Taking Ownership & Shelters

Many animals end up in shelters every year, they are discarded like old laundry, they escape from their yards and get lost, owners move and leave the dog behind.  Many people seem to think that they come out of the womb knowing how to behave in a way that we need them to.  They are not given the attention or exercise they need in order to co-exist in the home environment, so they are kept outside and in the process become more difficult to deal with, they become destructive in the home as an outlet for their energy.   Dogs bark, they jump, and they even sometimes potty in the house; they do all of these things because they were not trained to quiet, go potty out side, and to sit to greet people.  Perhaps the owners got the dog for the kids, whom are realistically too young to take on such a big responsibility, they no longer have time, the list goes on and on.  This is, in my opinion, not being very fair to the dog and very frustrating.

The key is education, in every facet of dog ownership; it is work, it is also a commitment and an expense.  You can however try to educate yourself before you make the decision to purchase or rescue a dog.  There is information all over the Internet about owning a dog and the responsibility involved and some difficulties you may encounter; not to mention the abundance of trainers that are waiting in line to teach you.   If you are thinking of a particular breed, do your research about the requirements of such a breed, temperament and their characteristic traits.  Consult a REPUTABLE breeder, contact a trainer or ask your veterinarian for advice.  Make sure the energy level and temperament of the dog will be suitable for your family and life style.  This is of course not a guarantee; it is what you do with the puppy when he gets home that counts but it may help point you in the right direction.    Speak to someone on staff at a local animal shelter whom is familiar with the behavior of the dogs that are in their care.  Tell them about your lifestyle and family members and they may help you choose as well.   If you are not looking for a dog with abundant energy, how about an older dog; there are plenty of these and they are a great choice as well.  We recently went to visit a client that had just adopted an 8 year old Basset Hound, he was awesome!  Ask yourself if you will go out of your way to give your dog what he or she needs even after the novelty wears off.

Poor choices and lack of responsibility and ownership often leads to great dogs ending up in shelters or worse.   Many dogs end up in shelters for the craziest reasons, I was told a story that someone gave up a dog because it did not match their couch; this blew my mind!!!  I had a chat with someone last week about adopting a dog from a rescue organization, but by the time she got in touch with whom ever she needed to speak with, the dog had been put down.  I do not know what the circumstance was or why, it could have been several things.  She expressed anger with the rescue  and I can understand her frustration.

It is the people that do not take ownership of these animals who are at fault for shelters being overcrowded.  If there are behavior issues, I can guarantee there is a trainer or behaviorist that can help you or at least do a good evaluation on the dog after meeting and working with him for a bit so you know what your dealing with. Many behavior issues can be prevented through proper handling, socialization and leadership skills; all of which should be started by the time the dog reached 16 weeks old and should be continued.  Training is often easier than you think, provided you are consistent and follow through.  You must however, be willing to donate the time to your dog.  Not everyone may be up for the challenge, and not all behaviors can be fixed, but then there are the dogs that just need some simple house manners.

I am a dog trainer and have a rescue dog that came with his own set of aggression issues when being handled.  It was not listed on his evaluation from the shelter, as it may not have been present; sometimes these things do not come out until the dog is in a home environment.  After putting the training time into the dog, we are now at the point where he goes into such relaxation that I can clip his nails and preform handling exercises with out a reaction when he had previously bitten.  It most certainly did not happen overnight by any means and not all people are willing to take the chance or able, I get that. I am so relieved that I was the one that adopted him.  If it was not me who was lucky enough to make the choice, I do not know if he would be here today; he is a fantastic dog and we have built a relationship on trust.  Our dogs are not perfect, they are dogs.  People are not perfect either and are not expected to be, and sometimes it may be beyond the owners control to have to surrender an animal.

There are certainly viable reasons to seek out a shelters help but the dog not matching the couch, going potty in the house, barking, or not being fair to a great dog that does not truly know his role and what is expected of him because he has not been taught is inexcusable in my opinion.  Unfortunately, this exists and probably always will.  Dogs many need to be re-homed because of issues with children present in the household (as long as the shelter is aware of the issues when the dog is brought in so that they can test the animal and re-home to the right environment if it is an option). At the same time, it is not fixing anything,  just passing it on to someone else, whom may in turn, have a better environment for the dog.

There are various types of animal rescue organizations such as breed specific rescues, general shelters (some are no kill and some use euthanasia), and organizations that rely on fostering. They all exist nationwide, they all have the same intention – to save as many as they can.  This of course takes money, whether it be from fund raising, donations, adoptions, or state and local funding.

Many dogs need the shelter to get a fair shot at life. Those who are abandoned and neglected may have a new start on life once temperament tested.  The shelters that use euthanasia are often the ones that hear feedback about not giving dogs a chance.  However, it can also be detrimental for a dog to be in a shelter for a long period time and they can deteriorate. They are overcrowded and underfunded many times an rely only on volunteers in order to run efficiently.  As sad as it makes me, they can not all be saved.  There are just too many and not all are rehab-able in many respects.  The shelters do their part to the best of their ability, they have too many dogs on their doorsteps.

It is a vicious cycle and I guess my point is that the shelters sometimes take the heat for needing to make decisions that they do not enjoy making.  It is not the shelters fault that  these animals are there; it is lack of education and ownership.  Many people are not aware of multiple aspects of dog ownership, they need help and do not have ill intent.  They just need education.

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