Re: [PyrNet-L] Albert & I visit a non-pyr rescue dog that's a former victim of abuse

[SDOBSCHA@lnmta.bentley.edu]

I have to weigh in on this because I am apparently one of the few rescue
pyr owners who has had a pretty negative experience.  i read all the rescue
stories with a degree of jealousy because i have had my rescue pyr for over
a year and have still not been able to fully overcome the problems brought
on by his checkered past (puppy mill, pet store, bounced around to many
homes, no discipline, etc.).  he is still not a dog to be trusted around
other dogs and has even turned on his groomer once.  we have to keep him on
a promise collar at all times outside the house because he goes crazy from
time to time and lunges and bites us.  we can't blame him though because of
his past, he is just acting the way he taught himself to survive.  we have
worked diligently for over a year now to alter some of his negative
behavior and some of it has gone away (food stealing from the counter for
example) but we have a hard time leaving him with other people when we go
out of town because we don't expect others to manhandle him the way we have
to when he goes crazy.

i guess my point is that not every rescue of an abused dog will result in a
well-adjusted dog.  i recently interviewed a woman who said she adopted an
abused dog over 11 years ago and the dog still has residual behavioral
problems.  if you don't have the time to specifically dedicate to this dog
and the patience (and it takes ALOT!) to deal with the long term behavioral
problems then i would think twice about getting this dog.  our whole
lifestyle has changed to accomodate this dog, and in retrospect i don't
think i would get another rescue who has been abused.

my two cents,

susan




MagEBroD@aol.com on 10/28/98 11:13:33 AM

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cc:
Subject:  [PyrNet-L]  Albert & I visit a non-pyr rescue dog that's a former
      victim of abuse




In a message dated 10/28/98 8:08:04 AM Pacific Standard Time, MagEBroD
writes:

   Albert & I went to see a mixed-breed (Chow-Golden Retriever cross)
rescue
dog Friday.  He needs a real good grooming and Advantage and he has a hot
spot. We took him out of the kennel that he shares with a big huge lab
cross
and I sat down on the grass to be down at his level. He took to me better
than
he's ever taken to anyone when he first meets them I was told! Finally he'd
let me hug him and he even kissed me! He doesn't like you to touch him
around
his neck and metal around his neck really freaks him out. He is 2.5 yrs.
old
now and still suffering from the abuse he suffered at age 4 mos.! His owner
then was beaten badly to the point her nose was broken and she fled from
the
boyfriend beating her to seek medical help. He took the mama dog and all
the
pups and wrapped them in barbed wire and drove them in back of pickup truck
and then threw them, wrapped in the barbed wire over the fence at her
parents'
home. For some reason this dog suffered the most trauma. Whether he was
abused
the most or hurt the most or just the one that could handle it the least, I
don't know. That is the reason he doesn't feel safe around people at first.
You have to really earn that trust. That's the reason he doesn't like
things
around his neck, especially metal things. If I get him I'd use a harness
that
doesn't go around his upper neck at all on him. He's got a real sweet
temperament. Eventually I got Albert out of the van so they could meet. He
liked Albert, but they didn't play wild like Heidi and Albert do. I took
Albert and him on a long walk together. They got along and walked together
nicely, though. Maybe he'd eventually play more with Albert. He plays more
with his kennel-mate, another male dog. He has never been around kids or
cats
at all, though. For that reason I'd insist on taking my 12 yr. old son Mark
to
meet him and see how they get along. (I'd wanted to take him the first time
and hubby as well, but the days my whole family could go the rescue lady
wasn't free.)  They are supposed to take him to a vet and get his skin
problem
checked out and get Advantage for him. He's been without Advantage for 3
months. He's pretty happy there at the kennel, but really doesn't get the
level of TLC he should. They raise purebred dogs, run a kennel and board
dogs,
plus are helping take care of these 2 rescue dogs, so they are very busy. I
have mixed feelings about him. Usually I KNOW. I'd have felt better if he
was
this tramatized sooner after the abuse happened. The fact that over 2 years
later he's still traumatized worries me some. Will he ever get over it???
Not
sure how much has to do with abuse and how much has to do with no one
really
having enough time for him. Would a lot of TLC do the trick or not?????
Right
now he's not the dog I'd prefer to have and I don't know if he'll ever be
that
dog. Yet my heart really goes out to him and wants to help him. Yet know I
can't solve all the world's problems. They would prefer he go with his
kennel-
mate as they have gotten close. There's no way I'll take both of them now
though. Not while Albert's still a pup. Don't want to spread myself too
thin.
They are worried he'll suffer separation anxiety if separated from his
kennel-
mate. So I need to figure out if he's better off there where he gets little
less than good care, but has a buddy he really likes and people he likes
but
doesn't get enough attention. The lady at the kennel said she wouldn't mind
them being there forever. Yet the rescue group keeps advertising them both.
So
even if I don't take him, someone may get his kennel-mate. (In fact someone
from Shelton is coming to look at him) Guess I don't really have a real
clear
good feeling that this is the right dog for us, yet. Still looking at the
ads
in papers for other dogs.
    Seeing him and hearing his story of abuse and seeing how long he's
suffered from it, makes you really furious that someone could do that to a
whole litter of 4 mos. old pups and their mother. And of course, like many
animal abusers, this guy also abused the humans in his life, too. I don't
dare
even start to say what I think should happen to the kind of worthless scum
that could do such a thing.

 Janice Vocke
 MagEBroD@aol.com
 Shelton, WA.


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