I’m all for giving dogs a second chance. I’ve adopted dogs in the past and currently live with a chihuahua that was hit by a car and unclaimed. As a professional dog trainer I’ve worked with hundreds of adopted dogs and their owners. This is an open letter to all rescue groups who “pull” dogs from other states, other lifestyles, and other countries to give them that “second chance.” It is going to be an unpopular topic but one that needs to be discussed.
Do you really UNDERSTAND what life becomes for some of these dogs? Do you really KNOW the stress and fear they feel? Can you COMPREHEND what shelter to crowded transport to unknown place(s) does to a dog’s emotional state?
Let me give you some real examples of what I’m talking about.
The Herding breed mix picked up in Oklahoma only to be “rescued” by a group and returned to the shelter due to aggression. He was sent to Arkansas to another “rescue” that housed up to 200 dogs where he remained tied to a tree for months, only to be sent back to Oklahoma, then “pulled” by a “rescue” in Illinois. All before he was 2 years old.
The Hound mix who was picked up in Alabama, and sent to a shelter, then “rescued” by a foster based group in the Midwest. Adopted out and returned three times because she pulled too hard on leash, wouldn’t keep her nose off the ground, and was an escape artist. She was three.
Finally, the lab mix from overseas adopted through a “rescue” for Turkish street dogs. Unable to be approached by people, unwilling to eat unless no one was home or when people were sleeping. He was rehomed twice because the rescue refused to take him back. He bit people who tried to “make friends” with him. His age was estimated at 5-6 though no one really knows.
In all three cases, the dogs were reactive on leash. In all three cases, the owners who consulted me thought they were doing “the right thing” by adopting. In each case, the dog’s “sad story” marketed on social media drew them to the dog. In all three cases, the dogs were more than the owners were prepared for. They wanted a friendly, family dog. None were prepared for, or counseled by the rescue group before adopting about the possibility of behavior problems.
These aren’t isolated cases. They are happening every day throughout the US.
I am not alone in feeling sorry for these dogs and the families that adopt them. Trainers see these types of cases everyday, where breed predisposition and rural or feral life history collide with urban and suburban life.
I’m not saying that every dog from the “Deep South” or the “ranch states” won’t someday make a good family dog for the right family. What I AM saying is that everyone needs to really comprehend where these dogs come from, the life experiences they have had, as well as what they were bred to do. I am writing this so that everyone knows these dogs are stressed more than we can imagine. I hope, after reading this, you will understand that a real second chance may not exist when they are moved hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Overcrowded, underfunded rural shelters have to make difficult decisions every day. Unfortunately families are often forced to make difficult decisions when they adopt a dog that isn’t suited for life in the suburbs. These dogs suffer physical and emotional stress under the name of “rehabilitation and training.” Behavioral euthanasia is never a pleasant option but it is happening to "rescued" dogs like the aforementioned every day. It is a cycle we need to change!
Dog Rescue groups could learn a lesson from the feral cat organizations about the sad reality of second chances. Feral cats are rarely happy indoors. Trap, neuter, and release has proven a viable alternative to trying to find people to adopt them. Feral cats do better in the environment than they do indoors as house pets.
Altering dogs and releasing them back into their previous environment is not an option. Life on the streets can be cruel indeed. But for some dogs it is where they are comfortable, where they have learned to adapt and survive. They can sniff, scavenge, find safe places to eat and sleep, where they experience less stress than in a busy home. They find the companionship of other dogs instead of spending hours alone, indoors due to the human's often absent lifestyle.
I’m not asking the “adopt, don’t shop” movement to end. I’m asking that you REALLY think about the dogs you are trying to rescue. I’m asking that you educate yourself, and potential adopters, about the intrinsic behavior of the dogs you are offering for placement. I am begging you to understand the behavior problems that often occur when these dogs are adopted. I’m pleading for more accountability for trainers to stop trying to use physical punishment, fear, and intimidation on dogs who are simply trying to figure out what the hell has happened to them!
And most of all I’m praying for for the dogs. They may have been quite happy in their previous life. And, through no fault of their own, their second chance ends up creating a life of daily stress and conflict. Too many pay the ultimate price after months, or years, of existing. Trying to survive their “second chance.”
We must do better. The dogs deserve it.
