The Most Painful Choice: A Dog Owner's Story of Behavioral Euthanasia

When Champ, a German Shepherd, was adopted from a local breed rescue, his family hoped and expected to spend many fun-filled years together. However, Champ suffered physically and mentally from neglect and trauma from his first years of life. Despite numerous treatments, Champ was never able to overcome that trauma to become a "normal" dog, and his family made the painful decision to give him peace through behavior euthanasia. This work serves not only as an account of Champ's life and his family's attempts to help him, but also as a resource on behavior euthanasia, which is a compassionate choice for unmanageable aggression, reactivity, bites or severe anxiety. Investigating the potential causes of these issues, chapters examine scientific research on dog behavior and emotions.