The Breeder - Your Friend

I probably have less of a problem with breeders than some people in rescue, but there is still an underlying issue that needs to be addressed.  So long as there are 5 million shelter animals dying in shelters, why do breeders continue?  The biggest problem with breeders is that most are not checked out, which means you are dealing with a potential of puppy mill breeders, which I do have a major problem with.  Puppy mills should be shut down and the owners of these places should be put in prison as child abusers are.  

I received a phone call from a woman the other day, which made me think to write this post.  She was referred to me by a local animal control officer.  She is having a problem with her Italian Mastiff.  Shall we guess what the problem is?  Aggression.  No kidding.  The lady explained that she took the dog to training, but the dog is not responding and has bitten the son and shows signs of aggression toward her.  For those of you who have not read my dog training blog or site, I invite you to go to www.blackbeltdogtraining.com and educate yourselves with what I face regularly from people who can not control their dogs. 

Mastiffs are a very strong and powerful breed.  These are the kind of dogs that when they turn, they will do a lot of damage.  And believe me, dogs will turn.  Why?  Because they are dogs.  Its not as big of a deal when your cocker spaniel turns on you, but when your 150lb mastiff turns, you have a bit of a problem.  You can't take a dog like this to your local pet store for training,  this requires someone who understands aggressive breeds.  And the best time to start training a dog like this is in the puppy stage, and never stop.  A dog like this, or any larger dog (or any dog for that matter), should be brought up to understand pack structure.  Unfortunately most people don't understand this themselves.  They think the dog is cute when its a puppy, but it grows up.

So, back to my point about the breeder.  I'm not slamming all breeders here, but I am slamming the one who sold this dog to this lady..  as well as the person who would be stupid enough to bring a dog like this home with no idea or research of the dogs characteristic.  Since the dog turned aggressive, he has to be put down or sent to a sanctuary.  Did the breeder offer to take the dog back? NO.   Did the breeder offer to send it to a sanctuary?  NO.  So what happens?  The dog gets murdered.  Why?  For being a dog.  The dog has the least fault in all of this.  The dog is being a dog.  Dogs get aggressive when there is a break in pack leadership.  This is what they do to protect the pack and themselves.  Please read more of my opinions on my Black Belt Dog Training site.  All I want to address here is that every time people don't think, an innocent dog dies.  This dog does not deserve to die, he should have never been brought into a home like this.  Obviously many breeders do not qualify the home for the dogs, as long as the check clears.   That is BULL&$%).  The breeder is responsible.  Rescues check out the potential homes for most all dogs they place, almost to a fault.  There is no special license people need to get a dog, in fact you can walk into any shelter or pet store and just take one home.  If it doesn't work out, its even easier, just drop them back at the shelter, and they'll kill them for you.  

Please educate yourself and the people you know that an animal is a life, to some of us it is as important as a human life.  At the very least, it is entitled to a chance at a happy life.  Animals that are turned into shelters for aggression need special attention, they can be rehabilitated, it takes work.  Before you get a dog that has dominant tendencies, educate yourself about the potential and what you need to know of the dog.  You'll be doing yourself and the animal a huge favor.

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

Saving Tina

I've said it many times: "When my phone rings, the clicker method didn't work."  I've gone into kennels of some really tough dogs.  Dogs even the shelter employees don't wanna mess with, and I always come out with a new friend.  I like the tough ones, they make me smile, cause they usually always have a story.  How do I convince them to become my friends, to change their ways?  Simple, I show them my love.  

This is the story of Tina.

Tina is a German Shepherd mix that ended up at one of the tougher shelters here in LA - with 8 of her pups.  Of course the pups were adopted out, what remained is the old lady that no one wanted.  Eventually she became very aggressive to shelter workers as well as others.  I got the call from a good friend of mine, Blake, who asked if I would go and "check in on" Tina.  If I could get her to come around, she would be saved, otherwise she was on the short list and would be killed.  How could I say no to a challenge like that?

I met the shelter worker, a very kind and caring person who escorted me to the kennel.  Tina was very obviously shaken, scared and potentially dangerous.  I approached her with love and caution.  I noosed her inside her kennel and escorted her to a small room at the shelter where I asked to have 20 minutes alone, uninterrupted with her.  I was granted this and am eternally grateful to the kind staff at the shelter for trusting me.  

At first Tina wanted little to do with me.  It took her a good 5-10 minutes to warm up to me.  Once she did, I slowly worked with her and won over her trust.  She was a very timid dog that required some special handling.  To properly work with a dog, it is important to understand where they are coming from.  The worst thing you can do is assume they are all the same.  CAUSE THEY AREN'T.  I saw into her soul, her eyes told me her pain.  She craved to be understood, and I gave her that.  You can see in the pictures that she trusted me and I trusted her.  I gave her  a chance and she gave herself a chance.  Twenty minutes later Tina and I walked out of the room in a different light.  Tina took treats out of the lady's hand, walked around with her tail up in the air, happy as could be.  She even went over to the kitten cages and "talked" to the little kitties.

Tina is now out of the shelter and in a rescue foster program ready for adoption.  Another precious life saved thanks to the trust and dedication of people who cared enough to give her a chance.