# He's gone...



## GSDOwner2008 (Jan 19, 2008)

In a shocking twist of fates Apollo isn't with us anymore. His aggression had gotten out of hand and last night he had went after sister again, and this time my mother who he hadn't been aggressive to prior. We couldn't have him in the house anymmore since he was a danger to us and so we did what was best. We even went the medical route, for those of you that didn't know, and we couldn't find anything within the limited testing we could do, due to funds being limited. We even tried taking an approach to treating it like dominant behavior, but my mother, who has done a lot of his care taking and had never been aggressive to, went to give him a bone last night and he barked and growled aggressively to her. So when were at the vet I was afraid he wouldn't let me say goodbye since he hadn't let me near him in months, but when we were at the vet he let me pet him and scratch his belly one last time. I nearly broke down when he tried to lick me through his muzzle. It's hard to believe that just at Christmas time he was up in my lap in the armchair licking my face and now he isn't with me anymore. He went peacefully though, he didn't even fight which I was very thankful for. Apollo was very fearful at the vet, which was the only reason he ever allowed me around him there recently. Leaving him there was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. He was my Baby, and I'll never forget him. RIP Baby, I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. :angel:
Apollo (December 17, 2007 - June 19, 2010)


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## JLOCKHART29 (Aug 23, 2009)

I don't know about your situation except from this one post but it is enought to know how sad a situation it is. I have never had to make a discision like that and pray I never do. I have had to put my dogs down for medical reasons when there was nothing else to do but thats differant. I am so sorry for you, your dog and the whole situation. My prayers for you. I only hope and know time will help.


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## GSDOwner2008 (Jan 19, 2008)

Thank you, it is a terrible situation. I truly loved that dog and I didn't want to leave him, and I didn't want to euthanize him either, but he was becoming a danger to myself, my family and those around him. I don't want to remember him as the dog I knew in the past two months, I want to remember him as the dog that he had been prior to those last two months, the best dog I'd had. Always willing to please, affectionate and loving. His life was way too short and always a struggle from the time he was a baby with his auto immune condition. I just hope he's running free at the bridge without affliction now.


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

why would agression come up all of a sudden.. that is so sad.. and im so sorry.. i started crying my self.. he is so beautiful and must have been a great dog.. im sorry for your lose.. RIP Apollo your in our prayers..


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I am so sorry for your loss.


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## onyxboy (Jun 6, 2010)

I know how you feel! Its so sad. We lost Andy in March he was an old dawg of 15 years old and loved him to pieces. So I really know the heartbreak here!


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

so sorry


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## chevysmom (Feb 15, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear about Apollo 
Any ideas of what could have brought this aggression on?


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## rickaz80 (Feb 24, 2008)

RIP Apollo, you are in a better place now.


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## patti (Apr 7, 2010)

I'm sorry.


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## ThorDog (Feb 12, 2010)

I am so sorry. Can you pm me and tell me where you got him? Was it from a breeder? My heart is with you, we had to give back our dog because he attacked my husband (I posted a long thread here) and it was so hard, there is not one day that I don't miss him. Big hugs. How did his agression come about?
All I can say is time is a good healer.


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## GSDOwner2008 (Jan 19, 2008)

Thank you all for your kind thoughts.

I honestly don't have a clue what triggered him to be so aggressive. It wasn't a thyroid, and there wasn't anything jumping out on the bloodwork and urinalysis. We weren't able to do scans for his brain because we have limited funds, but we did manage to get him neutered in hopes that it would help because the vet thought it was behavioral. So, not only did we try to fix it from the medical perspective (if there even was a problem) but we tried it from a behavioral perspective as well because everyone in the house loved the dog and putting him to sleep is not something we wanted to do and we knew that we couldn't rehome this animal.

So we tried NILIF and we tried as a family to give him a secure status in the family, but as time grew on, he started showing aggression to more and more people. He actually attacked my sister unprovoked and went to bite her, but he didn't bite down hard enough to do her harm. However in the weeks following he started barking and snarling at not only my sister, but myself and my mother as well. Apollo had previously never shown any of the family any aggression. I had actually taken Apollo to obedience classes and had formed a very tight bond with him. My mother did a majority of the caretaking of him along with my father. He was also aggressive with Zeus even though Zeus never went out of his way to show dominance to him. If anything, Zeus avoided him. It was a very scary and difficult situation, but I believe we did what was best. Apollo is free now, which I think was the kindest thing I could have done for him. He was loved by everyone who knew him, and letting him go was the hardest thing I have ever done.


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

Im really sorry what a hard thing to have to do. 
he was a stunning dog.
I hope youre at peace now Apollo.


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