A couple of weeks ago, I read a Facebook posting by Kim Wolf the community engagement specialist for Animal Farm Foundation that focused on the fact that not every rescued dog comes from a horrible situation. Especially when it comes to pit bull type dogs, this is almost always the assumption, but why? Is it that we, the ones that rescued the dogs feel better when we think that we have taken the dog out of a dramatically poor situation, even life threatening? I know I catch myself talking about a dog’s past more so when it was a bad one and this can become the dog’s identity and delay adoption. Labeling a dog a “bait dog” or assuming, as Kim pointed out in her blog posting that just because a dog has cropped ears, we often assume a bad owner. This is just not true.
I want to illustrate this point with Akasha, who was recently adopted by a wonderful man who loves her but most of all, he is prepared to handle her in a firm, disciplined manner, just what “Grandma” needs. He understands the balance between love and affection and structure and rules needed to create a calm balanced dog. Akasha came to me wildly anxious, barking, lunging, generally over the top and out of control around other dogs. Should I have assumed that she had a bad owner who dumped her at the shelter as an old dog and never cared about her? I didn’t because her temperament and manners didn’t support that. She also had no scars on her body, she had two eyes, all of her legs, a complete tail, ears were not shredded, no indication that she had spent time laying on concrete for years, in general she looked good for a senior dog. Once we started our walks and doing some agility, we bonded and I saw that she was very comfortable riding in a car, being in an office, going home with me, as if she had always done these types of activities. I play detective with each new dog and when she was adopted, I let Ron know that she probably had a decent owner who cared about her but for whatever reason, she could not keep her and brought her to the shelter at 9 to 10 years of age.
Last week, through a friend of a friend, I received an account of where Akasha came from, someone that knew Akasha’s former owner and was aware she had been taken to the shelter. Grandma had lived in an apartment with another female pit bull and had been an indoor dog. She went on walks daily and had a calm life. Mystery solved. She came from a decent home where she was not abused or neglected, she was loved and cared for enough that her owner had her spayed and never allowed her to have puppies. Why does all this matter? It matters because normal non rescue people who are looking to adopt a dog want a dog that has lived in a home, understand and wants to go for car rides to the park, is confident and friendly with people and can become a cherished family pet, so why do we dwell on the past? Dogs live in the present which is one huge reason why I love being around them so much.
To learn more about the innovative work that Animal Farm is doing, visit www.animalfarmfoundation.org
