Tag: adopt

Special Needs: How Do You Help Your Blind Dog Thrive?

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Every dog deserves to have a happy and fulfilling life in a safe and loving environment. How do we provide that for a blind dog? 

The Cecchine Hotel for Dogs has been fostering dogs since 2016, and we have hosted quite a few special needs dogs. We currently have two very different blind foster dogs as foster guests.

ChiChi is an 8-year-old ChiPom who is slowly and cautiously adjusting to all of the big changes in her life.

ChiChi

Tessie is a 7-year-old Cocker Spaniel who took about 2 seconds to adapt and learn her way around our home. Nothing is slowing down Tessie’s joy. She is very trusting and loves everyone she meets.

Tessie


What is it like having a blind dog? It’s like having any dog. With a few adjustments inside the home and some rules for outside, blind dogs can live happily ever after.  Many of the helpful things that you can do for your blind dog are things you may already be doing for your sighted dog(s). Blind dogs have all of the same basic needs as sighted dogs and blind dogs play, go for walks, and enjoy cuddling, just like sighted dogs. Blind dogs can range from grumpy to joyful; we have one of each at the moment. Their temperament really has nothing to do with their eyesight. Blindness doesn’t change their wonderful personalities.

But aren’t there limitations for a blind dog? Isn’t life harder for them? 

I wouldn’t say that life is harder for a blind dog, just different. Did you know that dogs are born blind? (Sort of.) They don’t gain their eyesight and hearing for about 2 weeks after birth. Dogs that are born with vision and or hearing impairment thrive. Dogs that have lost their vision or hearing later on can take a little time to adjust. You might be surprised that, although a loss of sight is dramatic for the pet parent, it isn’t that big of a deal to the dog. They DO care a lot about their family, their meals and treats, and some really enjoy toys. Most of all, dogs love getting positive attention from you. Dogs are resilient. They adapt really well to blindness by compensating with their other senses. Blind dogs have a heightened sense of hearing and smell compared to sighted dogs. Compared to these other senses, the usefulness of sight is rather limited for a dog. 

Do blind dogs get depressed? Yes. I think some dogs bounce back from major changes better than others. I have seen dogs bounce back quickly from major changes like losing their home, losing a limb, or losing an eye. The very day that I met Tessie, she had been spayed and had one eye removed.  She was groggy and a little confused. The next day, Tessie was happy and joyful and learning her way around our home.

Some dogs need more time and patience. When I met little ChiChi, she was in pain. During her time with us, she was spayed and had a chain of cancerous mammary tumors surgically removed. After that, she had two surgeries in which her painful eyes were enucleated. There have been days that ChiChi would not tolerate being touched. There have been days that she sought our affection. There are lots of days that she just wants to sleep. Some dogs need more time and patience. ChiChi has been through a lot and she is still decompressing from a lot of stressful situations. She is healing physically, and emotionally. She is learning to trust us. The wonderful thing is that ChiChi lost her pain when she lost her eyesight. She has a pain-free life ahead of her. I would make that trade any day. 

So, how do you help your blind dog thrive? 

First things first, safety proof the home and yard.

Keeping your blind dog safe is your number one priority. Dog-proofing is a lot like puppy-proofing or baby-proofing your home. Blind dogs, like puppies and babies, need a little extra help in order to safely navigate inside your home and outside in the great big world. If your home is toddler or puppy safe, then it is probably blind dog safe too. To identify any adjustments that you may need to make, you will need to investigate inside and outside of your home, everywhere that your dog will spend time. Drop down to dog level and look for hazards, anything your dog could bump into, fall from, or knock over. Remove or cover sharp edges. Use baby gates at the tops and/or bottoms of stairs until your dog can safely maneuver staircases. Don’t forget to dog-proof your yard. Remember, your blind dog can’t see predators, cars, or other dangers outside of your home. You will need a secure, physical fence around your yard and you will need to supervise outside time. 

I think the next most important tip is simply to keep a consistent routine. 

A daily routine is important for all dogs’ well-being, but a special needs dog will especially appreciate knowing what comes next. 

Next, give your dog a cozy, safe spot to chill inside the home.

It’s really important to establish a comfortable, safe “home base” spot right away.  You can use a crate, a mat, or a nice, cozy dog bed. Chi-Chi recently lost her sight and is carried up and down the steps of our raised house for potty breaks. She has been through three major surgeries with us and we are in the habit of carrying her. Every time we bring ChiChi inside the home, we put her on the same dog bed and tell her “home base” so that she knows exactly where she is oriented in the house. 

Teach your dog to find their “home base” spot and then to stay there. You can positively reinforce every time the dog finds home base and then try giving them a long-lasting treat like a frozen peanut butter stuffed Kong to help build duration and reinforce staying at “home base.”

Home Base

Be tidy.

Keep your floor clear of clutter and don’t move the furniture, the dog beds, the food or water bowls. Your dog will quickly make a mental map of the home and the yard and be able to get around. Set everything up the way that you want it and then leave it. Then you can either let your dog explore or leash and walk your blind dog through the house. This will help them to create a mental map. You may see that your blind dog wanders around the home and occasionally bumps into things at first. If you see that they are about to bump, but there is no danger of them being hurt, no need to intervene, you can simply say “bump”. They will quickly learn their way around and learn from their mistakes. They will learn to listen to your warnings. 

Try a blind dog “halo.”

There are several companies that sell “halos” to be worn on a harness or vest. The “halo”  surrounds the dog’s head and bumps into obstacles before your dog does. These can be reassuring for some blind dogs but are rejected by others. Much like strong-willed toddlers, some dogs want to learn to do it by themselves, even if it means a few bumps and falls along the way. 

Use carpets for orientation.

You can make use of carpet runners, area rugs, and mats to help blind dogs orient where they are in your home or just to provide a tactile path to follow. Mats can orient a dog to a water and food bowl, a couch, or a door. 

I do not have any carpets in my home. The last carpet was removed 127 dogs ago. (We potty train a lot…) We do use an absorbent mat under the water bowl, and we have another mat by the back door, where the dogs go out to the yard. 

What about using scents to help dogs orient? I’ve read about people using different essential oils in different spaces in the home to help blind dogs orient. I do not do that. A blind dog’s sense of smell is significantly heightened. Have you ever walked into a Bath and Body type store and gotten an instant smell overload headache? I have. Rule one for using essential oils for pets is to make sure that your pet can move away from the scent if it is bothering them. 

I do use natural, essential oil-based cleaning products. My kitchen cleaner smells different than the bathroom cleaner and the living room has wool blankets and books smells. There are shoes on a rack by the front door, so there is definitely a foyer scent at dog level. When I clean my hardwood floors, the dogs will enjoy a nice citrus essential oil scent throughout. We have dog beds all over the house. Yep, we have a home full of smells already. 

Sounds are important for blind dogs.

Talk to your dog blind dog often, and always when you are moving about. The sound of your voice can help them orient and can be reassuring. Always speak before touching so you don’t scare or startle. “Can I pet you?” “I’m going to put your eye drops in now.” “Good girl!” 

Use ambient noise. 

Leave the same radio or TV on when you are away. It helps orient the dog in the house and may reduce loneliness. Our dogs listen to a lot of NPR from the kitchen. They are totally up to date on current events. 

Provide noisy toys. 

Don’t forget your blind dog will still love to play.  Toys that squeak or make noise may be fun, but may also be too loud at first – remember the sense of hearing becomes more sensitive in a blind dog. If the noisy toys are rejected, try a food-filled Kong. You can even hide it for your dog to sniff out. Tessie loves toys; she is a toy destroyer. ChiChi rarely takes any interest in toys; she prefers a soft blankie.

Try using bells. 

Some people put little bells on their cats or dogs in an effort to save birds or rodents from being hunted (and brought home as trophies). I tie these small bells on my shoelace when I take my blind foster dog out on a walk so that she can place where I am.  Some people will wear them in the house, or put them on another pet in the house. I think that would get very annoying for the dogs (and the people). Instead, I talk to my blind dogs as I move through the house. It’s ok if I forget to talk. They are very sensitive to the noise of people and other dogs moving about on our wooden floors. Sometimes a blind dog will bump into another dog, but the sighted dogs get used to the situation. They either give a quiet growl or ignore or move out of the way. They all adjust. My little blind ChiChi still bumps around the house like a little Roomba, learning her way. Tessie blew through this step, not slowing down at all until she knew her way around.

Tessie

When you leave your house and yard, keep it routine. You should continue to take your dog to the same parks and on the same familiar walking routes. It is important to keep your blind dog harnessed and leashed outside of the home unless you are in a very rural area and your dog has excellent recall. A blind dog will happily follow its nose, and it is your responsibility to steer them clear of obstacles and danger.  You will be your dog’s seeing-eye person. I bought my husband a t-shirt that says: Service Human. Do Not Pet. 

Let people know that your dog is blind. You can purchase a collar, tag, lead, coat, or bandana that says ‘Blind’. Other people (and their dogs) will hopefully give you a little space and approach slowly. I like to say “Who is this?” when another dog approaches, to let my blind dog know that they are about to meet another dog. 

Remember to update your dog’s microchip information. That way, should they get lost, whoever finds them will know that they are blind.

Training a blind dog.

Training is important to keep your blind dog safe, as well as keeping your dog’s mind active. A sighted dog’s first line of communication is visually reading body language, so watching over interactions with other dogs and being able to direct your blind dog and stay in control of the situation is very important.

Work to Eat

If you want a really motivated-to-learn dog, don’t feed any food out of a bowl. A hungry dog will work for food, which is used to reinforce desired behaviors. All the dog’s food can be fed by hand during training. Or, all food can come out of a work-to-eat puzzle toy or a snuffle mat. This is another good way to keep the dog’s mind active. Just measure out the food for the day and make them work for it.

Use cue words, a clicker, and food to train. 

Your goal is to positively reinforce desired behaviors. To be successful, be consistent and repeat often. A clicker can let your dog know exactly when they have done the correct thing. Then reinforce the correct behavior with a treat. You can substitute a marker word like “Yes!” for the clicker. Eventually, you can substitute praise and affection for the treat. 

Watch

Okay, obviously this one means “look at me” for a sighted dog. For a blind dog, it means “turn toward me”.  You will use “Watch” when you need the dog’s attention on you. With your dog on a leash, use the cue “watch” then gently pull the leash down and towards yourself. Reward the dog for turning towards you with a click, and then reward it with a treat. Repeat. 

The next step is to say “watch” and then wait a few seconds. If your dog turns toward you on its own, click and reward. If they do not, gently pull the leash down and towards yourself, then click and reward. Keep this up until the dog is able to respond correctly to “watch” without you having to apply pressure to the leash. Keep practicing. 

Step

Steps, curbs, and other changes in elevation can cause a blind dog to trip or fall. Saying “step” will let them know that an elevation change is coming. When you approach an elevation change, say  “step” and then stop walking. Gently move forward so they can feel it then repeat “step.” Move forward and then click and reward. Repeat until the dog is easily able to manage changes in elevation. When there are stairs involved, I say “step” for every step up or down so that the dog knows to keep going up or down. I say “good girl” or “good boy” to indicate when the steps have been completed. 

Our foster dog Tessie decided to practice for several hours the steps and ramp that we use to access our backyard until she had it perfected. Just like a toddler learning to climb up and down steps, she went up and down again and again with great determination. She mastered both steps and ramp that day and was very proud of herself.  

Sit 

Put a treat in your palm and place it in front of your dog’s nose. Place your other hand just above their tail. Begin to slowly lift the treat hand up while you apply gentle downward pressure to their back. The dog’s head goes up and the butt goes down. When they sit, use the verbal cue “sit”, click and release the treat. Repeat and practice. 

You can gradually use less pressure on their rear. Eventually, you will ask for a sit without the treat in hand and just use praise. If they don’t respond, grab a treat and keep practicing. 

Come (or Go Home)

A blind dog cannot see cars, bikes, or predators, so they should always be closely supervised outdoors. Recall training is important enough to warrant using a “high-value treat”, something extra yummy. Cheese, cold cuts, banana, whatever makes your dog come running.  “Come” means come to me. When our blind dogs are playing in the yard and we need them to come inside, I tell them “go home”. *I use this also with any stray dog I see. Sometimes the stray will lead me right back to their gate or front door. 

Grab a high-value treat and hold it close to your dog’s nose. Say  “come”  in a happy voice while slowly backing up a step. You want to lure your dog to follow you. Click and reward them for coming toward you. Repeat until your dog doesn’t hesitate to follow. Then gradually increase the distance. Keep talking to the dog, encouraging them as they come closer. Click and reward. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Eventually, you can say “come” from quite a distance and your dog will come running. 

When you begin training, you will use a lot of food and a lot of praise. Have lots of training treats, or the day’s portion of kibble, ready to go. As the dog begins to master new skills, you will use less food and more praise. Then you can play the treat lottery for a while; sometimes they get a treat, sometimes they get a high-value treat, and sometimes they just get praise for a job well done. You want the dog ready to do whatever is asked just in case there is a treat until they are so good at it that they just do it for praise. Never underestimate the value of praise and affection to a dog. They really like to make us happy. 

If you are interested in a adopting a dog like Tessie or ChiChi, please check out https://animalrescueneworleans.org/adoptable-arno-pets/

or reach out to adopt@animalrescueneworleans.org for more info.

Adopt your next best friend

Q: What is Double Merle?

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Willow(front) and Wren(back)are both merles

Our litter of foster puppies is 5 weeks old today. They are all playful and thriving. They are fluffy and beautiful and several have merle coats.

Question: What does merle mean?

Answer: Merle is the French name for the common blackbird. I remember from French class the idiom le merle blanc means something impossible, or a person who is the one in a million. In dogs, however, merle is all too common. Merle refers to the marbled pattern in their coat. In Dachshunds it is called dapple. The merle gene creates mottled patches of color, splotches of dark pigment are overlaid over a lighter shade of the same or similar color. The merle gene dilutes parts of the pigment, creating grey areas on the coat and pink areas on the nose. Merle dogs are beautiful. The merle patten is an AKC standard in several breeds. However, breeding merle dogs have a serious downside; a double merle dog can occur when two merle-coated dogs are bred together. The decreased pigment on the skin puts double merles at high risk for hearing and sight impairments. Double-merle dogs often have microphthalmia, in which the eyes are abnormally small and often nonfunctional. 

Windy is a double merle

Not all double-merles have hearing or sight problems. Some are absolutely fine. We have five puppies. Four of them have big blue eyes and they will stop and look at me when I get down on the floor with my camera (see photo above). One of the puppies doesn’t stop and look. Windy is just like the other puppies, often sleeping, or playing, or nursing, but she has never once stopped and looked at me. She does not have big blue eyes like her daddy.

Mom and Dad look like Glen of Imaal Terriers

I should note that the mom and dad came into Zeus’ Rescue together. They were seized in an arrest and were living in terrible conditions in a trailer. There were multiple male/female pairs seized. They were likely breeding them and selling the puppies off. I only met the daddy dog briefly, but I was struck by his beautiful blue eyes. I was happy to see that he was quickly adopted.

How can you tell if a puppy is blind or deaf?

Puppies can’t read an eye chart.

Vision test at home: Try waving your hand quickly right in front of a puppy. The dog should blink and/or follow your hand.

Hearing test at home: Make a sudden loud noise behind the puppy and see how the dog responds. You can try this while they are sleeping and see if it wakes them up.

Windy did not react to the vision or hearing test.

Windy

The merle color gene does not have an effect on temperament. Aside from auditory and visual problems, double-merles are otherwise healthy, happy dogs. Windy is a sweet, happy puppy. She behaves just like the others. She will need an adoptive forever family that can train her and keep her safe.

How can you train a blind and deaf dog?

It is important to crate your pup when you are not there to watch them and always use a harness and leash when they are away from home with you. There are important safety reasons. You won’t be able to call the dog back if he/shde runs off and the dog won’t be able to see where you are. Be attentive around other dogs. A blind and deaf dog cannot hear or see the signals another dog is giving them.

Blind and deaf dogs rely on their sense of touch and smell. Use touch to train — you can get your dog’s attention with a gentle tap of her nose and then put her food bowl down. Tap twice between her shoulder blades to signal you are going for a walk and then immediately put the harness and lead on. A touch on the side can be a cue to sit. Your dog will quickly come to associate each tactile sign with the event that follows. Rugs and mats are ways to guide your dog so they can work out where they are. Use a mat in front of the door, so that your dog can feel where he or she is going. Place a mat under food and water bowls, so that she can anticipate where the food and water are. Try to keep things in their place once they are learned. Your dog will quickly have the entire house mapped out in its head and will find its way around just fine.

Use a baby gate to block stairs until your dog has mastered them. It can help to use a mat at both top and bottom of stairs so the dog knows when it’s at the top or bottom. Teach using the stairs by placing a treat on each step and gently encourage. It helps to have the dog in a harness for this. Practice until she is able to go up and down confidently.

Windy loves Mara
Wilbur is the only boy. He has a wheaten coat.
Wren
Aira(front) is almost entirely cream & Wren (back)

If you are interested in adopting, please check out Zeus’ Rescues at www.zeusrescues.org for more information.

When Your Animal Adoption Application is Denied

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I volunteer with animal rescue and 

We retain the right to refuse adoption to anyone.

If you read the bold statement above, you are probably thinking, yes, that makes sense, not everyone is set up to be a good dog owner. (You are right.) We choose adopters carefully.

We retain the right to refuse adoption to anyone (even you).

How about that little addition at the end?

 

Can we talk about how ridiculously upset some people get if they don’t get to adopt the dog they want? I’m talking about people threatening-to-get-lawyers level of upset. Usually it’s just general disbelief and nastiness, sometime with threats of social media smear campaigns. It is ugly. People get seriously upset and they let us know exactly how they feel.

I work with a fully volunteer, non-profit animal rescue. We rescue dogs and take responsibility for them for the rest of their lives. Forever. When you sign an adoption contract, it states that the dog is to be returned to the rescue if it doesn’t work out. We want a forever home. We want it to work out with you. Therefore, we do everything that we can to ensure a successful forever adoption at the outset. If it doesn’t work out, we are still responsible for the dog. If your dog comes back, another dog goes unrescued. Thats how it works. It’s about the dog, we aren’t rescuing the people.

So you apply to adopt Dog X. Of course you feel that you are a perfect and responsible home for Dog X.  I would like to gently point out that you really only know what the rescue has told you about Dog X. Dog X’s foster family knows the most about what the animal needs to be safe, secure and happy. Our animals come from various lousy environments:  stressful kill shelters, hoarding situations, living on the streets, dumped from breeders who no longer need them, families that abused or neglected them, and some come from a wonderful home where their primary caregiver has passed away and they are mourning. It’s not pretty. The situation, as well as the medical history of the animal, is often unknown to the rescue. We care for these dogs in foster homes and we make every effort to ensure they are both healthy and temperamentally ready to go to a new home BEFORE placing the animal up for adoption. They need time to decompress. They need to learn to trust again. They need to learn some basic manners. Each Dog X is different, and each comes with different issues and needs. Foster families learn a lot about their foster dogs. 

These are a few examples of foster dogs I have had: 

Catahoula fence jumper, needs lots of exercise or destructive

Dachshund stray, escape artist, needs really secure fence or leash walks only

Border Collie active, social, very protective, strong, needs tons of exercise

Small Lab mix afraid of men, separation anxiety, crate anxiety, repeatedly runs away from home, needs someone at home a lot and lots of patience with men

Big Lab really mouthy and thinks he’s a lap dog, no small children 

Older Chihuahua from hoarding situation, afraid of children, probably abused, needs calm home without kids 

Beagle stray, long stay in shelter, crate anxiety, escapes from all of them

Each of these dogs needs to find a very particular sort of home and family – and I would not adopt them to just anybody. Not even if the applicant was a friend or family member. These dogs have been failed by humans once, or more than once, and the rescue is their second chance at happily ever after. We take it seriously. Many of them have already had the wrong family, we want to find the right family.

Let’s talk about why dogs become homeless. I’m one of those people who picks up the pieces, so I think about this, and I think about how to prevent it.

Divorce, breakup, new baby, moving to a place that won’t allow dogs, new puppy so getting rid of the senior dog (yes, that happens), can’t afford vet bills when dog is sick or hurt, don’t have time for it, it pees in the house (because you didn’t have time to train it, left it alone too long, or it is sick and needs veterinary care), dog escapes (left outside unsupervised too long without a secure fence, or never brought inside at all). Wait until you hear about puppies! Everybody loves puppies! Why are there so many puppies in need of rescue?! You didn’t spay or neuter your dog and now instead of 1 or 2 dogs, you have 4 or 12 puppies to feed, clean up after, vaccinate, deworm, and keep safe. It turns out that it’s a lot of work, and it costs money to care for them, and they are loud and messy, so off to the shelter/Craigslist/box on the side of the highway they go. And that’s how puppies end up in rescue.

Which brings me to this statement. I don’t understand why everyone thinks that they are entitled to a puppy. 

To be fair, I also don’t understand why some people breed, but that’s a whole other thing… 

 

Screen Shot 2018-05-03 at 1.29.18 PM.png

YOU are looking to add a dog to your family. Yay! Dog’s make life better. We applaud your choice of a rescue dog, because there are so many in need. You decide that you want a puppy. 

WE rescue. We post pictures of lovely, sweet little puppies that need homes. And we typically get more applications for those puppies than there are puppies available. It seems there are endless puppies at the larger animal shelters, (and even shelters don’t adopt to everyone who applies), but if you want this particular puppy from rescue, healthy and cared for in a foster home until abound 8 weeks, when they are weaned onto solid food, dewormed, and have had their first set of vaccinations, well, we have a stringent process. I get it, you saw the puppy photo, you fell in love. Me too. I fall in love with puppies every day from those photos. I wish they could all come and live with me, and I love getting to foster them. You are a great person, I’m sure, but please don’t lash out at me or other rescue volunteers if you do not get to adopt the puppy that you have fallen in love with on Facebook or Petfinder. We will find the best homes for the dogs in our care. It might not be you. I really hope you can live with that.

Take a deep breath. This is not an ego thing, not a power trip for me or the rescue. One of my adopters pointed out that I’m a dog social worker (He’s a people social worker). I’m looking out for the best interests of the dog and trying to make a great match for your family. If an adoption application is denied for a particular dog for a particular reason, I will end by saying, I would love to help you find the right dog for your family. And I would. 

Some of the dogs in rescue have had truly terrible beginnings. Some have been crated and bred for their entire lives, some have been chained outside without shelter, some have been left in abandoned homes and backyards, some were tied to something and abandoned, some dropped from a moving car on a highway. We do not rescue perfect dogs. We rescue dogs with a past: abandoned puppies, seniors, dogs ill with heartworms. We rescue blind dogs, deaf dogs, dogs missing a limb. We rescue dogs that have lived in a loving home all their lives and have lost their only caregiver. We take in beaten, starved, and abandoned dogs. Each rescue dog has its own particular needs. We realize that not everyone is open to the accommodations needed by a special needs dog, not everyone can devote the necessary time to care for and train a puppy, not everyone is going to give that Siberian Husky the exercise it needs. That’s why we have our application process and why we carefully interview our applicants. We are in the business of providing wonderful endings to make up for the awful beginnings. 

My rescue won’t do same day adoptions. Why, when there are more dogs than good homes available? We rescue dogs and do our very best to put them in the right FOREVER home. If you want to go to the shelter and pick out a dog, go for it. You just pay and walk away. We (the rescue) want to make sure that you have a vet and plan to use it, that you have an appropriate home and lifestyle for the dog that you are adopting. Why? Because we see what happens when it doesn’t work out. We see dogs killed in overcrowded shelters. We see puppies adopted from shelters only to be returned when they are grown and not so cute anymore. Shelters do not have the resources to do interviews, vet checks and home visits, but rescues have volunteers who are devoted to doing all of those things  – each dog is adopted into the best possible forever situation.

Home visits. If you are uncomfortable inviting someone from the rescue into your home, well, I’m confused by that….I do all of my own home visits because I want to know the family and the home that my foster dog is going to. It makes it so much easier to say goodbye if I know the dog is in a great home. I am not there to judge you. I am not there to spy on you or invade your privacy.  I’m there to talk to you about how to contain the dog and keep it safe. I may point out that a dog will eat your cat food if it’s left on the floor and could get sick. I point out to children the danger of rubber bands and lego and small choke hazards on the floor and let them know that they will help be responsible for keeping their things away from the dog so nothing is damaged and the dog isn’t hurt. I help the new dog meet the existing family pets and suggest ways to smooth the transition. I answer lots of questions. I can’t really understand why this type of interaction would not be wanted on the adopters’ side, but some people seem offended by the home check. We are just being diligent.

So, what are some issues that may prevent you from adopting a particular rescue dog?

Young children in the home. Usually, young children (under 5) cannot be expected to handle puppies properly. Many rescues will not adopt to homes with young children. Dogs (of all ages) cannot predictably be expected to behave properly around babies and toddlers. We know that it is important for a dog to be socialized with young children in order to be comfortable with them. For everyone’s safety, we do not wish to place dogs with an unknown history into families with very young children. Young children always need to be supervised around dogs. They just don’t know how to behave around one another. Some rescue dogs have been abused, some have not had much training, some were not socialized properly. The dogs may treat the child like a puppy, and the child can get hurt. The dog may not understand which toys he can’t have, which food can’t be snatched away from a little hand. Does this mean no one with a small child should have a dog? No. Is it ok for a rescue to refuse to adopt to a family with small children? Yes. We don’t have a full history of the dogs, and we are looking for the most positive outcome when we place dogs. Please don’t take it personally. It isn’t about you. Mishandling is likely to result in injury to the animal, to the child, or both. This is a situationthat we strive to avoid.

All too many dogs are surrendered because of a new baby in the family. It’s heartbreaking. For many couples, a dog is acquired before a child comes along, and then one day, poof, the dog isn’t considered safe anymore. It snapped at the toddler. It isn’t considered a family member anymore. It is disposable. And either the dog is abandoned, it goes to a shelter (risking euthanasia) or it goes to a new family, often through a rescue organization. Do I expect you to put a dog before your children? No. I do expect you to treat your dog as a member of the family. Absolutely. Family isn’t disposable.

 

Big dogs and apartments are a problem. Let me restate that. Some big dogs do not do well in small spaces without sufficient exercise and end up being destructive, and then end up homeless. They were often adopted as puppies. People forget to project how big those cute little puppies get.

 

Real example:

-We want to adopt this medium sized lab mix from you. He is the perfect size for us.

-Um, it says on your application that you surrendered a dog to a shelter in the past? Why?

-Because our first Lab outgrew our home, we had no idea he would get so big!

-(Responding in my head….you can $@*&ing google that….)

Adorable little puppies grow up and aren’t always good match for their owner’s home and lifestyle. Think ahead. We do when we choose an adopter for one of our dogs.

Not having a fenced yard. This is a deal-breaker with some rescues, but not all. So many dogs end up stray and hit by cars, we want them to have a safe, secure area to run and play. Not every dog does well at a dog park, or only on leash walks. I have adopted to people who did not have a fence, but were adopting a pretty couch potato kind of dog and had a plan in place for leash walks with a dog that did well on a leash. It really depends on the dog. We choose the very best applicant that we can. I have denied an application because the fence was chain link, and the dog they wanted to adopt was able to easily scale chain link fence, and had escaped several homes already. I have denied an application for a tiny, young puppy because the lovely iron fence was not going to be able to hold the puppy in. This was a very small dog, found stray. She could fit through the bars easily. It wasn’t a safe situation because she was the type of dog that followed her nose and went right through any fence she could fit through. Does having the wrong sort of fence mean that we think you should not have a dog? No. It means that your home is not the right fit for this particular dog. She was adopted to an excellent home that had a privacy fence. We often have several homes to choose from, so someone is going to win and some are going to lose, but the dog wins!

Hours per day the dog will be left alone. Ok, people work. And a dog does not need 24/7 attention. They actually nap a lot. However, young puppies can only hold it so long. They need bathroom breaks. They need play and exercise. No, crating a puppy for up to 5 hours is not okay with me. I can find a home that will not need to do that.  An older dog can hold it longer. A dog that isn’t teething can be left out of a crate during the day. There are other options. I have a foster here that lost his home after being routinely crated while his owner worked 12 hour shifts. He couldn’t hold it. And 12 plus hours in a crate is not ok with me at all. I wish I could ask that woman if she skipped all food and bathroom breaks during her shift. 

I have read various articles by disgruntled people who were unsatisfied with the animal rescue process, felt that the rescue was being ridiculous and egotistical and treating all people like they are evil criminals. I have this to say. When you rescue animals you see bad things done by bad people. I have a low opinion of people that abuse animals, they tend to become serial killers. One step below that is negligent abuse, such as abandoning them, or dropping them off at a full kill shelter so that it isn’t their problem anymore. I do not, however, have a low opinion of all people. I do say people suck at least once every day, and some people really do. If you live your life without seeing that, awesome, enjoy that bubble. I can’t get my bubble back. I’ve seen too much. 

People often take it personally when their application isn’t chosen. We are actively looking for the best homes for these dogs. We do not want to set them up for failure, so we make decisions. And in most cases, one application just seems to be a lot better than the other applications. We don’t need to lawyer up or lose our tempers over an adoptable dog. Don’t we all just want the best home for the dog?  Please?! Don’t think we are judging you as a person. We think you are great as a person, because you want to adopt a rescue dog. Yay!

This can’t be overstated: 

The point of the applicant screening procedures used by animal rescue groups is to ensure the safety of both the animal and their new families, as well as to reduce the chance that the animals will be returned because of an inappropriate match. We are looking for a home that meets each dog’s needs, a forever home. 

 

The more dogs we place in good homes, the more dogs we can rescue and save from euthanasia in overcrowded shelters. But our rescue will never pull a dog from a bad environment and place it in another bad or inappropriate environment. We aren’t doing this just to shuffle dogs around. 

When I am told, as I recently was, that it is easier to adopt a child from China than to adopt a rescue dog, I bite my tongue. I would love to direct this person to friends who have been through the grueling child adoption process. And no, you are not entitled to this particular puppy, but I am sure that there is a wonderful rescue dog out there who would be just perfect for your home and situation. You can be mad at me, mad at the rescue, mad at the world being unfair, but that’s on you. I know that I am doing the right thing.  Telling me that you are just going to buy a dog from a breeder doesn’t hurt me. It hurts the rescue dog that would have been perfect for your family but didn’t get adopted because you chose to support a breeder. 

Adopt, Don’t Shop(and be patient while looking for the right dog for your lifestyle)