Last week, I wrote about two sad cases of “rescue” dogs who turned out not to be what their prospective new homes had hoped they would be. In one case, it seems possible now that the organization placing the dog misrepresented the dog’s behavior and temperament when they told adopters that the dog was “good with people, good with other dogs.” The dog, in fact, is not.
The second case was a dog who, in a new home, bit people. Not light nips; hard bites.
Adults—and, even worse, children—had already been bitten, for no reason other than being near the dog, who was clearly unsuited to a placement like this home . . . maybe any home without the experience and expertise to deal with such serious issues. When the new owner contacted the “rescue” from which she’d adopted the dog, no support was offered—no advice, no education, no concern. The “rescue” would not take the dog back. The new owner had only one ethical choice: she consulted a veterinarian, waited the legally required time after a serious dog bite and, when the time was up, the dog was humanely euthanized, at the new owner’s expense.
I’ll say it again: if a “rescue” organization won’t take back a dog from what turns out to be an inappropriate placement—especially when the dog bites—it’s not a rescue. It’s a scam.
How can you, a novice with dogs, expect to know when you’re being given misinformation or being misled? How can you tell if the dog you see in a shelter or meet through a rescue organization is a dog with the potential of being a good fit for your household? How can you guess if the dog will be a safe choice for your family and yourself when you know very little about dogs and how various temperaments might be displayed in that shelter or rescue environment?
I have a few suggestions.
Photo by Sally Bradbury
Don’t be in a hurry to pick a dog.
It’s not the dog that you “pick” first—it’s the organization from which you adopt the dog.
Do not tell me you adopted from X rescue because “it’s the one that was open on the day we were looking.” What in heaven’s name would compel you to think that you’re picking a living being to be a member of your family for the next 10 to 15 years and you must pick it today? That’s crazy. Don’t start with the “love at first sight” line—if you’re not sure you can resist “falling in love with” a dog you see online, if you insist that “the minute I saw him, I knew he was the one,” then for crying out loud, don’t look!
Impulse control will be a very important skill for you to teach to your new dog. If you don’t have it yourself, maybe start with a stuffed animal instead?
In other words, take all the time you need to pre-qualify every single organization you consider checking out as a source of your new animal friend. Is this organization ethical, responsible, dependable? Will its staff or volunteers be there when you need them? Will they tell you the truth as they know it? Do they know the truth because they care enough to look for it?
▪ Is their goal simply to send you home with an animal, to improve their own stats, to make a profit?
▪ Or is their goal demonstrably to do the absolute best for every animal and for you and your family?
Again, here is a link to an article with some questions you should ask about the organization: https://www.fox28spokane.com/adopting-from-an-animal-rescue-ask-these-questions-first/
Once you have qualified the organization as one you’d feel safe adopting from, consider how you might confirm or question the information presented to the public about the dogs for adoption.
Take someone with you.
Don’t go alone to visit a shelter or rescue organization to check it out. Ask a friend or adult family member to go along—preferably someone who knows and likes dogs, who knows you and your household, and who wants the best for you.
You could hire a reputable trainer to accompany you when you go to see a particular dog or dogs, but it might be less expensive to ask a friend or family member to video your visit with a dog and the dog’s interactions with other people and other dogs, then hire the trainer to look at your video and give you an opinion on what they see and what they think about this particular dog as a good match for you and for your household.
Or not.
And why.
Observe the dog with another dog.
You may not be welcome to bring your own dog to meet-and-greet the prospective adoptees just now because of COVID restrictions, but you may be able to arrange to observe your prospect dog or dogs with another adoptable dog at the same location, or with a small playgroup of dogs supervised by staffers or volunteers.
If you are encouraged to bring your own dog for a meet-and-greet, a staffer or experienced volunteer should handle the “other” dog (the one you’re considering for adoption) while you handle your own dog. Bring a friend or adult family member to watch and video, but do not expect your family, especially small children, to participate. They are there to observe only, from the other side of a viewing window or outside an escape-proof fence, for the safety of all concerned.
Watch the dog’s reaction to a cat.
If you’re visiting a dog you’re observing in a kenneling situation, there may be an opportunity to watch as a staffer walks the dog past the cat area of the facility, or where small pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, and the like, are caged where the public can view them. It will be up to the organization’s staffer to keep all the pets safe.
If you’re concerned that the dog becomes overly excited or almost uncontrollable when a cat or pocket pet is nearby—even out of sight, but in an adjoining area—give serious thought to how you might deal with that sort of behavior in your home with your resident pets . . . whether the dog is enthusiastically friendly or predatorily unfriendly.
Watch the dog’s reaction to people.
If people are allowed to walk through the kennel to look at each dog, watch from a distance, if you can, as families with babies and children pass the dog you’re interested in. Observe how the dog reacts to men, women, loud voices, arguing, laughter, quick movements by the humans. If the dog is being walked by a staffer, inside or out, watch to see what interests the dog, concerns the dog, conflicts the dog. Car horns from the parking lot, noisy motors or equipment, another animal in the distance . . . the dog’s reaction to every unexpected or unusual sound, smell, or movement will tell you about its temperament, its history, its comfort levels in everyday situations.
Pay attention.
Has the dog been sent away to training?
Where? What company, who are the trainers? You should be able to do an online search for all the pertinent information on this facility, its staff, and its training methods. Due-diligence is required on your part, so ask the questions and do the research.
▪ Why was the dog sent to training?
▪ What specific issues was training expected to address?
▪ Where were these issues observed initially—in the dog’s original home, in the foster home, in the shelter/rescue?
▪ How long was the dog in training?
▪ What specific behaviors were addressed and how?
▪ Was the training successful?
It is very common nowadays for shelters and rescues to solicit funds from the public to send dogs “away” to trainers to “fix” behaviors that make the dogs look unadoptable. Often, the training methods used are far from what any of us might call “positive.” The quick fix is the goal—achieve suppression of the unattractive behaviors so that, in the shortest amount of time, the dog appears to be “trained.”
This “training” is done through force, whether it be with intimidation, choke chains and prongs, or shock collars and physical punishment. The dog is never taught what to do, only what not to do.
It’s no longer a philosophical question, it’s a scientific certainty: force training can lead to even bigger behavior issues, while positive-reinforcement training builds the bond between human and dog, for a lifetime of learning by both.
It’s your choice—make it before you pick your dog. If the dog that “looks” trained has been force-trained, do you sign up for the fall-out that’s inevitable in time? I hope not.
Ask about trial adoption and foster-to-adopt.
Both are options if you’re not sure how a dog will fit with your family or with your goals for its future. You’ll be asked to fill out a lot of paperwork first, of course, so you can be vetted as a safe place for the dog to be. You may be asked to pay some fees up front, but certain expenses, like veterinary care or food, may be covered by the organization for a limited time. There may even be training classes offered by the organization or at a discount through a local training school.
You’ll have the chance to get to know the dog and, should you decide not to keep it, to share with the organization what you’ve learned about the dog during its time with you, to help it find a “forever” placement that fits it perfectly.
Don’t reward poor placement practices.
When you decide too hastily to adopt a dog you’re not sure about from a shelter or rescue you’ve not vetted thoroughly before you go there to look for a dog, you’re telling that organization, “I don’t care how you treat dogs; I’ll accept how you treat people.” You’ve allowed the organization to get away with putting an animal in an possibly untenable situation, while making a happy ending for that animal and for your family far less likely. You’ve encouraged an organization to ignore ethics, to put aside best practices, to concentrate on their bottom line—not yours. You’ve rewarded the organization for their poor behavior. You’ve increased the possibility that their poor behavior will continue.
Don’t reward them.
Walk away and take more time to look.
You don’t need a dog today. You need the right dog. Take the time to find that dog. Don’t waste your time by looking for that dog in shelters or rescues you can’t trust. Don’t encourage shelters or rescues you can’t trust by adopting the first animal you see there regardless of your uncertainties and doubts. That’s no way to start a relationship with a dog you hope will be a lifelong member of your family.
Know better.
Do better.
Make a wise choice.
