In the wake of the video that went viral, of the cat saving the little boy, apparently there are people queuing up to adopt the dog that attacked the toddler. This is an interesting and thought provoking article that explores the issue of whether or not we should attempt to save the lives of shelter dogs with aggression issues.
Re: Should we try to save them all? I truly believe in dogs. It's usually humans that are to blame give a dog love and attention and you will receive 10 times the love back. Unfortunately not every dog gets the chance to shine :'(
Re: Should we try to save them all? I'm afraid I agree with the author and I'm not in any way blaming the dogs. I just don't think it's worth the risk. We certainly considered a rescue dog but our work hours weren't acceptable to the rescue centre we visited. Since having a baby I'm glad we got a puppy as we don't have the space to keep her and a dog constantly separate while we worked through issues. I would like to rescue in the future though, I find the whole situation incredibly sad
Re: Should we try to save them all? Having had experience of aggression in a rescue dog and now one who doesnt have those issues , I would say that the utmost care should be taken by the shelter . By this I mean that they should ,in my humble opinion , only rehome aggressive dogs as only dogs and not with a resident dog , no children goes without saying .The main problem is that many dogs go into Shut Down Syndrome when in kennels ,so that their true nature only shows itself once they are in a home environment , thus making them very difficult to assess . I also truly believe that some dogs, having suffered abuse over long periods of time, may never ever recover and become trustworthy, no matter how hard the new owner tries and again, for this reason , dogs must be more closely assessed before an attempt is made to rehome . I also believe that shelters who adopt a " No kill policy " must cherry pick the dogs they are willing to take on to make it possible to stick to their word, if indeed they do .
Re: Should we try to save them all? I think it also depends on your household. I have a 3 year old son and 2 rescue cats so couldn't consider a potentially aggressive dog but if it was just me and my other half I could definitely see myself taking in a rescue.
Re: Should we try to save them all? As a lot of you may know I have worked in rescue centres for the past seven years. In that time I have seen many different dogs with a whole host of behaviour and aggression problems come through my hands. I have dealt with some of the most aggressive dogs in the country (dogs no other centre would take or would have put to sleep long before). I used to beleive that every dog could be saved. That there was someone out there for even the most difficult of dogs. The issues that these dogs have do not come from the dogs themselves, but the environment and the way in which they are brought up. They are 100% human caused. Over the years I came to realise that sometimes the kindest thing for some of these dogs is to be euthanised, or live in a sanctuary type setting. Some of these dogs cannot cope with the stresses of introduction to new people and new environments and sometimes the only rehabilitation that works is to put then in an environment where they are happiest - sometimes this is living ther life out in kennels, which to some May sound cruel but I have honestly seen dogs that are happier there, with a predictable routine and favourite staff members, than in a home. Some dogs are unable to cope, whatever the situation you put them into, and so the kindest thing for these dogs is to have them euthanised. I never used to beleive that dogs should be put to sleep. But when you've seen dogs in the state I have - shut down, refusing food, refusing interaction with humans or other dogs, depressed, ill through the stress rehabilitation is causing them... It changes you. The greatest thing on earth is to see a dog happily rehabilitated and put into a new home with new owners. But you have to know when to draw the line and enough is enough. It's a terrible decision to say how long is too long and it has to be evaluated on a case by case basis - some dogs cope for weeks, some for years, but when the time comes that you have exhausted every avenue, and there is truly nothing more you can do, you have to know when to let go. No. We cannot save them all, and we would be fools for pushing to save a dog that we refuse to recognise cannot be saved.
Re: Should we try to save them all? It's always a difficult call but I agree with Penny, sometimes the damage has gone beyond repair and provided all avenues have been explored then it's an act of kindness to resort to the final solution, sad though that may be. I'm glad that it's norm me who has to make that decision but I have the utmost respect for those who do and choose euthanasia as the 'best' option for the poor creature.
Re: Should we try to save them all? This is a whole arena in which I am totally out of my depth.I currently know nothing about the rescue process and would be totally at a loss to cope with some rescue dogs responsibly....at the moment.....but I will definitely rescue one day. Holding my boy close reading these posts ,it's such a sad,emotive subject to dog lovers...... Thanks for sharing your experiences Lauren,you must have had some really tough days at work
Re: Should we try to save them all? I agree with the article and Lauren's comments. Not every dog can be saved, and if one is demonstrably aggressive (ie the one in the video, it came out of nowhere and attacked the child with no provocation), then the safety of human beings has to one first. If you can only save some, then the ones with the least "baggage" should get priority, as the article says.
Re: Should we try to save them all? I don't find this issue difficult - I adore dogs, I love seeing dogs live happy doggy lives, but I don't think "no kill" policies are sensible. Dogs have no awareness of death as a concept to fear in the future and live happily, or unhappily, in the moment. Putting a dog humanely to sleep brings anguish for the humans around him, not the dog. So I would rather see a dog humanely put to sleep than live an unhappy life. I definitely think the resources of shelters should be directed to securing homes for dogs with the best chance of a happy life - and the chances of that for dogs who are aggressive are much lower than for other dogs.
Re: Should we try to save them all? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=6109.msg79823#msg79823 date=1400617430] I don't find this issue difficult - I adore dogs, I love seeing dogs live happy doggy lives, but I don't think "no kill" policies are sensible. Dogs have no awareness of death as a concept to fear in the future and live happily, or unhappily, in the moment. Putting a dog humanely to sleep brings anguish for the humans around him, not the dog. So I would rather see a dog humanely put to sleep than live an unhappy life. I definitely think the resources of shelters should be directed to securing homes for dogs with the best chance of a happy life - and the chances of that for dogs who are aggressive are much lower than for other dogs. [/quote] Julie sums it up for me. Sometimes, just perhaps, we try too hard to save those that are already lost
Re: Should we try to save them all? I must say that Sophie was adamantly no-kill, but after doing her wee RME project, can see why this isn't always best, and I think we both learned a lot about animal euthanasia. It is really sad, but you do have to weigh up the pros and cons of life at all costs. I feel enormous sorry for dogs that are passed from pillar to post because of behavior problems, it doesn't seem to be in anyones best interest. "a judge ordered him to be “defanged:” neutered and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a rehabilitative sanctuary" I have developed a more pragmatic approach nowadays.
Re: Should we try to save them all? [quote author=Dexter link=topic=6109.msg79784#msg79784 date=1400606972] Lauren,you must have had some really tough days at work [/quote] You have no idea. The funny thing is though, that the ones that ended up being put to sleep, they were my favourite dogs. You can't help but get attached to the 'naughty' ones and sometimes this can blind you to how bad their issues actually are. Some days I just used to come home, hug Penny and cry.
Re: Should we try to save them all? [quote author=editor link=topic=6109.msg79834#msg79834 date=1400618246] [quote author=JulieT link=topic=6109.msg79823#msg79823 date=1400617430] I don't find this issue difficult - I adore dogs, I love seeing dogs live happy doggy lives, but I don't think "no kill" policies are sensible. Dogs have no awareness of death as a concept to fear in the future and live happily, or unhappily, in the moment. Putting a dog humanely to sleep brings anguish for the humans around him, not the dog. So I would rather see a dog humanely put to sleep than live an unhappy life. I definitely think the resources of shelters should be directed to securing homes for dogs with the best chance of a happy life - and the chances of that for dogs who are aggressive are much lower than for other dogs. [/quote] Julie sums it up for me. Sometimes, just perhaps, we try too hard to save those that are already lost [/quote] I am sad to say I agree :'( Aggressive dogs should be PTS if they have no hope of being rehomed and may potentially spend the rest of their lives in kennels is cruel in itself. It would free up the rescue centres valuable funds to enable them to thoroughly assess the dogs that do have a good chance of being rehomed appropriately into the correct loving, committed forever homes and there wouldn't be so many bouncers. Rescue centres just can't save them all and they shouldn't try :'( I find the whole subject heartbreaking :'(
Re: Should we try to save them all? I would hope that the shelter will not be releasing that dog (that attacked the boy) to anyone. Too many safe, gentle dogs needing homes.
Re: Should we try to save them all? No. We obviously cannot save them all. Sadly they are so often victims. Every failed adoption makes them for confused and unreliable. The best thing for them is the ultimate rescue from a totally unnatural and unhappy life.
