![]() I’ve had client who were badly bitten by their own dogs, some who were seriously injured in other ways (injured knees, bad backs, etc.) and some who had to be hospitalized. But most of us don’t have a Great Pyrenees in our pocket when a fight starts, and can be at great risk when trying to break up an altercation. (“If you lift the hindquarters from the ground the dogs will stop fighting.”) These visiting bitches (don’t you love that I can say bitch here?) had not read that chapter and were going at it like food processors on WHIP when my Great Pyrenees, Tulip, ran around the corner, leapt into the air with a roaring bark, scared the crap out of all three of us, and ended the fight then and there. ![]() I well remember, how could I forget?, holding two fighting female Border Collies up in the air, each grasped by the base of the tail and lifted off the ground as advised by the books. I’ve had plenty of owners bitten by dogs while doing so. In addition, what about the risk to the owners? We all know that breaking up a dog fight can be dangerous. ![]() I would never say never, but once things have escalated to that point, the odds of either dog being safe again is small. I’ve had many clients whose dogs injured the other horrifically, and could barely be pulled off before the other dog was killed. Have there been 5 instances of growls and brief tiffs, or have the dogs engaged in several fights in which one dog or both dogs were badly injured? I’ve had numerous clients who told me, with clear confidence, that one of their dogs wants to kill the other. First and foremost, you need to ask: How dangerous are the fights to the dogs? Noisy skirmishes are unpleasant and upsetting, but don’t always lead to any damage, either physically or psychologically. That is always true when one is dealing with aggression, and it is equally true here. Cases like these can make the decision terribly difficult, which is why it is tremendously helpful to have a template of questions to consider when faced with a difficult decision: Continue to try to treat the problem, manage the problem, or rehome one of the dogs? Here is my list, with gratitude to colleagues Kelly, Meg and Jamie for the inclusion of their wisdom and experience: Or believe that it is never ethical to send one dog from one family into another. Or can’t imagine either dog going to a good home if you decide to give it up. Some cases appear to be so serious that they call for the immediate re-homing of one dog, but that is a lot easier to do if you’re not the one who is in love with both dogs. Sometimes they had serious, injurious fights, sometimes one dog lived in obvious terror of the other, even though actual fights were rare or non existent, and sometimes the owners managed the situation but the dogs could never, ever, be allowed to be in the same room with the risk of extreme stress or injury. I don’t mean dogs who had minor tiffs, or dogs who were occasionally possessive-aggressive (“My couch! My human!), but dogs who had truly serious issues and were making life at home less than relaxing, if not downright dangerous. This is a common problem brought to behaviorists I must have seen hundreds of clients who had dogs who did not get along. We found ourselves sorting through what factors need to be considered if re-homing is on the table. In response, some dev teams will be taking their titles off the market to avoid this fee.Recently I had a discussion with good friends and colleagues about how to handle difficult cases in which two dogs have engaged in extremely serious fights in the home. That being said, there will likely be a huge shift in indie development with Unity's new download fee that will go into effect at the start of 2024. In many ways, access to software like Unreal Engine and Unity has made indie development much more viable with pre-packaged tools like RPG Maker highlighting the creativity of a lot of folks. If I had to pick an expertise, I'd say it would be the diversity and development of independent games. TheGamer is a great platform for me to share my thoughts and ideas while getting a chance to read the writings of others which broaden my perspective. Since I started, I've had the opportunity to learn a lot about the industry, conduct research investigations, and most important, interview developers of all sorts. ![]() I've been writing about games and pop culture for over 5 years now with a focus on indie games. When he's not playing or writing, he's drawing comics and making puns. He's spent a lot of time working as a video editor and graphic designer for sites like Guide Fall and plans to continue his efforts for TheGamer. Will Quick is a game player, journalist, and content creator currently living in Spain.
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