I wanted to write you with some news about our dog, Guthrie. As many of you are aware, Guthrie has severe behavioral issues around strangers. Last night, after 9 months of working with him with the help of professional trainers, we returned him to the no-kill shelter we adopted him from.
I can assure you this decision was not made lightly and we weighed our options at length. We're fortunate that the shelter welcomed him back and has committed to providing him intensive training before adopting him out to his forever home.
In the end, the one thing we couldn't give him that he needs more than anything else is distance from a perceived threat. In our urban neighborhood, that's just not a reality and we were worried that, despite our best efforts, someone someday would get attacked. That's the last thing I would ever want.
The hand-off last night went better than I had hoped. The volunteer who met us outside was a woman who worked with him 9 months ago and knew his temperament. As she approached he started wagging his tail and eagerly took the the treats she offered him. He even gave her kisses. It was one of the hardest things I've had to watch, when she took the leash from us and walked him inside, but know in my heart of hearts that we did the right thing.
The house feels pretty empty today, and I miss him more than anything. He was nothing but a ball of love to the people he knew and trusted.
Thank you all for the help, encouragement, and support you've shown Jon and I over the last nine months. It's unfortunate we had to return him, but I'll never regret taking the risk to improve Guthrie's life. I only wish I had been able to help him more.
With love,
Katrina
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