Dutch Shepherd Forum

I know there are LOTS of people involved in rescue out there.

What are your horror stories? Terrible owners? Dogs that are skin and bone? Terrible tumors/teeth/infections/etc? Incapable local Animal Control?

I'll post some of mine later, don't have the time just now.

Oh man, is this going to be depressing .

I can't watch those shows on TV, the animal cops, etc. I can't even work at a shelter! (I tried volunteering once, just couldn't take it...all those poor animals...)

I give so much credit to those of you who can do this important work...really, you're all amazing.

It is so terrible how rotten we humans can be to our companion animals. I often wonder why some people even have them.

Kelly,

for me the horror stories aren't all that bad.

- even though I kept saying "no females" I kept taking in females ... then it would end in a dog fight between the female foster and Abigail. No matter how hard you try to keep them apart, unless you have good/quality kennels - they are eventually going to get near each other. The vet bills and the medical bills for me were a bit pricey.

- an escape artist that could leap a 6ft fence without touching it.

- one rescue went through a pool cover in the dead of winter ... that was expensive!

The absolute hardest part was handing over some of them to other people. The longer they are with you the harder it is!

I could probably write a book on this subject from the many active years in GermanShep rescue that ultimately led me to my DS. But I wont go into those particulars as there were too many. But I do agree with Eric in one aspect and that was the difficulty in letting them go. Nearly all of them came to me heartworm positive with a lot of social issues so I spent a fortune in both money and time in rehabbing them with proper obedience and house manners; a substantial investment. That was okay as I received so much more in return from the personal satisfaction. But what got me out of rescue was several of what were initially great adoptions that turned bad. It was the human issue, not the dog issue that got me out. Never once in nearly 200 rescues did I ever have a dog issue that I could not handle. Ok, maybe when I had 23 extras right after Katrina/Rita but we managed even then. But the human side, well that was another story.

I helped replace a pup that was "too excited" around the kids according to the previous owner. She therefore locked the dog up permanently in a small crate, only allowing it to come out to pee/pooh. By the time she had called the owner the dog was 8 months and really skinny, hip bones sticking out, had growth problems due to being locked up all day in a too small space. Those people handed here over, and as they were asked why the dog was so skinny "skinny? she's not that skinny, just a small type of dog"
She has a good home now, but remains fearfull when left alone, and she (obviously) cannot handle being locked up in a crate or kennel, panic kicks in.
Turned out she had owned a DS 3 times, all replaced within a year... After putting this woman on a "black list" for DS breeders another breeder did sell her a dog again, I haven't heard how it worked out, believe she still has this dog and it seemed healthy last time I saw a pic

Then there was a story where people just couldn't deal with the dog, a DS was a bit too much (even a decoratiefje Judith!! imagine that) and after everyone telling them to let the dog go, find another home, the inevitable happened, the dog snatched the kid. Dog was re-homed but they never gave up the papers and claimed the dog back after a while, saying they would work on him with a therapist, which they did, but hey, not all therapists are good And, guess what, he bit the kiddie again...(never done big damage though, but still!) Suddenly he had spondyloses at the age of 4, and was euthanised... Second opinion request by the breeder was denied

And a few weeks ago, a couple that lived in one home with her parents. They got into a fight and where forced out by the parents. They did not have time to take the dog, and the parents would not allow them on their property anymore. I'm not sure how and when, but I believe they waited for the parents to be gone for an evening and got the dog back, sooooo skinny. Did not have food for weeks, not sure where it got water. She is now happy in a new stable home

And more of that, I don't know how people can be so cruel, to animals or humans alike

Wow. Some of these stories are horrific and I, too, cannot believe what some human beings are capable of. I commend everyone who is involved in rescue.

Marjolein wrote:Then there was a story where people just couldn't deal with the dog, a DS was a bit too much (even a decoratiefje Judith!! imagine that) and after everyone telling them to let the dog go, find another home, the inevitable happened, the dog snatched the kid. Dog was re-homed but they never gave up the papers and claimed the dog back after a while, saying they would work on him with a therapist, which they did, but hey, not all therapists are good And, guess what, he bit the kiddie again...(never done big damage though, but still!) Suddenly he had spondyloses at the age of 4, and was euthanised... Second opinion request by the breeder was denied

Oh, don't I ever remember the brawl that the honest advice (to rehome the dog) created.
To euthanise a dog for spondyloses seems extremely rigorous to me. While most get stiff, I don't think many of them suffer (at young age) but who knows what really went on. The dog paid the ultimate price.

The real horror stories I can tell, are not DS related. But just imagine if there is no shelter where you can legally take a dog to, and the shelters around do not 'serve' the area where you live. Strays that get picked up then end up in extremely limited space, for an extremley limited amount of time. Speaking of paying the ultimate price with no money -since there is none- spent on vet cost!!!

On January 1st the humane societies here (Twin Citites, MN) will no longer allow owners to just drop off dogs and leave. Soon they must do a counseling session with the shelter before they can leave the animal. I think at that point it's too little too late for counseling and I think there are going to be alot more strays. But, time will tell.

k9katet wrote:On January 1st the humane societies here (Twin Citites, MN) will no longer allow owners to just drop off dogs and leave. Soon they must do a counseling session with the shelter before they can leave the animal. I think at that point it's too little too late for counseling and I think there are going to be alot more strays. But, time will tell.

I'm not really up on various shelter rules and such, but I've never heard of anything like this.

I can see how it may help, tho, if some of the owners are willing to do the remedial work that will no doubt be identified as needed during these sessions. (I know...keep dreaming....)

leih merigian wrote:

k9katet wrote:On January 1st the humane societies here (Twin Citites, MN) will no longer allow owners to just drop off dogs and leave. Soon they must do a counseling session with the shelter before they can leave the animal. I think at that point it's too little too late for counseling and I think there are going to be alot more strays. But, time will tell.

I'm not really up on various shelter rules and such, but I've never heard of anything like this.

I can see how it may help, tho, if some of the owners are willing to do the remedial work that will no doubt be identified as needed during these sessions. (I know...keep dreaming....)

The problem is, there are very few people that walk in to the shelter giving a damn. Most people just want someone else to clean up their mess. So those people are just going to see the counselling as a PIA and will just dump them.

vneerland wrote: The real horror stories I can tell, are not DS related. But just imagine if there is no shelter where you can legally take a dog to, and the shelters around do not 'serve' the area where you live. Strays that get picked up then end up in extremely limited space, for an extremley limited amount of time. Speaking of paying the ultimate price with no money -since there is none- spent on vet cost!!!

That is the situation here in Jackson County, TN. There is no animal control and no shelter. The surrounding counties won't take out-of-county animals. So people just let them roam free. And if you call the police about a nuisance dog on your property, they just advise you to shoot it. I am PARANOID about making sure my escape artists have no outlet!!

I have WAY too many rescue horror stories to tell. I think is would just depress everyone. Maybe I'll start a new thread about rescue success stories. I love the happy tails!!

My favorite rescue horror story is about a "breeder" in the Indianapolis area. Poor Eric knows of her well. She had placed a washout in a pet home many years ago. The dog ended up with some pretty specific aggression issues and venting towards the wife and child in the house. They contacted me to take it into rescue, but I was honest. I told them if I evaluated the dog and felt that it would be a potential danger with someone else, then I would have it euthanized. I try hard not to place bite cases. They didn't turn it over.

Later, the breeder reluctantly contacted us because sh had 2 14-week old puppies that she couldn't sell. She was furious that she used to be able to command high dollar for her DS puppies, but now they are common and no one wanted them. She was leaving on vacation in a few days and if we didn't come pic them up, she was going to shoot them. They just barked too damn much. At some point, I think she did say that she didn't want to work with us because we wanted to kill one of her other dogs (the aggression case I mentioned), but with the puppies it didn't matter because she was going to shoot them anyway.

Hey Eric - I can't remember. What ever became of that whole thing???

Oh wait - one more story. About 2 years ago I was contacted by a guy in NC. The breeder of his DS was loosing his house and had to get rid of all of his dogs. He had people for the adults, but had 19 puppies between the ages of 6 and 10 weeks. I told him I would take all of them and drive there to pick them up immediately (Matt was less than thrilled . I worked out a deal with my spay/neuter clinic to get them all done and we were ready to rock. A few days later I still couldn't get details on where I was going. When I finally heard back, the guy was THRILLED that they had been able to sell every single puppy (intact OFCOURSE) for one and even two hundred dollars. It was odd how that corresponded with a huge influx of 9-12 month olds that came into rescue in that area later that year People suck!

Christie M wrote:
I have WAY too many rescue horror stories to tell. I think is would just depress everyone. Maybe I'll start a new thread about rescue success stories. I love the happy tails!!

What a great idea! :fluffy: