduced fees for neutering/spaying etc.
And what’s with the cost of rawhide, greenies, etc? Is there someway to make one’s own ‘chews’? I saw a bag of dehydrated sweet potato chips in the dog treat section of a popular discount store and they were ridiculously priced. I’m thinking I can make sweet potato chips in my dehydrator for 50 cents!
On a completely different note, what do you think of in-ground “toilets” for dog-poop disposal? Are they as ecologically sound as they seem? THANKS!
What a wonderful book. I own 6 dogs and frequently foster. I have had as many as 12 dogs in my home at one time. There is so much in this book that I had to learn the hard way as well as new information that I will be using in the future. Thank you!
I was horrified when I read about that story. Here’s a woman who fights for animal rights, and she falls victim to an irresponsible owner. I completely agree that the fence was bad, the lack of supervision worse. (And I like how she says she’s not mad at the dogs, just irresponsible owners.)
Wonderful book and very well written blog. We need to get all dog (and cat) owners education on proper dog behavior. There are too many “lazy” owners out there. Keep up the good work Debby.
Have just discovered your web-site good to read that there are other multi dog owners out there – we have a family of 8 dogs 4 boys and 4 girls. I make my own dog food which certainly works out very economical, showed my vet the recipe and he said it was just fine. Buy the odd bag of mixer biscuits for their teeth. If we want to go over the fields for exercise we take them 4 at a time. However this walk is very popular with all other dog walkers whose dogs run free, some are not too friendly. Maybe it is a bit different for multi dog ownership in the US but here in the UK we have all of our dogs micro-chipped neutered vaccinated, travelling harnesses for the car which plug into the seat belt. They have a loving happy home and as we both took early retirement, they have a great time – and so do we, The pups are now 4 years old – mum and dad are 6 and 5
I am very glad to see new materials on multiple dog ownership. Having been involved in rescue work for 15 plus years as well as fostering, multi dog education is near and dear to my heart.
We HIGHLY recommend reading Debby’s book “How Many Dogs?” We are a muliple=dog household; 2 female Dobermans, 1 male Akita, and 1 female Great Pyrenees. (We were 7 but recently lost 3 of our boys to various illneeses.) This book is jammed with information we needed, and it is so easy to read we could not put it down!
My biggest saving is purchasing supplies in bulk online and keeping my dogs exercised and not overweight to prevent additional vet visits. Also 3-year vaccines. Great blog, wonderful book!
I am thrilled to discover this website. I have 11 dogs of various breeds, from 2 Bloodhounds, to an 11 lb Rat Terrier. I crate seven of them when I am not home and crate eight for feeding. I supervise them when they are out front in the fenced yard. I never leave them on their own. I have a large back yard and I take them in groups to local dog Parks. It is a big responsibility and a privilege to live with so many canines. All are neutered and spayed all but one are rescues. They are all licensed and vaccinated as well as have Heartworm preventative and fleas treatment. I have a kennel license which means my property gets inspected yearly by anuimal control and by the Health Department. Several participate in agility, obedience, tracking and some do Therapy work. I also have two cats. I walk them in groups as well but stay out of my own neighborhood as I often meet irresponsible dog owners and it is just safer to take them to a local park and KEEP THEM ON LEAD!!!
I am thrilled to find this site and am ordering the book as soon as I finish writing this.
Jean Lafky
Thank you for this site on owning multiple dogs. I have two and at this point it is my limit though I would love to have more. I have friends who have 14 and they work it very well, though they never forget that dogs will be dogs and sometimes they have bad days too.
I disagree with one point made about the situation shared above. The owner is at fault as her fence was not tall enough, especially if you are going to be the owner of pitbulls. In addition, she should never have left them unattended. I disagree with the remarks regarding the type of fence. I believe it is better for dogs to see what is causing the noise than be behind a solid fence where all they can do is hear a noise and grow fearful. In addition, spaying and neutering is not always the answer – training is.
If you are going to own APBT, then you need to be even more on top of their training, their exercise, etc. And always remember a pack of dogs will react differently than one dog who is alone.
Keep educating!!!
Comment from Debby McMullen regarding fencing: A dog will be fearful regardless of whether he can see through a fence or not. However, being able to see through a fence makes it easier for parties on both sides of the fence to interact, which can create even more fearful/reactive behavior as other dogs go by and bark, kids go by and tease, etc. Solid fencing offers less of a chance of creating a reactive dog and more of a safe haven. Fear is something that needs to be modified behaviorally.
As an owner and rescuer of multiple Pit Bulls I find stories like this incredibly appalling. Good management and breed (canine) stewardship is paramount. Especially when you have multiple dogs.
Very good information here. Thanks for being a resource for multi-dog homes