12 April 2009

This rescuer supports the Obamas' new dog


Rescuing a dog isn't for everyone. As much as we'd like it to be. There, I said it. For myself, I'm certain I will always be able to find the perfect dog from a rescue or shelter but as it happens, the breeds I prefer are common in rescue. That isn't true for everyone.

The Obamas were limited to begin with by their daughter's allergies. That's unfortunate. Ideally they would have been able to choose from a million black lab mixed puppies and set an example for the rest of the country in doing so but hey, ideally there would be NO black lab mix puppies out there for anyone anyhow. From there, they decided on 2 possible "breeds": a Labradoodle/Goldendoodle or a Portuguese water dog. (I use quotes because doodles are not an actual breed but rather mutts, same as the aforementioned lab mix.) Let's give them credit to begin with for researching their breed choices and deciding on one that met their needs, rather than just grabbing up the first dog they found to be "cute." A lack of education about what a specific breed needs is one of the reasons so many dogs end up in rescue to begin with.

No one loves dogs more than I do, and I'd venture a guess not too many people have devoted more of their life to saving those dogs who are tossed away like so much trash than I have. As a dog lover and a rescuer, I understand people prefer different breeds of dogs. What is wrong with that? One of the things that makes dogs so wonderful are their differences.

Here's the facts. If you want a rarer breed dog, and there's dozens of them, you are probably not going to find it in rescue, especially if you want a puppy. So what do you do? Settle on a breed you're not in love with? Is that fair? If your favorite breed is a German Shepherd Dog or a pug, would you be just as happy with an Irish Setter or a shih tzu? Maybe you would be but let's not expect everyone to do things your way. If you want a breed not commonly found in rescue, the next step is finding a RESPONSIBLE breeder.

What does that mean? A responsible breeder shows their dogs and breeds to breed standard. They get all of the recommended breed health clearances and don't breed dogs that have medical problems. They screen their owners as carefully as any reputable rescue, and insist any dogs that don't meet show quality will be spayed or neutered. They take all their dogs back if for any reason the original owner can't keep them. Yes, maybe now and then one of these dogs ends up in rescue but by and large these breeders are NOT the problem. The problem comes from backyard breeders and "just one litter" breeders, whose puppies go off into the world to have more puppies. The problem comes from puppy millers (and dare I say, the "rescues" that buy these puppy mill dogs under the guise of "saving" them, and continue to provide financial incentive for the creeps who use dogs as a source of income.)

Since the news of Bo's pending arrival at the White House has been leaked before an official statement, I don't know yet what they will say about their choice. Still unless I hear otherwise, I will presume that his breeder meets those standards. Also Bo was returned to his breeder, which means he was not actually purchased by the Obamas as an 8 week old puppy. That in itself does make him a rescue of sorts. He goes onto a happy, loving home now, same as any of the dogs we save.

Yes, perhaps now we will see a spike in interest in this breed, but that isn't going to happen overnight and it might not happen at all. Yes, there will be bad breeders who will jump on this bandwagon now in the hopes they can meet an imagined demand, but like it or not, many breeds come and go in popularity. Who's fault is that? Not the Obamas, but rather the people who want to make money off dogs, and those who buy a dog without educating themselves as to what is the right way to do so.

I said from the start I hoped they chose a Portuguese water dog over a doodle. Doodles are MUTTS, folks. Poodles are being bred with everything from labs to yorkies to chihuahuas. They are promoted as hypoallergenic "designer" breeds (and let's be honest, they're almost invariably very cute) but there is no way to responsibly breed a doodle. When labradoodles first showed up here, they cost a fortune, $1500 for a mutt?? And then they started trickling into rescue, and the price went down. Now you can find just about any version you want from a rescue somewhere.

(One of our own dogs is a yorkie/poodle, rescued from the pound I get dogs from when he was about 6 months old.)

So, yes, the Obamas probably could have found a "designer breed" in rescue. And then what? Every other dumbass with a poodle would start the whole trend again.

I sincerely hope that the Obamas take this opportunity to educate people about rescue and responsible breeders. In the meantime, I'll do my own part here. I want a world where dogs aren't considered disposable. I also want a world with a full variety of wonderful dogs. Responsible breeders aren't the problem. Let's place the blame where it belongs and continue to fight the battle on the fronts where it matters. I for one congratulate our President and his family on their new dog. I hope he provides many years of love and happiness.

PLEASE if you're considering a new dog, check into rescue first. If you still need to consider a breeder, here is more information on what you need to know.

How to find a good breeder (pdf)

08 March 2009

yeah, I was rude



I picked up this rat terrier around Christmas; hence the name "Jingles" (not chosen by me but cute anyhow.) He's an older dog, 5 or 6, right on the border of being "too old" for many people, so he's still not adopted. He's a sweet dog, with a reserved nature.

Yesterday at the adoption event, his foster mom called me over and said,
"These people used to own Jingles!"
A couple stood there with a young child and a baby. Apparently when they walked up, Jingles went nuts, jumped all over the man.
He said, "He looks just like a dog I used to have!"
Deb asked what happened to him, and he said, "He ran off."
I looked at them standing there, looked at Jingles, who by now was standing behind his foster mom with his back to his previous owners, and said "Why didn't you check the dog pound and get him out?"
The man's eyes shifted and he said "We did call! They said they hadn't seen him!"

I call bullshit on that response. If they'd called at all, they would have got their dog back. Unlike some pounds that require you to visit in person every 3 days, this pound knows what dogs they have and what dogs people are looking for, and even if you call during off hours, you can leave a voice mail and they'll call you back. I asked where they live and it's the same town the dog pound is in, so it wasn't even a matter of not knowing to check an adjacent county in case he ended up farther away. No one said anything more and they turned and left.

(Want to bet they came to the event originally to try to adopt a new dog?)

It proves my theory about why so many dogs sit unclaimed in these pounds every week. Half of them were probably dumped off out there by people who believed they had a better chance if they were "turned loose in the country" than if they were left at a shelter or pound. Yeah, a better chance of becoming feral or starving or being hit by a car or injured some other way. Their best chance is if they ARE picked up and end up at the pound. The other half go unclaimed by people who sit around and wait for them to come back or believe they were "stolen" or suspect they might be at the pound but don't call because it's easier to just get a new dog than spend some money saving the one they lost.

Many of these dogs are just like abused children: no matter how bad it was at home or the fact their beloved human tossed them aside like so much trash, what they still want more than anything is to go home. They adjust, sure, or most of them do, but they don't forget just like that. I'd venture a guess most of them would know and forgive their first owners even if their paths crossed years later.

When I got my old dog, Cody, home, I brought him through the back yard and let go of his leash. He immediately turned back to the gate and stood there looking at me as if to say "Thanks for your help. Now can you take me home?"
I said "I'm sorry but you can't go back there. You have to stay with me."
He put his muzzle into the air and let out a long mournful howl, a sound I've never heard him make since, and then seemed to accept his fate, even though it wasn't precisely what he had in mind.
Our old dog, Cody, meets the puppy

(I have never been able to explain exactly why, of all the dogs I see, I had to save Cody. My only explanation is he stood in his kennel every time I was there, just wagging his tail and looking at me as if to say "Well, when am I leaving?" until finally I went back, opened his kennel door and said, "Come on.")

Maybe I should have been nicer. I know I should have asked what his name used to be and how old he really is. It was never an option from my point of view to allow him to go home with them again. He would have been dead if not for me, the rescue who took him in and the people who agreed to foster him. You don't get a second chance when you have so little concern for your dog's life.

In my defense, nearly my whole life is these dogs. Not a week goes by when I'm not forced to leave some nice dog behind to die, and what goes on at the pound I work with happens everywhere, every day. It's not too often I end up face to face with someone who is the reason why, and my initial gut response was "how the hell did you let this happen to him?!"

Jingles will find another loving home, one that values him unconditionally.

06 March 2009

dogs dogs dogs


Wow I've realized this blogging thing has to become a routine but I didn't realize I'd gone this long without updating. It's not like I don't have time exactly. I am online a lot. It's more a matter of what I do with it when I have it, like choosing to read a book rather than mop the floor then complaining my house is never clean.
Anyhow, I haven't stopped rescuing dogs. It's been crazy at the pound for a while now but I've been pretty lucky (or many of the dogs have) and a lot of nice dogs have gotten a second chance.
This puppy was there this week and available to go so rather than leave her in a scary pound to sleep on concrete, I brought her here until I could find someplace for her. Oh man, puppies are way more work than I'm used to and this one seems to be a littermate to some I got from there a few months ago, which means her mom was a Jack Russell terror....er, terrier. And now that she's older I suspect she's mixed with bassett hound too. She's a bundle of cuteness and energy. Her favorite thing seems to be taking flying leaps into my lap when I'm on the computer. She's leaving tomorrow, thank god.