Oh Susannah....so sorry....I wish I knew someone who could help :-(

Thanks chica. Leaving him with the rescue group was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But our trainer is working with them to make sure his ongoing training is consistent, so he can find a home that will love him as much as we did, but won't have the issues our home had. His predator instinct was just too strong - he needs to be an only child. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without the rescuers. They're a no-kill group that will take good care of him.

But I miss him so much.

I can imagine how hard that must have been. I remember when I was younger we went to the SPCA to adopt a pup, well when we went back to get him his shots, after having him for about a week or two, my parents saw a much better tougher looking dog. They wanted to exchange my pup, I cried and cried and they felt so guilty they couldn't do it. Even now when I look to take in a rescue I know I have to make sure it gets along well with Toots, I would hate to have to take a dog back. I'm sure your baby will find a forever home that will be good for him. The rescue groups are very good that way.

It takes a very special person to keep the animal's best interest first and their own desires second .
Sounds like you did the right thing by allowing Niko to be an only dog and lead a happy life as the center of attention .
What a wonderful rescue group !
Wish there were more out there like yours .

Thanks trini and gatormom. I'm still heartbroken. I want him back so badly. But this just isn't the right place for him, and it only stresses him. And us. And all the other animals.

It's hard to enjoy how peaceful everyone has been without him because I miss him.

We'll get another dog in a few months. We're actually looking for recommendations for big dogs who can live with cats and with an aging big dog. We don't want to screw this up again. We've both raised big dogs from puppies, and thought that was the best way, in part because we had cats and thought that puppies raised with cats are always better with cats than adult dogs that you introduce to cats.

It always seemed that cats raise puppies to live with cats better than people can. But we're rethinking that, after Niko, who never learned to love cats, even when the cats became comfortable with him. The cats trusted Niko, which was worse than if they had been scared of him, because they never expected him to snap. They wandered under his legs and jumped over him sleeping as if it was no big deal. I always thought that animals understood each other better than we could, but my cats never figured out that he was dangerous. Every time he attacked, it was a surprise to us and the cats and the aging lab.

We're thinking a mastiff or dane, but maybe an adult that has already been tested with cats and other dogs. I hate to leave the puppy-raising to someone else, because it's fun and because it's work I should do for my dog, but... we're a bit scared at this point of making another bad choice. Some of the rescue groups go to great lengths to test dogs with cats and other dogs so their dogs don't end up given up a second time. I think that's what we need at this point.

I've always felt that when you lose a pet, you should just go rescue another one because there are so many that need rescuing, there's no reason to waste your time grieving when you could be giving a home to another animal (cat or dog.) But this time, I think we need a little time to sort out what happened and figure out how we can be better pet owners in the future. We'll be ready in a few months.

I still miss him. No one loves you when you come home or when you wake up like your puppy does.

Susannah its hard but you will get through it and you really did what was best for your entire family. Having an aggressive animal really ruins the tranquility that animal ownership really is. There's too much stress involved when you have to be on pins and needles all the time waiting for something to happen especially when a big powerful animal is involved. You will find the right dog for you when you're ready to look again.

We adopted a dog, GirlieGirl from a no-kill shelter. They told us when we adopted her, she wanted to be an "only dog" as she didn't get along with others. We are ok with that. She loves people and kids and is very playful. Just has a really strong hunting instinct to attack and kill animals. They had her in "lock-down" as my hubby calls it, for 10 months...poor thing. We have a fenced yard and walk her on a leash once a day. We just love her. I am sorry you had to give up your dog, but the point of my story is that there is always someone that can and will adopt an only pet.
Sharon