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    Last hope: Experienced home urgently needed for Doberman with bite history
    Germany

    Last hope: Experienced home urgently needed for Doberman with bite history

    I am posting this as a final attempt to find help for a Doberman named Igor. We are running out of options.

    Igor is 4 years old. He was purchased in Germany and lived in Italy as a guard dog on a large private property with his owner (70+ years old). Since January 17, 2026, his owner can no longer care for him due to serious health issues.

    We are trying to help the owner find a responsible solution.

    Unfortunately, the current situation is not sustainable. There is not enough time, space, or financial capacity to manage him properly. On top of that, there has already been a biting incident involving the current caretaker.

    Because of this, we are being completely honest:

    Igor is NOT a beginner dog.

    We have contacted:

    • shelters throughout Germany

• Doberman-specific rescues

• emergency foster organizations

• shelters in the Netherlands

    All have declined.

    We were even warned that some shelters euthanize dogs with a bite history because they are considered difficult or impossible to place. We are trying to prevent that from happening.

    We are looking for:

    • someone with real experience handling Dobermans or strong working/guard breeds

• confident, calm, structured leadership

• ideally a house with secure property

• no first-time owners

    Igor does not need pity. He needs competence.

    If anyone has serious experience, professional contacts, or a realistic placement option, please reach out.

    This truly feels like our last chance to find him a future. He is healthy, is chipped, is not neutered and has all vaccines including the eu pet passport. He is 4 years old.

    https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1rf9h0w

    Posted by Ambitious_Stretch758

    View 28 Comments

    28 Comments

    1. andsimpleonesthesame on

      >lived in Italy as a guard dog on a large private property with his owner (70+ years old). Since January 17, 2026, his owner can no longer care for him due to serious health issues.

      If this dog is currently in Italy, why are you trying to bring it to Germany?

    2. Ambitious_Stretch758 on

      Sorry for the confusion. The dog is in Germany since January. He was brought to Germany from Italy to prevent him from being abandoned or euthanised.

    4. Illustrious-Race-617 on

      A bit random but lots of Irish dogs are brought to Sweden to be rehomed. Maybe try contacting some shelters there?

    5. Yallneedjesuschrist on

      Sorry but if it is an aggressive breed with a bite history against humans, maybe it is best to put the dog down, even if that means the dog was failed by us humans.

    6. Midnight1899 on

      So he lived most of his life with his former owner and didn’t have a single biting incident. But as soon as you guys had him, he started biting? What exactly happened?

    7. Fathomable_Chair335 on

      Please post this on US pages!! There are tons of people there, especially in NY, who pay substantial money to rescue dogs.

    8. ThisSideofRylee on

      What city is he in? What shelters in Germany have said they’d euthanise a dog with a one bite history?

    9. Pungbrokken on

      Bite history = BE

      Are you accepting the risk of rehoming this dog to someone who claims to be “good with dogs” but then lets this dog be with livestock or other pets, children, elderly, or disabled people, possibly harming or killing them?

    10. shoppaholicgirl on

      Please don’t let him be euthanized, give him to a shelter. German shelter aren’t going to kill the dog, they will try and find a home for him. If you need help, contact me through private message.

    11. sankta_misandra on

      You can contact Hellhound Foundation and ask for help https://www.hellhound-foundation.com/ueber-uns/

      I know that our local shelter sometimes takes dogs like Igor in. So there’s still hope.
      But for the love of God please get him neutered! 

    12. Plum_Tea on

      Keeping this dog is time waste and resource waste + putting others in danger. The only type of person who will say “yes” to this is someone who is irrational or naive.

    13. TheOne8BitHero on

      Try to see whether you can find a dog trainer and ask them and have them ask around other trainers whether they know anyone willing.

    14. selkiesart on

      What makes this so iffy to me, is, that you throw around the word “bite history” without ever specifying what that means. Did he bite a burglar or trespasser? Does he nip at everything that moves? Has he bitten a child that constantly overstepped his boundaries? Has he bitten a child unprovoked? Or has he had incidents with other dogs?

    15. Sefardius on

      Dogs can be trained. You need to find a trainer with experience in this type of problem. One who has experience with dangerous dogs. I think this is your best option. I had a Tosa Inu for 5 years. Compared with a doberman, a Tosa is probably next next level. He was an extraordinary friend. So, don’t give up and find a trainer.

    16. generic_Accountname1 on

      Was the bite driven by anxiety or hormonal reasons?

      If it is the latter is the case neutering could allow for better handling.

      If the former is the case neutering might make it worse, but so would rehoming again.

      Have you tried dogtraining? It can help reduce anxiety in dog and owner.

      There is a reason why most competent folks and institutions declined, because finding the cause for the aggressive behaviour and correcting it is a costly business, especially given how he wasn‘t neutered in his old home so already analyzing the problem and finding the right approach is a massive factor.

    18. Excellent-Menu-8784 on

      At the risk of making myself unpopular, I’m one of those people that does not support this sort of thing at all. Not because I hate animals – I just think(also controversial) that it is human life that should still take preference over animal life.

      Let’s replace the dog with a human being. If a human being had a tendency, due to past trauma, of trying to injure people- he would be committed to an institution, and if he got hurt before that most people would say good riddance.

      I’m a bit wary of how society increasingly places more value on pets(dogs, horses,birds) while often neglecting vulnerable human beings

    19. Altruistic_Ad_7497 on

      The way I see it euthanasia is the only option. Also ban all pitpulls, dobermans etc.

    24. reno140 on

      Ugh I wish I was there already I would take him immediately. I’m a behaviorist and grew up with a Doberman, I’d be such a good match.

      Best of luck!

    26. PirateOk7258 on

      Have you already tried the Berlin animal shelter?
      I seem to remember that dogs with a biting history were also listed on their website.