16/07/2025
This is not the update anyone wanted and it is with a heavy heart that I write this post.
Yesterday was Cole's last day with us. When Cole first came to us we were all hoping that the shelter environment was the cause of his sudden unpredictable aggression. Lighthouse is an amazing shelter, but even in the best shelters the environment is incredibly stressful on dogs and every dog can only handle so much.
For the first 2 years of Cole's stay, he was the perfect dog. He struggled with his dog reactivity and prey drive, but outside of that was extremly human oriented and loved affection. However, over the last 6-8months something in him broke. He was no longer able to accept the affection he so desperately sought out.
Cole came to us as his last chance, with the hope that daily walks, play, exercise, mental stimulation, training, needs FULLY met, that he would be himself again. And since I've already recieved hate comments I would like to address something - It was never my job to "cure his aggression" (which cannot be done in 1month btw, training isnt magic) but rather to fully evaluate if he was safe to adopt out to a home. So let’s address the elephant in the room, could his sudden unprovoked attacks have been worked through with training? Yes, ofcourse. BUT here's the thing, for Cole he had already been waiting 2.5yrs for a home and that was simply because the list of issues he already had, including - Not safe with dogs, not safe with cats, not safe with children, resource guarded food/water/toys. Now lets add 3 bites under his belt, does he sound like a dog you want in your home?
For everyone who thinks this outcome was unfair, you're absolutely right. If Cole had found a home within his first 2yrs at the shelter none of this would have ever happened. He reached his breaking point and something in him broke that made him unsafe to be around. He still had his sweet loving goofy moments, but he also would switch on a dime with hardly any warning signs and when he did snap, he always went for the face, which could have caused serious damage to someone. Yes he was muzzle trained, but what kind of life would he have lived if he wasn't euthanized? A life where he was always muzzled? A life inside of the shelter waiting for someone to take a chance on him? He had already done that, and no one came for him. So before you throw hate at me or Lighthouse in the comments, ask yourself this - did YOU open up your home to him? "Oh I would have but -" exactly... you didn't. WE tried to give him a chance, we tried to give him love, and we unfortunately had to make the HARD decision that he was not a dog who could safely be placed in a home due to his now unpredictable behavior. Do I wish that we could save them all? Ofcourse, but that isn't the reality. If Cole was already someone's pet who loved him wholeheartedly then B.E. wouldn't have been on the table, but he didnt have a home or a human and he was never going to find one in his current mental state. He was struggling with stress, anxiety, G.I. issues, all of which he didnt experience before his long years in the shelter.
The point of this post is, did we fail Cole? Yes, we ALL did. Everyone who didn’t foster him, overlooked him when chosing who to adopt. I have loved Cole for a long time, and spent ALOT of time with him when we lived in Massachusetts and I have alot of amazing memories with him so trust me when I say no one wanted him to have a happy ending more than myself. I made countless facebook and tiktok posts trying to get him exposure to find a home and I volunteered many hours of my life to training/walking/playing with him whenever I had the time.
I will spare you all the details, but 3 times Cole snapped suddenly and 3 times he attacked people in the face. That is not the kind of dog you can safely place in a home. Is it heartbreaking? Yes it is. But before you bash me in my comments, ask yourself this, did you hold him while his heart stopped beating? Were you there with tears in your eyes as the tech pressed his lifeless paws into a pawprint mold? Because I was, and I will live with that guilt forever.
This wasnt how anyone wanted Cole's story to end, but maybe this was meant to be Cole's legacy. Maybe we all use this as a reminder to why its so important to foster dogs, to volunteer your time to walk them and play with them. For me personally, with 3 dogs and 2 cats of my own as well as someone who takes in Board and Trains, I also still foster dogs, why? Well now the answer will always be "because of Cole" bc if Cole had that chance, his story wouldn't have ended this way. If you've never fostered but have always wanted to, or maybe even never wanted to, I urge you to consider opening your home to a dog in need "because of Cole"
Let's ALL do better, so no dog has to suffer the way Cole did
Rest in Peace Cole, may you finally be free from the stress and anxiety that plagued you💙
