Man's best "fair- weathered" friend...
I have a huge chip on my shoulder about the current debate over health care reform and had planned on talking about that today, but as I reflect on my time spent in the animal shelter and look out my window at the next trend of "family friends" people are taking for their walk, I can't help but get pissed---so health care will wait till Monday.
You see, I volunteer at a local shelter and as I walk through the kennels, I get to see "last season's fashion" stuck behind a glass enclosure. Although it is nice compared to other kennels, it is still a 3 x 6 cell that no one should have to live in. Recently it was Beagles or other types of hounds, Cattle dogs and a plethora of Chihuahua and Chihuahua mixes--Thank you Paris and Britney--well done.
Crazy note to add here, did you know that next to Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas are one of the most euthanized dogs in the "kill" shelters ? Is it because they are nasty little creatures ? Is it because they are not family dogs? NO !!!!!! It is because they do not belong in your damn purse and need to be socialized and exercised just like any other dog ......or human for that matter. If not, they become the little anxious grouchy things that we think of as the cliched Chihuahua. It is called a reasonable quality of life.
So , as we work to get so many dogs to much better homes, we also must deal with any behavioral issues the dogs come in with so that they will make a great pet for a new family. Where do the issues come from.......well, let me tell ya.
People , unintentionally I know, make uninformed choices when selecting a pet. They fail miserably to research what the breed or mixed breed dog they are getting ( hopefully adopting) requires. They also hugely underestimate how much exercise they are willing to provide the dog or foolishly say the dog will motivate them to "work out". Ultimately they revert to letting the dog out 2-3 times a day and call it good. They may also take Fido out for a couple 10 minute runs to take care of business and think that is enough---it is not. Dogs large and small, young and old need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. They need purpose, games and they need to be challenged. In this way they are very much like children. Without appropriate expulsion of energy , they will get into trouble. They will dig, chew, jump--all signs of anxiety and pent up energy.The owner then gets frustrated or mad and brings the dog to a shelter because it won't "mind" or is destructive. But who's fault is it really........the owner's for crying out
loud !!!
You can't get a Great Dane and then bring it to the shelter because it got too big.....it was a frickin' Great Dane when you got it ------it didn't just happen to get big--that is what they do !!!!!! You can't get a Lab and then get pissed because it tears up the house when you do nothing to let him be who he is ; a high energy dog that was bred to........RETRIEVE and work the field for Pete's sake !!!
I will note that occasionally a family must give up an animal , but most often, people just don't want to be bothered or won't give the dog the respect of trying to help it.
My point is this --these are not trends, they are beings with feelings that want nothing more than to be a part of a family or pack--whatever your word of choice. They do not come out of their mama knowing sit, down or how to hold their pee any more than human babies pop out of the womb knowing how to not throw their food or not crap their pants. As a matter of fact, you can potty train a dog a whole hell of a lot faster than you can a kid--bonus.
As I walked this morning I saw three Dobermans, they are beautiful, but I hope that I don't start to see them come through the shelter doors in the next 6 months as their newness wears off like animal print and, God willing , skinny jeans on dudes ( come on ,guys--seriously ??).
Make smart decisions, it is a commitment. Go to a shelter and adopt, it is the right thing to do and there are great dogs there. If you think you HAVE to have a purebred, you will most likely find one there and if not, unfortunately there is probably one that will come through soon. That is the sad reality of the shelters--no lack of "inventory". If you have a dog that you are having trouble with, find out how to help it, do your due diligence to do the right thing by your best friend. That's what he would do for you.
You see, I volunteer at a local shelter and as I walk through the kennels, I get to see "last season's fashion" stuck behind a glass enclosure. Although it is nice compared to other kennels, it is still a 3 x 6 cell that no one should have to live in. Recently it was Beagles or other types of hounds, Cattle dogs and a plethora of Chihuahua and Chihuahua mixes--Thank you Paris and Britney--well done.
Crazy note to add here, did you know that next to Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas are one of the most euthanized dogs in the "kill" shelters ? Is it because they are nasty little creatures ? Is it because they are not family dogs? NO !!!!!! It is because they do not belong in your damn purse and need to be socialized and exercised just like any other dog ......or human for that matter. If not, they become the little anxious grouchy things that we think of as the cliched Chihuahua. It is called a reasonable quality of life.
So , as we work to get so many dogs to much better homes, we also must deal with any behavioral issues the dogs come in with so that they will make a great pet for a new family. Where do the issues come from.......well, let me tell ya.
People , unintentionally I know, make uninformed choices when selecting a pet. They fail miserably to research what the breed or mixed breed dog they are getting ( hopefully adopting) requires. They also hugely underestimate how much exercise they are willing to provide the dog or foolishly say the dog will motivate them to "work out". Ultimately they revert to letting the dog out 2-3 times a day and call it good. They may also take Fido out for a couple 10 minute runs to take care of business and think that is enough---it is not. Dogs large and small, young and old need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. They need purpose, games and they need to be challenged. In this way they are very much like children. Without appropriate expulsion of energy , they will get into trouble. They will dig, chew, jump--all signs of anxiety and pent up energy.The owner then gets frustrated or mad and brings the dog to a shelter because it won't "mind" or is destructive. But who's fault is it really........the owner's for crying out
loud !!!
You can't get a Great Dane and then bring it to the shelter because it got too big.....it was a frickin' Great Dane when you got it ------it didn't just happen to get big--that is what they do !!!!!! You can't get a Lab and then get pissed because it tears up the house when you do nothing to let him be who he is ; a high energy dog that was bred to........RETRIEVE and work the field for Pete's sake !!!
I will note that occasionally a family must give up an animal , but most often, people just don't want to be bothered or won't give the dog the respect of trying to help it.
My point is this --these are not trends, they are beings with feelings that want nothing more than to be a part of a family or pack--whatever your word of choice. They do not come out of their mama knowing sit, down or how to hold their pee any more than human babies pop out of the womb knowing how to not throw their food or not crap their pants. As a matter of fact, you can potty train a dog a whole hell of a lot faster than you can a kid--bonus.
As I walked this morning I saw three Dobermans, they are beautiful, but I hope that I don't start to see them come through the shelter doors in the next 6 months as their newness wears off like animal print and, God willing , skinny jeans on dudes ( come on ,guys--seriously ??).
Make smart decisions, it is a commitment. Go to a shelter and adopt, it is the right thing to do and there are great dogs there. If you think you HAVE to have a purebred, you will most likely find one there and if not, unfortunately there is probably one that will come through soon. That is the sad reality of the shelters--no lack of "inventory". If you have a dog that you are having trouble with, find out how to help it, do your due diligence to do the right thing by your best friend. That's what he would do for you.
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