Just Kill the Ones that Aren't Adoptable

Here is the email I received... The photos above are self explanatory...
"Apparently the owner said Chaquira was fine with people and other dogs. Upon impoundment June 6th it was noted she tried to bite. She has been in isolation at the ANNEX at South Los Angeles where nobody sees her unless they specifically ask to be taken to the ANNEX. Now it is said that she is extremely sad. She is scared, has psychologically shut down, is peeing and pooping on herself, and cowering in the corner. The contact is the shelter. PLEASE TRY AND HELP THIS POOR DOG."

As soon as a dog "tries to bite" someone in a shelter they are isolated and are pretty much screwed. Their chance for adoption are slim to none. And to make matters worst, they are then isolated where no one can see them, given little if any attention and of course we know what follows.

Chaquira struck me as a very sad case. When I saw her picture and story I saw into her soul the sadness that she felt having been abandoned by her owner and then scared and confused made a small error.. she "tried" to bite someone. After that she totally shut down. There are no rehab programs at the shelter, they kill friendly dogs there, puppies, kittens, beautiful and unique looking dogs... The shelter system of our country is truly non biased and has no prejudice.. No matter who you are, if you come through the front door, chances are good that you're gonna be killed, its usually only a matter of time.

When I received the email from Labs and Buddies, I was ecstatic. Chaquira was saved. Not completely saved, but saved from death. You can visit their site and donate, foster or maybe even adopt ol' Chaquira, that happy Mama.

The reason I am featuring this story is two part:
1. Someone's good deed should be rewarded. This is a dog that I don't believe anyone would have gone out of their way to adopt.. BRAVO Labs and Buddies for being a true champion.
2. Look at the difference in the face of the dog from Before to After. Do you notice a different dog? Can you see that a dogs personality is greatly different when living in the pit of hell then in the backseat of a car? The dog is not even aware where they are heading, but the energy and personality of the dog has completly changed.

I've seen this a hundred times. The energy in the shelter brings out one of two personalities in dogs, either the dog gets strong (or aggressive) to fight for his position, or they begin to shut down. This can occur through spinning (jumping around in the kennel like crazy), total emotional withdrawal, or complete abnormal behavior. In the kennel you're either gonna be tough or weak, there are very few dogs that are "just dogs" in the shelter. And, since there are no areas around the shelter you can "test drive" a dog to see how they would be away from that vibe, dogs are often discarded for behavior that is not true to them.

On Sunday I helped a good friend rescue another dog out of a shelter, but I'll save that story for another post. For now I want to focus on the happy story of Chaquira and the great work of Labs and Buddies.

Robert Cabral
BOUND ANGELS