I've
worked with dogs for some time now, mostly helping those in shelters find a
home. I've asked myself many times is enough done for those dogs? I keep coming
back to the answer being a very big "NO", but what is enough?
With the limited resources that shelters have, what more can they do? Are there
answers to these questions or are dogs just given up on because "someone
will come along and adopt them." Maybe someone will come along and maybe
not, but is it enough to leave it up to chance?
I've seen shelters who've had dogs with them for a year or two, or even longer. After this long stay, in a cage, at a shelter, the lucky ones who can last that long may end up getting adopted and finding a loving, forever family and home. People will say how great it is that the shelter kept the dog that long and to a small degree it is wonderful. When those "long timers" are finally adopted, it's a celebration. But should it be a celebration? I believe it's more that the shelter let down that dog by allowing him or her to be locked in a cage for a year or longer. Was there nothing that could be done to get that dog adopted sooner or were they just one of the many that were forced to take their chances and ended up luck enough that someone did come along? I don't say this is true of all shelters or all rescues by any means, but it seems to be more of the normal. The unusual are the ones who go beyond what's expected and go beyond just being happy that the dog exists.
What about those dogs who aren't as fortunate and someone doesn't come along in time, those who don't end so happily? What about the ones who have been at a shelter for so long that they just can't take it any longer and begin to develop behavior problems or start to get aggressive towards other dogs, as they compete for the slightest bit of attention. Have they turned into bad dogs or have they been let down by the people who are caring for them? How long could you last in a cage with little to no human contact? You're sitting there begging for someone to take you outside or to play with you, but you get looked at and passed over time and time again. You see others being allowed to leave and wonder why not me...what did I do that was so bad. At some point it would get to you, maybe it would take a week, maybe a month or maybe 6 months for the stronger ones, but eventually it WILL get to you. Someone finally comes along and decides to take you out, but in the cage across from you there is someone else begging to go out instead of you. Would you get aggressive and tell that person that it's finally your time and no one is going to take that away from you? If you've answered yes to these questions, remember that you are a human who can think logically, reason and rationalize. While dogs can think and feel emotions, they can't rationalize the way we can. It has been proven that excessive noise, such as constant barking, in shelters can physically stress dogs and lead to behavioral, physiological and anatomical responses. Dogs that are placed in gated kennels along the perimeter of a large room receive negative stimulation when they see other dogs, especially when they see other dogs receiving attention. Dogs are a very social species and want to be around other dogs. When they see other dogs, but can't get to them, you hear a lot of frustration barking back and forth. Is it right or fair to put these dogs to sleep...these dogs that humans have failed or these dogs that are acting on their instincts? Is it fair or right to put a dog to sleep that's trying to compete for the slightest bit of attention or that has developed problems from being in a shelter too long? Well, it happens all the time, all across this country and throughout the world.
Back to the original question....Is enough done for dogs in shelters? I believe the answer is not until every option has been exhausted, not until the shelter has gone above and beyond and tried everything they could think of. A typical shelter will post available dogs on their website and hope for the best. They depend on volunteers to help care for the dogs, to walk them and to bring them to adoption events. There's no expense to the shelter for this. What else can shelters do to help these dogs beat the odds and find loving homes and families? One of the biggest and easiest things that can be done today, right this minute, is for shelters to ease up on often ridiculous restrictions placed on a dog.
There are other things that can also be done to help these animals. Shelters need to do more to promote the dogs than just simply post them up on their website. As a friend of mine has said time and time again...promoting is the key, get the dog out in front of people. Take a dog and make him or her special. It can be done, one dog at a time.
Other things that can be done by shelters and volunteers:
Contact your local paper. Most papers have a section where they are willing to put a photo or two and a story about a pet each week. These papers will usually do a free writ-up of one or two animals.
Put flyers up in your Vet's office. Often people have to put down their pets and may want to adopt a new one.
It's a fact that has been researched...to get people to adopt is really weird. If the dog has its own blanket it is 10 times more likely to be adopted. Make sure the dog has its own blanket to lie on or play with.
Contact local radio shows and TV channels. They would love to get involved and show pictures or have you on air to talk about certain pets.
Make YouTube videos of the pups up for adoption. Edit them with cool music, videos and pictures of the certain pup you are promoting.
Post on Craigslist
I've seen shelters who've had dogs with them for a year or two, or even longer. After this long stay, in a cage, at a shelter, the lucky ones who can last that long may end up getting adopted and finding a loving, forever family and home. People will say how great it is that the shelter kept the dog that long and to a small degree it is wonderful. When those "long timers" are finally adopted, it's a celebration. But should it be a celebration? I believe it's more that the shelter let down that dog by allowing him or her to be locked in a cage for a year or longer. Was there nothing that could be done to get that dog adopted sooner or were they just one of the many that were forced to take their chances and ended up luck enough that someone did come along? I don't say this is true of all shelters or all rescues by any means, but it seems to be more of the normal. The unusual are the ones who go beyond what's expected and go beyond just being happy that the dog exists.
What about those dogs who aren't as fortunate and someone doesn't come along in time, those who don't end so happily? What about the ones who have been at a shelter for so long that they just can't take it any longer and begin to develop behavior problems or start to get aggressive towards other dogs, as they compete for the slightest bit of attention. Have they turned into bad dogs or have they been let down by the people who are caring for them? How long could you last in a cage with little to no human contact? You're sitting there begging for someone to take you outside or to play with you, but you get looked at and passed over time and time again. You see others being allowed to leave and wonder why not me...what did I do that was so bad. At some point it would get to you, maybe it would take a week, maybe a month or maybe 6 months for the stronger ones, but eventually it WILL get to you. Someone finally comes along and decides to take you out, but in the cage across from you there is someone else begging to go out instead of you. Would you get aggressive and tell that person that it's finally your time and no one is going to take that away from you? If you've answered yes to these questions, remember that you are a human who can think logically, reason and rationalize. While dogs can think and feel emotions, they can't rationalize the way we can. It has been proven that excessive noise, such as constant barking, in shelters can physically stress dogs and lead to behavioral, physiological and anatomical responses. Dogs that are placed in gated kennels along the perimeter of a large room receive negative stimulation when they see other dogs, especially when they see other dogs receiving attention. Dogs are a very social species and want to be around other dogs. When they see other dogs, but can't get to them, you hear a lot of frustration barking back and forth. Is it right or fair to put these dogs to sleep...these dogs that humans have failed or these dogs that are acting on their instincts? Is it fair or right to put a dog to sleep that's trying to compete for the slightest bit of attention or that has developed problems from being in a shelter too long? Well, it happens all the time, all across this country and throughout the world.
Back to the original question....Is enough done for dogs in shelters? I believe the answer is not until every option has been exhausted, not until the shelter has gone above and beyond and tried everything they could think of. A typical shelter will post available dogs on their website and hope for the best. They depend on volunteers to help care for the dogs, to walk them and to bring them to adoption events. There's no expense to the shelter for this. What else can shelters do to help these dogs beat the odds and find loving homes and families? One of the biggest and easiest things that can be done today, right this minute, is for shelters to ease up on often ridiculous restrictions placed on a dog.
There are other things that can also be done to help these animals. Shelters need to do more to promote the dogs than just simply post them up on their website. As a friend of mine has said time and time again...promoting is the key, get the dog out in front of people. Take a dog and make him or her special. It can be done, one dog at a time.
Other things that can be done by shelters and volunteers:
Contact your local paper. Most papers have a section where they are willing to put a photo or two and a story about a pet each week. These papers will usually do a free writ-up of one or two animals.
Put flyers up in your Vet's office. Often people have to put down their pets and may want to adopt a new one.
It's a fact that has been researched...to get people to adopt is really weird. If the dog has its own blanket it is 10 times more likely to be adopted. Make sure the dog has its own blanket to lie on or play with.
Contact local radio shows and TV channels. They would love to get involved and show pictures or have you on air to talk about certain pets.
Sign up for every parade and event in your town and surrounding ones.
Make YouTube videos of the pups up for adoption. Edit them with cool music, videos and pictures of the certain pup you are promoting.
Post on Craigslist
If you can't
look at yourself in the mirror and say that you have done EVERYTHING you can to
get a dog adopted, then enough has not been done. And until shelters do more to
promote, and ease up on some of their ridiculous restriction, more animals will
die than get adopted.
Please feel free to copy or re-post this. These
animals need as many advocates as they can get in order to have the chance they
more than deserve.
http/www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-That-K9-Training-LLC/208069299271403
For a Great Dog Trainer check out
Ashley Tucker Rogers from Roger That K9 Training.
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