Lyric.. came into my life in 1997 right as my mother-in-law passed away after fracturing her hip. My husband needed the distraction. I had co-owned another dog with friends and that dog, was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. With her having major crises too often and not yet stabilized, my friends decided bringing a new replacement puppy in would be a bad idea. So I offered to raise her through her formative weeks and months and then we would decide what to do.Lyric, a beautiful, smart, driven blue merle girl jumped in to our lives with all 4 feet. As a puppy, she was problematic and bossy at times, but after having Border Collies for so many years, I felt it was just a phase and that I could train her through the rough spots. The problems were many, and back then I just didn't realize the depth of them. And the escalation of those issues would bring her downfall...
By the time Lyric was 9 to 10 months of age, she had already begun challenging my alpha female for her position. Zoe, a sweet, yet intense, focused dog didn't take her very seriously, nor did I at that time. But in many subtle ways, Lyric began taking over and it wasn't until she was gone, that I realized the horrible impact she had on the other dogs in the family.
Lyric was a natural, gifted athlete and talent. She was a dream dog on sheep and picked up agility exercises with abandoned fearlessness. She was easy to train. but was beyond overly attached to me. To the point of severe separation anxiety. It wasn't until much later that we found out the Lyric's mother had come from a BC puppy mill breeder down south. This would be a major factor in the events to come. As easy to train as she was, she was becoming increasingly difficult to live with at home. She was bossy and bratty, but rarely showed that side to me. All I heard were the complaints from my husband about her behavior and attitude. Unfortunately one day, I finally got the message. I had Lyric at an agility class. I put her on a sit-stay to do a lead-out and she broke. She did this time and time again and I patiently put her back in the sit where I had left her. Because I was not allowing her to do as she wanted, her frustration level exploded and as I sat her for the 7th time, she leaped straight up and bit my face, drawing blood. I was shocked at the second it happened, but then I grabbed her by the collar and put her down. As my lip and cheek bled, I connected a leash and took her straight to the van and home. It was that day that her behavior began spiralling out of control.
By the time Lyric was 2 1/2 years old, she was strong, muscular and becoming increasingly more dog aggressive as time went on. She was controlling the house like a sadistic drill Sergeant and had the other members of the household walking on eggshells... all but pack leader Duncan. He did his level best to keep a lid on Lyric's behavior. We honestly didn't realize the scope of it until it was almost too late. She respected him and didn't push Duncan in anyway. In return, he gave her respect, but even that wasn't enough for her.
On May 31, 2000, I had the dogs out in the yard to potty before I took Lyric to agility class. On that fateful day, and for reasons unknown, Lyric unprovoked, attacked and almost killed Zoe in the yard. It took me and broom and every ounce of courage I could muster to get Lyric to release Zoe as she savaged her. It was at that very moment that I was very afraid of Lyric and knew I could no longer manage her. After a quick call to my vet at his home, I gathered a bleeding, shocky Zoe up in towels, after Lyric was crated, and met him at the clinic. He asked me what I wanted him to do and I told him to save Zoe and then in the same breath, I asked him to euthanize Lyric the next morning. Zoe was a mess. She had 70+ bite wounds in her neck and throat as Lyric would release and re-grip over and over. Zoe's ear was ripped wide open as well as her face. And she suffered bite wounds on her her right front leg and foot where Lyric ripped her to the bone. She was in shock from losing so much blood and we were at risk of losing her. But fortunately she responded to the IV fluids, stabilized and was sutured where she could be sutured. Her neck was bandaged in thick gauze, but the light never left her eyes. She was a fighter and this was not going to defeat her. I took her home after several hours of treatment as she would be better off recuperating there. Now came the hard part... telling my husband what had happened as he was at work through the whole ordeal.
Lyric still wanted to kill Zoe, so she was banished to a crate in our finished basement for the night. I didn't sleep... I couldn't. I could only come to the stark realization that Lyric was not safe and never would be and that euthanizing her was the only answer. I couldn't make her someone else's problem. She couldn't be re-homed safely. She was past that now. So as the hours passed into morning, I put Zoe safely away and spent some time with Lyric. We had a fun game of fetch and did some weave pole work. Then we packed her into the van with Zoe safely in a crate and took them back to the vet. Zoe was having some complications, mainly swelling and needed to be checked. And it was time for Lyric to go...
Euthanizing Lyric was one of the most traumatic and difficult things I have ever done in my life. I walked her up the hill behind the vet's office and that is where I said goodbye to her for the last time. She went gently and peacefully and whatever demons that drove her were gone now. I carried her down the hill, close enough for Zoe to be able to limp to and allowed her to see that Lyric was gone and no longer a threat to her or anyone. It was the first time Zoe had relaxed in a very long time. Then we took Zoe home to heal, both mentally and physically, which would take a very long time. Lyric was cremated and her ashes are on a shelf in the dog room.
I never realized the impact this would all have on me. I had "friends" stop talking to me, publicly criticize me and out and out be nasty to me once the word got out that I had euthanized Lyric. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones... and until you have lived in my house with my situation, I wouldn't be too critical. After about a month, my other dogs began to relax, once they realized Lyric would never be back. That is everyone but Duncan. For the first time in Duncan's life, he would have behavioral issues which lasted for several weeks. I am not a dog, and I try not to make them human, but I do know that they grieve. And I think that maybe, just maybe, Duncan felt as though he failed both Lyric and me. But then, that would make him too human I suppose.
I NEVER blamed Lyric's breeder and it took everything I had to contact her and Lyric's co-owners to let them know what had transpired. I found out later that Lyric's dam had been bred by a woman who was a notorius BC puppy mill breeder who scurried away in the night like a rat when she was tracked down and that Hazel had been in 4 other homes before Lyric's breeder bought her. She was only told that she didn't work out. That wasn't even the half of it. Hazel was sold trained for a tidy sum, but Lyric's breeder was never told any of the problems with this particular dog. Several of Lyric's litter had aggression issues and Hazel herself was sold on because she was causing problems with the new owner's other dogs. It wasn't her dogs that were causing the problems, but Hazel. And in the end, she was also euthanized for severe aggression. The apple didn't fall far from the tree it seemed. Although Lyric's sire was a darling, sweet boy, the bad genes from the dam wouldn't be overcome.
It was several years later, on our way to bring Piper puppy home, that we met with an animal communicator at a freestyle competition in NY. Some are believers, some are not, but this man told us things that he shouldn't possibly have known. I harbored incredible guilt about euthanizing Lyric. But she spoke up first and told him to tell me that she was sorry and that she understood and that she loved me for setting her free. Believe what you will. I do. That day gave me peace for the first time in 3 years. I was then able to think about the good times and let go of the sorrow and guilt that I had. And it seemed, Lyric had too.
It things had been different, Lyric would have been a grand old lady now. But I believe that dogs come into our lives for a reason and to teach us something about them and ourselves. Lyric's lessons were harsh, but I learned them well... They are our greatest teachers... All we must do is open our hearts and minds. <3
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