This is an expansion on another post on surrendered pets. Oreo is passionate on the issue !
It's common to see "strays" increase in communities where No Kill has taken hold, but not flourished. The public persona takes the guilt out of dumping, thus promoting the illusion that somebody else cares more than you do about your pet. And, please be aware this blog is painfully concious of the many legitmate reasons a pet may be surrendered. My sister lost her home, fortunately another sister was able to take her and the two pooches and kitties in until they could relocate. I know how much my Sis loves her pets, it meant the world to her to keep her animals with her; but if you don't have a roof...... So we don't judge here at Oreo's, if you have to give up your pal ( even if it's become your pain) it is not our business. We just want to help if we can. One of the reasons we selected the title was because it's the most accurate one we could find.
We hope someday to see a climate that is surrender friendly without encouraging it. Sounds oppositonal, but it isn't. It means quite simply, you know the truth when you surrender, and so does the receiving agency.
All a dog can call its own, is a name and a history.... to strip those and put the animal out is unfair. An already confused pet is stripped of the one familar thing in its world. Some misguided shelters rename a pet anyway......not good. How would you like to be someplace unfamilar and not have a soul to help you connect with your own being, by simply saying your name. No Kill is unfair, unkind and probably right up there with dog fighting for the pain it causes , yet uninformed fools follow the piper.
Please, if you must give up your pet, and we do know sometimes it is unavoidable; give it the dignity it deserves. Even if you end up tying the poor thing to the post at the shelter, give it the one thing it has left, it's identity. Good , bad or indifferent you owe that. Just write a note with the name, the nature of the problem and let the dog get on with it's life. If you are cowardly the animal will spend a stray period and not have a very good chance for a new home.
The best bet is to stare down the intake worker, all the while, spewing the truth until your pet is taken, no lies, just the truth and let the pet have a chance.
23 comments:
Bravo Oreo !
My wife says that if a dog comes in with an unacceptable name, at SPCA they work to change it gradually. Of course a pitbull named Badass is not going to be as adoptable as one named Angel, although I'm not sure that the adopter should not be told the original name as a clue to the dogs earlier envirionment. Oh we did make the pic full size to see the tears.
I think people leaving animals in a drop box are afraid of getting in trouble for doing that. Leaving a name could lead back to the owner. Maybe we could set up some amnesty program like they did with the young girls with the babys. Working with dogs especially, a name would be helping, cats know their name, but don't seem so dependent on being known. The dogs are really lost. and that doesn't mean cats don't have feelings they do, I just don't believe they are as name dependent.
In our rescue we do see a marked difference in the confidence level of dogs with a name. Oreo put it nicely, they know who they even if they don't know where they are. And a history is key to a sucessful adoption. the honest approach is most fair to the dogs even if it is bad news.
Give the dog a break, give it a past, if you can't give it anything else give it a name.
I think there are times when the name should not be given, such as a diviorce. How about an abusive marriage and one spouse may look for the dog. I think it belongs on each indvidual case. the surrendering perosn could give the name for staff to use , but advertise it under a different one.
Hi it's me Mastif Dad
name change. someone at work said you should change your moniker ocasionally. Not sure why, but I like this one. I think the new owner could change the name over time, but if staff knows the realname they should use it in shelter. I understand from books I have read the staff just does random naming anyway. so keep the old one until there is a new home
Many moons ago, I had to make a decision between the kids and cat. It was in Reno-Sparks back in the 70s when the vacancy rate was a mere 1/2 of 1%, and people were living in tents along the river. Reno was going leaps and bounds, but new housing couldn't keep up. Most rentals that had openings would allow one or the other but not both pets and kids.
It nearly broke my heart, but I sent my cat to NHS when it was still located on Market St. I sent all the cat's belongings and wrote a detailed history of the cat's life for the shelter.
Back in those days, Fletcher Jones of Jones-West did advertisements with pets from NHS. I will never forget watching Fletcher trying to hold on to my very frightened beloved cat who was shredding his red satin shirt on air.
As luck would have it, my cat was adopted by our neighbor over the back fence.
I would get angry at the arrogance of shelter staff when I overheard them belittling or berating "customers" for surrendering their pets in similar situations because I know how hard that decision is. I've personally seen managers, supervisors, department heads, entry level staff, and exective directors and fundraisers bring in their pets for adoption when they resigned or were fired. Surrenders cross all economic levels and occupations.
An animal shelter exists not only for the animals but also for the people of the community who support it. Most aspire to more than just adoption houses and try to provide service to the community.
It is yet to be seen whether or not NHS under the no-kill mantle will fullfill its stated mission again as it once did.
It's okay to change the name after adoption but knowing the name helps while the animal is in the shelter. All of us have noted the confusion of a dog when there is no name. Yet, the "no kill" movement as presented by Whine-ograd has proven to increase the "public" surrenders, meaning pets turned in by owners as strays without names.
Shelters should never turn away an animal and should not make people feel worse than they already do for surrendering their pet. As ExPetCop said, there are many cases where surrendering a pet is the only option and we want to encourage people to surrender the pet to a shelter, not the desert. When people are ready for the pet to go away, they aren't going to listen to a lecture and then everyone lives happily ever after. There are worst things that can happen to a pet than euthanasia in the shelter.
expetcop brought up a point missed by many shelters today. They are there to serve the needs of the citizens as well as the animals. A shelter must provide a safe place for the creatures while keeping the community safe from vicious or sick animals. There is an emotional and fiscal need to be met. One of the things that I have observed about the comments on here has been the understanding of the two sides of sheltering. I do select various jurisdictions where no kill is in place and I see a common thread of returns under new names. As a retired vet, I have seen first hand the joy of a dog as it learns its name. It is similar to a toddler recognizing itself in the mirror. For readers who have not tried it, pick a city using; that zip check pet harbor. You will be amazed at the parallels between the shelters. Reno did a black is beautiful thing, Austin did a black is beautiful promotion. Austin learned nothing from Reno's experience. I had clicked on the King County link and would highly recomend reading the Playbook piece. There is a pattern of failure that is apparent at every shelter where this marketing strategy is used. The year end clearance for animals is euthanasia, I am not pleased that Mr. Wingrad is living in our area once more.
Has anybody seen the news that the Seattle Humane Society is wanting to bring in dogs from California? I could scream, I know you can't force mutt adoption, but the transporting of live animals with such a high risk of not finding a home is insane. There is a cute German in the NHS listings, but I am not bringing it to Seattle. Grow up people, take care of what is right in front of you.
I went up the hill to the shelter at Incline, it is worth the drive from Reno. They do take animals from the County and it is refreshing to see the caring of their volunteers. I don't want to think of us as one of those meddleing shelter watch groups, but there is a need for supervision at the local humane society; which by the way doesn't seem very humane.
I am not shilling for Pet Network, I know there are probably more good rescues out there, I just saw some real sorry ones while kitty hunting.
Greetings from Oreo !
Sorry for any posts that didn't make it. I had company from back east and then blogger gave me a bit of grief. I suspect it may have been connectivity issues. Any way I tried to publish everyone, there were no rejections; however some have not yet appeared. Also, with my family here I allowed quite a backlog of emails ( almost 200) so we are working on those. In an open format, I did go before the county and commission did direct staff to follow through on checking condidtions at the public intake. we know they are not the worst in the world, but they are not at our level of service we agreed to, and the board of directers seem oblivious. Thanks for all your patience, and to the man form Arizona, your server won't accept mine. If you provide another email address I will certainly provide the stats you requested.
Oreo
This has been a hard year for us with the dogs and I have grown up more than I thought possible in a year. I keep returning to the other blog with the Rio dog, and the honesty of Dog Logic saying he never should have been adopted. We are facing the fact that Dozer is never going to be a pet. We have had ups and downs and times we thought we might be gaining the lead and then been smashed back down.
He continues to erupt into fights with his " brother" Digger, and has become somewhat menacing with my boys. It is the unpredictabily that makes us crazy. From a nap to a fight in 30 seconds. I know if I take him to NHS they will just lie and adopt him out, and who wants him with his problems. I feel like if he is going to be killed it should be by our vet, and not put him through the fear of going back to NHS. I have talked with several friends and they all say the same thing. Dozer cannot be trusted around other dogs or kids, ever. All I can think of right now is; I would never be chickenshit enough to dump him anonymously.
I am trying to place my Mother's Peke, she is going into a nursing home. I can't keep Pixie, she has no control anymore and I have 3 dogs and one old cat. It would start a real mess. The dog is 12 and it seems unfair to put her in a strange situation like a shelter. I did go check NHS and they are pretty full, and I didn't see any personl care from staff or volunteers happening.
I don't know what to expect or what is normal. Right now Pixie is in the garage and not happy. Does anybody really want a 12 year old almost blind, dog that wets everywhere? I took her to my Mom's vet and discussed getting her put down and the vet suggested a shelter. Do they get penalized for putting a dog to sleep, or what? If I take her in, the SPCA lloked the better managed, she will die there, I know that unless the shelter minimizes her issues and then she will get returned. A co-worker suggested Oreo's blog as a place to get ideas, and maybe some understanding. I have read almost all of it and see that Oreo herself has problems, and that many commenters have faced the same choices. Thanks for doing this.
Steve and Jeannie, you are facing one of the hardest decisions you will ever face, euthanizing your pets. Steve, the best thing for Pixie is euthanization. You might be able to find a home but it is doubtful. Many people chose to have their pets euthanized if they die before, I have it in my will. At 12 years of age, it will be hard on Pixie to adjust to another home and the stress might bring about medical conditions. Do all that you can but don't take too long to make a decision. You said she is not happy now. You have my support for this decision. And Jeannie, you have tried your best and now it is time to let it go. If the dog is becoming dangerous to your family, then the decision has been made for you. We can't win them all. Don't wait until something bad does happen. And don't take the dog back to NHS because they will adopt it out again. Don't put others in danger. It's sad and my heart goes out to you. But you have my support for the decision and it will be the right one. I've been in your shoes and they aren't comfortable.
I agree with Honesty helps..and I am sure Dog Logic would weigh in the say direction. As a regular on the blog we have watched your try everything and sometimes you can bring a dog so far and no further......Dog Logic has mentioned a plataeu with Rio and that sounds like where you may be with Dozer. Talk honestly with your vet, I know many hesitate to put a dog down because of the crazies, but Dozer has always had issues and it doesn't sound like he will recover. Children do come first, and even if you teach yours to leave him alone ( what kind of life is that ?) There always are friends and family coming by. To Steve and Pixie, thanks for sharing on the blog. Yours is a common problem and I wouldn't put a dog that age into a shelter situation. It just doesn't seem fair to her or the folks who might fll for her pretty face.
I want to present a slightly different take on Pixie.
12 years old is not necessarily ancient for a small dog. She should be checked for a urinary tract infection if she is urinating inappropriately. If that is negative, her incontinence can be treated with the inexpensive allergy drug phenylpropanolamine, as dispensed by a vet. I've had female dogs on it for years.
I do agree that placing her in a shelter is not the best solution. I suggest placing her yourself with a friend, acquaintance, co-worker, senior, etc. Small dogs are usually easy to rehome if there aren't major health/behavior problems.
Just a suggestion. However if the above are not possible then I agree euthanasia is probably the best solution.
Good point pet protector, I had just assumed Steve had done the searching, but in dealing with getting Mom placed the dog could have been overlooked.
Having always had large dogs, 12 seems pretty old to me, but still it is no spring chicken and he indicated some care would be needed. I for one don't favor senior with senior, if a nice family who is young enough to deal with the physical end of the urine thing could be found....
Oreo leaks and does not respond to treatment. Her vulva and underbelly require a good deal of attention, a twice daily rinse, and cool wet wash clothes in between, also applications of Triotic, morn and night. That is very painful for the dog if left untreated.
As we have always said on this blog, if a home could be found on the Truth....... I grew up with Pekinese and the bulging eyes were a problem back east, I can only imagine in the desert.
It might be worth putting an ad in the paper, and doing a very discerning check on the adopter. Also, time and conditions permitting, a notice at vet's offices with a recent picture and short blurb about the personality. Lots of dogs are still pretty good to go into a private home at this age, but I still say, no to a shelter situation at that age and coming from a quiet senior home with no other dogs.
Dear Steve,
Welcome to Oreo's place where we can agree to disagree. I sometimes help put older cockers with new families and don't feel 12 is that old for a smaller breed, I was troubled by a couple of things though. It does say the dog is incontinent, and nearly blind. I have had trouble placing fairly healthy cockers with skin issues, so dermatitis can come with the wetting and please make sure the little dog is clean. Any sub-cutaneous infections are bad news.
Also I felt the vet was passing the buck, and that is perhaps how some of these older sick dogs end up in a shelter. If you have 3 dogs and a cat, depending where you live, you could be over the legal limit with another dog. That didn't seem to be the problem though. I think any board would understand your situation, and lean on the side of compassion; it sounds to me like you are just full, and I don't like to see dogs passed around. I don't foster or do rescue and frankly don't think most of them these days are more than storage bins. To keep the peace at your home I would consider trying to find a decent kennel to board the dog for two weeks while you put an ernest effort into rehoming. that would buy some time to get things squared away. The dog wouldn't be getting bounced around and you may just find a home.
Good luck !
Steve, I based what I said upon an assumption that you had tried everything else. It's difficult at best to find good homes for younger dogs much less an older one. I, too, have large dogs and that is old for most of them. The last thing you want is to place the dog with it's problems and the new home decides it's too much for them as well. You can find a perfect home if you have the resources and time but the chances are not in your favor. Do all you can but keep the dog's quality of life in mind. If it is not what you would want for it, then it is time for a decision.
We took Pixie to the grooming shop, she has a very bad underside. After clipping we could see she was not suffering from any sores. In the area where she leaked was irritated, but we are putting a ointment on there. Mother does not want her in a shelter, we discussed Pixies nippiness and dislike of children. She will stay in the garage here for a week until we can see if she needs any further medical. We have a small puppy pen we have put her in for outdoors and she is not happy there either. I am starting to feel, that like my Mom she just wants to go home and can't understand that she isn't.
I continue to look at petharbor and I see so many old dogs in the shelter and each one breaks my heart. Finally in my 40's I agree with my Mom, no shelter for Pixie. The advice given to find her a home has been helpful and we will keep her for a time and look. I did look at one doggie day care in Sparks and it was awful. So boarding is not going to be as easy as I thought. The garage area is the third bay with a low fence and the door going out to the puppy pen, it does have her bed and toys and the other dogs can't annoy her, but the isolation worries me.
I am going to mention Pixie to a lady at work who just had her miniature poodle put down from cancer. It might be to soon, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Does Pixie get along with cats ? The woman took very good care of the other dog for many months before she had to give up. Don't get your hopes up Steve, it was only 2 weeks go, but I will mention it.
We wandered away from the topic for a few posts,but they were all so worthy. I do agree with volunteer that doing away with any lectures at surrender would be the best thing to get full info. it is nice for person to feel like they have done their best too. It has to feel pretty tacky to dump your dog in the middle of the night. The dog would surely pick up on that.. Maybe you will get lucky and so will Pixie and she will enjoy a quiet retirement in the garage. It sounds like a very decent area and more than she would get at a shelter.the key is to give her some time and attention. she may be getting old enough to sleep a lot. Oreo sleeps more these days....
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