rescue dog

Question
I recently adopted a pomeranian mix from a local rescue group in my area. I have 3 guinea pigs and another dog as well. Quinn (new dog) and Bentley (existing dog) have been getting along pretty well- basically ignoring each other which I heard is a good sign. In fact, Quinn has been so well behaved, we've let our guard down a lot. Well last night he was upstairs with my mother- who wasn't keeping  a close eye on him, and he came into the room that we keep the guinea pigs in....and he attacked one of them. After an emergency visit to the vet we now know that our guinea pig is blind and had a concussion that has lead to brain damage. Quinn only bit her once,it was 10 seconds before someone got upstairs to get him. It's very difficult to look at him the same way now. I know its our fault for not introducing him to the small animals properly and we should have been watching him more closely and kept the guinea pigs in a more predator-resistant cage, we're just not used to a dog that would go after our other animals.  I hate to say this but we're actually at a point where we are considering returning Quinn to the rescue. I just have a hard time looking at him and its not fair for him because he didn't know what he did was wrong- but it still happened and our helpless guinea pig will never be the same.  What should we do? How can I stop looking at him as a monster? I know this sounds horrible- please don't think I'm a bad person, I really love animals and tried to do the right thing by adopting him...

Answer

Hi Ashley,

A dog (no matter the breed) should never be trusted around guinea pigs or any small pets. Perhaps Bentley is used to them, but even he shouldn't have access to the guinea pigs.

Be honest with yourself, and stop blaming your dog for what happened. You can split the responsibility for guinea pig attack between you and your mom.  You set Quinn up for this by not supervising him. Quinn is an animal and he's just doing what dogs do, he's not a "monster".

Best of luck,

Patti