What are your criteria for euthanizing a rescue?

[Noofies]

I might as well start off with the biggie:

What are your criteria for euthanizing a rescue?

Age?

Health?

Human aggression? To what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't? Fear aggression? Dominance aggression? Resource guarding? What is, if anything, acceptable aggression?

Dog aggression? Again, to what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't?

Other behavioral issues. Separation anxiety - to what level? Prey drive - how much is too much? Obsessive/compulsive behavior - what's within the ability of the rescue or adopter to rehabilitate?

I'm going to hold off sharing my thoughts, for the moment; I'd like to hear what others' experience is, and what their limits are, without having influenced your answers in any way by my own experience and limits.

[tammynola]

Age? Never a factor alone. There are people who like the senior citizens.

Health? This is actually a sticky spot for me. A lot of consideration has to go into the rescues resources. Will treating the dog drain the rescue so much that it can not help another animal in need? Simple things like thyroid, seizures, diabetics....those are things that to me are simple but you also have to weigh then what makes that animal so much more adoptable over the other cute dog who is healthy.

Now me personally I'm different than my rescue ethics in this case because I can handle thyroid and diabetes but seizures....I don't think I could knowingly adopt a dog with seizures. It goes back to watching my dad's dog for 4 years with epilepsy and the cluster seizures. I can't handle watching a dog in seizures, literally my brain shuts down for about 30 seconds and I can't function. I do it of course since my Beagle has had two in the last 5 years but I don't know if I would knowingly adopt a dog that had seizures.

Human aggression? To what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't? Fear aggression? Dominance aggression? Resource guarding? What is, if anything, acceptable aggression?
Straight out human aggression has no place in society and should be pts.

Fear aggression...I do think is most cases it can be worked with. The thing for me is....when do you say I've done all I can do? 2 months? 3 months? I don't know the answer to these types of questions. It takes a SKILLED person to evaluate them and their progress. When working with a dog with issues I always had another member of the rescue group come to evaluate the dog every couple of weeks. Some one who didn't see it every day and didn't have any sort of attachment to the animal in question.

Dominance aggression--The problem with dogs with Dominance aggression is that owner John Q is probably never going to be able to control it. This situation would have to take a bit of evaluation and serious thought. How much training would someone be able to do to curb this issue? How easily could that training be maintained by John Q public? It's a case by case situation that depends on the individual dog.

Resource guarding--Honestly to me this is probably the easiest of the situations to solve. My Belle is a resource guarder and has successfully learned drop it. For a dog that would be adopted to John Q. ....a lot of factors would have to go into it. Is it all out "if you take MY toy/treat/garbage I'm going to rip your face off"? Is it "I really want this" growling but you can get it away without being bitten. Could the dog go to a home with kids? Is the dog showing any progress at all with training?

Dog aggression? Again, to what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't?

This is a difficult one. I know I can handle a dog aggressive dog but can the average/casual dog owner? I haven't had to deal with this in my home and really don't know enough to give a qualified opinion.

"Other behavioral issues. Separation anxiety - to what level? Prey drive - how much is too much? Obsessive/compulsive behavior - what's within the ability of the rescue or adopter to rehabilitate?"

Separation Anxiety...Depends on the level. Another Magoo? Another one who bends the bars on a metal cage until he can stick his head out, who if I walked outside with him for 5 minutes without him ate a door frame? No. His was so extreme it took me 6 months just to get him to a point that he was adoptable by the right family. That family waited 6 months and did research on SA and were willing to work with me and him. There are times even now I wonder if he wouldn't have been better off being put to sleep, not for my own ease of life but for his. It must be terrible to feel that kind of fear because you can't see someone.

Prey drive...that again is something I've never dealt with...never wanted to on a foster level. I never wanted to because of my kids and that accidents do happen that I didn't want to deal with.

To me most things depend on the level...how much of what ever issue can an adopter in the general public...the casual dog owner...how much can they handle? One issue that sticks with me is something I was asked while fostering Magoo. How many dogs could have had his spot? Because of him I went from fostering 4 to only one other besides him. That means three spots were taken by him that could have been used to foster other dogs would would have been adopted faster. I couldn't let go...I couldn't give up. He was a sweet dog who was so well behaved and had other qualities that made him worth working with to me BUT I was also FULLY prepared to keep him for the rest of his life! If you want to foster a dog that has issues you as the foster parent need to be FULLY prepared to keep the dog or have it put to sleep if it is not suitable to go into John Q's home.

[Noofies]

Thank you, Tammy. It was very brave of you to go first.

[tammynola]

You have NOOO clue ;D

[Fud Ladee]

Let me start out by saying that I don't foster dogs but most of my personal dogs have been rescues with issues. Our rescue does have and place dogs so these issues are something I've been thinking about. At this point my head and heart don't always see eye to eye on the issue.

What are your criteria for euthanizing a rescue?

Age?
No, not on age alone.

Health?
As much as I hate it resources and placeability have to be considered. Each animal has to be evaluated as to place-ability. Serious health problems requiring expensive upkeep in either time or money make it harder to place an animal. Animals with serious health problem should be euthed.

Human aggression? To what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't? Fear aggression? Dominance aggression? Resource guarding? What is, if anything, acceptable aggression?

Direct human aggression should be euthed. The rest of these depend so much on the actual dog that to paint them all with one brush is hard. Some dogs with adjustment of their status become great pets, some never get over the issues. My Belle was a food resource guarder for a few days till I made it very clear to her that that was unacceptable and that it was MY food and I'd let her have it if I saw fit. She's been fine with people and her food since.....with other dogs she still has issues. I can deal with that.

Dog aggression? Again, to what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't?

Animal on animal aggression (blood drawing) makes it very hard to place a dog. There are very few people who can handle these kind of dogs. I really don't think you can rehab these dogs. Most of them should be euthed.

Other behavioral issues. Separation anxiety - to what level? Prey drive - how much is too much? Obsessive/compulsive behavior - what's within the ability of the rescue or adopter to rehabilitate?

Separation anxiety can usually be worked with I've had two dogs with it and both were able to overcome it and be normal dogs.

Prey drive, it would depend on how severe it was. I'm not sure prey drive is something that can be "trained" out of a dog. Placement of high prey drive dogs is possible, we've placed several that have worked out well.

Obsessive/compulsive falls into the same category as separation anxiety. Hopefully it can be worked with.

In all of the above... if dog is truly off it's rocker it should be euthed. It is a waste of rescue resources to dump time and money into dogs that are very difficult to place. In my experience many rescue dogs have more than one of the above problems which makes "rehabbing" much more difficult and sometimes impossible.

I have never to this point earthed an animal for aggression but I know the time is coming that I will have to make that decision. I hope I can be clear headed about the realities of the situation and do it with a clear conscious.

When there are so many good dogs out there that need our help.....this is the preacher talking to the choir.

[Fud]

Ack! I was not logged in so I guess I can't edit the spelling errors in that post...... so overlook them...ok?

[Noofies]

No other takers? OK, then I guess it's my turn.

I will not generally euth for age alone. Though it's difficult to find a good home for an older animal it's not impossible. But it all depends on the animal - for some older animals, ones that have been in a single home from the time they were young, it's very, very difficult to adapt to a new environment/schedule/family. For some of those animals, I believe euthanasia is kinder than trying to re-home them just so they live a little longer.

If a young or middle-aged dog or cat has a severe health issue that can be fixed so that it is not going to be an ongoing issue in their lives, I believe they should get the medical care they need IF doing so doesn't require the rescue to seriously deplete its resources or if a sponsor or sponsors can be found to help cover the cost. I'm talking about things like luxating patellas, surgery to correct a pulmonary stenosis, broken bones, FHO surgery (removal of the top of the femur, to "correct" severe hip displaysia), severe demodex, etc. Even then, however, if a rescue has only $500 in the kitty, I think it's irresponsible to spend the entire amount on a single dog when it could provide the basic medical care for 3-4 dogs without health issues.

I don't consider chronic conditions like diabetes or hypo/hyper thyroid disease, on their own, justification for euthanasia. There are homes for these animals. However, I probably would euth a very senior animal with a serious chronic health issue - cardiomyopathy, renal failure, hyperthyroidism that can't be managed with tapazole any more, diabetes.

As far as terminal disease goes...... if a foster home is willing to provide hospice care for that animal until the end, I have no problem covering the cost of food or maintenance medication. I have fostered several hospice cases, and never regretted the money spent for food or maintenance medication. But I'm willing to commit those costs, and those costs only, to a terminally ill animal; if something beyond that was required to keep the animal alive, I would opt to euthanize instead.

Human aggression. With very, very few exceptions, I will euth a dog that is aggressive toward humans. An exception would be, for example, a bitch protecting her litter. (I'd temperament test her once she'd been separated from her litter, if she continued to be aggressive I'd euth her.) I will not accept a dog with a bite history, if that bite was deliberate. Dogs have many alternative choices to biting - barking, snarling, threatening, intentionally off-target snaps (dogs have exceptionally accurate aim with their mouths, if they snapped but didn't connect they didn't intend to connect), retreating from the situation. IMO any dog that chooses to bite instead of choosing one of the other options is a dangerous dog, and not rehabitable. You can train them until you're blue in the face, but in a "flight or fight" situation they will always revert to instinct and bite.

Fear aggression. I think a dog that threatens to bite out of fear can be successfully rehabilitated, and I think it's worth giving it a try. Dogs that have actually bitten out of fear should be euthanized. BUT, I do not believe that a rescue dog whose fear-aggressive behavior will require months, maybe years, to modify should be placed. While that dog remains in foster through the long rehabilitation process, there are dozens of dogs without this issue that will die in shelters. I am not talking about OWNED dogs here, I am talking about rescue dogs. And any dog that bites out of fear should be euthanized.

Same thing goes for resource guarding. A dog that threatens to bite over resources can often be quickly (and relatively easily) rehabilitated. But a dog that actually opts to bite instead of just threatening should be euthanized. Again, I'm not talking about OWNED dogs, I'm talking about rescues.

While it's tempting to think that "I can find a home for this dog, they just need a home with a, b, c, and d...........", the reality is that there aren't very many homes out there that can provide a, b, c, and d. And if there are, they can provide it because they learned how with a prior dog and most of them aren't looking to take on another dog with the same problems. They made the commitment to the prior dog because they loved it, but 99% of them will not deliberately choose another dog with the same or similar issues.

Dog-to-dog aggression. Many folks have dogs that are dog-aggressive to a certain degree, and manage them safely. I don't have a problem adopting out a dog that doesn't like other dogs. I will not, however, place a dog-aggressive dog that cannot be safely and easily managed out in public. I'll place a dog that would bite another dog that ran up into its face, providing I could find a responsible and appropriate placement for that dog. I will NOT place a dog that will aggress against other dogs if it gets loose, regardless of breed. Leashes break. Collars break, or slip off. Gates get left open. Dogs dig out under the fence. Owners have to take dogs to the vet. Again, I am talking about RESCUES, not owned dogs.

Separation anxiety, prey drive, obsession/compulsion. It really all depends on the severity of the issue. Although I have had dogs with severe separation anxiety there were able to be rehabilitated eventually, I have also had dogs that couldn't be rehabilitated, who would mutilate themselves trying to get out of a crate or who would destroy walls/floors/furniture if they managed to get out. These are not happy dogs, and living with such a dog is heartbreaking (not to mention costly) for the owner. I would not place such a dog. High prey drive can almost always be managed successfully, but every now and then it can't. I knew a rescue that was euthed for high prey drive - he went through a plate glass window TWICE trying to get a squirrel in the yard. As far as obsessive/compulsive behavior goes, if it's something that can be modified to a manageable level I wouldn't euth for that alone. But a dog that mutilates itself, or is obssessed/compulsive about something that threatens its health should be euthanized. (For example, eating rocks or other non-digestible items that either cause or can cause obstructions requiring surgery. 9 times out of 10, a dog that has required surgery to remove an obstruction caused by eating non-digestible items will have at least one repeat episode.)

Here's my bottom line: Adopters deserve a safe, stable, healthy dog. If, as rescuers, that is what we give them - instead of neurotic, or aggressive, or emotionally damaged, or chronically ill dogs - they will always come back to rescue when it's time to get another dog. They will share their positive rescue-dog experience with friends and family and even with people who meet and admire their dogs when out in public, and those people will be more likely to turn to rescue when they want to get a dog. Every dog happily and successfully adopted through a responsible, ethical rescue has a potentially exponential effect on the fate of other safe, stable, healthy dogs needing rescue.

There are thousands of safe, stable, healthy dogs in shelters that are dying daily for lack of homes, and for lack of foster space. It is not fair to them to let them die while we try to place a dog with severe issues - either health or behavioral. They are no less deserving of a "happily ever after" ending than a dog with severe issues. They are more easily, quickly, and appropriately placed than dogs with severe issues; rescuing safe, stable, healthy, easily-placed dogs allows rescue to save many more lives than rescuing dogs with severe issues.

Does/would it make ME feel good to rehabilitate a dog with issues? You bet. That's why I enjoy training so much, I love working with and helping "problem" dogs. But there are enough of those dogs out there that already have loving and committed homes to keep me in business until I die. Ethical and responsible rescue isn't about making the rescuer feel good, it's about what's best for dogs needing rescue. ALL dogs needing rescue, not just ONE dog needing rescue. Ethical and responsible rescue sees beyond a single tree and works to safeguard the forest as best they can.

[brandypup]

;D
I can't foster dogs at this time due to my dog having dog issues. It's not that big a problem I am just way to lazy to try to watch for signals and the minute i let down my guard something wil tick her off. She never hurts another dog though. She is also a playground bully. *sigh* So I stick with cats at this time but will answer in general.

What are your criteria for euthanizing a rescue?
I actually have never euthed a rescue as yet.

Age?
Nope, oldies are goodies.

Health?
It would depend on the issue. I have euthed Felv + ferals. I have not euthed FIV + ferals.
I have had/have HCM kitties, of course they are mine but at one time they were for adoption.
Marly my siezure cat was for adoption but I considered him mine. He was at final peace in July.

Human aggression? To what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't? Fear aggression? Dominance aggression? Resource guarding? What is, if anything, acceptable aggression?Since I do not have the resources to take on a dog like that if I couldn't place right away in a qualified setting I would probably euth. Cats, well we all know what lil terrors cats can be.

Dog aggression? Again, to what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't?
Never delt with this, not real sure. I do not think the average shelter should try to adopt any dog with issues. People need positive adoptions to bring them into good light. I think recues can deal with that better then shelters but it just all depends.

Other behavioral issues. Separation anxiety - to what level? Prey drive - how much is too much? Obsessive/compulsive behavior - what's within the ability of the rescue or adopter to rehabilitate?
Lordy be my dog has prey drive like you wouldn't belive. LOL She would also attack any animal that got near her toys/food etc. She gave a whooping to bear dog when we lived with my BIL. I have worked and worked with her and yesterday found a cat in her face while she was eating. Whoa - she was such a good dog and just kept eating while I brought the cat away. I have never had issues with people aggresion with her.

Well I guess I am all over with my answers and dont' have a real clue what I would do. LOL

[Glacier]

Age
Never age alone. I have euthanized an elderly husky, but PJ's health detoriated rapidly. Letting him go was the only thing I could do. It broke my heart and I mourned that poor old boy like one of my own.

Health?
Depends. Can the condition be treated locally? Our vet resources are limited up here and while I'd send my own pets out to Saskatoon for advanced treatment, it's not realistic to do that for a shelter animal. That money could be save many more animals. Is the condition manageable, like thyroid problems or arthritis? Can the critter still have a good quality of life? I have a blind dog who would be euthanized by a lot of rescues, but Preacher has a good life. He doesn't notice being blind.

I hate to admit but health is a numbers game...how much will it cost to treat, is that money available and how many other healthy animals could we save with it?

Human aggression?

For the most part, an aggressive dog needs to be put down. The risk is simply too great for any rescue to adopt out a known biter.

I do have a fear aggressive dog here. Formerly fear aggressive I should say. The shelter didnt' know that about him since he was too scared to move in there! I don't worry about Mac biting anymore, but part of the reason he stayed here is that I couldn't adopt him out and not tell people that he has a bite history--regardless of his reason for biting.

Dog aggression?
A tricky one. As a malamute lover, I have concerns about euthanizing for dog aggression. Same sex aggression in particularly is an accepted malamute trait. Not neccessarily a breed trait I like, but it's there in almost all Mals. I have a highly dog aggressive malamute-mix. I wouldn't trust Kayleigh with your average pet owner. She's more work than five huskies! I did recommend that Kayleigh's littermate be euthanized. Her dog aggression was beyond even Kayleigh's. The adopter has to be fully informed and able to protect the dog from itself and other dogs from it.

Prey drive -
Again as a northern breed person, this is a big one for me. Prey drive and huskies go paw in paw. It can't be trained out of them, although it can be controlled sometimes. I do most of my rescue work with huskies and a malamute specific group. Most of the dogs' descriptions include "no cats or small animals". I don't believe a dog should pay the price for following it's instincts. I've lost one of my own cats to my dogs' prey drive. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, but it was my fault, not theirs.

[jenipurr]

(I wrote this on Thurs/Fri and did NOT read Noofies own reply before posting)


Age:

I agree with Tammy – not an issue unless a senior animal appears to be suffering (ie: labored breathing, serious limping/hip issues, any known constant pain, complaining regularly, etc.)


Health:

Any animal that is incurably suffering should be euthanized. In these cases an animal’s passing is a relief for both the animal and myself. I have never felt guilt about making such a decision for a suffering animal, nor have I ever questioned my decision – I have always just felt relief and thankful that ending their suffering is an available option (I can’t imagine the nightmare that rescue would be without that option).

Otherwise (in the case of severe injury or illness) I would have to make decisions on this one on a case-by-case basis. I don’t put a limit on “how much we will spend” on any particular animal, but often that amount is directly related to what is in the bank account. I don’t have a credit card – so what’s there is what’s there. I hate it that dollars make decisions (I hate it A LOT), but in retrospect the decisions end up being what’s best for the organization as a whole.

Of course, on this issue, I have my penny-pinching Secretary to tell me that we can’t afford to bail out a dog that was hit by a car or a cat that has tumors on it’s face… so if I know we can’t afford it I will call her and she will be my “backup” for not biting off more than I can chew.



Human aggression? To what level? What's rehabitable, what isn't?

Well, this is tough for me only because it ends up being a “do as I say, not as I do” situation. I can say (and have said) that any dog that goes after a person should be pts… but I haven’t always followed this rule myself. I had one Lhasa mix that was handed to me in a parking lot by her BAWLING owner just as a car backfired and when I got hold of her she bit me in the face – but good. My lip swelled up like a baseball. I attributed it to being scared to death and the noise and her owner crying… but later that dog went after the face of one of our other volunteers. She did get placed – and her history was most certainly disclosed to the new owners – they love her and they do not allow anyone to pet her or hold her. I probably should have euthanized her – but knowing that she’s in a great home and doing fantastic 2 years after knowing her I can’t decide how I feel about this (this specific dog).

Often this issue is clouded by “he said”, “she said”. Even though I’m no trainer or behaviorist I do know that recognizing the REASON for the aggression is key. If I’m forced to make a life/death decision about an animal’s human aggression (which Thank God I have not yet had to do) I will certainly want to have witnessed the aggression myself. Generally speaking, people are stupid and I’m not willing to base my decision on others accounts of what occurred (unless they are trusted animal people).

One of my adopters once said “I didn’t know that she would attack another dog unprovoked” – when what he did was invite his buddies and their two UNALTERED dogs into his home without any kind of introduction… that is – by definition – PROVOKING a dog (or at least THIS dog anyway). People are stupid. I placed a cat that was returned TWICE for biting people – the second one pretty viciously (124 stitches). I had made the decision to pts and I had put the cat in a carrier and took him to the car. A rescue friend of mine (Rosemary) has always been comfortable taking animals to the shelter to be pts for behavioral issues, so I called her and told her I was bringing the cat to her. I started crying and didn’t do it. Two days later my upstairs neighbor adopted him, she loves him and he’s never bitten her. Come to find out the person with the 124 stitches had been trying to get him out from under her bed with a broom handle for 3 days when he finally let her have it. People are stupid.

But… if a someone gets bit by one of my dogs and insists that it “just happened” that the dog “just snapped” – that there was not any food, fear or pain involved in the bite then I’d have to lean toward pts in that situation knowing that I could probably never duplicate the event in my home (which means that I would never actually see it- and I could not, in good conscience place that dog in another home and just “wait and see” if there was a repeat performance).

Ultimately if I SAW the aggression and it was seemingly unprovoked and definitely aggression that could result in injury – I would have no problem in my head or heart with euthanasia.

I will not EVER foster a dog that I am afraid of. This is something that I have promised myself and I hope that I have the balls to follow thru with my own promise should I ever be in that situation.

The balls are an issue, too. I talk a good game but I am admittedly a HUGE wuss when it comes to the actual PHYSICAL doing of the deed. If Holly one day just up and lit into me I would KNOW that she needed to be pts. I would also KNOW that because of my relationship with her and my commitment to her that I owe it to her to take her myself (the whole cheeseburger thing) and be with her rather than call Rosemary… but I don’t KNOW if I could actually pack her up in the car and walk her into my vet’s office.

I know some day I will have to make this decision but the idea horrifies me – but even in reading my own words I know that it would be a WHOLE lot easier decision to make if the aggression was towards me or in my presence.

None of my dogs growl at me. None of my dogs snap at me. I have only been bitten the one time and I have fostered a number of dogs who certainly had the potential to bite me. I guess I’m either extremely lucky or I’ve been doing something right. In my house I trust no dog until they trust me… and fortunately every dog I’ve ever fostered has learned to trust me.


Fear aggression?

Well, for me this one is the tough one. So many rescued animals have been treated so badly and come from such fearful situations that I have a lot of patience for fear aggression. As I said before, sometimes it takes a while for a dog to trust me – but I love nothing better than watching that transformation happen. I currently have an extremely fearful Doxie mix who came to me with that “sideways” look and I guarantee she would have bitten me if I had given her the opportunity. She never did – and now she’s a waggy, happy, kissy dog and thinks I’m the shit. She will – as many of my small breeds have – need to be in a quiet, adult-only home and anyone interested in adopting her would have to be schooled about fear aggression even though she never actually showed me fear aggression, I could tell that the potential was there.

Does this mean I “feel” my dogs? Well, I guess it does. I was never AFRAID of her – I was CAREFUL with her. Hey – I’m impressing myself here. I am certainly MUCH better at working with the little snippy dogs than I used to be. I need a raise!

I suppose there is a line to be drawn here if a dog is a fear-biter that never learns to trust. This is a dog that must be pts – because being afraid all the time falls under the category of “incurable suffering”.



Pain aggression?

I’ve had experience with this one too. One of my (fearful) dogs was coming out of his crate and caught his foot in it and started screaming – my petsitter bent down to help him and he bit her… hospital and all. This dog had been drug on a rope behind a pickup truck for 6 miles and arrived at the shelter with ALL of the skin on his paws and chest gone and he was still in bandages when this happened. Both my petsitter and I discussed this at length and we both decided that it was her fault – she should have known better than to reach down at that time. Any injured dog will bite a person. Even Gertie put her mouth on my arm when I tried to release her from the cable rope she tangled herself in (long story) – and this is a dog that would NEVER put her teeth in a person. She didn’t actually bite – and I’m not sure I would have blamed her if she did.

Depending on the circumstance I don’t think that a one-time pain-aggressive bite should be considered a temperament fault.



Food aggression?

Food aggression towards people is unacceptable – but I can’t imagine my deciding to pts because of it. Certainly this dog needs to be in an adult-only home, certainly this dog needs to be worked with to remedy the food aggression. I am really not speaking from experience on this because I’ve never had an issue with this in my home.

Food aggression towards other dogs (and/or cats) I HAVE seen – many times. My own dog is extremely food aggressive with other dogs. My fosters all eat in their crates so the option of a fight isn’t there.

I suppose that any dog with food aggression has the potential to be possessive about almost any other item in their mouth – but every time I see someone stick a plastic arm into a starving dog’s dish on tv it pisses me off. In the wild dogs have to fight for their food – and trying to take away a dog’s first can of Alpo is asking for trouble in my opinion.

There are things that can be done about food aggression. This is the one area where I really feel that it the aggression can be abated with the proper training.

After all, feeding dogs in separate rooms isn’t that difficult – and keeping your hands out of your dogs dish isn’t that difficult either. I would never place a dog with any kind of food aggression (dog or human) into a home with children.



Dog to dog aggression?

Well, again I can’t help but feel that some dog aggression is perfectly normal dog stuff. I can’t blame a dog for being a dog. I do, however, expect that such aggression is a quick burst and is only a “show” of dominance not a to-the-death situation. I have had several fosters with dog aggression – mostly large breed bullies – and as long as each dog’s “rules” are followed they have all been safe. I have just had to figure out what each dog’s criteria is and respect it… Roxy is good with small, playful, non-growly dogs… she’d probably kill an unaltered male or a snipp/growly dog. Bloo is good with females his size and larger, too aggressive with small dogs. Fido is good with everyone. They all have their limits and I respect those limits and use them as guides when considering potential homes for them.

Some dogs are just not dog park dogs.



Cat aggression / prey drive?

Again, I am not going to blame a dog for being a dog. If one of my fosters killed one of my cats I would only have myself to blame… I know which of my fosters can be trusted with cats and I know which ones can’t. Roxy is 100% cat safe (and I don’t give that number without being absolutely POSITIVE about this fact), Gertie is 80% cat safe in my presence – not at all cat safe if Im not there.

A prey drive is also a natural thing. I can’t see that cat aggression or prey drive should ever be a reason to euthanize a dog.



Crate/fence aggression?

I want to hear Noofs opinion on this one. I’ve had a couple of crate/fence aggressive dogs and I haven’t quite known how to handle it. Their aggression was dog-aggression (certainly not people) and only OUTSIDE the home – they are not crate aggressive at my house. I know that this could constitute “resource guarding” and territorial issues, but I’ve never understood why it only occurs outside of the house (at adoptions).



Dominance aggression?

Well, if we are talking about dogs dominating people with behaviors like humping, pushing ahead, trying to take over furniture, jumping up, etc. I think that all of these things can be confronted and handled by a person who is skilled at handling a dominant dog – but I don’t think that growling, baring teeth or snapping should ever be taken lightly. As I said, I’ve been lucky and never had a dog in my home that I’ve been afraid of. I have had pushy dogs – and smart dogs too – that take a mile when you give them that inch. Harley was just such a dog.

In the end Harley’s perfect home was a home where his new family walks, bikes, runs, and rollerblades with him on the beach every day and spends a great deal of time on his obedience training continuation. He’s a happy, fantastic dog now with a family that understands who is boss – it did, however, take over a year to find that family.

Dominance aggression towards other dogs is basically covered in my dog to dog aggression above.



Resource Guarding?

I’m assuming that this means guarding of any object – whether it be a crate, a toy, a dog bed, etc. Again, I think that this can be changed by someone who is an experienced dog handler… and I’ll certainly admit that I may not be that person. I have placed a dog that stood in the dooway and wouldn’t let the wife into the bedroom with the husband. They ended up returning the dog because it was clear that the wife was afraid of her and would never be an alpha. This particular dog ended up being adopted by a trainer.


The nitty gritty?

After searching my mind and heart over all of these issues I have discovered that I have COMPLETELY different feelings about each of these items based on the SIZE of the dog. I have fostered and placed small dogs with temperament issues that I could have never accepted in a larger dog.


So, my “nitty gritty” is based mostly on larger dogs and probably more specifically the bullies… and here is the grit:

1) When I rescue a dog (from whatever source) I have committed to that dog and I do not take that commitment lightly. I know each time I take a “B-list” dog (pitty, shep, etc) into my home that he or she may be in my home for a year or more and I accept that as part of my commitment. I know that resources are lost to these long-timers and that while these long-timers are in my care that hundreds of perfectly WONDERFUL dogs are being euthanized because there are no homes for them. I know this. I also know that I can’t and won’t throw in the towel after I’ve made a commitment. For me rescue has to be about quality, not quantity. I’ve never been happier in my life than I was the day I placed Harley into just the perfect home… to me, this is a large part of what rescue is all about. Another large part of what rescue is about is LIMITS, and I have decided that I will not at any time foster more than one bully dog at a time (that is, of course, after I move out the four I have!)

2) I will not foster a dog that I’m afraid of. If I ever ended up with a bully dog that snapped at my face like the Lhasa did, I would have to make a decision about that dog staying in my home immediately. I could not, in good conscience, place a bully that ever bit me, bared teeth at me, growled at me or went for my face. To be honest, it’s very likely that in this case I would call Liz for moral support and then call Rosemary.

3) I cannot fault a dog for being a dog. I just can’t bring myself to wig out about a dog killing a cat or having a prey drive, being defensive/aggressive around other dogs or protecting his food (from other dogs). I know that ideally a dog would do none of those things – but people aren’t perfect either. Each dog’s set of “rules” must be understood and followed and all of these issues must be disclosed to potential adopters, but I feel very strongly that each of these dogs can lead a perfectly normal life and be a happy, content permanent member of a family.

4) I am what these dogs have. Just me – that’s it. Although am NOT a professional trainer, behaviorist or temperament tester I am “it” for my dogs. I have improved my knowledge base HUGELY over the last few years and I’m much more aware of each dog’s individual needs and issues and what – if anything – can be done to make each dog a more placeable dog. I am also keenly aware of the necessity of disclosure – it is far better to “scare off” a potential adopter than to put a dog and/or a family in harm’s way by sugar-coating a dog’s issues. I have certainly improved my interactions with my dogs and have learned how to read body language and how to gauge temperament. I do what I can - I ask a lot of questions, I read books, I watch Cesar. I would have to say that my relationship with my fosters and my own level of comfort in dealing with them has improved dramatically even in the last year.

5) I will never be Diana Daunert. Diana had a kennel with 800+ cats. Diana was a smart lady, but Diana became apathetic towards the cats in her care. I don’t blame her for the apathy - when you see as much death and dying and illness as she did, eventually it doesn’t bother you as much as it did before. Every animal in my care deserves to be loved – and any animal that passes away in my care deserves tears. The day I don’t cry for them is the day I’m done doing rescue.