The Deadly Disease Called Trust

There is a deadly disease stalking all of our dogs ... right now as you read this, your dog is vulnerable to its deadly grip.  It is called TRUST.  

 The following piece was written by Sharon Mathers, and it is so perfect, so well written that if it were re-worded, it would lose some of its powerful message.  It is perfectly written, and we share it with you, hoping that you will share it with others.  

***

 There is a deadly disease stalking your dog, a hideous, stealthy thing just waiting its chance to steal your beloved friend. It is not a new disease, or one for which there are inoculations. The disease is called trust.
You knew before you ever took your puppy home that it could not be trusted. The breeder, who provided you with this precious animal warned you, drummed it into your head. Puppies steal off counters, destroy anything expensive, chase cats, take forever to house train, and must never be allowed off lead!
When the big day finally arrived, heeding the sage advice of the breeder you escorted your puppy to his new home, properly collared and tagged, the lead held tightly in your hand.
At home the house was "puppy-proofed". Everything of value was stored in the spare bedroom, garbage stowed on top of the refrigerator, cats separated, and a gate placed across the door to the living room to keep at least part of the house puddle free. All windows and doors had been properly secured, and signs placed in all strategic points reminding all to "CLOSE THE DOOR!"
Soon it becomes second nature to make sure the door closes .9 of a second after it was opened and that it really latched. "DON'T LET THE DOG OUT" is your second most verbalized expression. (The first is "NO!") You worry and fuss constantly, terrified that your darling will get out and a disaster will surely follow. Your fiends comment about whom you love most, your family or the dog. You know that to relax your vigil for a moment might lose him to you forever.
And so the weeks and months pass, with your puppy becoming more civilized every day, and the seeds of trust are planted. It seems that each new day brings less destruction, less breakage. Almost before you know it your gangly, slurpy puppy has turned into an elegant, dignified friend.
Now that he is a more reliable, sedate companion, you take him more places. No longer does he chew the steering wheel when left in the car. And darned if that cake wasn't still on the counter this morning. And, oh yes, wasn't that the cat he was sleeping with so cozily on your pillow last night?
At this point you are beginning to become infected, the disease is spreading its roots deep into your mind.
And then one of your friends suggests obedience. You shake your head and remind her that your dog might run away if allowed off lead, but you are reassured when she promises the events are held in a fenced area. And, wonder of wonders, he did not run away, but come every time you called him!
All winter long you go to weekly obedience classes. And, after a time you even let him run loose from the car to the house when you get home. Why not, he always runs straight to the door, dancing a frenzy of joy and waits to be let in. And remember he comes every time he is called. You know he is the exception that proves the rule. (And sometimes late at night, you even let him slip out the front door' to go potty and then right back in.)
At this point the disease has taken hold, waiting only for the right time and place to rear its ugly head.
Years pass - it is hard to remember why you ever worried so much when he was a puppy. He would never think of running out the door left open while you bring in the packages from the car. It would be beneath his dignity to jump out the window of the car while you run into the convenience store. And when you take him for those wonderful long walks at dawn, it only takes one whistle to send him racing back to you in a burst of speed when the walk comes too close to the highway. (He still gets into the garbage, but nobody is perfect!)
This is the time the disease has waited for so patiently. Sometimes it only has to wait a year or two, but often it takes much longer.
He spies the neighbor dog across the street, and suddenly forgets everything he ever knew about not slipping outdoors, jumping out windows or coming when called due to traffic. Perhaps it was only a paper fluttering in the breeze, or even just the sheer joy of running.
Stopped in an instant. Stilled forever - Your heart is as broken as his still beautiful body.
The disease is trust. The final outcome; hit by a car.
Every morning my dog Shah bounced around off lead exploring. Every morning for seven years he came back when he was called. He was perfectly obedient, perfectly trustworthy. He died fourteen hours after being hit by a car. Please do not risk your friend and heart. Save the trust for things that do not matter. © 1988 By Sharon Mathers
Courtesy of Canine Concepts and
Community Animal Control Magazine

Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc.
www.siberescue.com

Ask Annie (March 24, 2013)

Dear Annie,

I have read a lot about certain states and municipalities who make laws against pit bulls and even want to ban them.  They say that banning pit bulls will help reduce dog bites and fatal attacks.  What do you know about this and why is this happening?

Signed,
Pibble Lover

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Dear Pibble Lover,

What you are referring to (best known as "breed specific legislation") could better be described as one-big-gigantic-waste-of-time-and-money.  Not only are these laws very expensive to enforce, they are also difficult to enforce.  There is zero evidence that BSL (that's what my mom calls it) makes communities safer.

 The way I see it is this:

You've got a community filled with pet owners, and many of their companion animals are pit bull types, but others have poodles, German shepherds, chihuahuas and golden retrievers. Among all these breeds of dogs, you have a full-range of types of owners, from very-very-responsible to sorta-average-responsible, to not-very-responsible.  Let's just say that 10 percent of these dogs are tied out on a chain attached to dog house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (I have had neighbors like this, it happens!)  No matter the breed of these chained dogs, they are most likely going to develop aggressive tendencies -- toward people and other animals.  Somewhere between the average-responsible to not-very-responsible dog owners, you are going to have people who choose to forego licensing, micro-chipping, proper socialization and proper veterinary care and all of these issues have consequences related to public safety and health.  Some of these people are the owners of pit bull type dogs, but this lack of care is not restricted to the owners of any type of breed.

Now, let's look at the majority of all of these dog owners.  The majority of them are good, loving guardians of their dogs and treat them like family members. If BSL aimed at pit bull type breeds comes into a community, it is going to apply to all of the pit bulls, even if their only crime in life was that they got little pibble hairs all over the clean sheets in the guest room right before Easter weekend (yep, it happens happened).  Then what, you ask, happens to the dogs that are tied out in the rain, sleet and snow, scorching heat and deadly cold?  The ones that never get walked or taken on outings to socialize with other dogs and stretch their legs?  The ones that stay in a crate all day, everyday, and get treated like a piece of furniture in the house?  The ones who are never taught how to act or how not to react to unfamiliar experiences?  These are the dogs that, regardless of their breed, are more likely to bite/attack/snap without warning, even though the warning signs are all there, not in the dog (at least initially), but in the way the dog is being treated by their owner.  

 The "bad" owners get to keep their dogs (as long as their dog is not a "pit bull") and their dogs continue to suffer ... dog after dog after dog.  Bite statistics do not diminish in these communities, because BSL does not get to the bottom of the real problem, which is bad owners.

What if we lived in a world where humans who did not take good care of their dogs were not allowed to have dogs?  What would that legislation be called -- Human Specific Legislation, or HSL?  Kinda funny, but kinda not-so-funny, eh?

Here is a quote from a September, 2010 issue of Parade magazine:

"BSL causes friendly, properly supervised and well-socialized "bully dogs" and their owners to be punished. Such laws also impart a false sense of security, because limited animal control resources are channeled into enforcing the ban rather than focusing on enforcement of non-breed-specific laws that have the best chance of making our communities safer, such as dog licensing, leash laws, animal fighting laws, and anti-tethering laws. Recognizing that the problem of dangerous dogs requires serious attention, [many lobbying and animal rights groups] seek effective enforcement of breed-neutral laws that hold dog owners accountable for the actions of their animals." (Emphasis added.)

It makes me sad to know that many pit bulls end up in shelters because their guardians' landlord, or their HOA, or their municipality said they could no longer have their pit bull.  Not because of anything the dog had done, but because of what some other dog who had a bad owner did, and that dog just happened (unfortunately) to be a pit bull.  If I could, I would ask the people who make those laws what they are going to do when those same bad owners go and get another dog, this time a boxer, or a golden retriever, or a Boston terrier, and chain them up in the backyard, don't get them proper medical care, and don't teach them the basic things a dog needs to know, and those dogs bite or attack someone, then what's going to happen?  How many breeds will have to be banned before we start "banning" the behavior of the humans that abuse us and mistreat us and neglect us?

I wish more people would ask questions and get involved, like my readers.  Ask "why" and "how come" when things don't make sense.  Get involved.  Write letters.  Check out websites like badrap.org.  Read all you can about the true background of pit bulls and how brave and strong and smart we are.  And did I mention that we are among the gentlest of dogs when it comes to how we treat people?  Here's a great place to start if you want to read more true information about us.  

Here's fun little trivia fact:  Do you know why the pit bull type dogs are sometimes called "bully breeds"?  Did you know it has nothing to do with mistaking us for being "bullies" in our behavior?  It is simply a reference (at least when properly applied) to our ancestry, in that our descendants were bull dogs and terriers.  As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story."

Ask Annie (March 18, 2013)

Dear Annie,

This is Harry and he is looking for a forever home.

I have heard that pit bulls cannot feel pain. Is this true?

Dear Dog Lover,
It makes me say "ouch" each and every time I hear this myth being perpetuated, so I am REALLY glad that you have asked this question so I can write about it.
Just let me say, yes, all dogs feel pain. The lie rumor that they don't feel pain is a terrible urban legend started by dog fighters to justify their money-making activity of dog fighting. Seems like they are trying to convince people that if fighting doesn’t hurt the dogs, how can it be cruel? The myth grows more “believable” by fearful people who want to believe in the Hollywood monster myth of the unstoppable pit bull.

I have also seen interviews on television with humans people that train their dogs (usually pit bulls) to fight, and they say that they are doing it for the benefit of the dog, because it is what’s in “them,” it is what “they” are born to do. They say they are honoring the breed by teaching them to fight. These are the very people who say that pit bulls feel no pain. They are full of “it.”

When I tell you that pit bulls do feel pain, I am not telling you what I have heard, I am telling you what I have felt. Before I got my forever family, I lived in a bad place and I got burned. Really bad. It left a scar on my back down by my tail. I'e never seen the scar that it left, but my momma calls it my beauty spot (that is how I know it is still there). I felt it when it happened, though, and I remember the fear and I remember the pain. I remember the people and the place. My doctor (her name is Dr. Brown) is a super-good veterinarian, and she told my mom that the giant scar on my back was from a very bad burn that mostly all healed, but the scar that is left is where the burn was really bad, and it will always be there.

My mom started to get really suspicious the day my dad was drinking from a soda can while I was standing near him. I got really upset when I saw the can and I cried out and laid down on the floor and tucked my head and closed my eyes because I was so scared. My reaction sent my mom onto what my dad calls one of her Google searches, and it took a couple of days, but she figured out that because really stupid people who smoke crack use soda cans for pipes, and where I used to live was full of crack (and cracked up people), she figured out that it might be possible that I reacted like I did because some cracked up person dropped a soda can filled with fire on me and that’s how I got burned. My mom and dad figured out that I was scared of the soda can because it made me remember really, really bad pain.

I don’t mind soda cans that much anymore. My dad drinks Diet Coke all the time, and you can’t live in my house without seeing soda cans going into the recycle bin every single day, so that’s why I don’t mind it anymore. Plus no one in my house smokes anything, and I like it that way. But, it took me a really long time to get used to soda cans.

Do pit bulls (dogs) feel pain? Yes, we do. The pain of being neglected, forced to fight, being a victim of torture, greed and ignorance. We are all dogs. Pit bulls don’t belong in a category of “other” when it comes to being a dog.
But even more important than telling you that yes, oh yes, pit bulls feel pain, there is something I want to share with you about what dogs -- all dogs -- do NOT feel. We do not know how to feel contempt. We do have emotions -- we feel love, excitement, suspicion, joy, fear, contentment and distress. But we do not feel contempt, according to Dr. Stanley Coren, a Ph.D that knows a lot about dogs. We just don't get developed enough to feel hate.

Dogs are smart, but we are not as smart as humans. We are as smart as a 2-3 year old child. We feel love but we don’t know how to feel contempt. We never learn contempt – our brain never develops that far. So, what does a 2-year-old child do to a parent who beats them, neglects them or otherwise abuses them? They try to be a better child. They try harder to please. They feel confused. They fail to thrive. What do dogs do when we are mistreated? We feel sad. We shut down sometimes. We feel shy and confused. We feel distressed. But we continue to love our human. We depend on them for life support. They are the center of our universe. We wag our tail when they come near, hoping they will be nice this time. We keep coming back for more, because we are wired to love and be loved.

I love all the people that helped me get where I am today, and my brother and sister, too. We are shelter dogs that got a second chance. We are dogs, not a breed. We are lovers, not fighters (if we get to choose). We feel pain, but we really prefer to love and to be loved. That is what we are made of. Some dogs/humans don’t crumble as easily as others, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel pain. Trust me on this one.

Posted with Blogsy

The Great Crate

 

Probably one of the best things a Good Buddy (human) can do for your Good Buddy (dog) is to teach all the good things there are to know about a crate.  One of our current former Good Buddies, Sasha, got the complete 4-1-1 about the crate from her Good Buddy, Marcy, and it worked ... she got adopted and is doing very well.  (Thanks, Marcy!)

Many people apply their "people brains" to the idea of putting a dog in a crate, rather than learning what it means from a "dog brain" point of view.  Very loving, caring, wonderful people say things like, "I wouldn't put my baby in a crate, so there's no way I would put my dog in a crate."  Or (this one is great!) ... "If I wouldn't be happy in a crate, then I know my dog wouldn't be happy in there, either."

Try and think of some other things your dog loves that you would never dream of doing, or much less allow your human children to do.  A few things come to mind ... maybe rolling in the stinkiest things they can find outside because it's fun and they like it?  How about, sniffing of butts (human and canine) as a way to say hello and make new friends?   Let your imagination roam and you can probably think of a few other things ...

The truth is that dogs are den animals, and they like it very, very much if they have a place to go and get away from it all.  They still have some of the instincts of their wild ancestors and very much crave the security they experience when they are able to be tucked away in a secure spot that they call their very own.  Crates for dogs are sometimes referred to as a "private room with a view" for a dog.

Imagine your Good Buddy is a dog that has never had a "den" to call their own, never lived indoors, or maybe spent days and nights tied up outside to a pole, or maybe roamed the streets eating from trash cans and garbage piles to stay alive.  Maybe your Good Buddy really lived in a house, but he was allowed to roam the house, exhibit bad doggie manners and never learned rules, boundaries and limitations that would make him a good citizen.

Whatever your Good Buddy's story, it really doesn't matter ... it's in the past and she needs to move forward.  She needs a forever home.  You are her coach, her friend, her teacher and biggest advocate, and if you can help her add "crate trained" to her resume, her chances of being adopted by her forever family and her chances for not having a "bounce back" will be greatly improved.

So, here are a few basics about crate training (courtesy of Rescue Me Dog.org):

Choose a crate size that allows your dog to stand up and turn and preferably a wire crate rather than a plastic one.  The goal is to give your dog the idea that you are setting him up in a "room with a view," rather than a plastic box.

If  your dog is fearful of the crate, you may need to work on getting him conditioned to going into it:

• Place the crate in a high traffic area so he does not associate the crate with being alone.
• Prop open the door
• Toss a piece of food just inside the door.  Repeat several times and each time toss the food farther into crate.
• Feed your dog a meal in the back of the crate.
• While your dog is happily eating his treat in the crate, quietly and calmly close and open the crate door repeatedly

This is very important:  If your dog is really frightened of the crate, take it apart and just use the bottom half.  If you can't take it apart, then just use a cardboard box.

The goal is to get your dog to go into the crate without a lure.  After he gets the hang of it, start using a verbal cue, such as "crate" right before he steps inside and be sure to give a treat after he goes inside.

For those dogs who won't go in the crate for love or money, follow these steps:

•  When the dog looks at the crate, toss a treat.  When he takes a step toward the crate, toss a treat.
• When he puts his nose in the crate, toss a treat.  Treat for one paw in the crate, two paws in the crate, etc.
• If your dog goes all the way into the crate, give him handfuls of treats.
• Once he is reliably going into the crate, start using the verbal cue word that we talked about a moment ago.

 Here are a few don'ts ... actually they are NEVERS:

• Never make a bad association with the crate by shoving your dog in.
• Never make a fuss when you let your dog out of the crate, or he will perceive it as being rewarding for coming OUT of his crate.
• Never leave your dog in his crate with nothing to do.  This is the time for kongs, chew toys, treats.
• Never punish your dog by sending him to his crate.

And on a positive note ...

ALWAYS give your dog access to his crate at all times by leaving the door open.
ALWAYS vary the amount of time your dog spends in his crate.  Just like the dog that dislikes car rides because the only place you take him in the car is to the vet, the dog who gets locked up for 6 hours every time he goes into his crate might very well become reluctant to go in his crate at all.

For our Good Buddies, there are crates at the shelter that you can use to do much of this work with your dog, and it is a good thing to practice to get your Good Buddy ready for his new home.  Chances are good that this will make life a lot easier for everyone if this work has already begun when their forever families walk through the door.