INTRO FEATURE: THE NEEDS OF THE RESCUED DOG

It’s pretty sobering when one stops to consider the sheer numbers of domestic/companion animals there are in this country. As we all know, not all of them are lucky enough to have a good, loving home where they flourish. Even those who start with a home sometimes get turned in to shelters and rescue groups for any number of reasons (which I won’t go into here, or I’ll start getting angry and pedantic). After being surrendered to a shelter, many of these animals will never find a home, and stand a good chance of being euthanized simply because of bad luck in finding a home within a certain length of time. The statistics are sad; some numbers were compiled by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy.

Here's what they found:

-Of the 1,000 shelters that replied to the National Council's survey, 4.3 million animals were handled.

-In 1997 roughly 64% of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized -- approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters. These animals may have been put down due to overcrowding, but may have been sick, aggressive, injured, or suffered something else.

-56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification.

-Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.

-25% of dogs and 24% of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.

It is from these numbers that estimates are made on what is occurring nationwide. It is widely accepted that 9.6 million animals are euthanized annually in the United States.

Source: http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_fact_sheets_animal_euthanasia

Let’s examine some of these issues that can face an adoptive family. The first and most obvious is fear. Many animals are abused, either through beatings, starvation, lack of proper housing (e.g., being chained outdoors unsheltered), or psychological abuse (constant yelling and unstable owners). Unfortunately, a lot of this abuse happens at the hands of men, and dogs and cats with fear of men, to the point of abject terror, are common. This issue is best faced with time, and calm. With cats, there is no sense in forcing the issue (which is true of cats in general, special needs or not!). Give them short-term exposure to you, in a closed room where they have the room to escape somewhere. Bring some food along, speak in mild, soothing tones (but not pitying), and give them their space, so they get used to the idea that you=nothing bad happens. Another important thing to remember: don’t look at them directly. It’s a domineering, aggressive thing to a cat, and won’t get you in their good favor an time soon.

With dogs, the first and best thing you can do for them is walk them. A lot. A good amount is twice or more a day, for at least a half hour each time, depending on the energy level of the dog. Keep them at your side, walk with a purposeful, confident, heads-up stride, and direct them. Don’t let them go wherever they please; YOU decide where they go, and when. Keep your voice level; don’t baby them with your talk. Look at them and smile when you’re taking a break. As a friend and trainer/behaviorist told me, they’re always busy reading our body language and our faces. The walk accomplishes a couple of things: It satisfies the dog’s instinctual programming to travel with the pack daily in search of food (we haven’t bred that out of ANY of the many breeds out there), and it establishes you as pack leader. Dogs don’t want to be the leader, but they’ll take the leader’s position if they sense a power vacuum. A dog who is exercised and has clear leadership is a much calmer, more in-balance dog.

I’ve only touched quickly on a couple of points. There are certainly more to consider and to deal with when you decide to take on a rescued animal, but there is information out there to help you along. A good final point to remember is that animals are always in the moment. They don’t care what happened before, and they certainly aren’t thinking with anxiety about the future. They are perpetually in the NOW. As a result, you should never feel pity toward a rescued dog, or treat them with any kind of a different attitude than you would any other dog. If you give off the sad, “poor baby” vibe all the time, it will be interpreted as instability and weakness, which won’t do your animal any good. He or she doesn’t care that they came from a horrible puppy mill, or might have lost an eye to untreated glaucoma. What they DO care about is you and their life right now, and if YOU constantly live in their sad past, they will be surrounded by a sad vibe all the time. Who wants that?

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