Comments on: Rescues require patience, and a Dodger shows the way

By: Marcy

Marcy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:24:36 +0000

Phyllis,

don’t feel bad. In my talk above about Mandy’s bratty times being few and far between now…she immediately started being bratty! LOL

Oh well…they ARE both getting better. :)

By: Dorene

Dorene — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:27:18 +0000

How often do setters push boundaries? Pepper’s trainer told us that his dogs (all various types of collies) pushed once a week, just to see if the same order was to be maintained.

I’ve found that Pepper (mostly Border Collie) pushes about every 2 or 3 months. Just be prepared that Dodger is going to “push” every once in awhile, then reinforce what the order is and things should be okay — until the next time.

Heather had posted a link on her blog about some famous dog trainer’s use on “yielding” — I’ve used it on Pepper and found that it cleared up that 10 to 15% she thought about “not listening” — even better than making sure I enter the door first, etc. Might be worth a try. . .

By: Colorado Transplant

Colorado Transplant — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:17:28 +0000

Re: Karen’s adopting adult cats—kittens used to be the ones I adopted.

Then I wondered what happens to the older ones that have been abandoned. Now I will only adopt full grown ones. I have had wonderful fortune, even though the cats have had other experiences. They have all been grateful to have a good, stable home. I am glad I finally woke up!

By: Phyllis DeGioia

Phyllis DeGioia — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:11:36 +0000

Thanks for all the input, everyone. What I have learned from this is you should never, ever, under any circumstances publicly announce - or even whisper aloud about - a training success because it can only lead to disappointment. The day I sent this in, Dodger hunped a dog at the park. Two days in a row he has humped my poor cat, Dickens (Mr. Mellow just sits there and complains loudly) and today Dodger left the dog park “shackled” in a no-pull harness and leash. I’m thinking he needs black and white prison stripes to go with his coat. Clearly, the patience must last a bit longer. They teach us every day, don’t they? Yours in humility -

By: karen

karen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:19:23 +0000

Bless your heart for giving Dodger a home! Rescued pets sometimes require additional TLC, but they return the love many times over.

I used to adopt kittens, but now solely adopt (rescue) adult cats — they make the most wonderful companions, and are so grateful for having been given another chance for a loving forever home.

By: Sara Jo

Sara Jo — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:36:41 +0000

Straybaby, you make a great point. We have a 16-year-old pointer mix that we adopted from the pound when she was 2 years old. She was brought to the pound by her owners. I think they had a baby and could no longer have dogs, not really sure. Anyway, she is the best dog we’ve ever had, rescue or otherwise. She was (and is) perfectly housebroken, sweet and gentle, and has always been unflappable. They did an awesome job raising her, and I doubt if we could have done better ourselves. There was an adjustment period, but I don’t recall any particular issues (reactivity, fearfulness, aggression, destructiveness, etc). We call her our ambassador dog—she is a true ambassador for the species.

By: Marcy

Marcy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:36:31 +0000

What I neglected to say above in my post…is to add lots of love into the equation. That’s the main ingredient to make a success of any animal adoption.

It’s true that many animals don’t have issues, but you sometimes just don’t realize that the animal you’re bringing home to adopt has them.

That’s when the patience, commitment and love come in.

By: Joy

Joy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:12:26 +0000

I just got home from a long hike in the woods with my dogs and we took along “Willard” a little Lhasa mix I rescued just last week; he spent most of his young life tethered inside a small pen outdoors. He suffered some abuse but mostly just complete neglect. But despite his rough start, this little dog is so incredibly friendly and outgoing! He walks beautifully on a leash, greets everyone he meets with a wagging tail and doggy smile and just adores every person and dog he encounters. If I didn’t know better, I would think he had not suffered a day in his life! When we got him, he was a mess of matted, filthy hair but he shocked the groomer with how perfectly he behaved through that very long grooming process. Same at the veterinarian. I don’t know, maybe its his breed or just this particular dog’s character but he amazes me with his sound personality and extremely happy-go-lucky attitude. I have seen so many broken-down dogs in my rescue work and they break my heart - like the story of Dodger. It’s incredible to me when those dogs finally begin to realize they are safe and when I read stories like Dodgers, I feel such a huge amount of respect and gratitude for the people who spend the time and energy to love these dogs back to life. But I also see quite a few rescued dogs who - for whatever reason - just face their new lives as if the bad stuff never happened.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:37:33 +0000

Great story - and lesson. No matter if they were loved and well cared for, or neglected, or bounced from home to home, with very few exceptions, rescues are stressed out and need time to acclimate and ultimately feel secure and loved.

On the plus side, you didn’t have your nose broken and eyes blackened by Dodger jumping up, as happened to a friend of mine when her rescued dobie jumped up. Now, she is working on training her second rescued dobie to stop (while I, the honorary godmother to both, prefer the jumping to the second rescued dobie’s eating my favorite hand knitted arm warmer on New Year’s Eve).

Whatever the breed, whatever the species, rescues touch our hearts (okay, clasp them in a death grip) perhaps because of the extra work, understanding, and patience—and hand knitting and broken noses—we go through during the adjustment and retraining process.

By: CLynch

CLynch — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:24:17 +0000

Welcome. Great article, and for some rescues can be so true. My first rescue, a 2 1/2 yr lab, was the perfect dog. I thought all rescues were like that until I got my 2nd, a stray that was fearful and aggressive. She taught me so much about dog behavior. It took years to get her over her issues, but she was eventually able to compete in agility. I miss her so much. She would sing every morning to wake us up and always had to have the last word.