MOVING?? WTF

You know it never ceases to amaze me how many people give up their dogs, so just let me vent here for a moment. Whoever came up with the excuse, "I have to give up my dog because I'm moving..." should be slapped up side the head - hard.

For the past several years I've heard a plethora of excuses for giving up the animal that's shared it's life with you, the most honest is, "I just don't want him any more." It's stupid, but honest. I can't imagine any excuse for giving up a pet once I've commited to it, but then again, that's just me. Commitment is something some people take seriously while others have no idea "what it means." Since these people probably meander through their meaningless lives with little focus on structure or function, they probably don't see the meaning for focus let alone commitment. These people probably make bad parents, employees and partners. If you can let go of an animal that has given it's life to you, only to drop it at a shelter with little regard to what will happen to it; leaving it with a person you've never met, then your charachter may be a bit flawed - actually severely flawed.

But, back to the idea, "I'm moving and can't take my dog with me." I would like to know where that special place is where you are moving where dogs are illegal. I've traveled around this country a bit and haven't found a state, nor city that has a ban on dogs. Recently I was forced to move and did find it a little bit challenging to find a place that would allow dogs, but I persevered... and believe me, my scope of interest of where I wanted to live was much more limited than most people. I can promise you that if its important enough for you, you'll find a place that allows dogs. In fact ask yourself this question, "If giving up my dog will cost me 15% of my yearly pay, would I expend the effort to find a place that will take me WITH my dog?" And if you answer YES to this, WTF is wrong with you?

Am I being a jerk here? NO. I'm speaking for the animal that, when dumped in a shelter has less than a 30% chance of getting out alive. The animal that has no voice after you walk out the front door back to your normal life, the animal that sits and wonders WHEN you will be back... you always came back before. These animals deserve a voice, and their voice is taken from them... I am that voice today... and I am pissed.

Think about what you do BEFORE you get a dog or cat. This is one reason why I am criticized when I don't speak out against breeders. In my opinion, if you get your dog from a breeder and keep it for life, you are NOT a part of the problem. But, no matter where you get your dog, if you dump him when you grow tired, move or can't afford him anymore... YOU ARE THE PROBLEM. Lets take the blame off of people who have little if anything to do with the problem and place it squarely on those who ARE THE PROBLEM.... irresponsible pet owners... not breeders.

THINK - its a life your messing up... its your choice to be a selfish ass or be to be kind.

Divided We Fall

I know this post may fly in the face of many people in rescue, but I have to say what I feel. Since I entered into this field I've found a lot of egos present in the animal rescue community. Everyone knows a better way to do things, and people are very divided on their stands. This is very evident in the debate about the No Kill Shelter concept. I think everyone wants it, but no one understands the magnitude of the problem. Shelters are overcrowded because people keep dumping more and more pets into the shelters. People blame breeders first and foremost, and I differ on this point very strongly. I believe the problem is with un-reputable breeders. For years I've taken the side of good breeders and know for a fact that many good breeders are doing more to help the problem than hinder it.

The problem to the pet "overpopulation" problem does not lie with reputable breeders, it lies with stupid people who are irresponsible pet owners, who can't keep their dogs in their homes or yards - they don't spay or neuter and their dogs are running around making more unwanted dogs that we kill at a rate of several million every year. Then lets look at back yard breeders, puppy mills, impulse shoppers on the internet buying dogs, people who don't train their dogs or grow tired of them.

Legitimate breeders screen potential homes for their puppies more thoroughly often than rescue organizations, they qualify people who are getting one of their puppies, and they will take a dog back if it doesn't work out. So... lets put the blame of this problem squarely where it lies, and off of the reputable breeders who have a love and passion for their dogs, just like us.

I get angry when people point fingers and blame without a solution. Do people actually think that we should stop breeders? That makes as much sense as sterilizing people until there are no more orphans. Lets take the efforts and focus on educating people about responsible pet custodianship, lets team up with breeders and see how we can work together. Statistics show that there are about 30% pure bred dogs in shelters. I think that number may be a bit high, but close enough to consider. That means more than 70% of our "problem" lies with irresponsible people who are breeding dogs to show their kids the beauty of "The Miracle of Life." Which to me is one of the most idiotic things and it borders on bestiality. If children should learn about the miracle of life, shouldn't it be from humans.. oh yeah, we can't show naked people, that would be a sin.... But don't get me started there.

I'll close this post with my typical disappointment in the people who complain and complain and do very little to solve the problem, and my hat off to all of those people who make the world a better place for animals! You know who you are.

Robert Cabral
BOUND ANGELS

On the Topic of Breeders

It seems that rescuers and breeders are on two different sides when it comes to the right choice of how and where to get a dog.  There are breeders who boast the myth that only a good dog can be purchased from a breeder, while rescue workers attest that there is such a great animal overpopulation that breeders should be put out of business.  Let me shed some light on the situation.  

As a rescue worker, I can assure you that I will do my best to be fair in my statements, actually much more fair than the statements that I have seen from many breeders posts on blogs.  I do believe that people should be able to make a living in whatever they are doing: be it breeders, pet stores, groomers, trainers, etc.  That being said, it should be a living not at the expense of another's suffering, be that a pet or another person.  If I were to derive a living from beating and confining my workers to make my t-shirts,  I'm sure you would agree that this would be wrong.    Well, that is what the battle against some breeders known as puppy mills is about.  With the internet so widespread, many people get their dogs from far away places and rely on the photos and testimonials they read on the breeders website without ever checking out the breeder.  If you can visit the breeder and see it for yourself, chances are its a good breeder.  Legitimate breeders love their dogs and care about where they go.  They will do intensive interview and question prospective buyers.  They will NOT just ship a dog to anyone.  Puppy mills will.  

Puppy mill breeders are in it for the cash and sell misery.  EVERY legitimate breeder will hate puppy mill breeders even more than people in rescue.  Why?  because it makes them and their entire industry look bad.  Pet stores for the most part, more than 90% sell puppies from puppy mills.  NO legitimate breeder would sell their puppies to a puppy store and not care about where their dogs are going.  Good breeders want to know the future of their dogs and will take back a dog that doesn't work out.  Puppy mills and pet stores don't.

There are countless rescue organizations from general breeds to breed specific rescues that scour the shelters and save millions of dogs.  They operate on limited budgets and are run by animal lovers who are often struggling to make it.  Some make money, some charge adoption fees for legitimate reasons, however none but one or two operate at a sizable profit...  in fact most are Non-Profits.  These organizations rescue, board, foster and re-home the dogs that were cast away.  So the big business people say, "Why should it be your responsibility to take on 'someone else's problem'?"  Well, its not.  Looking at it like that makes it seem like you are taking over someone's credit card debt with nothing in return.  What people overlook is that it is a life.  You are not taking over a problem, but a life that will give back to you just like the dog you get from the pet store, but often with a lot less issues.  Yes, you can get a puppy from a breeder, but rescues are often overrun with puppies as are shelters.  You won't get that fancy piece of paper stating its history, but you still get a loving life.  If you can trace the entire lineage of your partner before you settle down, then maybe getting a purebred papered dog is the right choice for you.  However if love and doing something heartfelt for an animal who needs a second chance is in your scope of reality, a rescue may make you just as happy as a dog from a breeder.

As a professional dog behaviorist I can attest that dogs from shelters / rescues can be every bit as loving (sometimes more so) than breeder dogs.  I've had both and have seen both sides.  Puppies are cute, but very hard to deal with.  A dog who has outgrown the puppy stage often makes for a better pet.  Puppy love lasts for a while, but then you have to settle down to cleaning puppy poop, pee, puke, deal with chewing, digging, whining, barking, etc.  These all seem like fun, but then grow into issues.  And, I can tell you professionally that if they are not dealt with properly, they will cause greater issues than any I've seen in rescue dogs.

Getting a dog is a decision that should not be spontaneous.  It is something to think about.  Both sides of this issue are very passionate about their ideas.   My passion lies merely in what is right for the dog.  If you have done the research and are ready to make your decision, move on and do it.  The compassionate choice is the one you make with a clear conscience.  More than 5 million shelter animals are killed each year.  Many of them come from breeders, puppy mills and pet stores.  Educating yourself on the responsibilities of owning a dog will help you to avoid being a part of the problem and therefor help solve the problem.

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.