When "compassion" clouds judgement

[winniecnm]

Me again with a little thought for the day...

It is quite often that you run across a dog owner who strongly feels that they have "saved/rescued" a dog they currently own. I applaud people who rescue, and those who adopt rescues. It is not easy to clean up the mess of others.

There is a notion, however, that many people just don't seem to be able to understand. There comes a point that "saving" an animal becomes a selfish crusade for both the pet, and for other members of the family.

How many people here have posted about an "abused/neglected/unwanted dog" they "saved" that is displaying some serious behavioral problems. And when they are confronted about the dog's behavior, they revert back to the "at least she is still alive, she was abused, I saved her" mode? They have become so tangled up in the dog's issues that they can no longer see that they are ruining the quality of life of their family, putting everyone who meets this dog at risk, and seriously degrading the dog's life at the same time.

I believe that each and every animal in this world is precious, and that our companion animals deserve to live a life free from chronic physical pain and constant mental stress. I believe that it is not natural for a companion animal to harm his master, or members of his household, and that an animal who does so is suffering. I know that a lot of people read a post, where euthanasia is brought up and reel back and say "how could you be so cruel, so heartless, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND"...

Anyone here who has been involved with rottweilers long enough understands that there is a point where no amount of love, no amount of training or safeguarding can save an animal. And that an animal that has been ruined by BYB, or abuse, poor ownership should not be strung along for the rest of its twisted life just so the owner can be spared the heartache of sending that animal to the bridge. We OWE our companions more respect than that!

It takes a lot of heart to own this breed. And even more to rescue an animal in need. But perhaps the aspect of owning this breed that requires the most heart is knowing when to release a dog to the bridge, wether due to physical or mental reasons. I hope that anyone here who is dealing with an animal with a behavioral issues reads this post objectively, and never forgets what true "compassion" means for our animals.

Just a thought for the day.

[debbiej]

I am in total agreement and applaud your post.

[JemarsSerena]

Can we make this a "must read" before becoming a novice member. I know I'm still a newbie myself but I think from what I've seen so far here this issue is far to common. I agree wholeheartly.

[molochai2580]

I completly agree and applaud you for stating it so well. Glad to know that there are people who understand that sometimes to "save" the animal is to release it from it's demons.

[2rotties2luv]

Thank you for this post. I've felt this needed to be said for a long time and I thank you for saying it so clearly and eloquently.

Dogs have been purposefully bred for 14,000 years to live as the companions of humans. Any dog that is so mentally unstable that it will intentionally harm its owner or family is not living a happy life. When one "saves" an animal like this, while one may save a life, the quality of that life is so poor due to mental stress that the compassionate thing to do is to put the dog down and release them. Unfortunately, this seems to be lost on a lot of people.

[damp]

Thank you so much for posting this!!!

[Bucky's Mom]

Originally Posted by winniecnm

And that an animal that has been ruined by BYB, or abuse, poor ownership should not be strung along for the rest of its twisted life just so the owner can be spared the heartache of sending that animal to the bridge. We OWE our companions more respect than that!

It takes a lot of heart to own this breed. And even more to rescue an animal in need. But perhaps the aspect of owning this breed that requires the most heart is knowing when to release a dog to the bridge, wether due to physical or mental reasons. I hope that anyone here who is dealing with an animal with a behavioral issues reads this post objectively, and never forgets what true "compassion" means for our animals.

Just a thought for the day.

What an excellent post - I hope it becomes a "sticky" that we can reference in the future

[KatMc]

Originally Posted by winniecnm

"at least she is still alive, she was abused, I saved her" mode? ..... no longer see that they are ruining the quality of life of their family, putting everyone who meets this dog at risk, and seriously degrading the dog's life at the same time.

It takes a lot of heart to own this breed. And even more to rescue an animal in need. But perhaps the aspect of owning this breed that requires the most heart is knowing when to release a dog to the bridge, wether due to physical or mental reasons. I hope that anyone here who is dealing with an animal with a behavioral issues reads this post objectively, and never forgets what true "compassion" means for our animals.

Just a thought for the day.

winniecnm - thanks for posting this. This is true not just for Rottweilers but for any dog - especially the powerful and strong breeds.

This is what I'm dealing with on the Pitbull foster that was in the fight with the other foster. She seems to be responding well to her training so I may not have to make this choice - But it was/is a decision that I'm willing to make to protect another animal, or most especially another human.

This is also the reason we are starting our own rescue, the group we have dealt with does not support this thought and will keep a "rescued" dog the rest of it's life living in a cage with minimal contact instead of humanely releasing them.

Thanks for posting this,
Kathy

[flyballmom]

Great post Winnie. And to add a bit...
When one of these Rottweilers who has proven it's mental instability and pain is allowed to continue to live in the community then hurts someone, it's yet one more mark against a breed that already has too many against it. We, as dog owners, have to not only consider ourselves and our families, the dog, but anyone who may come into contact with the dog in the future. Compassion needs to be toward all things, including that outside our own walls. Compassion sometimes hurts.

[jakesfostermom]

Thank you Winnie - what a great post. Since becoming involved in rescue, I have seen first hand what I call "the full circle of rescue" - and how I feel about that is plainly written in your post. Even those of us involved in rescue will invest time and energy in a dog, only to find later that we must make the difficult, but RIGHT decision to let that dog go. The pain and suffering for those dog(s) is simply against anything rescue should stand for (as well as the liability associated with a dog the size/strength of our rottweilers) - whether done by an organized group, or an individual. Thank you - for taking the time to put that in a post. I know I'm not alone when I say that I have shed buckets of tears for those dogs that couldn't be saved......even after trying, but it doesn't change the fact that those decisions were the right and responsible ones to make.

[BostonRott]

BEEEEAAAUUUUUTIFULLY written!!!!

I have said more than once, and been acused of being a heartless person for saying so "Rescue is about saving the breed, not the individual dog." Meaning: one needs to be able to make a realistic assessment of each dog, and to understand what the risks and possibilities are. Saving does not always mean "living."

Sometimes, the better way to "save" an animal from it's demons is to humanely put it to sleep. This is not an easy thing to do (even when the choice is obvious) nor is it said lightly. This advice is given with experience and knowledge of what has happened in the past and what is likely to happen in the future. As Beth points out, any time a dog "goes wrong" and bites, it not only affects the people directly involved, but is one more nail in the coffin of breed discrimination. We are dangerously close to losing the right to own this breed at all. Many say that in 10 years, we will have lost this right. With that in mind, EACH dog needs to be evaluated for stability, "rehab-ability" and with the overall picture in mind.

It is fair neither to the breed, nor to the individual dog, to keep an unstable or severely mentally scarred dog alive.

[Sharon Marples]

Excellent post with excellent comments. I agree that too many times, people want the attention they can get (and feel they deserve) by thinking they are doing the best for a dog that is plagued with demons. It is far more humane to put the dog to rest than to allow it to live out its life with traumatic consequences.

[Lorrie]

This is the story of one young dog, his journey threw the rescue program and the lessons he taught us.

I have posted it in the hopes of illustrating that there IS insanity in dogs, the majority of people have NO idea what they are living with, and that is why we hear things like "the dog just snapped" ... No .. The dog was always like this .. You have just lived "around" it successfully ... Until that point.

Not long ago I received a call from one of our adoptive homes. They are wonderful people that have adopted 2 boys from us, the one dog needing quite a bit of work as he came from the shelter with some baggage. They are a home that I know and trust.

The story I got was that their brother in law, has a friend, that recently rescued an 8 month old male Rott and while both he and his children are in love with the pup and the pup is amazing with the children, his sister in law has stated unequivocally that she and her children will not be going anywhere the dog is this includes his home and the family cottage so his nephew is not allowed to play with his kids until the dog goes. Apparently this has created a family war that will only be resolved with him getting rid of the dog.

The original owner was apparently in jail so Scoobie was given to someone else to look after and they did not want him, so the brother in law of our adoptive home took him. The dog lived in the house with him, his wife and his 2 young children for the better part of 6 weeks. He was described as, great with the boys, and while full of life seems eager to please, sits when he is told and loves to get hugs even from strangers.

Sounds like a lovely young pup .. Doesn't it?

As luck would have it .. Our adoptive home lives just down the road from a great kennel we use on occasion. So I asked them to "fetch" the poor boy and take him to Uncle Larry's .. Just for a few days. I will collect him on the weekend. They go get him and report back that he traveled well and was a very pleasant dog .. In fact if they were in a position to take a 3rd they would have brought him home.

I can't wait to meet this boy .. He sounds great. In fact, I have a wonderful home that recently lost their Rottweiler and desperately wants another. Given that they have children under 10 we will only place a pup there or a dog that we have a known history on and has lived with children. I make arrangements to pick up Scoobie and take him for a meet and greet with his potential new home.

This is outside our policies and procedures .. As I haven't met the dog, but heck .. he is 8 months old, coming out of known (albeit removed) home, lived with children and cats ... It should be no problem.

When I first meet Scoobie he is not what I expected .. He is a big boy for 8 months, not neutered (was under the impression he was) Probably closer to a year old. And has that teenage "twinkle" in his eye. Hoh boy. I do some very quick assessing in the parking lot, and while nothing jumps out .. there is just "something" about him that worries me. The dog has obviously never been told "no" .. Has no concept of the word .. I worry what will happen when he is actually told no.

This is not a dog I now feel comfortable placing in any home with out further assessment but as to not disappoint the potential home I keep our meet and greet appointment. I am now chastising myself ... I KNOW better then this .. Do NOT take people's word on a dog. This WHY we will not accept dogs into our program unless we can assess them ourselves. We had one come in that had been temperament tested twice by the shelter and once by an outside source that was an RCMP officer who trained dogs. THAT dog was as insane as I have seen and was the most violent euth I have ever had to do.

When we arrive at the home Scoobie is very environment focused and promptly displays some disturbing OCD behavior over a rock. Nice. I remove the rock. He then decides he needs to guard a rope toy .. So I calmly and quietly ... But make no mistake .. Extremely dominantly .. Walk over to him and remove toy. He is not happy. At about that point I call an end to our visit and we leave.

Now I am curious ... In a sick foreboding type of way. I need to know what's behind this dog. I do a little "Take it" and "out" training with the rope toy .. And he plays along nicely .. For a minute. Then he decides its his and snaps at me when I go for it. Hmmm .... Not good. I inform him that his is not acceptable behavior and remove toy from his mouth.

The dog "snaps" ... I now have close to 80lb dog standing on he back legs with my left hand in his mouth ... He is biting and NOT letting go. I slide his teeth down my thumb with the right hand and then have to remove his mouth from that hand. I do this by body slamming him to the ground and holding him down by the throat. He is screaming in a violent rage and trying desperately to bite me. Did I mention he is on a flat collar .. Sigh ... Once again I know better ... I should have changed his collar to something I could at least have some control with. It was only because of experience he only bit me the once. He finally relaxes, then erupts again, when he calms down I cautiously let him up .. We have an uneasy truce for the moment.

I take him to a nearby kennel that we deal with for "emergencies" and leave his ass to "rott" there.

Dog bites hurt! I thankfully have not been bit that many times as we usually double handle and take a lot more precautions when we suspect the dog could bite. Stubby has saved me numerous times by being exceptionally quick on the second line.

Now I spend the next week nursing a nerve damaged thumb and wondering HOW this happened. HOW did the dog live successfully in a home with kids? How did everyone that met him think he was so wonderful? Did I push him to much? I asked and received more information from the previous home ... They did not see that type of behavior with him. The boys would play with Scooby and our adoptive home even saw his older boy take the ball from in front of Scooby and throw it and then take it from Scooby again without any growling or anything. The son would sit with Scooby and his ball and give hugs and kisses etc to Scooby. So ... What the heck happened? Even the kennel owner where the dog is now is reporting to me what a nice dog this is.

It must be something I did ... Right? How can this many people have no issue with this dog? I must be loosing it.

We decide after a week at the kennel to go reassess him. Sometimes a few days of being left to one's own devices and "frying" at a kennel does wonders for a dog. This time we go prepared ... With lots of equipment .. Dehydrated liver .. And a new plan. I am going to make friends with Scoobie and take it from there. We go ... We walk ... We play ... We eat dehydrated liver. All is good ... Until we test him on resources .. And boom ... He goes again and he is serious. The fake hand got demo'd pretty good.

Scooby went to the bridge a couple days later. Godspeed little man .. I am sorry.

What I want to impart is that a dangerous dog isn't always that easy to identify. It is not always the lunging aggressive dog on the end of the chain. Many live successfully in homes, as their people manage them and/or live around them .. Quite often completely oblivious to what they have living in their home.

Had Scooby been in a home when we assessed him with people willing to work with him it is possible that behavior modification could have been successful .. But I doubt it. The dog had an "edge" to him .. That insane edge. He didn't bite and let go .. Like most do when "defending" their stuff. He bit .. Hung on .. Then transferred to the other hand. And all over a rope toy. If at 10 months of age he is willing to do this .. Then what are you going to have at age 3? I could have probably took him home and might even have been able to "fix" it .. but then what? From a rescue perspective there is no way we could ever rehome this dog .. and you probably could not have successfully transfered the dominance piece if you were actually able to establish it.

As much as we would like to think that structure and a good NILF program will "fix" most behavioral issues .. The sad fact is that there IS insanity in dogs ... And in most cases it displays at a very early age as what you have then is purely genetic.

[Sharon Marples]

VERY well said Lorrie. There are too many in this world who do not set the boundaries for their dogs. They let the dogs live their lives as they want and when someday, for some reason, the dogs HAVE to take a correction or command, the REAL temperament of the animal manifests itself.

Many MAY be able to be saved with NILIF, but I agree that there are just as many that should go to the Bridge because of an unstable temperament that was just never questioned or challenged previously.

[winniecnm]

Thanks admin for putting this as a sticky - I hope my post and the wonderful responses here will help someone someday..

Thank you for sharing Scoobie's story, Lorrie.

Thankfully Scoobie found someone strong enough to do what was necessary for all involved. Had he continued in a pet home, there could have been a very tragic incident.

A lot of people (especially newbies here) find it hard to associate death with compassion. You have to stop looking at the physical act of dying as the most horrible outcome for a troubled dog's life. Read the News forum, the Behavior forum. You will see - as we all have seen- that euthanasia is a release for a dog who's world will never be "right".