EBHS Unleashed

Our 24 hotline received a call before we opened today from a woman who said that she had found a stray, black, pit/lab mix, a senior, who needed medical attention about 6 hours away up north. She got our number from a dog rescue where she first tried to give the dog. She lived in Milwaukee and wanted to know what to do with the dog. The staff suggested to this woman that she contact the local sheriff in that area, and see if anyone reported a missing dog, and to find out if there was a shelter in that area. Since they lived in Milwaukee, they were told to call the Milwaukee animal control facility, if they were unable to find the owners.

Then, this morning a couple showed up with the exact dog that was described on the phone this morning, a senior pit/lab covered in cancerous tumors. They said that they found the dog at Brookfield Square this morning. The man bringing the dog here would not give us his ID, and he kept saying that he hoped he was not going to get "bit in the a**" over this.

I was not made aware of the earlier phone call until these people left, but upon seeing the dog, I got sick thinking that if the first story was true, that they really found this dog up north, that I really should try and find the owner. This dog was not skinny, and though it had cancer, it seemed otherwise very well taken care of. This dog was loved for 10 or so years, and now it is going to sit here for 7 days all alone, and probably not be made available for adoption due to its health. There might be a family that is out there looking for a best friend that will never know what happened to it.

So I called the phone number on the surrender sheet and explained to this man that someone called in about this dog this morning saying that they found it up north. While it was possible that these people did dump the dog when they were told how to handle the situation, but, if it was his family that found the dog, could he please tell me where up north they found the dog so that I could attempt to find an owner. He said that it was not him, that he did not call, and that they found the dog at Brookfield Square.

OK - so I went and checked the call log from the 24-hour phone, used the reverse directory, and then discovered that the phone was in fact this gentleman's home phone number. I called there hoping that whoever called this morning would be there and more forthcoming about where this dog was found. No answer. So I called the cell phone of the gentleman who dropped off the dog, and explained that I knew that this was the dog that was reportedly found up north, and I did not know why he would not tell me where it was found because I simply wanted to try and find an owner. He then lashed out at me verbally saying that I was never to call him again, and that I did not know who he was dealing with, and that he found the dog in Brookfield. I said that if he cared enough to make sure the dog was safe in a shelter, that he could just tell me where he found the dog so I could help let it spend it's probably last Christmas with his family.

At this point, I think he threw the phone down and started screaming at the woman who was with him when he brought the dog here. "Why didn't you say what I told you to say?" "Why are you doing this to me?" and many other things that were barely intelligible, but nothing nice. So I hung up.

So now, I have a dog. A sweet, male, black, senior, lab/pit mix, with visible tumors all over it's body. A dog that will not be made available for adoption due to it's health. Does this dog belong to the couple that dropped it off? A relative of theirs that lives up north who could not afford medical care for the dog and asked them to help? Did they really find a beloved family member and take him 6 hours away to wait 7 days in a stray ward with no hope of being found? This dog deserves better than this. I am so angry and frustrated that I cannot help him.

This dog also has no microchip - and I hate to belabor a point, but if your dog loses a collar, it will always have a microchip and be able to be reunited with you - no matter how far it may get from home.

If you have a male and female dog that you allow to mate, and then sell the puppies to the public, does that make you a breeder? It certainly depends on who you ask. I guess there are different types of breeders.

Some people will have a great dog, usually a purebred, that they will not spay or neuter because the dog is beautiful, well-tempered, and they feel that this dog should have puppies to make other dogs just like that one. Sometimes these people will advertise looking for, or to provide, stud service in newspapers, or other classifieds. I have met many people in my life who have done this. Typically, these are people who are just regular people, looking to make wonderful puppies, maybe to keep one, but certainly to sell the rest. They may give the stud dog a fee or a puppy for their services. Most of the time, these people have purchased their dog from someone just like them, kind of a hobby breeder, and the dog will have AKC papers, and possibly have a champion or two on the pedigree. Typically, these are the kind of dogs that you will find for sale in the newspaper, or on the bulletin board at the grocery store. Many times, these kinds of breeders will breed their dog two times a year, until the dog is about 5 or 6, then let them retire. They typically do not do any genetic testing for things like hip dysplasia, or eye conditions. Often, this is a simple cash purchase with no guarantees, or promises to take the dog back and refund money if there is a problem, or give a new puppy when available. These breeders rarely require you to sign a spay/neuter contract which could someday spawn a new breeder just like them after the first heat of a female. These people do love their dogs, and the dog they are breeding is their own family dog.

Then there are other breeders, who have a few breeds of dogs they like, having breeding pairs of them. Typically, they will focus on two or three breeds, having puppies several times a year from each female, and selling the puppies. I think these are more business-y type breeders. They are very similar to the breeders I spoke about above, but these folks are a little more ambitious. There are some who really try to purchase well bred dogs for breeding, but there are many others who simply find a fertile male and female and let nature take it's course. These people are very much about making money, advertise a lot, even on signs on their front lawns. These folks often do guarantee their puppies, and will offer a limited refund or an exchange for congenital defects for about a year. That said, most dogs that have congenital defects will not show signs of these until they are older than a year, so that warranty is limited itself. They will take many forms of payments including credit cards, and will sometimes sell puppies over the internet and ship for an extra cost. This is a money making enterprise for them and you should do your homework, especially if you are buying a puppy sight unseen. They also offer a choice for a "full" AKC registration which will allow a buyer to pay more so that you can breed the dog and register the puppies with the AKC so that you can charge more for any puppies you decide to breed, or they will sell for less with a "limited" AKC registration that will not allow you to register any litters of puppies with the AKC. They will also often charge more for females than males in order to get an upfront commission on any puppies you breed and sell.

(Here is a little secret - AKC papers do not necessarily mean a whole lot. They are a record of a dog's heritage. That is it. Most confirmation dog shows, and some obedience shows will require the dog having an AKC registration paper, but do not think that because a dog has an AKC pedigree that it is better than a dog without one. I will say that if you buy a dog from a breeder who shows for confirmation, this pedigree will have champion bloodlines across the generations and you are probably paying a premium for the dog for reasons I will discuss below. But, if you buy a dog without any champion bloodlines in the first or second generation - and many "papers" I have seen will not have ANY champions listed on them - do not feel like you should pay top dollar for that dog. Papers for a dog like that are not proof of anything but lineage - and does not mean that the dog has any better breeding than a dog without papers.)

The last type of breeders are the confirmation breeders. These are the people that show their dogs many weekends each year. They have carefully planned litters, and will only breed their best dogs. You can look at these people and see the most dedicated people to a breed that have ever lived, or crazy people who devote their entire life to their dogs. There is a lot of truth in each of these characterizations. Breeders at this level will do genetic testing on any dog that they want to breed to make sure they are not carrying anything that can be passed down to the next generation. Many breeds have some disease or defect, so these tests can include x-rays and blood work. They will only breed a female once a year, and usually at about 2 years of age, and only after the dog is a finished champion. This requires driving all over the country, going to shows to collect points, you need majors and minors and it can be confusing, so I will not even try to explain points here. As well, most working dogs, or herding dogs will be trained to perform their special duties like agility work, herding livestock, hunting, or scent work and get titles in those areas before they are bred. These breeders live for a breed and will only breed the best to the best to ensure the future gene pool of this breed is the strongest and most diverse possible. Many of these breeders will have a website - mostly to show the world how awesome their dogs are with photos of winning events, action shots, and then shots of the dog living a normal life with their family. A great number of these breeders are veterinarians, but many are regular people who outside of their normal every day life take on weekends of long drives, spend hours grooming, training, and spoiling these dogs so that they can turn it on in the ring. These breeders are the most difficult to get a puppy from, and I know this from experience. Since they have limited litters, you can have a long wait for a puppy. If you live close to them, they will often want a home visit, and to meet your family before placing a puppy. Many of these breeders will tell you after they meet you that you might be better off with another breed due to incompatibility with your lifestyle, which is not easy to hear, but you should take it to heart if they actually come out and say this. If you live far, they may ask a friend or another breeder to do this home visit. They will not place a show potential puppy in a "pet" quality home. That is because "pet" people like me will not keep up with possible show grooming needs, or the proper conditioning for a grand champion. If you are waiting, and there is a litter of 6 puppies, and 4 may be show quality, and there are only 2 for "pet" homes, you might have to wait for the next litter. Show quality puppies are usually sold for high dollars and with conditions like co-ownership, exclusive breeding rights, and you may have to let your dog leave for several vacations a year with a handler to be shown. "Pet" quality puppies are sold at more moderate prices, but you will be paying a premium for them as well. Why? A confirmation breeder typically does not make any money in breeding. After the genetic testing, the show life which requires special vehicles, traveling and lodging costs for many weekends of showing, grooming, loss of income from their civilian life, and other incidental costs like the best of foods, training and fieldwork and other incidentals, these people are usually in the red.

So, who is the best of these type of breeders? It is up to the reader to decide what is best for them. I know that cost, timing, location and many other factors go into deciding which type of breeder is the best for you. Doing your homework and research on a breed is the most important part of the process of purchasing a dog from any breeder. Many people love the look of a Border Collie, but few know that Border Collies are smarter than most people (and I include myself in that group). I firmly believe that if Border Collies had opposable thumbs, and could speak a language they would run the world, in a very fast and intense manner. Buying a Border Collie from a hobby breeder is very easy, and relatively inexpensive. However, if this is the wrong breed for you, you may come home to a dog who has destroyed your home because they needed a job to do, and they may appoint themselves the couch un-stuffer, or the drapery remover.

I guess the less you know about a breed, or about dogs in general, the more you should educate yourself and search out all the different types of breeders and learn from all of them. Then you will be able to see firsthand the good and bad points of each type of breeder.

Of course, if a purebred puppy is not an absolute necessity, I urge you to go to your local shelter, or breed rescue and adopt a dog that needs a new family first. Puppies will always find a home, but adult dogs are often overlooked, and they are a real treasure.

All of the above applies to cats as well - though most people will never buy a purebred cat, when there are literally millions of kittens born each year in need of families. I assure you that purebred cat breeders are much the same as purebred dog breeders, so the above advice is applicable to cats as well.

Next week we will talk about different ways to help put an end to puppy mills.

I get calls at the shelter every single day from people looking for a certain breed of dog. Statistically speaking, 1 out of 4 dogs in a shelter is a purebred. But, we do not always have St. Bernards, Corgis, Bernese Mountain Dogs, English Bulldogs and other popular breeds. Fortunately for people with their hearts set on a certain breed, there is usually a breed rescue ready and waiting for them to call and apply for a waiting animal.

I am surprised that more people have not heard of breed rescues! These groups are all volunteer based, and instead of a shelter, these dogs get to live in foster homes. They get to work on their manners and housebreaking if they need it, and the foster families get a good idea of what living with the dog will be like, and in turn, find out what the best family would be for that dog.

Just about every single breed has a breed rescue. If you go to Google or another search engine - type in your state, your breed and the word rescue and you will get a list of the local breed rescue websites for that breed. Most of these groups have websites that show pictures of the available dogs, and then give you the procedure on how to adopt them. You will find that breed rescues are more expensive than a shelter to adopt from. That is because most of the time, these volunteers pay for everything themselves, and most do not get deals from vets on care for the animals. The groups rely on donations of funds and goods just like a shelter. That said - do not think for one minute that any rescue group or shelter makes money on adoptions. We all spend far more on the animals than we could recoup in an adoption fee. It really is a labor of love.

Adopting from a breed rescue may be more difficult than a shelter, and in most cases they will require a home visit. While this may sound a little invasive, it is one additional way that the group can ensure that you have the proper space, and family to give this animal a forever home. Also, since most of the breed rescues have to work a job (or two!) to subsidize their rescue efforts, phone calls and emails can take up to a week to return. This puts off many potential adopters, but it is the nature of the beast.

A great way to help a breed rescue, and possibly find your forever dog, is to volunteer to become a foster home. The rescue group will check you out, and do your home visit, call your vet, meet your dogs (if you already have one or more), get some references, and then you can become a foster family. You may get a dog right away, or it may take a while. This may not be the dog you want to spend the rest of your life with, but you will be helping it become more adoptable while it lives with you. You may rethink your decision to live with the breed, or you may decide that this breed is even better than you thought!

At EBHS we have lost more foster homes through them adopting their foster dogs (you know who you are!!) but fortunately, we get a few more people looking to become a foster families. I imagine the same thing happens to breed rescues. I will say that breed rescues can only rescue as many dogs as they have foster homes for, and it is painful to these people to not be able to help every single dog that comes to their attention needing rescue. So if you can foster - or are thinking about it - why not give it a try?

I personally foster for a great German Shepherd rescue group (GSRAW). I have had the honor of fostering some great dogs and being a part of finding them a new home. German Shepherds are my favorite breed, but unfortunately, I work too much to live with a dog that is smarter than me. When I retire, I am definitely going to adopt a dog through my rescue. Maybe I will meet them through fostering, or someone else in the group will foster them.

In any event, if you have your heart set on a certain breed and nothing else will do, I urge you to contact your breed rescue. I know you will not be disappointed!

The 12 Beds of Christmas bed drive for our dogs has officially begun! We have found these beds to be the longest lasting and most comfortable of the beds available for use in the kennels here at the shelter. These beds stand up to teething puppies, chewing adults, and all the other abuses beds can suffer while in a shelter environment. Surprisingly, every single dog will use these beds! Even our puppy mill dogs who have never seen a bed before!

If you would like to help out the animals at EBHS and donate a bed this Christmas, please go to this link:

http://www.kuranda.com/catalog/donate_landing.php?intShelterID=3880

Choose either a medium (35x23) or a large (40x25) size to help us reach our goal of 24 new beds (12 of each size) before the end of the year! You can donate a bed in the name of someone, or in honor of someone, or just because you love animals! The names of the donors are listed right on our web page http://www.ebhs.org/.

We hope that if you are choosing to add a new companion animal to your family this season, that you will avoid the temptations of buying a puppy or kitten from a pet store, and go to your local shelter, or call the breed rescue associated with the breed of dog you are looking for! When there are so many dogs and cats looking for a home, there is no reason to line the pockets of puppy millers and brokers.

Also - instead of setting your sights on a puppy, think about adopting an adult cat or dog! They will bond to you just as quickly as a puppy - and often require way less training. They can be instant best friends!

Since I wrote about Petland on this blog, I have been asked to talk about how to stop puppy mills and where to find companion animals. This week we are going to explore the best ways to find your new best friend. Tomorrow we are going to talk about breed rescues. Next week we will talk more about what you can do to stop puppy mills in the state of Wisconsin and beyond!

 I have a guest blogger today, who has given me permission to post an article she wrote for her Italian Greyhound Rescue. Take it away, Carol!

One of the questions on our adoption application is “Will you be taking your dog to obedience classes?” The answer often surprises me as most potential adopters answer the question with a confident "only if the dog needs it". As someone who has adopted several dogs and fostered hundreds, I can tell you that most dogs “don't need it” at all because they are VERY good at being dogs! They dig, bark, jump on people, potty in the house and do all the other “doggie" behaviors that sometimes drive us crazy and they do it all without training! However, most IGs we see in rescue are here because they outsmarted their last owner, didn't listen, jumped on people, barked, came IN the house to potty vs. freezing outside like a silly big dog, etc. In other words, they were masters at doing what they do best, being a DOG!! They need no class or training. It comes naturally! Dogs will be dogs and are quite happy doing so, however it's we humans that have a problem with some of their so “inappropriate behavior”.  (Don't even get me started on poop eating, rolling in worms, humping and many other dogs behaviors we humans find intolerable)! So does your dog “NEED an obedience class?” Mostly likely if he could talk he would say "NO Way" but most humans I know do!  Because it is we humans who want the dog to not only live in our world, but to behave the way WE think they should in our world, so it's up to us to train them how! We, the humans, need an obedience class to teach them these things!     

A trained dog is a joy to have as a companion. It's no coincidence that most dogs surrendered to shelters have never had an obedience class and behavior problems are one of the top reasons dogs are relinquished to shelters and humane societies! Dogs were born with the instincts to be dogs.  Despite our domesticating them, they share over 99% of their DNA with the wolf!  Most dogs only need classes because we want them to act differently than their doggie instincts tell them. We need to take the class so we can learn to communicate with the dogs in our life. 

I'm a believer that there are no bad dogs, only untrained dogs! I'm also a believer that every dog should take their human to an obedience class! Every one of my dogs has taken a basic obedience class at the very least. Like I tell all my first time students who hope their "dog will learn in class", I tell them THEY will learn more than their dogs because it's WE who need the training! 

Before continuing on with the many benefits of a training class, I would like to share a somewhat humorous account of why I say every dog and human should attend class!   About 2 decades ago, I adopted 2 wonderful ADULT dogs from shelters (translation: someone else trained them for me) that were very well behaved and generally good dogs. Sure we had some initial separation anxiety problems but overall they were great dogs. I feel bad with what I know now because those 2 dogs, although I am sure I gave them the best life I could, got an inexperienced owner who thought she knew how to communicate and train dogs. After all, I grew up with toy poodles from the time I was 8 years old. Later in life I went on to foster Greyhounds, then adopt and foster Italian Greyhounds. Based on some basic abilities that I had observed and learned over the years and probably some basic instincts, the dogs and I did just fine. THAT IS UNTIL AN ITALIAN GREYHOUND NAMED AYANNA CAME ALONG!!!! 

Oh yes, many of you know my beautiful blue girl who, I joke, “put every gray hair on my head”. I adore her. I adopted her about 9 years ago and Ayanna and I share a bond that is so wonderful. We know what each other is thinking and we communicate very well.  If she could talk, we would finish each other’s sentences!    Today at 10, she is still a challenge, but that's part of what I love most about her now that I know how to manage it!   I always say that just when you think you know it all about animals, they have a way of humbling you! Ayanna did more than humble me. She made me realize that I didn't know much about dogs and their behavior and I most likely just got "lucky" to have good dogs and fosters! Now I had met my challenge with her. I also always joke "never get a dog that is smarter than you" and I had a foster that was smarter than me when it came to the dog world. Of course at first I was in denial. Ayanna was just a "bad girl".  Still today she wags her tail when I say that and thinks it's a good thing! She would potty wherever she wanted, wouldn't listen, would mark my belongings (yes, girls can mark), constantly pushed the envelope and basically made my life hell! Fostering was no longer fun. It was a challenge and I had met my match, even though she came in as a very shy, very underweight, and malnourished 10 pound package!  

Not only did I not enjoy living with this foster girl, I had no bond with her at all! I threw a fur coat and fancy collar on her thinking “thank God she's pretty, someone will adopt her and love her". As time went on things got worse, not better. Ayanna had a lot of health issues so she was going to be with me awhile. One day it hit me like a brick that if I didn't enjoy living with this girl, how was anyone else going to enjoy her? No fancy clothes or pretty face would make up for what a pain in the butt she was! I vowed to do something about it. I took Ayanna to both regular obedience classes and private lessons. She was so badly behaved in the car that I remember the trainer and I driving around for an entire training session just to work on her car behavior! I had a list a mile long of Ayanna's inappropriate behaviors for the trainer! Of course NONE of this could be my fault. She was just a bad dog. So, what did we really learn in these training classes? I say we, but it was mostly me who had to do the learning! Ayanna learned to listen, but more importantly I learned how to communicate with her and how to provide the mental and physical stimulation that a smart dog needs! So what else did I learn, and why should you train your dog? 

IMPROVES COMMUNICATION

Even with people, if you can communicate well you are more likely to get along.  Communication is the key to success in both the human world and the dog world!  Imagine if you were suddenly dropped into a foreign country where all the rules were different and you didn't speak the language. Well that's what our dogs live with everyday! They don't speak English. Sure they can learn words, but they communicate in a very different manner than we do and by relying on other senses such as their eyes through body language, their nose through scent, etc. Training classes will help your dog learn OUR language but more importantly, it will also help you learn THEIR language!

BUILDS A BOND

When your dog understands what you want from him, he is more secure and happy and you don't become frustrated with your dog's behavior. You understand each other. You can communicate without saying a word! You have a bond that truly grows from communication and understanding. 

Training gives you tools and alternative behaviors to help your dog deal with new situations, and you to deal with problems that arise. Training or learning is never over in the dog or human world. We are constantly learning and training helps us to learn new ways to manage behaviors that might come up. Our dog companions are usually with us for 10-15 years. We need tools to help them live in OUR world! 

It's socialization with people and dogs in a controlled setting. Dogs need to be with dogs.  Dogs need to get along with people. A class provides interaction for your dog with other dogs and other people, in a very controlled environment with people of similar interests! Therefore it is fun and educational for both your dog and you! Nothing is sadder, in my opinion, than a dog afraid of other people or worse yet, unable to interact with his own kind!  

I never thought training could be fun! I never thought dogs really liked to learn but I was wrong. I have yet to meet a dog that doesn't like to learn! It's fun for them. When I start training one of my dogs, they all come running as if to say "I want to try it" or "I can do that".  Think about how we learn new things all the time and that learning or school can be fun for humans and for dogs! 

Often dog owners say "well my dog sits (insert behavior) at home just fine" but the key to a well behaved dog is to have them listen around distractions and other settings. Training teaches your dog to be a good citizen in public, NOT just at home. My dogs have gone to senior homes for therapy visits, traveled on vacation with me, gone to work, and stayed at nice hotels because they are generally well behaved. I think dogs, just like children, should behave in public and the reward is a more stimulating life where they can go many places!

BUILDS CONFIDENCE

SAFETY/PIECE OF MIND

I always teach my puppy owners that if you can only teach your dog one thing, and you can teach him to do it perfectly, teach the come command. In my opinion every dog should have a VERY reliable recall. It’s the one and only command that might just save your dog’s life one day. It amazes me how many people say it 100 times a day, don’t reward a dog when he does come, and basically teaches their dog that come is “optional”.  This command (if taught properly) can truly save your dog’s life!  That alone is worth an investment in training classes!

So, what happened with Ayanna? I did place Ayanna twice with great previous adopters, but she was too much for them so she was returned. I cried both times she left and knew I made a huge mistake. After all, our bond was so strong from the training, and I had learned SO much from Ayanna! When she was returned a second time, I adopted her. She went on to get her Canine Good Citizen Certificate, Junior Coursing title, become a therapy dog, and also do some agility for fun. Almost a decade later, she continues to remind me that I don't know it all and humbles me when I think I do. She also continues to challenge me and remind me that I have to meet her needs too and not just expect her to meet mine, that she lives in my world but I also must understand and live in hers! I adore her and we are so close. That isn't all Ayanna did for me. I was so forever changed by my training experiences that I became an assistant at class and went on to become a trainer. All my own dogs (and several fosters) have all gone through at least basic obedience classes in a classroom setting so they can get the socialization. I have taught at the same place that trained Ayanna and I, for about 8 years now. Ayanna loves to go to each class with me, where she sits in her soft bed watching me almost as to proudly say "I taught her everything she knows!"