I am done cleaning up other breeder's messes. And some of the people are just plain nuts, and you can't be honest with them.
When they call you and say, "You need to take my dog tonight or tomorrow morning or he's going to the shelter ..." I HATE THAT. Who are they to make ME feel guilty? I am not the one giving up my dog that I supposedly care so much about.
Ask for a donation ... and you get nothing. Ask for their collar and leash ... and you can't even have that. And what kind of thanks do you get? A hug. Gee. Thanks. That will help me continue helping other dogs.
Poor dog is loaded with issue. He's not dog aggressive. He's not a dominant male. He's scared to death. Of other dogs. Of fence gates that swing open. Of feet that trod too hard on the ground. Of hands about to touch his head to pet him. Of the front door. Of the back door. Of the laundry. Of the t.v.
And when he hopped the fence, trying to get him to come to me who he was also afraid of, on a street he was afraid of, with a canal between us that he was afraid of, to approach a truck he was afraid of ... I could go on, but you get the idea. His answer to it all was to run away from the scary things, as if his tail was on fire. The whole thing just broke my heart. All because his family didn't want him anymore. And now I sit and wonder where he is and if he's okay.
Stopping by the shelter yesterday and looking at row after row of dogs needing homes put me to tears. Again. I have never been able to walk through there (or any shelter) without coming out reduced to nothing. It's really hard to drive hysterically sobbing. I wish I could save them all.
But I can't.
Like a fellow rescuer recently told me ... everyone thinks the rescuers should do it because it's all about the dogs. No, no it isn't. There are other issues to consider ... like your personal safety and sanity. I have come to realize that I am not willing to throw either one of those things out there for those that feel dogs are disposable. If you want to find a home for your dog, that's your problem. If your dog gets put in the shelter because you can't keep it ... that's your problem. If your dog gets put down because of it, it's your fault. Not mine.
Going to go hug my dogs.
Jodi
Amen, Jodi. It's my belief that anyone wanting to poses a Border Collie should be required to read the works of Jon Katz, followed up by six weeks of mandatory visits to a local shelter. Even handlers who discard dogs because of the inability to alter their personal training methods piss me off! If you can't bond with a dog, you can't train a dog. Might just as well put that shingle where the sun doesn't shine. Oob
ReplyDeleteOob, I understand what you're getting at. Personally, though, I'd skip the whole "Jon Katz" part, because I wouldn't advertise his shit -- even to point out how NOT to handle Border Collies. I've never seen a bigger pile of crap in my life.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not so sure I could even do six days of visits to the shelter no less six weeks. One day was bad enough for me. Egad.
No need of arguing with you. It's your universe and you can misinterpret and define as you please. Oob
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