Went to the humane society for a dog... left confused.

[Nic in Western NYS]

I've had cocker spaniels for a long time and 7 years ago we wanted to adopt from an older cocker rescue league.  They had a lot of rules.  The owner of the rescue league brought Cliff (RIP) the dog to our house, saw that the dog responded well to me, and we all left happy.  It worked out great.
I've wondered if we'll have another dog because of many of the concerns on this post - bottom line - dogs and people have a long long history together - we belong together and for people who get that, nothing should get in the way of that. 

[Rough Edge racing]

Y'all can flame away if you like but rules for adoption are in the animals best interest. We've rescued many dogs for lots of different reasons and leaving a dog outside when nobody is home is not a good idea for lots of reasons. As some of you have pointed out, the world has gone nuts. We treat our dog and cats as members of the family, our kids if you like, if you can't do that, don't bother adopting. If you'd like a list of reasons why your pet should not be left alone outside, I'd be happy to respond.

 Since a neighbor's dog got loose and killed several of my wife's chickens last summer( we live on 10 acres with no neighbors closer than 400 feet) ,we have gotten to know the animal control officer in this county. He says 90 percent of his calls are barking dogs...and 90 percent of the time it's a dog(s) left outside while the owners aren't at home or simply don't care. Our rural neighborhood is white middle working class and since the fowl attack several other dogs have gotten loose and come snooping around the chicken coop. We can legally kill any stray dog on our property that is near the chickens...
 I'm sure many here are responsible dog people and their dogs never are a brother. But the number of people who have no idea how to take care of a dog has increased and this is a problem...Several towns are considering passing codes requiring an adult to be with any dog outside due to the massive pile of dog nuisance complaints....

[biking sailor]

We have had a least one dog since I can remember.  My wife is an animal lover and sometimes we seem to have a zoo of local rescued animals that were hurt or in trouble.

All the dogs we have gotten have been from individuals that didn't want them or couldn't care for them for a number of reasons (accidental litters being the most common). Also most of our dogs were "mutts".  Traits of a predominate breed but usually a few others mixed in.  They always seemed to be the happiest and easiest to care for.  That's the path we follow and has always worked out well.  The free puppy we get for the Wamart parking lot that people are giving away doesn't know how good a life it will end up with.  Of course we got one that ended up costing us a small fortune in vet bills, as much as a new bike I have been lusting after.  Vet told us he would be lucky to make it 5 years, but after several "procedures", he was with us for 12 years.  Still have his sister at 15 years old.

Always been easy for us to find a mutt that is in need of a good home, and we have not needed a government agency to do it. That would be my recommendation.

[Lannis]

Y'all can flame away if you like but rules for adoption are in the animals best interest. We've rescued many dogs for lots of different reasons and leaving a dog outside when nobody is home is not a good idea for lots of reasons. As some of you have pointed out, the world has gone nuts. We treat our dog and cats as members of the family, our kids if you like, if you can't do that, don't bother adopting. If you'd like a list of reasons why your pet should not be left alone outside, I'd be happy to respond.

If leaving the dog alone outside at night was the issue, I'd have a rescue dog NOW.    Even our ruff tuff collie sleeps inside with us.

It's all the other stuff "in the animal's best interest" that the jobsworth's can't see past that gets me.   And as a result, they end up killing a perfectly nice animal ....

Lannis

[Rough Edge racing]

 Lannis we got this all wrong. Instead of jailing and executing unwanted animals, we should be jailing and executing (sarcasm) animal owners who give up on their pets when they become a pain in the ass. And of course those who let non neutered cats and dogs roam the neighborhood.

[John A]

I think a dogs worst fear is abandonment by his pack. Someone who would do that to an animal should be treated unpleasantly.

[redrider90]

Y'all can flame away if you like but rules for adoption are in the animals best interest. We've rescued many dogs for lots of different reasons and leaving a dog outside when not home is not a good idea.  If you'd like a list of reasons why your pet should not be left alone outside, I'd be happy to respond.

Adoption rules are not universal. So this thread started on the adoption rule that the dog must be in a cage all day when left alone. The example the women from the shelter gave was she crates her dog(s) for up to 10 hours a day.
I say that is cruel and if you are saying that is in the animal's best interest I would like a justification on the specific rule for caging a dog all day vs an outdoor fenced yard with shelter within the fenced area.

There are many ways that one can leave a dog outside while alone: some good and some real bad.
 A large fenced in yard with adequate shade, water and protection from the elements is better than caged inside for 10 hours. The animal is still alone whether in the cage in the house or in a large fence enclosure with shade and shelter.  But chaining any dog (BTW chaining dogs is illegal in my county in NC) for even a few hours to me is inhumane even if the dog has water and protection from the weather.  I keep my border collie in the house free to roam in the house when we are not home yet my cats have a cat door and come and go as they please.  We are surround by 200 acres of woods/state park and just a couple of houses and I still keep him inside when we are gone. Mostly because I do not trust him. I think he would roam. 40 years ago I had a border collie that lived to be  17: she never left even though she was free to roam. Only when she started to loose her hearing and eyesight did I move her indoors when I was not home. I now keep my dog or dogs inside when gone. Mostly because I can afford AC all day in the summer.  But what if I lived in a trailer without A/C. Do I not own a dog because I dare not keep it inside during the summer without A/C? I think a good secured fence with shade and a dog house is better than a trailer without A/C.

[baxterday]

If you need a dog, you can do what I recently did.  On my way back from the concrete jungle of Atlanta, I noticed a number of cars flashing their lights to on coming traffic.  I slowed thinking a local cop was fishing in hopes of ruining someone's Thanksgiving weekend.  Instead, I found several cars stopped on the side of the road and a few parked in the road, all with flashers on, and a group of people standing on the side of the highway.  I didn't notice and damage to the vehicles, so my curiosity got the better of me and I stopped.  
What I found both aggravated me, but ultimately bought us happiness.  Some jerk had dropped off his female dog and her many puppies.  One had been hit by a car, and was being rushed to the local vet clinic as I approached.  There were two more being held by bystanders.  My son and I learned others were or had tried to rescue a few more, but they followed the freaked out mom into the woods.  A man that lived about 2 blocks away told us this is a common occurrence at this location on HWY 515, many pets dropped off at this spot.
 
I started talking to the people and asked to hold one of the puppies, my son took the other on into his arms.  Most of the people that had stopped were on their way to parts north for family reunions in a rented cabin, the others had no where to keep a puppy.  So, we made the split second decision to rescue these little girls and take them home.  
I am pleased to report that we were able to find a home for one of them (a woman who had just lost a dog after 16 years), the other we kept.  Peppa has brought us more joy than the pig who abandoned them on the side of the road could ever imagine.  My oldest son took one look at her and asked if he could have her.  Peppa has adjusted to the pack and even the alpha bitch Aucilla, another stray I rescued while living in Argentina, has accepted her and treats her like the puppy she is.  

[charlie b]

I agree that the humane society has to have some pretty strict rules.  Why?  Idiots.

They have to do something to keep people from treating the pets like trash.  The rules are one way to do that.  I don't like some of the rules but I respect them for trying to make sure a dog isn't mistreated.  We also have the gangs and drug dealers who like to get dogs and treat them like s&&& so that they become rabid 'guard' dogs.  These days they are using breeds other than Pitbulls so as not to attract too much attention.

Yes, many dogs are comfortable outside.  Here in my neck of the woods it is dangerous.  Packs of wild dogs and coyotes roam looking for 'outside dogs'.  You may think your dog is tough, but, a pack of coyotes will kill it in minutes if they have a mind to.  And, yes, I have watched the process in action, from locating the dog, stalking it, luring it into the open and killing it.

Cages?  We used one for our dog (Old English Sheepdog) until she was almost full grown.  And, yes, she stayed in it whenever we left the house, sometimes for 6-8hrs, and she slept in it at night.  She preferred it to the regular dog bed and kept sleeping in it for almost a year after she was full grown.  Our daughter and her husband also cage one of their dogs during the day when they go to work.  It seems to calm him down a lot more than letting him roam the house (Jack Russell mix).

So, cages are not evil and making rules for the general welfare of the animals is necessary in these days of neglectful or abusive owners.

[Beaver]

Almost all my dogs I've ever had as an adult have been "rescued", some from on the side of the road, some from owners who no longer wanted them.  Don't worry, I'm not a hoarder!  

My 18 year old 50-60 pound mutt has a long, thick winter coat and refuses to come inside the house for more than 5 minutes at a time during the winter.  He prefers staying in the garage or doggy room in the garage - former office & has central air & heat, but the door stays partly open to the garage and it doesn't get real hot. He has access through a doggy door to the large fenced backyard.  The 16 year old blind MinPin prefers to stay in the "doggy room" where she wraps herself up in a blanket to sleep, and will find her way through the garage and out the doggy door where she loves to bask in the sun during the day.

The others, 2 short-haired 3 yr olds, go in and out as they please, but prefer to stay out if it's pretty.  At night they sleep in crates inside and will each go to his/her own when it's time.  

I have three large dog houses outside, huge shade trees, a doggy door to the garage, and a doggy room in the garage water buckets scattered around outside and inside, and 2 or 3 kiddie pools.  Yes, the blind MinPin will get in the pool all by herself during the summer.  They have excellent veterinary care.  They are all well adjusted, happy, friendly, mostly quiet dogs.

If I applied to adopt a dog through a Rescue group, I would probably be turned down!

Oh, and guess what.  My truck doesn't get to live in the garage, but my motorcycles do!

Beaver

[fotoguzzi]

When ever I'm boring my dogs choose this as their favorite spot.

[Guzzistajohn]

Almost all my dogs I've ever had as an adult have been "rescued", some from on the side of the road, some from owners who no longer wanted them.  Don't worry, I'm not a hoarder! 

My 18 year old 50-60 pound mutt has a long, thick winter coat and refuses to come inside the house for more than 5 minutes at a time during the winter.  He prefers staying in the garage or doggy room in the garage - former office & has central air & heat, but the door stays partly open to the garage and it doesn't get real hot. He has access through a doggy door to the large fenced backyard.  The 16 year old blind MinPin prefers to stay in the "doggy room" where she wraps herself up in a blanket to sleep, and will find her way through the garage and out the doggy door where she loves to bask in the sun during the day.

The others, 2 short-haired 3 yr olds, go in and out as they please, but prefer to stay out if it's pretty.  At night they sleep in crates inside and will each go to his/her own when it's time. 

I have three large dog houses outside, huge shade trees, a doggy door to the garage, and a doggy room in the garage water buckets scattered around outside and inside, and 2 or 3 kiddie pools.  Yes, the blind MinPin will get in the pool all by herself during the summer.  They have excellent veterinary care.  They are all well adjusted, happy, friendly, mostly quiet dogs.

If I applied to adopt a dog through a Rescue group, I would probably be turned down!

Oh, and guess what.  My truck doesn't get to live in the garage, but my motorcycles do!

Beaver

If there's such thing as re-incarnation, I want to come back as one of Beaver's dogs, sounds like they get exactly what they want ;D

[Guzzistajohn]

When ever I'm boring my dogs choose this as their favorite spot.

Pretty much where my pooches hang out too.

[rodekyll]

I got yer heartwarming shelter story right here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/25/dog-with-broken-back_n_6524468.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

[guzzitime]

I neither patronize nor donate to any "humane society".  They seem to have lost their way about who benefits from their services.

[cloudbase]

My dogs would go nuts if they were crated for 10 hours every day.  

Beaver

Just as an aside, how does Tex do after ten hours in the cage?  I mean, he's already nuts, so he can't "go" there.

[Beaver]

I got yer heartwarming shelter story right here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/25/dog-with-broken-back_n_6524468.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

http://www.examiner.com/article/jaw-dropping-conditions-as-veterinarian-inspected-failed-klein-animal-shelter

Sadly, this is happening in my territory!

In addition to Henry in Rodekyll's article, there was a Chihuahua with two broken front legs left unattended which had been walking on his hind legs for weeks. WEEKS!   :o  He was also rescued out of the Klein Animal Shelter by Dr Spence and is up for adoption.

Rescuers, former employees, and concerned citizens have been complaining about Klein for a long time now, but nothing has been done until just recently when it was "raided" and the director and two other employees were arrested.  Investigation is still ongoing and others may be arrested.

You can't just blame the director in this case.  For the past several years, the city of Tyler in Smith County, over 100,000 people, has not had an animal shelter.  They contracted with Klein to bring all the strays to their facility, over 30 miles away in Jacksonville, Cherokee County.  Several times a week, Tyler Animal Control would take a truckload of dogs to Klein.  In addition, Klein also accepted all the Cherokee County dogs, strays and owner surrenders.  They soon became overwhelmed with dogs and cats and the killings began.  It was a nightmare for years, yet Tyler and Jacksonville just turned their heads and pretended nothing was happening.  Finally some Rescue groups got together and made the investigation happen.  Tyler, Smith County, East TX SPCA, and Nicholas' Pet Haven have all been talking about building shelters for Tyler and Smith County.  Nicholas' Pet Haven was started by a 13 yr old boy, with the help of his parents of course, and he will probably have his built and opened before the others do.

East Texas is also known for it's many dog fighting rings so I do understand the reasons for applications, interviews, home visits, vet checks, etc to make sure the dog goes to a good home.  I just don't understand why a Great Pyrenees or a St Bernard or any thick haired dog or a working dog needs to stay inside a home inside a crate.  Yes, I have crates and use them, but I don't keep my dogs locked up all day every day.

Just as an aside, how does Tex do after ten hours in the cage?  I mean, he's already nuts, so he can't "go" there.

Yeah, just imagine Tex caged for 10 hours.  He may be in the dog house sometimes, but I can't get him in the crate!   He's a workin' dog and he would totally lose whatever mind he's got left!   ;)  ;D

Oh and he's got outdoor cats!  Oh my!  Yeah, they are feral, but he is finally able to pet them and hold them and cuddle them and they'll be heading off to the vet soon!  They stay on his covered front porch, in his barn, and in his hen house (no hens!) and sometimes sneak into his garage!

Beaver

[Damnyankee]

I'm not saying that you have to crate your dog in your house all day when you're gone although most vets will tell you it's good for your dog and has a calming effect. Before I retired our Sophie got her hind leg hung up trying to get over the fence in our back yard, had I not got home and found her, she would have died from the heat. I vowed never to do that again. She always had plenty of water and a dog door into the garage but since she was not able to get to either, she almost died. I had to lay her in a kiddie pool filled with cool water for over an hour and it took her a week to fully recover.

She has never been crated but now since getting hung up in the fence, she is never alone outside. When we're not home she is in the house and free to roam the house. Whe I was still working, I was fortunate enough most of my work was on a computer and I even looked in on her once in awile with my webcam..... 

Dogs and puppies we rescued were obviously crated when we were not at home and Sophie and Ellie (recently lost to cancer) would babysit our rescues in the yard and herd them back in the house when I went and called them.....  http://youtu.be/WaD4e8vOX8c

Ya gotta realize that there are so many things that can happen to your dog when left out alone in a fenced yard from cops that shoot it because a neighbor complained or thought they were threatened to kids abusing your pet to bad weather, to predator animals to getting hung up in youi fence and not able to get to shelter or water.

They depend on you to take care of them.

[twhitaker]

One VERY important rule when crating a dog. No collar. Our Lab got his collar hooked and nearly killed himself struggling to get free.

[Beaver]

This can happen:  A bunch of dogs were stolen in Wise county, just northwest of Dallas-Ft Worth area.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/national-international/Dozens-of-Dogs-Possibly-Stolen-Out-of-Wise-County-289537771.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CTBrand

Also, I had read that a bunch of dogs were stolen in Mesquite, just east of Dallas, seems like about this same time, in the same part of town where my daughter lives.  She has a big dog that stays inside all the time and never leaves her outside when she's gone.

So far my small town is still fairly safe.  Even the cops try to find the owners instead of taking the stray dog to the local kennels. 

Beaver

[sidecarnutz]

Not all people are good so there are rules to try and prevent the bad ones from getting a dog.

A properly sized crate is not a cage but is a den to the dog. It has to be snug without being too small, and if larger than that, will seem to be a cage.

RBOE is right on this! I used to think it cruel. But our rescue Pitbull LOVES her crate! That is her den and sanctuary. She sleeps in our room at night on a dog bed and is very happy. She strolls into her crate without even being told if she thinks we are going somewhere. BTW, if you have never owned a Pit bull, what a cool dog they can be!  ;-T I have my own personal shadow and stalker! Awesome and gentle family dog! Funny thing is our cats love her crate too and she shares it with them.

[rodekyll]

The crate (we call it the "kennel") is the dog's 'safe place' -- exclusively theirs and theirs alone.  If in doubt, if you think you're in trouble, or if you're underfoot, you can't get in trouble by going to the kennel.  The right size crate is a secure and friendly place for the dog.  Ours would want to sleep and loiter in theirs, and even a trip to the vet was palatable if the dog traveled by crate.  If we had to leave them with someone due to our not being home, the kennel made the stranger's house immediately acceptable.

[Sheepdog]

Living out in the country, we get lots of dogs dumped in our area. Three of our four dogs came to us this way. They're all pretty small; two Chihuahuas, a Fox Terrier, and a Blue Heeler (our old boy, Max). We built our house with a  climate-controlled, tile-floored den with a dog-door leading to a 3/4 acre fenced yard. We try to also walk them daily outside the dog-yard to give them exercise and control their anxiety about the "outside world". At night, they all sleep in their crates, which we cover with fabric to create a cavelike vibe. We put them to sleep when we go to sleep and let them out when we wake up. Despite the "dog politics" associated with having four males, this has worked out pretty well.

Our local Parish Humane Society provides veterinary care for our boys at their clinic. This facility is a "no-kill" shelter for both dogs and cats. They network with other shelters to place animals and sponsor monthly mutt-struts with local business to promote adoptions and spay/neuter initiatives.  We're lucky to be in an area that advocates for animals pretty generously, despite unenlightened behavior from a minority of abusers. They even have almost free veterinary care at an annual event called Woofstock. I expect that ours is a bit of a model facility, but I have yet to work with any Humane Society that wasn't trying all they could to make life better for companion animals. Be patient with them and give them the benefit of the doubt. Nearly all of them are operating on a shoestring...

[donn]

I agree that the humane society has to have some pretty strict rules.  Why?  Idiots.

Not only this, but when these idiots, full of their own entitlement and their own accumulated wisdom about how to take care of a dog or cat, come up to the counter, who's going to deal with them?  Some highly trained professional, maybe with some veterinary experience to back up what he's saying, and lots of street smarts to help him sift out the guy who really does have a dog heaven at home out of all the manipulative losers?  Ha, no.  I don't know if they have paid staff at all, but if they do, it's going to be a warm body who's willing to do that work for very little.  So they draft up rules that serve fairly well for 98% of potential owners - the urban/suburban masses - and they tell the lady at the counter to stick to the book.

Too bad that truckloads of dogs and cats have to be snuffed out?  Solve that problem at the source.  Here's another class of idiot:  local news yesterday ran a story on a woman who bought a part-Akita mongrel puppy for over $400 (!?) from some guy at a parking lot rendezvous, via craigslist.  Didn't last long, had parvovirus, so she's out big bucks for vet fees and also very sad.  Could it be that she learned something from this, and - even more optimistically - others will see the light after reading this sad story?  Well, I hope so, but I doubt it.  It's just like kids:  when you decide you're going to have a kid, or a dog or cat, it's just your inalienable right to do that regardless of whatever, and furthermore you're a pillar of society for taking on this burden and people ought to help out instead of getting in the way.  So backyard breeding is a money making proposition for someone with a rural address and neither skills nor conscience.

Where to store your dog all day?  I agree that a crate serves pretty well, it's like the den they'd dig in the wild, that's what they tell me anyway.  But the problem isn't where you store it, it's that your dog is alone for like 20 hours a day.  Dogs are social critters.  I've seen a few dogs that go everywhere with their owners, and it's like another species.  None of the frantic, grovelling enthusiasm of the dog who's being treated to its twice daily 10 minute social contact, these guys are rather cool and focused.  Maybe one dog in a hundred.  The other owners ought to have gone with a cat.

[Lannis]

 Dogs are social critters.  I've seen a few dogs that go everywhere with their owners, and it's like another species.  None of the frantic, grovelling enthusiasm of the dog who's being treated to its twice daily 10 minute social contact, these guys are rather cool and focused.  Maybe one dog in a hundred.  The other owners ought to have gone with a cat.

Well, there's a dark side to that too.   We take our Border Collie with us everywhere that is APPROPRIATE to take a dog.   Many of our local supply stores and hardware stores are dog-friendly, and we can always walk through town with Jack when we go.

But too many people take a dog everywhere.   Places it's not appropriate for a dog to be.   Places where the dog has to stay in a car too long by himself in not-so-good conditions.   Not everyone wants to be around dogs all the time.

So you have to have a home solution too ..... just socializing him by "taking him everywhere" won't work .....

Lannis

[kevdog3019]

My take on all this is quite simple.  The HS is the last hope for these dogs before being put down.  They should encourage adoption and make it much easier or the dogs are put to death.  Beyond simple basic questions and hoops to jump through (more to educate the adopter of what to expect in dog ownership and what's to be expected), the need to get these dogs out of there is greater than the need to make sure every home is perfect to their standards.  The bad homes still won't outweigh the death of these animals that never find a home.  If they never put dogs down than I'm full of hot air.

[Lannis]

My take on all this is quite simple.  The HS is the last hope for these dogs before being put down.  They should encourage adoption and make it much easier or the dogs are put to death.  Beyond simple basic questions and hoops to jump through (more to educate the adopter of what to expect in dog ownership and what's to be expected), the need to get these dogs out of there is greater than the need to make sure every home is perfect to their standards.  The bad homes still won't outweigh the death of these animals that never find a home.  If they never put dogs down than I'm full of hot air.

Yep, in a nutshell.   

Lannis

[rocker59]

I've seen a few dogs that go everywhere with their owners, and it's like another species.  None of the frantic, grovelling enthusiasm of the dog who's being treated to its twice daily 10 minute social contact, these guys are rather cool and focused.  Maybe one dog in a hundred.  The other owners ought to have gone with a cat.

There are breeds that are real good for that.  Others, not so much.  Working dogs such as Australian Shepherds and Blue Healers excel at this.

Some high-energy dogs and aggressive dogs are rarely good for this. 

It varies by breed and by individuals within the breed.

[NC Steve]

My take on all this is quite simple.  The HS is the last hope for these dogs before being put down.  They should encourage adoption and make it much easier or the dogs are put to death.  Beyond simple basic questions and hoops to jump through (more to educate the adopter of what to expect in dog ownership and what's to be expected), the need to get these dogs out of there is greater than the need to make sure every home is perfect to their standards.  The bad homes still won't outweigh the death of these animals that never find a home.  If they never put dogs down than I'm full of hot air.

Absolutely  ;-T

[charlie b]

But what kind of home?  Would it be ok if they let the dog go and then it gets chained up 24/7?  I'd rather see a dog put down then let go to be tortured for the rest of his life.

The 'nutshell' is how do you tell the difference between a home that will be good to the dog and one that is not?  That's why they have the rules.  And, no, your 'word' would not be good enough to someone who does not know you.