Please help spread the word... - Page 3

When I was very active in rescue we always temperament tested any rescue's that came in to be sure they could either get along in a new environment;  some with other dogs and lots of them could not go to a home with other dogs;  they were simply too broken and to rehabilitate that type of dog would be simply too costly.  Very sad, tells  you more about all the unwanted animals out there.  I was  never able to bring in to my home any rescues to stay;  my guys would not tolerate it...

Dog parks suck.  I know more dogs injured at dog parks than you can imagine and what is surprising, people do not know not to let their dogs off leash with Joe Blow's pitty cross.  JHC.  And those owners ALWAYS SAY'  DON'T WORRY HE'S FRIENDLY"   that is when I run.  Dogdom and mother nature can be cruel.  Sorry to say; but so very true. 

Great days everyone. 
Nan

I don't think that this has something in particular to do with the dog being a rescue. If people would study dog behaviour ( or read up on it or ask people who know) before adding to their pack lots of accidents could be prevented. I learned long time ago that you never ever leave two adult females alone anywhere. Some breeders in our club (way back then) had some horror stories, similar like yours, to tell. Even if the females are in neighboring kennels - make sure the kennel gates and fences are secured and the dogs are not able to reach the other dog through the fencing.

"Very true but those dogs are few and far between"  I disagree. I would say close to 40% of the dogs I evaluate (and more lately) should not leave the shelter. Ive been involved with 4 shepherds of late where 1 of the 4 was adopted, one was put down, and two others its not looking good. The one I have now is not sound in the head nor physically. Im pissed that the shelter didnt think this would become an issue. Now its in my hands to do when they should have. Grrrr.

Thanks for posting this thread. As sad as it is, its an unfortunate lesson that may save somone else from doing.

"I would say close to 40% of the dogs I evaluate (and more lately) should not leave the shelter."

It's unfortunate that you feel that way but I suspect it is more a product of your own limited time and resources than it is of these truly being dogs that could not be saved.  I understand the constraints; I worked with our local GSD rescue before she retired and I evaluated dogs that I turned down...as prospects for her rescue.  I have also had the advantage of working with "unadoptable" dogs in a shelter for as long as I needed and the only dogs I could not bring around were the true fear biters and in my experience, there a very few dogs that fall into this category.

Way to go Keith....i support you 100% I think euthanasia is an easy out for some instead of love, time, and dedication! That was not meant to bash ANY rescue workers...but I understand what Keith is saying.

Most of these posts are correct in different ways. 

I agree with Keith; TRUE "fear biters" are rare. I also agree w/Bhaugh, that because of society's mindset, many of these dogs shouldn't leave the shelter. It's unfortunate because it's not their fault, but in idiots' hands, it's true that many are dangerous who would be just fine w/someone like Keith. 

I resent Pits being brought into this, and will say that my Pits are more accepting of random dogs in my home than my GSDs, and I don't really think they are any worse at a dog park than any other dog with a stupid person on the handle side of the leash. 

What a sad tragedy....I have a good friend who took a break from working with many rescue agencies in her area because many well meaning people she has worked with, won't take the time to learn about dog behavior in general or the specific dogs they have rescued; or worse, disregard her advice altogether and place a potentially dangerous dog.  She is an animal behaviorist who specializes in k9 aggression and was donating her time and knowledge to both agencies and adoptive owners, and has turned many dogs into adoptable pets because of her hard work. These people may believe that kindness will turn the dog around, or the dog was only bad/aggressive/fearful/etc because of the environment.  She is currently making comments that she needs to get back helping again lol.

I have a few friends who wanted to do something they believed was the right thing in adopting a rescued dog.  One dog turned out to be so damaged and fear aggressive that she was humanely euthanized after the owner spent quit a bit of time and money working with experienced trainers and behavorists to help this dog (the owner was bitten badly when she bent down to get the water bowl when she first brought the dog home and still she spent the money and time even after she was told repeatedly the dog is too far gone).  My other friend spent quite a bit of money on vet bills for his dog that came home with Parvo (the rescue organization said it was just a reaction to vaccinations), his is a happy ending with everyone the better off for his efforts.  The majority of the adoptions turned out happy with a few exceptions.

It is a shame when something that in theory is the right thing to do goes terribly wrong because of ignorance/lack of knowledge (not bashing here).  The same is true with dog parks, a good idea in theory, but a bad reality due to the ignorance of some of the dog owners.  I have a good friend who is spending money she really didn't have (credit card) on her wonderful Dane mix rescue who was mauled in a dog park by 2 other rescues.  She happened to video the beginnings of this "meeting" and you can see the aggressive, quiet stance (mouths closed, bodies stiff, ears forward, eyes hard, etc) of the other 2 dogs, except for the wagging tails on these 2 (which everyone thought was a sign of happy dogs and therefore all the dogs were ok to be together, and with me watching the video going "oh s***, oh f***, because the body language was so textbook).  It was quick and brutal with the other owner in shock that her dogs would attack a puppy (who happened to be play bowing).


I am hopeful that people will take the time to learn so that these kinds of tragedies will occur less and less

Keith,
 How is this fella doing, can't help but think about him :(


Jenni, did you say fear biters are rare? Please tell me I misunderstood  or am confused or something.
Come work in my grooming shop for just 1 day.  I guarantee it will change your persepective on things.  Nothing like trying to get 15 pounds of petrified dog out of a cage, 75 pounds is equally joyful!  Screaming (dog not me) anal glands,pee and poop everywhere, I actually feel bad for them as they are truely petrified, they are ( in their lil fried brains) fighting for their lives.  I would say that 3 in 10 goldens I groom are fear biters and 1 in 20 of all the other ankle biters.....then there are just the plain nasty ones and the ones with cocker rage.......So if we do the math of grooming 5 days a week for the last 26 years it adds up to alot of them.  It is mean of me to say but many of these dogs should be put down, their lives are not fun ones.  And quite frankly the "breeders"( very loosely used term here) should be spanked.  I know i'm in trouble when the owner comes in and the dog is already drawing blood because it is petrified to get out of the car......I assume that many of these dogs end up in rescues,  the vets won't put them down and they are unsafe in a family enviro.  Yes i love what I do for a living just wish the vets would stop sending all the "nutters" in my direction. 

Oh, Mylanta. Seriously?! You think all those dogs are TRUE fear biters (as I did emphasize TRUE) in my initial statement. Fearbiter is a catchall phrase that honestly makes me a bit ill and discredits the person saying it, most of the time. 9/10 of the times I hear that it hasn't described one, imo. I have, in all my life, met TWO dogs I would consider TRUE fear biters. The rest were just crappy dogs or dogs w/crappy owners/trainers or otherwise at the mercy of people who have no freaking clue what they're talking about.

I totally agree with Keith that very very few could not be worked with by the RIGHT person. The problem is there aren't enough of those for the amount of screwed up dogs in the world. 

It may be unfortunate to feel this way but the truth is ... its fact. Your right , I do not have the money to house a dog that I cannot adopt to the public let alone feel safe that the dog will not bite the person and I end up getting sued over it.

That said, I have one rule in my home that once broken the dog will be put down and that is, if my son (who has had to endure all my rescues over the years) ever feels unsafe in his own home because a dog has threatened him, then I wont hesitate to do the deed. I'm anal retentive on this because I feel that once a child is badly bitten, scars cannot be washed away.

I had a Neo that came from a seizure case. I adopted him out only to have him returned to me for aggression. I worked and worked with that dog, socialized him, took him everywhere with me. He was desensitized to other dogs etc until I thought he was ready to be adopted. I got very attached to the dog. Unfortunately the dog decided that my son should be below him went after him and bit him. The dog after that day stocked my son (literally) and I could no longer trust the dog. I spent months working with this dog and in the end it wasnt enough. I still had to put him down.

There just isnt enough good homes to place these dogs and the reality is that most people wont even open their homes (including many here on the board) to a dog "that needs work" esp a shelter dog. Hell there isnt enough good homes to place even tempered dogs who through no fault of theirs, got a crappy owner, who didnt care enough for the dog in the first place. I would love to find a place to send dogs I thought had a chance. I would even fly the dog there.