This may be very offensive to some people, but I speak the truth – even when it offends some people. I’ve seen this for many years working with rescues and animal shelters, well intentioned people in rescue make this HUGE mistake that costs innocent dogs their lives.
There are many good dogs in animal shelters everywhere, but rescues oftentimes are not interested in these dogs. WHY? I touch on the subject in this short lecture I gave at my presentation at the International Association of Canine Professional 2023 Conference.
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If you want to do what’s best for dogs, sometimes it may not be what you feel is right and you have to look at the bigger picture. It is my goal to help save as many dogs as possible, and since it’s not possible to save them all, we have to make tough choices. Those tough choices will allow us to save more dogs than the wrong choices.
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I believe shelters tend to kill the good dogs and try to save the bad ones, especially the notorious bully kind, because they have this mentality that those dogs are just misunderstood and they want to show the world that these dogs can be rehabilitated.
This is so very true, and it is my philosophy of rescue. You may feel sorry for the dog that has the serious problems and the crappy breeding or the bad life he’s had but you can’t save everybody. Save the ones the average person is going to be able to manage and love and give a good life. In the end, there will probably be less heartache, and you will save more dogs.
The other thing shelters need to do, if they actually want to save dogs, is not make it so hard to adopt. It's become a thing to make it practically impossible for anyone to adopt a dog.
A county "no kill" shelter killed my dog and never gave him a chance.
I needed to hear that., I'm sorry Luke. I don't have it in me.
Well said, Robert. I am a retired K-9 handler and trainer with prior experience working as an animal control officer in an SPCA where euthanasia was a frequent part of the job. I've seen countless people fall into completely irrational mindsets of the "I can rescue you" syndrome to try to save the worst of the worst to the detriment of dogs (and cats) with great temperaments that would make wonderful, loving, life-long companions. I have tried to explain that to people for years without much success and recognize it as another element of human nature that is difficult to change. You are far better at explaining it than I ever was. I have known and worked with many trainers in my life, several of them with a gift of relating to dogs to build trust, confidence, cooperation, enhance performance and solve/manage problems, and many others who could enthusiastically recite behavior theory forwards and backwards, but suddenly grew silent and inert when they held a leash in their hands. I've seen enough of your videos to recognize that you are the real deal. Your actions show your love for dogs is so deeply ingrained that you are willing to share some cold, hard truths and realities in the hope of improving the lives of dogs and their people. Please carry on. It's an honorable mission.
When the hard decisions need to be made many people just cannot deal with it
After all the horror stories, I will be getting my dog through a breeder. I'm sorry. It just isn't worth the risk.
Clever advocat 76
My local shelters have that issue where they keep problematic dogs alive for reasons. Sorry, no one wants a one pet only dog that can't be around small children. And there's not enough homes for the thirty or so dogs like that. 5:08
Agree. And love your work. What's worse, as I do ton of rescue, most rescues also aren't open to training, using tools etc. So now you have a behavior issue dog, and you can only use positive reinforcement. Disaster
THIS! People want to feel like the hero saving the hardest dog when they’re actually leaving many more they could’ve saved to die. Rescuers need to calm their egos and do whets best for the actual dogs.
I had to say goodbye to my 17 year old JR mix last week. Rescued her at 5 weeks old. Weird as it may seem, I find comfort thru my tears in already starting to look for another dog to rescue. So many possibilities. I've promised myself not to actually get a dog for at least 3 months, but every web site has a few dogs I can imagine taking home.
I only lately stumbled upon your videos. Your talks about grieving, shelter bias, and how to pick a rescue have really resonated with me. I am 59, have always had terriers, but have decided to go with a lower energy, easier dog because in 10 years I know I will be slower and less active.
My vet told me a while back that the shelters are overcrowded with young "covid dogs" who have done nothing bad and would make great pets. So I will start visiting shelters in Jan or Feb and start walking these dogs to get to know them better. (I live in Germany so all shelters are no-kill.) I hope to stay strong and not impulsively latch onto the first dog that catches my eye. I really just want an easy, gentle companion.
Thank you for your blunt talks about rescue dogs and shelter personnel. And sharing your grief has also helped me tremendously.
Hey Robert, I just found your videos, as I just got a new rescue dog, a pit mix because I can’t help but love them despite it all… She’s maybe 7-8 months old now, peak annoying, and she’s super dog reactive, of course, but we’re working every day, and she’s learning fast. I swear she’ll be awesome in a couple more months…. Anyway, I’ve checked out a bunch of different trainers on youtube, good bad and ugly, and I just had to say THANK YOU for what you’re doing. You’re speaking a lot of truth, and this video is hard to hear, but it’s the truth. I’m volunteering with a local shelter, and we’re out in the middle of nowhere, and it’s still ridiculous how many abandoned, unwanted dogs there are way out here, let alone in the cities…. I want to take them all home, but yeah.
Yeah, that WAS pretty hard to hear. But so true. More shelters need to hear this and actually listen, then do something about it. Thanks Robert!
I agree with everything you said Robert , , Ive been doing rescue for a while , they have to make hard choices in shelters these days,and for many dogs behavior problems aren't always environmental but genetic also ,, and sometimes you have to think with your head and not your heart if that makes sense, we have an epidemic in this country with unwanted dogs , and it gets to me , but my mantra is save one dog at a time ,
You make a very good point! But, will there ever be time to help the difficult dogs?
So many shelters lie too. Do they not have a conscience who can get hurt or killed?
I got a my dog ,(apbt) from a shelter that was suppose to be good with dogs and cats and children. Thankfully it was only me, turns out he was not good with any of them and quite literally a ferral psychopath. Thankfully back then i had the funds to drain thousands on training. If i got within even 5 feet of him while he was eating he would fly at me snapping, this was the first night he got home with me. Just imagine the carnage a male apbt could and would do to a child if he got placed into a family home like they claimed he would be great in. Since then almost a decade later Ive been training and started helping others with their aggressive dogs. This exact same story seems to be repeating a lot especially with pitbulls. And people went from everyone kill the pitbull to everyone with a family needs to adopt one right now. Its ludacris and the worst part is they truly think they are helping the breed. Akitas are my go to example of how they should be handled and managed. From my experience most people who own breed or are a fan of akita are very upfront with their aggression. I dont see why we try to hide these things. Its a endless cycle people need to grow up. If my dog went into a family with kids, im almost certain there would have been a bloodbath on day one. Stop spreading lies about these things, you are only harming the breed more and more.