My stepfather just passed away two weeks ago and he was our Mother's only and main caregiver. Now, my two siblings want to take my Mom's dog away from her, because it does not like most men. the dog has been with my Mom for over 7yrs and my brother and sister want to take the dog to a no-kill shelter. I feel this will devastate Mom and agitate her, especially since she just lost her husband of 45yrs.
Are you thinking you might move in with your mother, or move her in with you? There are lots of pros and cons to those actions. How is your Mother/Daughter relationship right now? When you become her caregiver, the dynamics change. You will eventually be all up in her "business" and she may resent that. Financially and hygienically speaking. You may find yourself wanting to take over the Mother role; how do you think she'll react to that? Just some thoughts to ponder.
You only asked about the dog. What does Mom want to do about the dog? Sibs have no say-so really. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but only Mom's counts.
Are your brothers concerned the dog will bite someone? I wondered what their concern is about, since your mother is still competent. BTW, they cannot remove the dog without her permission if she is competent unless they can show the dog is a threat or is in danger itself. Does the dog stay indoors? Being 1.5 hours away is pretty far in dog-time. The person who is there would be the only one who could really care for it.
As an aside how much were the three of you helping your stepfather during this time. Not trying to be mean - just an observation.
I can understand that it would devastate your Mom if the dog was taken away, too bad a family member couldn't have the dog at their home and the dog could come to visit Mom.