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

Why Do We Call Them "Shelters?"

When children are taken out of abusive homes they are put in "foster care." When criminals are taken out of society they are put in prisons. No matter how crowded these systems get or how sick the humans get within these systems, they are never killed. Which leads me to question the integrity with which we treat animals. Of course we have to start out with the understanding that we, as humans, as the superior beings, and of course white humans are the superior race, and that Americans are the greatest of all. What a load of bull. Who is to say, who is better? What gives humans the right to claim this place in society? I guess the same thing that gives those who oppress others the right to oppress, conquer and kill. If we can open our hearts and minds for just a short period of time to let some light and understanding in, we might just see the world for what it is. There is and always well be conflict. There always will be those who revel in this conflict and those who would like to see the world be at peace. When we can be compassionate to those of different colors, beliefs, ideals, nationalities and other animals, the world might just be a better place. Are we really the superior species.. I think not. As long as we can act as we act with little compassion to one another, and even less regard to animals, we have little hope. A book I read comes to mind which shed light on this. The book is Ishmael. Its a wonderful insight to the human ideal.

Today an email came across my desk about a Labrador that was surrendered to a local shelter here in CA. The reason the owner gave was that the dog was aggressive. The dog lasted but a few days at the shelter before the staff murdered him. The reason, lack of room. UNREAL. There is no system of checks and balances that confirms this and shelters are often playing GOD, deciding who should live and who should die. There were plenty of rescue groups that never had the chance to check in on this guy. He was surrendered by someone he built his life around. Dropped off and murdered, in cold blood. NO, its not putting to sleep, euthanasia or any sweet term like that... it is murder. I ca assure you that there was no qualified tests done, no attempt to rehab or no attempt to place the dog. He was simply killed. Add his soul to the 5,000,000 that will be killed this year. Please note, they will not die in the shelters, they will be killed.

The excuse we hear all so often is that the shelters are overcrowded and that we face a pet overpopulation problem. I fail to see that we have pet overpopulation. We have less pets than people, and many people own more than one pet. Pet stores are selling dogs every day, as are breeders. I'm confused where the "overpopulation" comes in. What we have is too many unwanted animals in shelters. Part of that comes from the fact that no one wants to go to the shelters to adopt an animal. Wonder why?!! Maybe because many of them are filthy, depressing hell holes staffed by people who are not available when someone has a question or is interested in an animal. I can give several examples. As a contrast, there is a shelter that I've visited here in Downtown LA which is clean and most of the people who work there like their jobs, the lady in charge is kind and courteous and there is almost always someone available. This, however, is a rare find. Others I've visited have the omnipresent stench of death once you walk in the building. Wonder why mom and dad don't wanna take little Susie there?

We need a shelter system that is geared toward "Sheltering Animals" NOT killing them. As long as the option to kill animals is there, shelters will take that option, because it is easy. Don't be fooled by the hype that it is a very difficult job. I do not feel there is an incredible level of remorse by those killing the animals, and if there is, it must be short lived.

The labrador that was murdered in Lancaster on June 11, 2008 early in the morning, before the shelter even opened is a distant memory today. His body will be thrown in the landfill with many others. His owner is probably on to other things and will probably get a nice "New" puppy in the future. People are iresponsible with their animals and our animal care system is not "caring" for the animals that are placed into its custody. If this was the child care system or prison system it would be an outrage. FIVE MILLION animals will be killed this year. Its time to wake up and demand a change.

Contact your legislators, vote for those who support a NO KILL system, and pressure those who are in office to do the same. We demand rights for all people, lets demand the same for the animals who can not speak for themselves.