How very sad your first experience was (particularly for the poor dog).

History certainly does play a part, and knowing the history can certainly help you know how to deal with and train a particular dog.

A flair for training would also help, as many dogs with behavioral problems can be retrained by the right person. Some traits are fairly ingrained, though, as difficult to address.

Thanks for sharing your two very different experiences.

Regards,
Brigitte

on the subject of pound dogs in todays blurb … hmmm. I'm of mixed mind about it. Let me tell you my experiences.

I rescued a lovely female cattle dog, she ran up to me at the pound with a tennis ball in her mouth and dropped it at my feet, tail wagging and smiling as if to say Please take me home! I asked about her temperament, she had been with them for about two weeks, "tested thoroughly," but little of her history was known. we got her home and she was a truly lovely dog …. with humans. With everything else she was a terror!! Killed all the neighbours chickens. terrorised our guinea pigs. chased everything that moved ….. every small dog was fair game for her, she was viscous! We couldn't send her back to the pound (altho in retrospect this would have been the right thing to have done), so we advertised for a free home and told the new owners all her faults. They lived in an area where there were no small animals, and she adored going in the car which they wanted. Several weeks later we got a call to say they had to put her down by order as she had bolted out the gate one morning and attacked a blind man walking with his helper-dog. ….

Second story.
I contacted a breed specific rescue organisation who rescued a certain breed from all over Australia. I figured if anyone could tell the true temperament of a dog, then surely a breeder. This is a much happier story, and the dog we have now is a lovely boy, 6 years young and rescued from a pound. Lots of reasons he could no longer live with his owner … all known to the breeder, who contacts the previous owners and lets them know the dog is being rehomed and gets a full picture of his life before the pound …

Moral of the story …. yes, rescue dogs if that is what you feel to do. I too feel it is such a tragedy to put to death so many lovely animals. But the history of a dog is very important to know, the "thorough testing" given to dogs when they find themselves in a pound is not a true indication of their natures, how could it be! …. I would totally recommend that people wanting to rescue a dog go to one of the many rescue associations around. My boy Billy came with a back – up crew of people who cared for him and knew his breed and nature, they knew his "story", a walking harness and lead, free bag of dog food, advice about his care and feeding. Same price as a pound dog … but so much more. I still send them pictures and up-dates!!

thanks for the info Brigitte, hope you found this helpful and/or interesting as well.

Regards,
Brigitte

So glad I found this article. My girlfriend and I are looking into adopting a dog soon and this answered many of my questions around rescues. I grew up with Irish Terriers – long standing tradition. While they are such a great breed – and incredibly fun – they are also expensive are hard to find. Afraid we might need to break from tradition unless we can find an Irish Terrier rescue within 500 miles of the Bay Area.

Justin

Thanks so much for these invaluable insights and input.

Regards,
Brigitte

Dogs at a shelter who were brought there by people who can no longer care for them are rescues, especially if they were in line to be euthanized. These dogs are usually trained to some level, and within a short time will become a member of the family.

Puppies bought at a pet store are a form of rescues from a puppy mill; they may have some "personality" problems, but they will have health problems.

Older dogs taken from a puppy mill who were used in the breeding process are another form of rescue.. they have trust issues, fear/aggression issues, are not or no longer potty trained, and may have health problems.

I took in a puppy mill breeding stock dog in November. He was not toilet trained, had no ideas where his back legs were, and his nails were so long with the quick at the end. He was terrified to get into the car, terrified to go out the front door, hated being touched and had to be carried out to the yard… Now, 6 months later, he does stairs like an athlete, loves to go in the car (even climbs in himself), and he now socializes like a pro, and loves women like all Cavalier boys do. He has even learned to play, and his special toys are those he steals from the cat. He has some health issues, but so far they are manageable.

He heels beautifully beside me, even off lead, and has an almost perfect stay. He will be starting classes soon, and I am sure he will be getting his CD once I get some certification of his purebred status.

He is the kitten's protector and victim. He protects her and she takes food from his mouth and he lets her.

Taking in a puppy mill stock rescue takes a special kind of person who knows how dogs think, how they react to positive/negative reinforcement, punishment and correction, and how to get them to trust you. Not everyone has those skills, and that is why a lot of these dogs end up back at the shelter.

Gale