My 5 and 1/2 year old collie/heeler mix nipped at me the ...

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The Vet said to me with out examining her or asking me anything, the I need to find her a new home,or put her to sleep and get me a new dog like a golden retriever. I think my question is more is this normal does it happen alot? Is she an old dog? She is only five I thought that was still pretty young.

Herding dogs can be nippy but if she has been no problem and shown no aggression at all and suddenly is doing so then I'd suggest getting another vet to see her to see if its a health problem.
She is about middle aged and while you do not want to risk any children in your care getting hurt or getting hurt yourself abandoning your pet without knowing if this is a health issue that is treatable or a behavior issue that can be trained out seems very callous to me. The vet may be thinking of the children's safety first of course but if this dog has always been gentle I think it deserves fairer treatment than that. She'd have little chance of being adopted at a shelter particularly if you said she had bitten.
If you have a relative who could take her that might work but I'd check her first for health issues - what if she has Lyme disease making her feel bad for example? and meds could make her feel back to normal?
I'd also suggest seeing a trainer but by 5 1/2 most dogs are pretty settled in their personality so a sudden change seems to make health a more likely issue.


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