How to deal with aggressive dog is a dickens of a decision

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. — Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities"

Adopting a new dog can feel a lot like that famous opening line by Dickens. You've just come home with a new furry companion, in some cases plucked from the jaws of death. In all likelihood, he's latched on to you as his new best friend, the person he loves more than any other in the world. It's a great feeling. But there's almost always more to the story.

Unless you live alone and prefer a solitary existence, your dog will have to get along with people other than you — namely, your significant other, your children, neighbors, friends and extended family. If you plan to introduce him to the world beyond your home and yard, he'll have to tolerate strangers, too.

The following two letters from readers tell the tale of two adoptions. I print them both here in the hopes that the writer of the first — along with any readers experiencing the same — will heed the inherent warning of the second.

The first reads as follows:

"I just adopted 'Red' a week ago from a woman who rescued her from a shelter. She is showing signs of fear aggression: She has growled twice while we were walking, once at a person rolling a suitcase and once at a person bent over gardening. She has also growled while in our yard at people she could hear talking next door in their yard and also at the occasional inanimate object.

"Red plays well at the dog park and with my children. She displays no signs of food or toy aggression.

"I work full time and am concerned that I don't have the time to train her properly for aggression issues. The growling was not disclosed to me upon adoption. Your advice would be appreciated."

This next letter could be right out of Dickens, with his stories of children forced to endure abuses at the hands of unfeeling or unthinking adults. It is what some might deem a "cautionary tale," and it's what might happen should the writer of the previous letter opt not to make time in her busy schedule to get immediate and thorough professional training for Red:

"I have three children, ages 4, 2 and 1. We adopted 'Ginger' on Monday. Today is Sunday. So far: He mounted my 1-year-old and bit her ear while I was feeding her. He stole her bottle and growled at her when she took it back. He pinned my 4-year-old to the floor and ripped his pants.