I’m a worried soul. Always have been always will be. My wife and I have an 11 month old (born 4.5 weeks early) who has been such a joy and easy baby. He’s very small for his age, but crawled at 7 months, started picking himself up and cruising at 9 months, sitting up on his own, and walking with a walker just fine. He displays no other concerning developments other than an either inability or disinterest in clapping, shaking his head no, and seldomly waves - all nonverbal communication. He doesn’t shy from eye contact, seeks attention from us, smiles often and reciprocated when smiled at, and babbles non stop.
Should we be concerned about the non verbal stuff? Or am I way overthinking here.

I started on the .25 and it did really nothing for me. Then got on the 0.5 and it started working a bit. 1.0 started working better. Never had any side effects other than occasional nausea. Now, I’m on the 1.7, and I’ve been suffering from what I think is fatigue. I just have a weird feeling in my head. I don’t feel week or sick, but when I’m laying down, I constantly feel like I could just pass out. Almost like a dizzy/tired feeling.
Has anybody else experienced this? And is “fatigue” the right word? I’m trying to figure out if it’s a side effect, or if there’s something else wrong with me lol.

Hi, not sure which to get, both reels are at almost the same price point ($10 more for Exceler), Note: I really like Daiwa reels, so I'd prefer to stick to that brand. I'd consider other options, but they HAVE to be in a similar price range.
I do a lot of salt water fishing (5+ days a week), and I am looking at a 4000 series reel, to pair with my 4-8kg 7'2" rod (Shimano Jewel 722). Mostly land based in a harbor (Sydney) throwing lures. Prime target species is Yellowtail Kingfish (60-80cm range), which put up a seriously good and dirty fight. I generally use 25lb leader and braid, which I find the best mix of strength vs. usability.

I’m a 33 year old Filipino woman who recently met a 30 year old Filipino man. We were set up by friends about 3 weeks ago when we met in person, and have been messaging daily ever since. The day after meeting up, we were messaging the entire day so I thought this was the standard. The following days however, it would only be for a few hours. I got used to it eventually and was just glad that he was still messaging me, as I haven’t been fortunate to meet anyone as a potential partner in almost 4 years. There are times where he would be full on texting me, then other times it would be hours in between. There were days when I would message him first and I would feel weird about doing so because it’s like, why didn’t he make the effort to text me first? Other than that, it’s been 3 weeks and he still hasn’t asked me out. The other day, he said something in reply to my flirty text that kind of threw me off. He changed the topic and then proceeded with not replying for a few hours. I messaged him again with an entirely new topic, which he again took hours to reply to. The following morning, it’s like all is well and nothing is awkward, but for the rest of the day, he took hours again to reply. And then yesterday, he didn’t message at all. I can’t help but think that I probably said something wrong, but my friends told me that it’s nothing to worry about. I wanted to try not messaging first, but it just made me feel really bad and really anxious. I tried telling myself that it’s okay, it’s just the talking stage, and I have no right to demand anything from him. But I just need the assurance that things will be okay. I really like this guy and he checks so many of my boxes. For context, he’s been single for 7 years. He’s preoccupied with work and has many hobbies, plus he sleeps very early so that he can wake up early to exercise. So I don’t have the privilege of having late night talks with him, but honestly that’s okay with me because at least I have time for myself in the evenings. Also, when he does message, it’s with so much enthusiasm. Even if it’s late for him, there were days that he would still message, just for the sake of asking how my day went, even if we didn’t talk the entire day, which I really appreciate. I’m also preoccupied with work as I’m a dermatologist, although I can’t say that I’m as busy as the other specialties since some days I just have clinics for half a day and I don’t go on 24-hour duties. My hobbies are also not on the active side, and requires a lot of alone time and time to think, such as reading and painting. Also, I’m a good texter. Like I can be very very busy and still make time to text with no problem. But, I would still rather meet in person rather than text. He knows that I’ve tried asking guys out before, and that I was met with rejection, so for sure he knows that I have no plans of asking him out at all, again for fear of rejection. Honestly, I’m too old for the games and the waiting around, but I know that I have no other choice but to be patient. All of these things I’ve already ranted to my trusted friend and her boyfriend, and they keep telling me the same things over and over, which I know are correct. But when I’m alone with my thoughts, I keep reverting back to my anxious self. It really bothers me that I feel like I’m settling for the bare minimum. I know it’s just been a day of no communication, but I feel rejected already. I’m not sure where I’m going with this thread, but I guess I needed another outlet to rant. If you’ve made it this far in my post, please be kind, should you comment.

USE THIS FORMATTING Spots@$Price 95@$10
Total Price: $950
Make and Model: SPK Labia
Price Justification: Just won in raffle at $1050 valuation a week ago, value has been dropping on these so now $950. https://www.reddit.com/Knife_Swap/comments/1266hs7/wts_spk_lamia/
Timestamp&pics: https://imgur.com/a/vcjRB6r
Escrow: No
Description: PLEASE BE THOROUGH. EXPLICITLY STATE ALL ISSUES : Lamia Gen 2. Previous owner received it brand new from Alex and did not carry or use it. Comes with spare Teflon washers and lube. I tried to minimize my physical contact with Alex's cooties so I only took it out for pics/video.
International shipping: proxy only

PayPal Info: https://www.paypal.me/TheGuraShrimp
​
Tip BlobAndHisBoy
Number of vacant slots: 53
Number of unpaid users: 6
Number of unpaid slots: 21
This slot list is created and updated by The EDC Raffle Tool by BlobAndHisBoy.
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Hi everyone, I’m taking a month long vacation in Europe from 6/4-7/1. My only requirements are that I spend 1 week in Paris until the 12th and leave from Vienna on July 1st. I need advice for what to do in between those 2 spots. Places I really want to go: Mont Saint Michel, Venice, Budapest. I’m pretty open to anything else. Im a big history/architecture nerd (was a Classics major) but also love active activities, and would love off the beaten path things to do. Budget is pretty open. I am planning on taking trains but open to cheap flights. Any advice or potential itineraries would be very appreciated!

• Species: Cat
• Age: 7
• Sex/Neuter status: Female, spayed
• Breed: Lynx Point Siamese
• Body weight: 10lbs
• History: No history
• Clinical signs: Wheezing noises
• Duration: 1x/day, 20-30 seconds
• Links to test results, vet reports, X-rays etc: Nothing completed yet; booking vet appointment this week

Video link: https://imgur.com/a/pzd2ycD
Hi all,
Our 7 y/o lynx point siamese recently began making these noises. First occurrence was a few days ago; it’s happened 3 times so far. Basically once a day for about 20-30 seconds.
This is the first time we’ve ever heard her make noises like this throughout her entire life. We plan on taking her to our vet once the workweek rolls around.
Could this be indicative of cat asthma, in your experiences? Any insight appreciated.

Hi there,
I am hoping to get some advice on a rental reduction issue. Our apartment flooded on 14th April 2023. On 27 April our Real Estate agent sent us an email saying the following:
"Hi,
I hope you are well.
A quick email to advise the rent will been reduced to $600.00 P/W (from $830 P/W), so the monthly rent for May is $2607.14 until the matter is resolved"
Therefore, our rent, which was paid on 9th May was reduced by approximately $1000. We are moving out of our property on 9th June. None of the damage has been fixed and therefore the matter remains unresolved and will do so until we leave.
Given our rent is already paid up until we leave we are seeking a partial refund from our Real Estate agent because by the time we move out the damage will have been going on for 7.5 weeks and we will have only received a 4 week discount (when we paid the rent in May). The agent is now saying that because we are moving out we are not going to get any more reduction and they won't refund us even though he was the one that sent this via email. It doesn't make sense as he said we would be entitled to the reduction if we continued living here yet, because we are moving out that somehow deems us unworthy of it, despite the fact that the conditions remain the same. We have no carpet in our living space and instead have exposed cement floors with rusty nails sticking out of them, multiple large holes in the kitchen floor, a broken front door and a hole in the wall. We are only trying to follow up on reduction that the Real Estate agent offered us, but he is now trying to backtrack, presumably because he now has to go to the owner and tell them that he owes us money.
Does any one have any advice? TIA🙏🏼

My son is 6 weeks and we’ve gone from 9 feedings a day to about 6/7. He seems fine with less feedings but wanted to see what others around the same age were at.

Idk if it’s just me but I feel like I’m getting looked at weird by some ppl in public and in my neighborhood, I usually do my own thing and I don’t even have a staring habit myself,
For example there was 2 teen girls at Publix a week ago looking at me with a stern look and looking back at me when they passed by, and there’s 1 African guy in my neighborhood that looks at me very strange when I ride my scooter.
Thing is I’m not 7 feet tall, I’m only 5’11 an I have an average build, I don’t have any facial deformities, I don’t wear flashy clothes, and I’m pretty chill and mostly listen to music in my headphones and do my own thing. I do have a mild tic that makes me shake my hand just a tiny bit but that’s about it.
I’ve also noticed that it’s usually ppl about my age (18) that do the staring and not older ppl.

Is my baby girl the only one who is extremely fussy before every nap? Her sleepy cues go from 0 to 100. Once she’s down, she sleeps for the most part. Contact naps are a dream and we are getting better at the basinet. But before that, it’s a disaster. We burp, again and again and again. Is this normal for this age? All of a sudden she will just roll her eyes and pass out. We’ve never let her just “cry it out”… we always try to console her.
Any tips?

I am 21(f) and got diagnosed at 20. I want to say once I got diagnosed the pain was truly unbearable. From there I started medication (hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine) and it helped but not enough. Now I will start taking methotrexate on top of that. When I worked at an office the pain slowly but surely got better. Eventually things changed so I relocated and got a new job. I work a job 4 days a week (at a grocery store) so i’m on my feet 7 hours a day. Ever since, my pain has plummeted and I feel like I took steps backwards. Do you think I have to quit my job and go back to something less labor intensive?? I really don’t want to but I can’t tell what else would fix this. I’m really going to be heartbroken if I have to leave a space I enjoy. :,(

Demographics: Male, white, gay, rural Pennsylvania, small uncompetitive high school (No big hooks other than location and sexuality?)
Income Bracket: 70K-110K
Intended Major(s): Psychology (intent to declare pre-med for psychiatry)
ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1450 (760 EBRW, 690 Math) -- Retaking in June after intensive Math study -- hoping for at least a 740 Math for 1500 superscore at least
UW/W GPA and Rank: 4.0 UW, 4.44 W
Coursework: 16 Honors Classes, AP Lang (expect to get a 5 in July) There are only 8 APs offered in my school, and only two are offered prior to senior year.
Senior Year Courseload: AP Lit, AP Euro, DE Statistics (uPitt), Honors German 3, several other low-level classes related to my major where AP isn't offered + Media and Chambers (Which is honors credit --- see ECs) Could not do AP Calc due to schedule conflicts
Awards:
Eagle Scout with two Eagle Palms
Regional Musical Theater Award (nominated and won) -- first individual winner in school history
PMEA All-State Musician (Choir) -- First to make it from my school in 8 years
PSPA Student Journalism State Champion -- again, first ever from my school
College Board Rural and Small Town Recognition
National Commended Scholar (only one in my class to be commended)
​
Extracurriculars: Leader of Boy Scout Troop, one year; president of my school's chamber singers, two years; president of my school's media team, two years; member of NHS, two years; member of Tri-M honor society, two years; varsity cross country runner, 3 years; musical cast member (principal roles), 3 years; choir, 7 years; Week-long scholarship and leadership camp by invitation, gardening, novel writing, music production (song on spotify)
Essays/LORs/Other: My personal essay isn't going to be formatted very traditionally, but it comes straight from the heart, discussing why my intended major doesn't correlate to my ECs. I will emphasize the opportunities my area gives and what I made of it. My long-time desire to solve the mental health crisis in our country will also be discussed, seeing how I've witnessed its effects on my friends, family, and myself. I'll also touch on community impact through boy scouts, working with only partially supportive family and friends, and staying humble even though I was being put on a pedestal.
LORs are going to be 9/10. Deep connections to all three, including my guidance counselor.
Additional Question: Should I try self-studying for AP Psych?
Schools:
Bowdoin (ED)
Northwestern
Amherst College
Case Western
Syracuse
Westminster College (safety in PA)
Johns Hopkins
Ithaca College
Stanford
Tufts
Brown
Dartmouth
UMiami
Colorado College
Cornell
Penn State
Vandy
Bucknell
Yale
Bates
Colby

Hi so I wanted to know if what I experienced comes under human trafficking (in the US) 1. When I was 14 my mom made me visit our home country (outside US) and said it was for a week. Then she plotted to get me and my siblings green cards stolen and left us there with our aunt. 2. She said that we had to stay there because we had some legal issues with our passports so she had to sort it out. 3. She then told us we were allowed to visit the US for a week every summer. 4. In the beginning our green cards were retrieved but hidden from us. 5. Then we got hold of them but due to being young and naive and having no money we believed her and thought it was illegal for us to go back unless she said so. 6. Years later I figured out she planned everything to keep us there and now I am back in the US as a citizen. 7. My aunt mentally abused us and made us do household chores 2 years into living with her. Now I just wanna know does this come under any kind of trafficking or illegal activity.

This is a new bi-weekly feature we will be running on the sub to highlight each of the bands mentioned in the song The Goddess of Doom by Reverend Bizarre. These threads will serve for those new to true doom to learn about its most important bands and for seasoned listeners to worship at the altar of true doom.
This week's band is the legendary Saint Vitus, and while this post originally started off as a place to worship this great band, in light of original bassist Mark Adams' passing this post will also be the subreddit's tribute to him.
BIO:
Hailing from Los Angeles California, USA, Saint Vitus are pioneers of doom metal. Originally formed in 1978 under the name Tyrant with Scott Reagers on vocals, Dave Chandler on guitars, Mark Adams (RIP) on bass and Armando Acosta (RIP) on drums, they would go on to change their name to Saint Vitus (after the Black Sabbath song, St. Vitus Dance from Vol. IV) in 1981.
Unlike their contemporaries and bands who followed them, Saint Vitus had a punk influence and were friends with local punk bands, particularly Black Flag. This led to them making a name for themselves touring with and opening for Black Flag and leading to their signing to SST Records, which was better known as a punk label. In 1984 they released their first, self-titled, album on SST Records.
After their second album, Hallow's Victim (1985), singer Scott Reagers left the band and was replaced by Scott "Wino" Weinrich, at the suggestion of Reagers. This lineup would go on to make the band's highly lauded Born Too Late (1986). The Wino, Chandler, Adams and Acosta lineup did two more albums, 1988's Mournful Cries and 1990's V before Wino would leave the group to reform his old band, The Obsessed (more on them another time).
At this point, Saint Vitus were looking for another new singer. While Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass fame and Chritus Linderson of Count Raven were both available and initially interested, the former having recently left Candlemass and the latter about to leave Count Raven in order to join Penance, it was Linderson who ultimately ended up replacing Wino on vocals. The resulting album, 1992's C.O.D. (Children of Doom), is the most different album in the Vitus catalogue. While all of Saint Vitus's previous albums had been under 40 minutes, with several of them even under 35, C.O.D. was over an hour long and contained 12 tracks. After the album and its subsequent tour, Linderson would go on to leave the group. He is now well known for being the singer in Kimi Kärki's post-Reverend Bizarre band, Lord Vicar.
With Linderson gone, the band broke up. However, the split didn't last long and original singer Scott Reagers was once again at the helm. The album that followed, Die Healing (1995), was to be the final Saint Vitus album and it was for over 15 years. The band ceased all activity in 1995 and, besides some reunion shows in 2003, remained dormant until 2008 when they reformed, again with Wino on vocals and Henry Vazquez on drums, replacing original drummer Armando Acosta. Acosta would sadly pass away at the age of 58 in 2010. The album that followed, 2012's Lillie: F-65, apparently a reference to a drug that Dave Chandler used to do back in the day, featured 7 new tracks of classic Vitus-style doom. After touring on the album and riding the wave of reunion hype, Wino left once again to focus on The Obsessed (again, more on them soon enough) and original bassist Mark Adams left the band as he was suffering from Parkinson's, being replaced by Pat Bruders (Down, ex-Crowbar, ex-Goatwhore).
Who better to replace Wino for the second time but Scott Reagers, now in his third stint in Saint Vitus. The most recent Saint Vitus album as of the writing of this post is simply titled Saint Vitus (yes, another self-titled record) out in 2019 on Season of Mist records. The album features more classic-sounding Vitus tracks like 12 Years in the Tomb, more upbeat numbers like Bloodshed and even a hardcore punk (!) tune, Useless, showing that Saint Vitus are as strong as ever.
DISCOGRAPHY:

1. Saint Vitus - 1984
2. Hallow's Victim - 1985
3. Born Too Late - 1986
4. Mournful Cries - 1988
5. V - 1990
6. C.O.D. - 1992
7. Die Healing - 1995
8. Lillie: F-65 - 2012
9. Saint Vitus - 2019

Feel free to share your thoughts on Saint Vitus below.
DOOM WHAT THOU WILT

I started at my company 5 months ago and I got promoted this week. I went from 20/hour to $65,000 salary. It is what I have wanted for so long, to finally be the one in charge and be salaried and feel valued and respected. I was so happy and proud of myself for jumping into this new company and proving myself this quickly. I really felt like they were different and that I owed them everything for giving me this chance.
Then I got accidentally CC'd on an email thread where they were offering my position at a starting salary of $74K. Now I do understand that experience plays a role in what they offer you. I just immediately felt undervalued and like I was the cheaper option because they could get away with paying me less. I talked to my boss about it and she basically said that because the jump was so high from my hourly rate to $65K that the company wouldn't go any higher. She said we could revisit at the end of the year, but the max increase would be 5% and there is no way it would amount to $74K.
The kicker is that we are hiring my replacement and our last interviewee wants $27/hourly. My boss is going to push it through HR to get that approved. So while I was making barely a living wage doing this job, they are ready to pay someone new $7 more an hour. If I had been getting paid $27 from the start, then my salary now would probably be higher. I feel really hurt and honestly a little bitter.
I know I should be thankful for the increase. The cost of living in my area is high though and I can still barely qualify for a 2-bedroom apartment on that salary.
So even though I felt like this company was the first one who finally believed in me, valued me as an employee, and had my back - I was wrong and I have to remember that they will always act in their own best interests. I cannot be loyal and I have to be ready to leave as soon as I get enough experience to hop somewhere else for higher pay.
It's just sad because I really saw a future here. I wish the world was different and I wish corporate culture could be more transparent and fair. I guess that's just a pipe dream.

Hi All - I recently received a 878UVii this week. Using AT_Options, I have been able to set the mode to 14 (conformed by performing a read after the write). However, when reading from the CPS SW after an initialization, the mode shows as 00 even though the AT-Options software confirms that the radio is in mode 14.
I'm currently on firmware 3.02n and have successfully set the radio to mode 7.
I'm fine with mode 7 but I was wondering if anyone else has seen this behavior when trying to switch the new radios to mode 14.

When I was in college, I was part of a vibrant college ministry. Many of its members used to live in the same dorm and we had times of fellowship, breaking bread, praying for each other, doing homework, laughing, joking, and just living life together. We invited non-believers in to our group to share in our community while modeling what Christ's love and body looked like. It was sweet and glorious.
Upon graduation, we spread across the country and found ourselves disillusioned with what we envisioned the early Church to have looked like (Acts 2:42-47) and what typical American culture looks like. As adults, people have their own families and kids, live in their apartments or houses, live far away from each other, and only see each other once or twice a week (church service and small group).
There are some folks whom I know that are talking about buying some houses all next to each other so they can relive the glory days of college where we can all be neighbors, and fellowship together because that is what the early Church looked like. And if that is not possible, then maybe we can all spend extended times at each other's places (rotation of week-long or month-long stays with each other at various houses scattered throughout).
Does Christian fellowship / community mean that we must all live, sleep, work, and eat together 24/7? What exactly is the model of Christian community and how does it play into American culture? I'm aware that other cultures in Africa or Asia are much more communal and life is lived much more socially than individually. The phrase "It takes a village to raise a child" is most apt when lived out in those areas than it is in America where it seems like everyone is much more isolated and wants to do their own thing and not have to have yet another thing on an already busy schedule.
So, which is it? Should we all live on a commune together or is it possible to live separated lives while also modeling Christian community?

So let me start off by saying I know I have an EASY sleeper baby who also has high sleep needs. I’m praying that is something in my genetics and all my future children are like this but I know that’s not always the case! He’s always on the low end of wake windows and sleeps the highest amount of total sleep in 24 hours. He definitely takes after me because I too need lots of sleep to feel well lol. He’s 19 weeks.
So he woke up every three hours to eat until he was eight weeks old he stopped connecting sleep cycles at night and woke every 45 minutes. I was exhausted and I bought the taking Cara babies 0-5 month course. The next day after I finished the course we worked on falling asleep drowsy but awake all day and that night he slept eight hours. Since that day 95% of the time he has fallen asleep independently for every nap and bedtime.
He takes 4 naps, two long ones (1.5 hours) in the morning and two short cat naps in the afternoon. In bed at 7:30 I dream feed at 10-11 depending when I go to sleep and he wakes once in the early morning (4-5) for a quick feed then back to sleep until 6:30 am.
My question is for that night feeding to drop would I have to formally sleep train or do you think from the gentle methods I’ve done the whole time he kinda already is sleep trained and that night feed will drop when he’s ready? He’s still young so I don’t want to drop a night feeding until his little tummy is ready I hate the idea of him crying to sleep because he woke up hungry. Thanks for the advice!!

If you decide to read this long post, please note that this is a very sensitive subject and that I am heart-broken, ashamed, and lost. I have been considering behavioral euthanasia for my 3-year-old Malinois for the past 6 months. I took in a puppy for foster back in March 2020 because shelter space was at capacity, and I had free time since I was remote. After a few weeks I decided to keep the puppy, whose name is now Tito. I had no idea what a Belgian Malinois was, but I quickly realized that he wasn't an ordinary pup. I sought out a working dog trainer local to me and we started doing daily boarding and 1-1 training sessions. My trainer has five Malinois (all in various sports such as Schutzhund/IPO and PSA) and she quickly noted that he was VERY nervy and was showing signs of fear-based aggression. Granted, he was a puppy, so I didn't think much of it at the time. I began learning about obedience, and the world of dog sport via LEERBURG, and took several classes on their website for conditioning, reactivity, and competitive heeling. I went headfirst into the world of dog training and sport, and quite honestly fell in love with it. My trainer said that although Tito was a nervous wreck, he didn't have enough drive for sport, but he had too much drive for a pet home. Nonetheless, I stayed consistent with training each day. I noticed a drastic change in behavior at around the 14 month mark. When I would get together with friends, Tito was OK (for the most part) when around their dogs. He would be slightly nippy, trying to herd them but no aggression or fear present. He became explosively reactive when around the same dogs so I took him to the Vet to get checked and rule out any health/medical issues. NO medical issues - so what's next? I told my trainer and she recommended that although it MAY not make a difference, we could try neutering. All of her dogs are intact and she usually advises against it but it was worth a shot. I was back and forth on the idea, until one day he got hold of one of our two cats and drew a little bit of blood (failed to mention that we have two cats in the home that he would chase). I have to manage him both outside of the home, and inside the home at all times. If he isn't in a place command, on the dogpacer treadmill getting his physical needs met, or eating, he is crated. After he attacked one of our cats, I decided to move forward with the neuter. No change. We began a behavior modification program with trazadone and Clomipramine. The trazadone was sedating but it didn't really help much else, while after about 6 months we did see a slight change with the Clomipramine ($250/month I might add). Tito's reactivity got so bad at one point, that he redirected on both my leg, and my fiancé's several times to where he punctured, drew blood, and eventually scarred our legs. Shame on us for not muzzling him from the get-go but you live, and you learn... Aside from being dog reactive, and redirecting on us during walks, he never showed aggression towards people UNTIL the 2-year mark.
INCIDENT #1: My fiancé and I were walking the dogs and had one of our friends who we were expecting waiting outside of our house. We greeted her, the dogs were neutral, and we all walked into the home together. I started prepping the dog's dinner while our friend was taking her shoes off at the entry way. Tito darted from the kitchen, straight to the entryway, and bit our friend's wrist. Thankfully he bit her watch, but it still punctured her wrist and scarred.
INCIDENT #2: A few months went by, and we had my fiancé's cousin and her friend staying with us for the weekend. We made it a point to keep Tito on our second floor, crated if they were around to avoid any potential events. I had him on a leash, muzzled, ready to take him outside for a walk when I said hi to the two girls staying with us. Tito didn't flinch and was neutral which was an unexpected surprise. While muzzled, we walked through the kitchen, and I decided to reward his neutrality with some treats. I then gave my fiancé's cousin and friend some freeze dried, and they fed him through the muzzle. At this point, I felt comfortable (shame on me) and I sat down on the couch and removed Tito's muzzle. The friend still had some treats and fed him - no issue. All was fine up until she stood up, to which he bit her wrist, drawing blood. Not severe by any means, but yet again I put another person in danger because of my naivety.
INCIDENT #3: This next attack was our tipping point as his bites have progressively gotten worse with each event. I was working in my office and had my golden doodle, and Tito next to me with the door closed. My fiance let me know that our friend (same friend was incident #1) was coming over WITH her 8 year old son. I told her that I would crate both the dogs upstairs while they were over to avoid any issues. I walked out of the office and closed the door so the dogs couldn't see our guests. I was chatting with our friend, and hanging out with her son while we waited for dinner to be done. I fell asleep on the couch (it was a 10 hour work day), and napped for about an hour with the dogs still inside the office. My fiancé didn't want to wake me since she knew I was exhausted, so she leashed both dogs and took them outside to go potty. The 8 year old was on his iPad in the living room while his mom was in the bathroom. My fiancé took the boys to the top of the stairs to get back into our house and had them in a sit-stay command to re-attach their leashes before entering our house through the kitchen. Tito broke command and my fiancé could not get his leash attached in time. Before you know it he pushes the door into the kitchen open and is running full speed to get to me (also has separation anxiety and needs to be near me at all times). In order to get to me on the couch however, he needs to pass the kitchen. As he is running through the kitchen, our friend's son is holding his iPad. Now, he knows that Tito had previously bit his mother, so he was TERRIFIED when he saw him running towards us. The son started screaming, with his hands in the air which at this point I woke up, jumping off the couch. Tito turned back around, and as he did the son threw his iPad at Tito. Tito latched onto the boy's thigh, biting him. Thankfully, as soon as he made contact, he immediately let go but the damage was already done. I picked up our friend's son, took him to the tub to clean/disinfect the bite which had two puncture marks (worse than any previous bite). We took him to the ER and thankfully the doctor said that it wasn't too bad and that it should heal in about a week or so. My fiancé and I were devasted. This poor boy was now traumatized due to our recklessness and inability to manage our reactive dog. My fiancé came into this relationship with (1) dog, while I had Tito and our golden doodle. She didn't sign up to live on eggshells and I commend her for all of her support BUT I feel TERRIBLE that now none of her friends feel safe coming to our home. I spent about two weeks researching behavioral euthanasia and we were committed to moving forward with it in February of this year - until the guilt set in. A few months past, no incidents, until about Mid-March. INCIDENT #4: I already mentioned that I had Tito and our golden doodle (name is Archie) before I met my fiance. She already had a 7 year old Lab/Pit Mix named Jasmine so thankfully we were able to get all three dogs to peacefully co-exist (for the most part). Jasmine is an "old soul" and doesn't like any sudden movements or play while she's around - she has her quirks. I was letting all three dogs out in the backyard one afternoon (this was late March of this year), and decided to play fetch with Archie (golden doodle). Jasmine was waiting by the door to get back into the house as I threw the ball for Archie. In order to get to the ball, he had to run past Jasmine. Archie knows exactly how she would react, so he slowed down, and tip toed past her to safely get to the ball. In that moment, Jasmine turned around and attacked Archie, pinning him to the ground. As I am trying to remove Jasmine off of Archie, Tito comes in from left field and attacks Jasmine. All of this happened within a second and I didn't realize that there was any serious damage until we were in the house much later. Jasmine had a three-inch laceration on her under belly, exposing the muscle with the skin/fur nowhere in sight. We immediately rushed her to the ER to which she ended up having to get 14 stitches. For the record, she is fine now but still a terrifying sight. Yet another tipping point, but we still held off on BE.
INCIDENT #5: On Friday night (two days ago), I was letting the dogs out. Now let me preface by saying that the house we live in is a multi-family home where we live on the 2nd/3rd floor, while the first floor is its own apartment/unit. My fiancé's brother, his girlfriend, and their dog actually occupy this space, so we typically text each other when one of us needs to let the dogs out. We always make sure that the backyard is cleared before letting our dogs out to avoid any potential conflict/injury. I shot over a text and let them know that I would be in the backyard (it is about 10:30 pm, and it's DARK). Her brother acknowledged, and I even made a joke about how Tito was crazy because he spotted a rat in our backyard and chased it to the garage. All of a sudden, I hear their backdoor open and their dog Bronny comes towards us in a full sprint. The brother's girlfriend didn't know we were in the yard, as he told her right when she was opening the door. At this point it was too late. Bronnie and Tito have NEVER met aside from smelling each other's markings in the yard when the other isn't present. Before I could even visually spot Bronny (dark, brindle coat), Tito had his teeth around Bronny's neck. I was able to pry Tito's mouth off him, to which Bronny ran inside their apartment, however Tito followed suit. He got a hold of him AGAIN and I had to pry his teeth off, and sort of nudge Bronny away while I got a good grip on Tito (had no collar on so I had to get a good grip on his scruff). Bronny had peed all over himself, scared shitless. I took the boys upstairs to their crates, and came back down to check on him. The punctures weren't too deep and they said they would take him to the vet. I FEEL AWFUL. Although I gave them a warning that we were in the yard, it is my responsibility to keep everyone safe from our dog. Bronny, who is typically a very rambunctious, silly dog, turned on me earlier today when I said hi in the backyard by myself. He tried to bite me, and the brother had to pull him off. I am responsible for this dog's pain, fear, and trauma. Turns out Bronny's neck had swelled up, creating an abyss. They just got back from the vet, and he needed to be sedated so that they could drain the fluid. I feel so much shame and guilt and don't know if I could live with this happening AGAIN.
What more can I do? - Training, training, training, every single day (making sure his physical needs are met along with adequate mental stimulation) - Worked with several trainers, all of which concluded that this is just who he is - Lots of LOVE, PLAY, and more LOVE - Prong collar (no longer using as it makes his reactivity worse) - E-Collar (no longer using as it only amplifies his redirection) - Behavior modification in conjunction with medication - Has a daily routine and is given jobs
I don't know what else I can do - how can I continue to justify keeping him alive? He is my soul-dog, my best friend, my boy. He has so much love for us and can be the most amazing dog - until he isn't. He would be the greatest dog if it wasn't for his reactivity but what can you do? These were the cards we were dealt. I quite honestly believe that it all comes down to genetics and it is a uphill battle every day. Whoever decided to breed and produce Tito and his litter mates is a backyard breeding POS.
It kills me that I took in this sweet puppy, did everything I possibly could to give him a great life, and it still wasn't enough. It kills me that I am so irresponsible and selfish, that I decided to keep him alive after each and every bite incident. I feel so bad for my fiancé as she knows how hard this decision is for me and yet after everything that has happened, continues to support my decision to keep him alive despite all the pain he has caused us. I can't continue to make excuses for my dog. I can't keep walking on eggshells in my own home, putting the safety of our cats, other dogs, and neighbors at risk because I LOVE MY DOG. My love can't make him a stable, neutral dog.
The thought of taking him to the vet, watching him lay on a metal table breaks my heart. Having him look me in the eyes as he takes his last breath, thinking that we'll leave to go home any minute, brings me to tears. How could I fail this loving boy who would do ANYTHING for me? How can I walk out of the vet clinic with only a leash and no dog looking up at me like I am their whole entire world? This isn't fair. We will be booking an appointment for next Sunday. I plan on taking PTO from work next Friday and Monday so that we can have one last incredible weekend together.
If you have any ideas of how we can make the most of our time, please share. This is going to be the hardest decision of my life and I am not ready to lose my best friend. Thank you for listening.