28/04/2023
I just read an article about a dog in the UK that attacked its owner’s arm and wouldn’t let go until 20 minutes later when the police arrived and had to force the dog off her.
Here’s the catch:
The dog was a shelter dog who was adopted out to this woman.
But the shelter failed to disclose to her that the dog had previously attacked two other women.
I’m all for rescuing dogs.
But I’ve also worked with a lot of behavioral cases who were rescued dogs whose shelter/rescue didn’t disclose the dogs’ issues prior to their adoption.
And I have a big issue with that.
There needs to be accountability.
If a dog has a bite history, then any rescue or shelter taking on that dog needs to pay for it to go through training.
Period.
Because most people can’t afford $6K + in training. And if the rescue’s going to take on the dog, they’re accepting that it comes at a cost. Just like they accept medical cases and pay for surgeries, vetting etc.
Just like shelters and rescues disclose a dog’s medical history, they need to disclose the dog’s behavioral history as well.
The women who got attacked by this bulldog had no idea the dog had a bite history.
The shelter knew though.
It doesn’t matter how big or small the behavior issue is, any potential adopter deserves to know about it.
It saddens (and infuriates) me to read bios on rescue dogs.
Positive
Positive
Positive
No dog is perfect. It’s only fair to be open and honest!
I recently reached out to a rescue about a dog on their website. They described the dog as “great with dogs” and “turn key ready” among other things.
Come to find out, they hadn’t tested the dog around dogs themselves yet. They used the last shelter’s description.
The dog wasn’t turn key ready either. He had separation anxiety and couldn’t be contained in a crate.
Two big problems.
Much less, how’s the dog with kids? Cats? Male dogs? Female dogs? Puppies? New environments? How is the dog’s obedience? Energy level? Drives?
If you want to know what I think should be a part of every dog’s assessment, it’s agility.
One simple obstacle.
(It’s my litmus test for rehab dogs.)
I walk the dog up to the dog walk and ask the dog to go up it, across it, and back down the other side.
The nice dogs, though they might be a little nervous, do it.
(That tells me a lot about them. Trusting. Lacking confidence. But willing to trust the handler.)
The dogs with attitude throw a hissy fit. They balk and scream and flail around on the ground.
And 20, 30, 40 minutes later, panting and exhausted they finally do it a few times without fighting me.
Tells me a lot about them. They’re usually spoiled dogs who’ve never been asked to do anything. What I’m looking for is, did the dog try to bite? Yes or no.
Because the third type of dog is the dog who says “No and if you make me do it, I’ll bite you.” And they’re dead serious.
(If you’re wondering, they get muzzled and I treat them just like any other dog with an attitude.)
And they do as they’re told.
And 40, 50, 60 minutes later, they do it.
Dog 1, the nice dog, can go to anyone and just needs basic obedience and confidence building.
Dog 2 should be put through training to work through his attitude problem first before being adopted out.
And Dog 3, well, that’s a different story. That dog probably shouldn’t be adopted out, or if it is then it HAS to be to the perfect person to fit that dog’s temperament. Those dogs can be nice dogs. And training will help a ton.
It will help with the dog’s mindset.
And get the dog in a better head space.
But it’s not a dog that’s going to do well with kids, or soft handlers, or weak minded individuals.
I fear this American bulldog from the UK story was a #3 dog. And the woman adopting him was just trying to save a dog from being euthanized.
She was paired with the wrong dog.
And she lost her arm. It was completely amputated from the injuries she sustained from being attacked for 20+ minutes. She lost so much blood.
The dog was put down immediately.
And the woman is suing the shelter for 200,000 pounds.
Her life is forever changed.
I don’t blame her one bit for suing.
It’s an eye-opening case.
That shelter was completely in the wrong for not disclosing the two other attacks they knew about.
It was their duty and responsibility.
Photo of Havok
Credit to: John Fisher Photography (WI)
