Over the past 2-3 months I have had the unexpected pleasure of being involved very closely and directly with the dogs at the Humane Society of Warren County, as the leader of the Good Buddy Program. I hesitate to call myself the "leader," but rather think of myself more as an organizer, or facilitator, to a group of selfless and talented volunteers who understand the temporary interruption that these dogs are experiencing and they want to help them through it. And help them through it they do, with flying colors.
Because of this program, and the volunteers who make it work, dogs come into the program, and they get adopted -- with a very high success rate.
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| Tucker - Adopted |
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| Caliber - Adopted |
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It is undoubtedly the most challenging and rewarding volunteer undertaking of my life, and the question is already echoing in my head "who rescued who?" when it comes down to how much this work and my involvement with this wonderful group of dogs and people are transforming my life. I dedicate this blog post to those volunteers who make this program work, and to the dogs, who need to be heard, through our voices.
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| Sasha - Adopted |
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So, the question is asked, and asked often, "if these dogs are so wonderful, they why are they in the shelter?" It's a question I used to ask as a younger and less experienced human being, so I don't judge those that ask it. It just means more to me now than ever to bring the question out into the open and answer it. Because there are hundreds of answers, but then only one answer. Stated another way, there are hundreds of reasons why a dog might end up in a shelter, but it is rarely because the dog did anything wrong.
What does go wrong that make them "homeless shelter dogs"?
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| Beowolf - Adopted |
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Someone buys a small puppy and then it gets big. Really big. And eats too much, costs too much, is too hard to handle outside, needs too much space. Dogs don't usually end up at the shelter because they did not get as big as expected.
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| Piper - Adopted |
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Training issues are a big reason dogs end up at the shelter. Someone buys a dog because the dog is cute, or reminds them of Lassie, or Petey, or Benji. But then they are surprised that the dog is not also as "smart" as those dogs on TV, or the cute little dog on the commercial. It is a very unrealistic expectation to believe that a dog (even if it's not a puppy) will already know how to behave in his new home without being taught.
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| Enzo - Adopted |
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Some owners have to have a certain breed because they like how the breed looks. However, many dogs, Shih Tzus, Westhighland White Terriers, Poodles, all have to be groomed regularly to maintain that "look," and this is also very expensive.
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| Hunter - Adopted |
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Sometimes dogs are surrendered to the shelter because their lifespan turns out to be longer than the owner expected. Yes, it's true, and I have seen it happen in my extended family, so as horrific as it sounds, it happens. Some people really do believe that the average total lifespan for a dog is 5-6 years. Barring health problems, and depending on breed, a dog can live for as long as 15-20 years.
Some people feel "cheated" when that purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback they just paid hundreds of dollars for has too many flaws and will never be "show" material. Disappointed, and possibly even angry, they surrender the dog to the shelter.
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| Boss - Adopted |
Sometimes dogs are surrendered because of a "lifestyle mismatch." I know someone quite well who continues to insist that she must have a Westhighland White Terrier. Over and over again, she gets one, and then gets rid of it because it's too "high energy." Surprise!!! Westies, for all their cuteness and adoreable-ness are sporting dogs and they like to be in motion. Almost all the time.
The daily care and feeding of a dog is non-optional, and when a dog "belongs" to a child in the house, and then the child loses interest in caring for the dog, often the parents take the dog to the shelter, either to "teach the child a lesson" or because of work constraints, they feel they are left with no other choice.
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| Coco - Adopted (and her puppies) |
Many times, a family gets a dog (not from a shelter) and fails to have it spayed or neutered, either because they don't understand the importance of it, or they want their children to experience the "miracle of birth." The puppies are born, and quickly become an inconvenience and a huge expense. To the shelter they go.
New baby, new house, new landlord, health issues, new job, military deployment ... the list goes on. But you get the picture. Nothing mentioned so far could be considered the dog's "fault," and in a few cases, it's not necessarily one human's "fault," either. Life isn't fair, and many indviduals and families put a different emphasis on the importance of their dog's place in their family. Some dogs are not considered family members at all.
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| Harry - Adopted |
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BSL (Breed Specific Legislation), as ineffective as it is, forces many perfectly good (PERFECTLY GOOD) dogs to end up in shelters. It is an ongoing battle, and it appears the tide is beginning to turn for the better.
A dog is often brought in to the shelter as a stray by Animal Control or a concerned citizen. They need to learn basic commands, housebreaking, leash walking, but they are often still good dogs.
Sometimes a dog is brought to the shelter as the victim of abuse or neglect -- a problem created by a human, not the dog. In the end, these dogs often make the best additions to a new family because they have gone from a neglectful home to a loving home and they "get it."
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| Jezebel - Adopted |
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There is a saying that says you can't pick your family members, but that's really not true ... not when there are always wonderful dogs waiting to be adopted at your local animal shelter.
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| Lucy - Adopted |
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| Brandy - Adopted |
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| Cid - Adopted |
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| Athena - Adopted |
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| Bones - Adopted |
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| Tessie - Adopted |
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