‘So many people would have given up on him, but you didn’t': Dog owners stand behind woman’s chaotic 12-year journey with her reactive pup, Rhaegar

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Aug 3, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

This story hits us right in the feels, animal fam. If you've never owned a reactive dog, you just don't get it. You don't get the daily struggle, how even a simple walk can become an uphill battle with just one incident. How many precautions you have to take to try to help them feel as safe as pawssible. How many times you feel like a failure for not understanding them. For getting angry when they only need compassion and patience.

They may infuriate us sometimes, but we can't imagine our lives without them. Those moments they finally feel free and act like a "normal dog". The smile on their face when they're not stressed anymore and feeling the joy of life - it makes all those terrible walks and upsetting moments worth it. Sure, our lives would be much easier without them, but they would also be quieter and filled with less happy wiggles when we come home from work. To all the owners of reactive dogs out there - remember that one day, you will miss how they pulled on the leash or how they barked to keep you safe. So appreciate them while they're here.

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  • 01
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    This is Rhaegar. Rhaegar is the worst dog in the world, from the day we got him he has caused me nothing but strife. He came to us food aggressive, never had been inside a house and with a serious biting problem. Most people love having a new puppy around but I remember crying my eyes out knowing that getting him was a mistake.
    via kynes110

  • Oh, man. We remember those puppy days. We also cried. It's hard with a normal puppy, but a reactive one is 10x worse. They're terrified of everything. Learning to walk on the leash was a nightmare. But would we do it all over again for them? In a heartbeat.

  • 03
    We aggressively worked on the food aggression, taught him house manners to the best of an eighteen year olds ability. Did I mention my husband and I got him as dumb teenagers in love? Sadly he never got over the biting, earning him the loving. title of Gator Gar. When asking the vet for a solution to his neuroticism he just shrugged and said "well... we can dog him".
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    We didn't dig him, despite our constant irritation with this h spawn of a dog we did our best, in our minds we owed it to him to try. Rhaegar has destroyed many things I care about, I'll list them now;
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    • Two couches . • An endless amount of shoes . • A Chevy Cobalt (yes the whole car) • The Venture Brothers DVD box set • A ps4 controller
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    My sanity • A few electric fences Many nice walks • The idea of ever getting another dog
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    This dog could hop a six foot fence, he's cursed God during a hurricane, he's burst his stitches after getting neutered and eaten so many things that should have ked him. I often fantasized about how nice my life would be without Rhaegar.
    via kynes110

  • The amount of money we've spent on trainers is more than we would like to admit. But it's an investment. It's for her quality of life and ours. Our life would be simpler without her, that's for sure. But we also wouldn't have the moments of joy. The thousands of pictures of her in our phone to look through and ‘awwww’ over. Simpler isn't always better.

  • 11
    Now he's slowing down, he rarely barks let alone bites, getting up in the morning is a chore, he takes his pills without fuss, there's never an accident in the house and by all accounts he's finally a good dog. It just took almost twelve years to get there.
    via kynes110
  • 12
    My husband and I had to have the end of life talk yesterday and I didn't want to hear it, nothing has ever stopped this dog from being a nuisance and that's not going to stop now. But I know that's not true, the day is approaching where I will finally be free of Rhaegar and I can't imagine my life without him.
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  • 14
    Toughkitties • 1d ago Holy sh people. She loves. this pain in the a dog and is going to be devastated when he isn't around. I don't understand how you don't understand.
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    Emmerdoes NOTrep... 1d ago . Oh, OP, I'm sorry that the brat is getting old!❤
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    He sounds like the best of "Worst Goodbois!" and like the most frustrating, adorable, lovable, pain-in-the- owner could ever ask for! a pet
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    It hits like a ton of bricks, when "the naughty one" suddenly isn't anymore.
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    Annnnnd you realize that it's getting close to their time to cross the darn bridge--when they were such a BRAT as a young dog, that you'd wished there was somehow a way to "just be DONE with this dog!!!"
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    I'm glad he had you, to so much, and to LOVE him off back so much, and for so long! If it helps? Just think of this as "One more thing!!!!" to you off!
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    Because he wheedled his way into your crusty old closed up heart--and made himself at home there. Without you even noticing--and NOW that little is going to break the thing wide open "one last time" like the little s#%t he is, when he's gone!
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    So you can be "Mad at him FOREVER!" (orrrr just heartbroken, on the down-low! ). I'm glad he had you for so long, and--even though it is gonna hurt like a MF? I'm also really glad you had him to love/hate all those years, too!
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    Spoil him even more rotten, with whatever time y'all have left! And don't forget to rile him up good and tell him to "Go bite the devil in the butt!" when it's his time to cross the bridge to wherever he's going!
    via EmmerdoesNOTrepme
  • 23
    Necessary-Ad-3679 1d ago . Tbf, OP, as a former owner of a Chevy Cobalt I can attest that your dog was doing you favor.
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  • 24
    Noobmaster69isLoki... • 1d ago This reminds me of this one poem you see pass on TikTok. How in the moment the barking, the hairs on the couch, the scratches on the doors and floors, the 2am runs,... they all felt like nuisances
    via Noobmaster69isLoki01
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    But then there will come a day when you vacuum up the last of the hairs, the doorbell will ring and what follows will be silence instead of the barking. The scratches on the floors and doors will be there frozen in time and you'll never hear the sounds of their paws against the floors.
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    That's when you realise the nuisances now feel like a blessing, another way love has found a voice to creep into your life. And realising you'll never get to hear or see it is heartbreaking.
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    But the memories will be there forever. The fact you never gave up on him is proof of the incredibly beautiful person you are. And I assure you in his slowing gray days he's grateful and appreciates all you've done. and still do for him.
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    I hope from the bottom of my heart you get to spend the last of his grey days creating more memories and sharing soft moments with each other. You're doing great!
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    Alarming_Tie_9873. 1d ago I had an American Britrany just like that. When his time came, the last words he heard was, you aren't the worst dog. I love you so much.
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  • 30
    crazydoglady11 · 1d ago A lot of people here are being a little harsh. Ive owned a reactive dog before and have literally felt many of the things you are feeling, OP. I laughed out loud at the list of things. destroyed, because I can relate (especially the ruined
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  • 31
    walks!). I think people who have never had reactive dogs before don't get it - it's a constant thing that never truly goes away even with all the training in the world. I spent more money on behavioral trainers than I'd care to admit for my boy, and we still had many bad days filled with leash reactivity, resource guarding, and biting.
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    But I still loved our boy very very much. I've owned other dogs before and since and honestly feel like he was my soul dog in a way. Yes, he was a ton of work and no, I will never get another Finnish spitz again lol. But I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything.
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    Medical_Basis1978 · 1d ago Also how are these people not understanding the lengths your went to for him by keeping him all those years??? Of course you adored him! e
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    Horror_Adagio4219. 1d ago Once he's gone you'll take all those miserable moments all over again just to have him back
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  • 35
    acuteot07 · 1d ago • So beautifully written. This hits soooo close to home. I too have cried many tears over my special needs yellow lab. I also have imagined a life without him, considered
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    returning him and am shocked to witness myself think "maybe he'll live a short life." They teach us hard lessons, but keep our toes warm snuggled up at the end of the bed. Sometime I will be able to peacefully go to al park, take a hike, stop for gas on a roadtrip without chaos. But
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    for now I'll give my boy his best deserved life because in many a home he may be neglected and worse. We do our best for them because that's what they give us, despite their sometimes flawed design.
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  • 39
    Background-Tax-1720 1d ago yellow . I had a dog with a similar outlook on life. People would ask if he was a good boy. I'd tell them he was a very bad boy but a GREAT dog. That summed it up. I cried like a baby and have missed that knucklehead every day for 7 years! Enjoy him while you can!
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    Jumpy_Lifeguard_706 1d ago I'm not a horribly emotional person. This made me well up. I also made sure to pet my very best friend and tell her that I loved her.
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  • 41
    Weekly-Walk9234 1d ago • So many people would have given up on him, but you didn't.
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    Majestic_Document7... • 1d ago This post made me cry I also have one of the worst best dogs in the world and he just turned 10. I can't imagine my life without my fur son and best friend.
    via Majestic_Document705
  • 43
    • speppers69 · 1d ago black Those of us who have lived and had Blabberdors for over fif-nevermind...have all had a Rhaegar...
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  • 44
    And it always seems that the Rhaegars of the world...hurt the most. Because WE are the ones that don't give up on them. WE are the ones that adopt them. WE are the ones that don't take them to the pound. WE are the ones that
    via speppers69
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    try and try and try again...and no matter how frustrated we get...value those moments when all is quiet and we watch him sleep...and know it won't last but savor that moment of angelic peace.
    via speppers69

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