How do you say Goodbye to a family member?

Recently, we have been having dominance agression problems with our 4-1/2 year old Vizsla. It started slowly with outbursts towards our Beagle, Cammie. We were some what ok with this, as we know that dogs move up and down in the pecking order of the pack. It appeared as if Cammie was ok with this as well.

After Bella moved ahead of Cammie in the pecking order, she decided that she should also move ahead of Ellie. This is where the problem started. Nothing serious ever happened, and Bella never bit Ellie. However, we felt that it was only a matter of time, and this was something we could not let happen. We also couldn't expect a 28 lb little girl to fend off a 40 lb dog that is pure muscle. Tom and I have a hard time controlling her when she gets "excited".

We spoke with several different people in order to get help and advice on this issue. We tried different training techniques, we tried more exercise, we tried asserting our positions in the pack on to her more, nothing seemed to help.

The one piece of advice that really sunk in from a trainer we spoke to was this, "Could you ever 100% trust your daughter and the dog in a room by themselves?". The answer to this question was a glaring NO. Not just No, but Hell No. This is when we realized that regardless of how much training we gave Bella, there would always be that thing in the back of our minds, What if? What if she loses it one day? What if she forgets her training? What if?

We decided to look into Bella's options. As much as it hurts to say we need to give her up. As much as it feels like we failed as parents of a dog, we have to give her up. Our vet called all of the Vizsla owners that he has as clients asking if any of them were interested. Unfortunately, none of them were able to take her. Vizsla's are a very specfic breed with very specific nuances that are best dealt with by people who are familiar with the breed.

So, we found that Colorado has a local Vizsla rescue. They accept dogs into their program, and then evaluate them for 2 weeks. Once the dog has been evaluated, the dog is placed with a family that has been prescreened, interviewed, visited, cleared through top secret security clearances, etc.... We know that this is best for Bella, and that she will get put with someone who doesn't have little kids, someone who can run her hours on end, and someone that doesn't have other dogs.

So within the next couple of days - we will say goodbye to Bella. As much as it hurts my heart, we know that this is what we need to do. Not only for the safety of Ellie, but any other person that comes to our house.

Bye Bella. We love you and will miss you!