My bestfriend hates my step children, help???

[GisellaandOscar]

He has hated them since we got him. He loves me, loves my four sons (ages 1,2,7,9),seems to like my husband, but HATES my two stepsons. Oscar is a 17 month old, well trained, loving dog. 125 pounds of pure sexy. He has never even gotten annoyed with my four children, he plays with them, licks them, takes treats gently from them. Absolutely destest my step children, there are a few reasons for this. First, they are only here on the weekends,so he did not get to form the bond he has with my other kids,or so I have been told.(I don' t think that is why.) Yet, he loves my dad who he did not meet until he was 4 months old,and only sees every few months, he greets my dad with slobbery licks, and sits by his side waiting to be pet. Same for my friend, he loves her, and didn't meet her until he was 6 months old, she comes over about once a week, he goes right to her, no barking, sweet boy. I can take him anywhere,the vet,never has to be muzzled, groomer,never a "complaint" out of him.He didn't start going to the groomer until he was 9 months old, he allowed he to file his nails and bathe him,didn't even give her "the evil eye". But the moment he sees my stepsons, the thousands of dollars worth of training vanishes. He goes crazy. I have kept them seperate since the dog was 5 months old and it was clear he did not want to be friends. I feel the dog hates them b/c they are very loud, they are 9 and 13 and behave like spoiled 1 and 3 yr olds. They constantly beat eachother up and have been known to beat my older children (7 and 9) up and they do not like the babies that their father and I have together. The older one tells us that he wishes we didn't have them. I am not suggesting the dog knows what he is saying, but I know he can read his body language. The 13 yr old yells at me all the time, stomps and throws a temper tantrum if I say no,tells me he hates me, the younger one has actually hit me, kicked me,spit on me,flips out like a maniac on the other kids,and recently kicked my 9 yr old son so hard in his testicles that the poor kid spent the night at the hospital on a morphine pump b/c he had a large hematoma on his testicle. Because I know how my weekend will go before they get here, I am tense around them and "walk on eggshells", b/c me saying anything negative about them to my husband causes a huge arguement. I believe the dog is seeing this and associates my distress with them,and being that he is a Fila,he is loyal to his master. I love these kids and I am sorry their parents split up and that they were hurt ny that,and logically I understand that they are just kids,the dog however does not. Keeping them seperate has worked for a yr. Until thursday, the 13 yr old and his friend were here, they were horsing around and the friend threw my stepsons hat into Oscars half of the yard, so instead of asking me to come and get it for him, he jumped a 6 ft railing landed right in front of Oscar and Oscar bit his arm. The bite was bad. It took almost 200 stitches and 20 staples to close it. Thankfully it was all fatty tissue and it did not go into muscle or bone. Now my husband wants the dog put down. The vet will not do it, she feels that the child knew the dog does not like him and invaded his space anyway. I was going to agree to put him into rescue, but I do not want to give up my Oscar.I know that a kid is different than a dog, but I didn't suggest getting rid of his son when he plowed my son in his testicles. Am I being unreasonable in fighting to keep my dog?

[girldogue]

Hi there - very sorry to hear about your issues you are having with the dog and kids. I really don't know who is going to be able to offer advice - as it sure reads like there are some bigger problems with the whole situation than any outsider is going to be able to offer any help :-( You really need to prioritize the issues at hand and speak to your husband about the situation. I don't imagine the step-kids are going to respect you or the dog ( and vice-versa)without his help.
Perhaps building a sturdy kennel in your yard to secure the dog in with a lock will stop the problems while the steps are over visiting dad. The lock will keep any of the good kids from liberating the dog :-)

good luck !!
Suzy

[GisellaandOscar]

oscar.jpg


We have worked things out. Oscar will be remaining in our home. Apparently the husband "rememered" that the dog has been a loyal and loving family member. We have set up an area of our yard to be fenced seperately for the dog. With a lock, 8 foot fencing, and a roof. He will be out there when the steps come to visit thier dad, then when they are in bed he will come inside to my room. Also, he will be getting neutered, the vet said that it will cut down some of the aggressive behavior.

This pic is of a one year old Oscar with my two year old son Isiah, as you can see the dog is an absolute menace, a killer.

[stonefree78]

8 foot fencing?? how high can a fila jump??