The ultimate goal
Shelters all too often set their standards so high on adoptable dogs, many are euthanized because of an issue which is can be solved with a little work and patience. The problem is, there are so many dogs and cats out there who are unwanted, there is simply no room at the inn. So a dog with food aggression will be put down because there is always one who doesn't have food aggression to take its' place. A dog who is scared will be killed because there are 10 dogs waiting who are not scared.
I believe, as do many people I talk to, there are homes out there for all the unwanted animals. Perfect homes where the animals will be loved and cherished for the rest of their lives. The problem lies in finding the homes before the animal runs out of time.
A couple of years ago, many shelters implemented behavior programs to try and develop a system to identify dogs with issues and have trainers work on those issue to make them more adoptable. The programs worked when they were implemented and most felt we were making headway. Then the economy took a downturn and shelters once again, were flooded with pets whose owners could no longer care for them. Now more pets with issues would not get the training they needed and would end up dying.
I continue to believe there are homes out there for all the unwanted pets. That is our ultimate goal in rescue work. The more animals we can place in a loving home, the more spaces free up for other animals in need. I do not like labels. Unadoptable to me puts a tag on an animal with one strike against it going in. Even if someone was looking for that particular type of dog, they would turn away thinking the dog was a horrible animal when in truth, it may be something simple like not liking children.
Negative connotations bring negative results. Let's keep our actions and words positive and see what a difference that can make in the animals' lives.
I believe, as do many people I talk to, there are homes out there for all the unwanted animals. Perfect homes where the animals will be loved and cherished for the rest of their lives. The problem lies in finding the homes before the animal runs out of time.
A couple of years ago, many shelters implemented behavior programs to try and develop a system to identify dogs with issues and have trainers work on those issue to make them more adoptable. The programs worked when they were implemented and most felt we were making headway. Then the economy took a downturn and shelters once again, were flooded with pets whose owners could no longer care for them. Now more pets with issues would not get the training they needed and would end up dying.
I continue to believe there are homes out there for all the unwanted pets. That is our ultimate goal in rescue work. The more animals we can place in a loving home, the more spaces free up for other animals in need. I do not like labels. Unadoptable to me puts a tag on an animal with one strike against it going in. Even if someone was looking for that particular type of dog, they would turn away thinking the dog was a horrible animal when in truth, it may be something simple like not liking children.
Negative connotations bring negative results. Let's keep our actions and words positive and see what a difference that can make in the animals' lives.
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