A few people have mentioned that our guys don't look like pound puppies, they're not. If we hope to effect a life time change in how animals are cared for we have to look at the people in their lives. There is a myth being perpetrated by No Kill that purebred's are the enemy, Helllllllooooo.... a dog is a dog is a dog, same with kitties. People who are dedicated to pound puppies are not going to rush out and get a poodle, and vice versa. I have worked with dogs all my life, I have bred and trained, owned a boarding kennel and done fostering. These things are not at odds with each other. I love big black dogs. Currently the shelters are full of big black dogs, so I must be in the minority, or am I?I have spent a lot of time on the black pearl site, and she does a great job of explaining the problems of black dogs in shelters. The whole Black Dog Syndrome as it is referred to there is well thought out and presented. I am just not sure I believe in it. Black is the predominant color in the dogs we have selected to breed. And, dogs lacking pigment have other health related problems. dilutes are prone to many weaknesses, and yet as I click away here, the doxie breeders are going for " blue" People who get the dog who best matches the life they live will be more likely to keep the dog. The breeder from whom I purchased my Newfies will not sell to people who do not own their home, this is a big dog and it goes through a pretty active puppyhood, & gardens are in serious danger till the adolescent period ends. Landlords frown on that so a permanent home is the first requiste.
I am a master gardener who loves opposing interests I suppose. The Jasmine will come back and the puppy will grow up, but not everybody shares my views. Kennels and crates abound these days, but I stand firm in my distain of them except for a transition period when adopting and the animal is used to it and finds it comforting. The way a dog learns to avoid certain behavior is to
" do the behavior, and be shown the error of their ways " It is all show and tell for animals. When our 185 pound boy brings me a dwarf crab, complete with buds; we put it back. Calmly so he understands what is expected, you walk with the object back to where it came from, put it back and stay there till the dog understands it is not a toy. This isn't rocket science, think of learning a foreign language, same thought process. Dogs end up in shelters because people do not want to take the time to train them, or there is a lack of funding or time for a formal class, a dedicated trainer will offer a discount or even free ( I did ) for shelter dogs. The other major problem is, we act like breed doesn't matter, yes it does. Oh yes it does. My breeder wanted to know why after 41 years with GSD 's I wanted a Newfie. I sensed I had one time to get the answer right.
I have shown and raised German's all of my life and from time to time been blessed with many other breeds through boarding and training. I have always loved Newfoundlands, they are very smart, and extremely tractable & forgiving. I had always wanted one as a therapy dog for children, little realizing that geriatric folk love them as well. Now we are learning carting and how to listen to children read. German Shepherds are wonderful, I can't imagine that we will ever live without one, but they really aren't that fond of the limelight. Our Oreo, is as socialized as any dog could be, but her personal preference is " just us" she would do schools and hospitals if I asked, but it is not her choice; so why put her through it?
This is where shelter staff can make a big difference. Educate the staff and let them guide the adoption process. don't put the aging Cocker with the house full of kids. Understand the prey drive of certain breeds and never put them with cats or small dogs. Actually, not to disturb your peace of mind to much, crawling infants are often percieved as prey. Lab's really do need to work, and poodles are far to smart to lay around the house without a job. Terriers are high energy and and they are not going to " mellow out" so quit telling clients they will.
Big dogs dig big holes, and make big poo.. so be responsible, if you have a dog you don't want due to personality disorders, nobody who is mentally healthy will want it either.
Have a great day, hug a critter, and be of service where you can.
7 comments:
I believe a person should have the right to a purebred if they want one, but many no kill people make you feel like a criimal if you buy a dog. I have had two mixed breeds and they were both nice dogs, I just like certain personalities which I guess is a breed issue. I can't stand little yappy dogs, for me, but love my Mom's Jackie. I would support some restriction on breeding for the health of the dogs. The AKC is a registration agency and really is not set up to monitor care, having more humane officers with the laws to back them up would be the answer.
I have 2 mutt dogs I got from the shelter. Both had been there a long time and we have been through hell. I don't think they are bad because they are pit mixes, but something was wrong from the start.Bad probably is not the right word, but what is ? No housetraining, over the fence, and under the fence. I keep them in the house when I am home, and we bought a kennel for when I am gone. We had a pad poured and a cover put over it. Now the barking is constant from the time they go in until I get back. I am a stay at home Mom, so I am never gone long, but the neighbors complain. The adoption counselor said I should have expected this, they had been dumped by uncaring owners and in the shelter for almost a year and turned sort of wild. This was not talked about at the time we got them. The card said they had been there 2 weeks, nothing about being returned. They're brothers and we had been told they kept each other company & would like to stay together. We are trying, but it has been 5 month's One trainer returned our money and suggested we come back when they had settled. That is why we had signed up for her class. I've always had shelter dogs, never had anything like this. My vet says it is from being kenneled so long they have separation anxiety, he is not sure they will come out of it. Is it the breed or the time of been unsocialized ? We're not mad at the dogs, but we are mad at them being adopted to us in this condition. We aren't a rescue, we wanted a pet, not a project. If NHS is a No Kill what do they do with the ones like this ? Keep putting them out to unknowing families I suppose.
It appears you have taken the steps you can to control the problem. Have you considered returning the dogs ? It sounds harsh, but surely there are dogs there who could adapt, and maybe a foster would keep the ones you have. Hard to imagine any home being able to absorb both of them though. Good luck.
To answer Mutt Lover's question regarding the re-adoption by no kill of your dogs, yes, they would go out to another family. I am against setting pets and families up for failure with situations such as this one. You will end up euthanizing the dogs and the families will not want to have another pet, another home lost to the shelter dogs. Our shelters don't have the resources to overcome this problem and it is a problem many experience. I do feel that you can correct this problem with the right advice and I encourage you to seek out a really good trainer. To address Mastiff Man, I too believe a person should have the right to a purebred. And there are different reason why people chose to go this route, their children might be allergic or they want a certain temperament that fits their household. I do feel that there are many purebreds in the shelters and yes, you should try that option before buying. And since you bought, have you had your dog neutered yet because most "bought" dogs are not altered. Does this mean that you want to bred? The problem is people buying a purebred and then thinking they can get their money back with a litter of puppies. This is wrong. Pet quality purebreds should be altered prior to sale but the AKC doesn't make money that way. It always comes back to money, doesn't it? And by the way, I have a 90 lb. pure black dog and have had black dogs for all my life, just the run of my luck, I have never chosen my dogs, they chose me.
All of my dogs have been fixed, I wait untill they are about 6 months old, the vet says they handle the anestetic better when the liver and pancreas are fully formed. I don't know any of my friends who own an unaltered pet. Sounds like mutt lover needs some help, and we can help her look up some ways to train them . Those dogs sound like they need more help than sit and heel. Hang tight mutt lover.
Thank you Mastiff Dad for altering. Your breed fetches big bucks and it speaks highly of you that you didn't chose that route. California has early spay/neuter at 8 weeks but I personally prefer about 4 months for most breeds of dogs. The large breeds are slow to mature and waiting until 6-8 months for them is probably better. I like to do smaller breeds earlier because they matured sooner and go into heat sooner. And to Mutt Lover, I would like to suggest something that is over the counter and available at Petsmart, Petco stores. It is called something like Calm Easy. My neighbor adopted a Ridgeback from the shelter last summer. This dog had been though a lot and had separation anxiety. The first day she left Maggie at home, Maggie was terrified. I was watching Maggie for her and called her at work and told her to get this product on the way home. She used it for one week and the results were amazing. She slowly lowered the dosage the second week and hasn't used it since. Maggie still has some minor problems but these will go away with patience. Most people would have taken Maggie back to the shelter but my neighbor hung in there and now Maggie is a different dog. Try to find something along this line and try it first. Remember that whatever you use, you also need to have a program of teaching to go along with it. Keep us updated.
Pit update, yes I am admitting I didn't know what I had adopted. I read happy camper's post on pure breeds stating that breed does make a difference. I read everything I could find on Pits. What made me decide to try 1 more month was the truth that these dogs would just go out again. More heartache for another family and they would get crazier, and crazier.
According to the books I have read they are not typical at all for the breed. We had made the commitment for the pen, and now we are dealing with the barking when I leave. One of the volunteers told me about a local woman who does free training for problem shelter dogs. It has been helpful. The first thing she did was have me talk to my neighbors and take their schedules into consideration and get the permission for a controlled bark. That relaxed me; and the neighbors knew I would not let it go on for over 10 minutes. PERIOD I do all my shopping when my husband is home for now and the dogs stay mostly in. So, they are getting used to me leaving but they have company. During the day, I take the kids and go for a 10 minute walk while they wait in the pen. She had me do the whole drill, open the garage, get the car. I just drive down a couple of houses and walk a few blocks. We do this 4 times a day, and twice at night when my husband can correct them for barking in the pen. It is the garage door that sets them off I think, because when I just walk out of the house with them in the pen they don't bark for the first few minutes. The dogs love her and seem to have confidence in what she wants them to do.
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