So at what point would you give up your dog? As with most of you I would say never. Never would there be a reason big enough to give my dog away. Never. I know there are some people who do give away dogs on a regular basis. It happens in dogs all the time. Breeders especially seem to always have dogs coming and going. I understand this- keep the best, place the rest. That's what breeders are doing afterall (or should be doing) breeding only the best. But I do wish that all breeders were responsible as to where "the rest" are going.
Dog Sports are even worse- people on the search for the perfect dog often cycle through 10 or 20 before finding "the one." This annoys the hell out of me. Frankly I cannot stand it, and try very hard to not be friends, or even friendly with people who do this. If it takes you 20 dogs to finally get the dog that can get you to worlds- are you a good trainer? Or just lucky?
And then you have the general public who seem to be able to give away dogs without a second thought. Check out your local online ads- Kijiji is always interesting, and very sad. Do you know how many calls I get a week of people looking to surrender their dogs to rescue? More than a few. (and I live in a small city)
The excuses are usually the same...
My kids are allergic
I'm having a baby
I don't have time
I'm moving
I can't afford it
She got too big
She growls at the kids
She's too hyper
the list can go on, and on, and on....
It saddens me, and makes me nauseous. I just don't get it. It is hard not to judge.
It is even harder to stomach when it happens to a dog that you know. The dog in question came through rescue two years ago. A young, hyper dog who needed work. We found her a perfect home where she has been loved, well exercised, and well trained. Now, she is looking for a home. Her owner is unwilling to deal with her on leash dog issues. The dog is easily overstimulated by other dogs when the owner is present. She lunges and snarls, and has gotten into her fair share of dogfights. The owner is not willing to work with her anymore. She feels that there is no hope, and that it is not fair to the dog, or to herself. I started out having sympathy. After all, this person has tried VERY hard with the dog, and has provided her with a great home. But then my sympathy ran out. I do not care that it is hard. You committed to the dog. You LOVED the dog. How can you just give her away? The dog in question is coming back to me. She will be placed in a dogsmart foster home, and sit there for months probably until we stumble upon someone who is willing to love her unconditionally. It makes me so sad.
I am serious in that I could never, ever do it. I have dogs of my own that aren't quite what I wanted- but I love them. How could I look at myself in the mirror after trading them in for a better model? Does it annoy me that Vito is too lazy for agility, and that Boone is spooky, and unreliable? Yes. But would I place them in a "pet" home just because they don't live up to my expectations? Never.
Anyway, just needed to rant. It has been an upsetting week. I just don't think I will ever understand.
16 comments:
geez Amanda....
this makes me cry :(
poor poor girl, she deserves better, she deserves to be loved & not given up on, I have no respect for this at all.
I am with you, I would never ever give up one of my dogs because I was unwilling to do what I had to do to make the situation work.
I had a dog aggressive collie when I was just 15, it was horrible , he even attacked a dog at an obedience trial once, I never gave up on him, he lived with me until he was 13 years old, loved, until the end.
There is just no excuse for giving up in my books, none.
I hear you! I can't imagine why people do this, short of absolute dire situations such as severe illness or becoming homeless. Alot of people really shouldn't get a dog to begin with I guess.....
It must be hard in rescue listening to all the reasons people give up. But at leaset she realized she couldnt deal with it and wanted to return the dog. She could have just taken it to the vet and had it put down. If its getting into dog fights, thats hard to deal with. Not everyone's life is about training dogs. You know how much time and effort it takes esp with problem dogs. Not everyone is good at it either or likes it. It can be upsetting to work really hard only for everything to fall apart. I feel for you but also for her. Sorry its been a hard week. Diana
I don't know Diana, I realize this is a dog, but, you can't give back a child if it is a problem...why do people thinks dogs are so easily disposable?
It was horrible with my dog aggressive collie, I was just a child, but , I still worked with him, I just did things different, once you know there is a problem, there is tons of things that can be done so you do not get into the situation of having a dog fight.
I never once thought about giving him away or putting him down, that's the easy way out.
I want to give a standing ovation to anyone who works in rescue. You amaze me. I can only imagine the frustration you feel at times.
I can somewhat understand that dog being returned if it was only a short time, as in a few weeks, since the person may not have realized what they were getting into, but after that, I just don't get it:(
I hope you are able to find the dog a good home. We adopted a dog who has leash issues, but we manage the situation, and I just can't imagine giving her up. The other 95% of the time she is just so. much. fun.:)
The mark of a good dog trainer is that they are successful with each dog they get. PERIOD. Different levels of success depending on the dog...but a person that constantly gets rid of dogs to look for that "perfect one" are people I don't take seminars/lessons from..No thanks.
And rescue...it's tough...I can't do it as I get so angry at people :( I am so sorry...but in the long run, this dog WILL have a better home with someone that loves ALL of her :)
Thank goodness people like you do rescue work. I guess the reality is that things chenge in people's lives. Personally it makes me sad to think about a dog being crated all day in a small apt, day after day. No wonder they are overstimulated when they go for a walk. I find a Gentle Leader harness works well when my dogs think about lunging.
I find it hard to read when people assume that just because a dog is placed in rescue that it will find a "better home", or with someone "who loves them more". Ideally yes, but the sad truth is that this doesn't always happen, people lie, dogs sit in foster care for monthes with foster homes who are trying to deal with their own dogs and issues. It is not an ideal setting for a dog, and it doesn't always end up roses. I know people want to think that they are doing best for the dog by giving them up to rescue, but that's not always the case.d
I could never give up my dog. People like this make me ill. But it happens all the time. Heck look at all my dogs-all dogs someone didn't wan't anymore. It's never-ending. But on a fun note-I saw a dog at the trial this weekend that reminded me a lot of Pixel!
I'm with you. I am fiercely protective of my dogs. Even though we are breeders and trainers, the ones that get the label of "mine" never leave. I've retired my dogs from work early because they weren't good at it but I couldn't sell them. They die with me they just don't compete. I'm even picky about the ones we sell that belong to the kennel. I can't sell them and own them both, but I try to sell them to people who I think will be their forever home. I've had dog agressive dogs. You deal with it. You don't get rid of the dog.
@onecollie: "I don't know Diana, I realize this is a dog, but, you can't give back a child if it is a problem...why do people thinks dogs are so easily disposable?"
Because they're dogs, not children. Sort of a critical distinction.
And there are people all over the world who give up children for adoption; have abortions; spouses who leave marriages and children behind. These things do also happen to children.
Iam the kennel manager of our local shelter and we have dogs coming in every day for the reasons you outlined. The hardest to adopt out are the dog-aggressive dogs. Most people looking for a dog at the shelter are not equipt to train or manage a dog with this kind of issue. What makes me crazy is the people who drop these dogs at the shelter who had them for years and never seeked out any kind of help and take no responsibility. The longer these dogs are in the shelter, the worse they get.
Anonymous, yes, like I said,...I KNOW they are dogs not children....
However, abortion is not giving up on the child, it is making a choice for yourself...husbands leave the wife, they don't leave the children,they choose to leave their children with their mother, usually the best choice for the children, most fathers still have contact...most people choose to fight, not take the easy way out.
Insane mentality. Dogs are family, and should be treated and respected as such. They are a real commitment, same as a child would be. You don't give back family!
People see cute little fuzzy balls of fluff at the puppy stage, say ahhhh, and take the dog home. When it sprouts legs, attitude, and wets a few times, rather than train...they give it away!
I do not understand this either. I often think of where Cavall would be today if he had not ended up in my home, probaly dead!
He was the most difficult dog I have owned.
The owner really needs help and is scared of the situation. Her physical reactions to the dog's reaction has escalated and it is a very scary cycle. The distance of reaction has probaly gotten to be greater, so that in the sense dogs that are now blocks away will set him off.
She should read the book "Click to Calm"
there will be lots of info geared towards skills she can use to help her dog.
I usually don't comment on blogs, but I felt this was important. I have to say if a dog needs more help than a person can give, it's better for them to give the dog to someone more experienced. At least that's my opinion. For instance, what if a person gets a dog that turns out to be aggressive towards people, and they have children? Maybe the dog would get better with an owner experienced enough to handle reactive dogs, but if the present owner is not experienced, I would think it would be better for the sake of the children and the dog to give it up.
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