as my friend Wendy says, but anyone can own a dog.
Case in point:
This appeared on my local craigslist the other day:
2 yr old male (neutered) Au Ca/German Shep in need of new home
(Stockbridge. MI)
Reply to:
Date: 2008-07-03, 9:19PM EDT
Free to a good and loving home. Not recommended for younger children. Up to date vacinations. must have fenced, large yard. He is strong willed and needs a firm hand and obediance training.
Location: Stockbridge. MI
OK, just in case I can't hold your attention for very long, let's start with why no one should consider adopting this dog unless they've got a ton of training experience, an impenetrable fence, no children or friends, and very, very good homeowners insurance.
- I'm a dog lover. Show me a well bred dog of any breed, and I'll covet it. Australian Cattle Dogs and German Shepherds are both great dogs. They are smart and brazen. The desire to boss other beings around goes right to their bones. It's supposed to. They're a herding breed.
- Keeping this in mind, the rest of the ad tells the story:
- 2 years old - the age when many dogs come into their own.
- Free - aka "Just get him the heck out of here, quick"
- Not recommended for younger children
- Strong willed
- Needs firm hand
- Needs training
And this is from someone who's trying to make the dog sound good!
This is typical of so many "Needs Good Home" ads you see. Jack and Jill want a puppy, so they look in their local paper, or a friend has a litter, or maybe they're driving down the road and see a "free puppies" sign. Who knows. All I know is that at that moment, everybody's life just went to hell.
That adorable fuzzy puppy, who came when they called, wiggled and wagged and gave them kisses, slowly turned into a willful, bossy dog with way too much attitude. Now he's about to pay for something that is not his fault.
This was a dog who needed education, exercise, an outlet for his inquisitive mind. Instead, who knows? He raised himself, took control when no one else would? Drove himself crazy on a chain or all alone in a backyard? At least he's neutered (an intact male dog is, statistically, the dog most likely to bite) and vaccinated (cuts down on the lawsuits).
When they should have called a trainer, bought a book, used some plain old deductive reasoning - "Hey, honey, maybe we should take him for a walk tomorrow, maybe teach him to sit", what happened? Did they throw him out into the yard? Stick him in a crate? Did, one fateful day, little Jimmy innocently try to take his toy, and did Buddy then use his teeth to tell him "no"? Or maybe Buddy here just sits in the back yard and barks.
My biggest fear is that this dog will get dumped at the shelter or even on the street, be adopted by some poor, unwitting, good hearted but inexperienced family. And that someone will be scarred for life.
Really, my heart breaks for this dog. He deserves a chance. Someone to give him some peace of mind by taking over the leadership role. Who can teach him that good training leaves both of you happy. Someone who understands his itch to run and stretch himself, physically and mentally. There just aren't that many homes like this available. Most of them are already busy, like I am, cleaning up someone else's mess.
I just don't see a good outcome in this situation. I hope I'm wrong. But it just seems like a case where, once again, the dog pays for human stupidity. By being relatively cheap and easy to come by, and just as easily disposed of if she doesn't fit in, you can screw a good dog up royally and then just dump her. Someone else will take care of her, right?
When you take a dog into your life, it's yours. So you picked the wrong dog. Amend your ways to accommodate him. Learn what you need to do, because, believe me, people aren't waiting in line to fix your mistake, at least not for free and heaven forbid you should buckle down and pay someone for their time and experience. Have a little backbone. It's time we took care of our own messes.
Comments