Last Modified: 1/16/08

Rescue dogs are special dogs that should have been granted the love and affection that other dogs have, but have been denied. Rescue dogs may be coming from the pound, county shelters or rescue groups. Some dogs have been treated so poorly that they are not capable of rehabilitation and are put down. In most cases, if the right home finds the right dog, there can be happiness and harmony. Rescue dogs can bring a joy that only they can provide and peace that you have made a difference in a being's life. I will admit that it takes a special person to adopt a rescue dog, but I see no reason why there are not more people with these specials traits. These traits can be learned by anyone who is willing, meaning that I see no reason for so many dogs to be homeless. I will explain more further on.

The Definition of Rescue

First... the term Rescue encompasses more than you may realize, but the definition depends upon the person you are talking to. I have been dealing with rescue dogs my entire life and I have developed my own definition. A rescue dog is any dog that has been abandoned, or removed from a stressful situation. As I said, it covers a good amount of ground. Rescue dogs may be ripped from a home because of divorce, death, abuse (which I define further on), or a drastic family move. There might be changes in household members, household health, or environment. Now, I am sorry if I am being long-winded again, but I feel I need to explain further the reasons why a dog would, suddenly, find itself homeless.

Reasons for Homelessness

Death, causes more than just heartache for the family members. Dogs are emotional magnets and they realize, just as easily as we do, that they have lost something dear and they handle their grief in the same ways we do. The death that makes the most difference in a dog's life is the primary caregiver. I have heard, rarely, of the caregiver having to find a new home for their dog because they could not continue to care for the dog in their grief, but, again, this is extremely rare. Usually, in this instance, the dog becomes an emotional mainstay in times of grief and brings immense comfort. When it is the caregiver who dies, the dog finds itself lost and depressed. Too often, the remaining family is unable to handle the dog in it's time of need or they have no desire to try.

Divorce is another large reason for homeless dogs. Obviously, divorce does not happen overnight. There may be years of fighting before husband and wife decide to end their marriage and in those years the dog would be, slowly, soaking up all the stress that has built up. The way a dog copes is with bad behavior, soiling in the house, biting or ripping furniture, excessive barking or aggression. If the spouse to whom the dog belongs is not capable of coping with their dog's stress, they will abandon the dog because of it's behavior. If that person's love for the dog is stronger they may try for a few years to keep their pet, but if there are drastic changes in schedule and environment and the dog's behavior does not improve, the dog eventually ends up homeless. There may be other reasons like financial, but I will get into that later.

As much as you would think that a responsible dog owner would not allow any reason to part them from their dog, life is not always kind. Many families or individuals are forced to leave a pet behind if job opportunities force a move and there are not many temporary situations that allow for pets. Those that do, tend to cost a small fortune because of those dog owners who are less responsible. The companies that own rental establishments are forced to require large deposits for pets because of owners who refuse to train their pets and, lets face it, not all renters are financially capable of paying the high deposit on top of all other moving fees. The deposit covers the owner when you leave if they are forced to clean the walls, replace carpet, drapes or woodwork and repair walls. Just in case you do not smoke, I want to keep you on the subject. I know that smokers are not required to pay the same high deposit, even though the turnover is just as costly, but that is not why I am here. The truth is that pet owners are not well thought of and are considered lazy. Families that are forced to move to follow the job market are not always able to keep their pets. In these cases the separation may be more painful, as the dog not only senses the abandonment (if the owners really do not want to let the dog go) but they also feel their owner's pain.

I am sure you had already guessed the bigger changes would be factors, but there are smaller reasons as well. Changes in the amount of people living in a home can be a factor. The best environment for a dog is one in which all family members either love or like the dog. Dogs do not do well when they are forced to live with someone who does not like them or even hates them. They handle the stress as they would with any other drastic situation, with very bad behavior. Some families are forced to find their dog another home because they welcome a new person into their home. It may be an aging parent or grandparent, struggling brother or sister, boarding friend or a returning child, without or without their own family. If the person moving into the household does not like or despises the dog, life can become very difficult when the dog starts to express their stress and unhappy feelings. The bad behavior can be so overwhelming for both dog and owner that if the new member must stay and will not change their feelings towards the dog, the dog must go.

Changes in a family member's health is another factor. The truth is that there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic animal. They all give off dander, because every animal has hair, no matter how hard to see or feel. When my son's anger become out of control, we talked to our pediatrician who suggested that allergies may be the cause. I was scared and sick with worry. I have two long haired cats that I love dearly and several dogs. If he tested positive for animal allergies I would be heartbroken, but how can I expect my son to suffer if medication proved useless? Well... we were blessed and he is not allergic to any of my beloved pets, but many people are. Allergies are not always apparent at birth. Some people develop allergies over time. A loved pet may find itself homeless if anyone in the family develops an allergy, or anyone moving in has an allergy, or a baby is born with an allergy. For many, medication works and the pet can stay, but if not, they are forced to choose between their family or the pet, and the family, usually, takes preference. You may feel differently, but not everyone sees eye to eye.

The last reason I can think of, excluding abuse which I will discuss momentarily, is a change in the environment. This is not a common reason, but it has been known to happen. When I say environment, I mean a change in the existing environment. Neighborhoods change. Some of the worst parts of town were not always the worst part of town and income does not dictate your ability to love and care for an animal. It does dictate where and how you live. I have heard of families who have lived many years in a neighborhood that was once a decent place to live, but the economy changed and the neighborhood fell apart. If the family owned a small and highly desirable dog, that type of neighborhood may no longer be safe. For this reason, the owners may chose, for the dog's safety to find it another home, if they are unable to move themselves.

The Definition of Abused

Necessary Traits

Now that we understand each other, let's go back to the beginning. Offering a home to a rescue dog requires certain traits in an owner, as these dogs have been through one or more terrible situations or have been abused. Abuse and/or all the situations I described above will change the personality of the dog, for the time being. The following traits are, specifically, necessary to help a dog back into its original state of mind and being.

Compassion
You have to be kind with rescue dogs. Change is very difficult and most breeds become very attached to an original owner and change induces stress. Rescue dogs have been brought up in a certain way with certain rules. No two families are alike, so you can imagine the change that dog will be facing when it enters a new home. You must be able to place yourself in the dog's position and try to understand what they have been through.

Patience
You need to have the capacity to handle the oddities of a rescue dog without losing your temper. As I explained above, when dogs are stressed, abused or unhappy, they show you with bad behavior. If their behavior was not previously handled well or allowed to rage unchecked, it will take time to correct the problem and it is best if you are able to make those corrections calmly.

Control
You cannot, possibly, expect any dog to obey you when you do not have control. Dogs relate only to an alpha figure, or the one being in control. If you do not make it clear to the dog that you are the leader, they will not follow. They find security, safety and trust in the one who will lead them.

Structure
Dogs must have structure. They need to know that meals will happen at this time, sleep at this time, play after meals or a nap. It is understood that life is not predictable, so changes in your schedule will happen. A dog will rarely be affected if you are an hour late home or sleep in one morning, but there should be some sort of schedule that they can depend on. For instance: he sleeps in his cage at night; when you wake up in the morning he goes out to potty. If he goes potty outside he gets to play with you for a period of time, otherwise he goes back to the crate. After play, he goes back in the crate while you eat and clean up and get work done. In the middle of the day he will come out again after lunch and go potty and be allowed to run around until the kids are home from school, then a walk with the kids and back to the crate for a nap. Obviously, everyone's schedules are different, but you get the point, don't you?

Rules
This is when spoiling comes into play. Dogs are secure when they know that they are never allowed at the table, never allowed on the furniture or never allowed upstairs. Without rules they are lost and doubt your ability to care for them, so they take over. This, inevitably, leads to bad behavior and chaos. Rules will change, depending upon the household but some rules that everyone should have are, no biting, no growling, no fighting, do not show your teeth, be still during grooming, your things belong to you and mine to me, no table scraps, do not jump on people. You may need to teach the dog to not attack other animals or not o bark constantly. It does not matter how many rules you have, as long as their are rules and they are strictly obeyed. If you need more reasons for having rules, please do not hesitate to call or email me and I will tell you about a woman who suffered the heavy consequences of not setting rules for her dog.

Discipline
Another form of spoiling. So many people are afraid to discipline their dogs, for fear it will hurt them. We all have to learn boundaries and know that when we overstep, there are consequences. A dog who is not disciplined when it misbehaves, will take over the house and assume everything in it belongs to him. In worst possible cases they will become very aggressive, attacking to protect the boundaries he put in place when you failed to do so. Discipline will not hurt your dog unless you are quick to anger and physically abusive. It teaches them their rightful place in your world and their role in it. It keeps them emotionally and physically well-rounded and happy. I see this as cruel and inhumane as physical abuse.

Training

This could go on forever and probably supply another page, but at the moment, that is not my intention. If you still need help after reading the rest of this page, please do not hesitate to ask me for help. I am always happy to be of assistance and I realize that I am not covering more mild problems. I will try very hard to keep adding as I have the time. Training is simpler than you may expect. The main key is to be consistent. If you are having problems with the way the dog reacts to rules, inside or out, the leash is key. If you need help on leash training, please visit Surviving Puppyhood. Have him on his leash whenever he is out of the crate for trouble with boundaries, or when others are present (animal or human) for trouble with attacking or cowering. In other words, when you are trianing him for a specific problem, use the leash for control. The leash is used to maintain your supremacy over the dog and to control his attention span.

Aggression
Please be aware that my expertise is directed at the Shih Tzu. These methods will work with all breeds, but I ask that you have a professional help you if the dog is dangerous. Dogs that show aggression towards a person, animal or object needs to be calmed. Don't forget the leash and, above all, do not be afraid of your dog. He will sense it and not trust you or listen to you. Towards an object, it is an obsession. While holding the leash, place the object in front of the dog. It will probably be immediate, but when he stiffens to move forward or jump give a short tug on the leash and say no. Just enough to get his attention. Keep this up until he abandons his interest. Next try walking back and forth from the object. If he is inclined to move toward it, tug on the leash and say no until he loses interest. Praise him when he calms down. If toward another animal, please be sure to have another person who can control another, well trained animal or be sure other animals are well restrained. If you are out for a walk, you want to make sure they are behind a fence or walked by someone who knows how to control their dog. Do not expect a stranger to be willing to help you train your dog. Do not try to teach two dogs at once. Follow the same procedure, only taking it one step further by forcing the rescue dog to eventually get close enough to lay next to the other dog if you are working with a friend. If you do not have the help f a friend and their dog I suggest you just be happy with being able to walk down the street without your dog reacting. With people, it is all pretty much the same. Only it is person who is allowed to get closer to the dog. In really bad cases, you may want to consider a type of muzzle or a choke collar for large breeds.

Barking
There are several methods that can be used for barking. The leash works here too, but you will want to simulate whatever gets him barking rather than having him on his leash by your side at all hours. Used the same tug every time he barks and if that does not work, cradle his body in your arms and hold his muzzle closed with the other hand until he relaxes. do not hold his mouth closed hard enough to hurt him and do not make him bite his tongue. Once he relaxes praise him and let him go, then try to repeat the scene until he stops barking at whatever makes him bark. My other favorite method is to take a tin can and add a small amount of pennies then cover the opening. Every time he barks, shake the can once. It should be very loud and very sharp. It works on most dogs, but some may learn to ignore the sound and you have to keep the can within reach at all times.

Chewing
The most common reason for this problem is too many toys. Keep the stock to two only. Whenever you play, play with the toy. If you catch him chewing on anything, but the toy, clap your hands, stomp your foot or shout no to distract him and then give him his toy and play with him. If you cannot watch him all the time, he needs to be in a crate when you are distracted, so that he cannot misbehave behind your back.

I am very sorry if this page seems rushed. I wanted to get some basics on the air so that those looking into adopting would have something to prepare them. You are more than welcome to email me if I have stated something wrong or if what I have suggested does not work. I am sure this will eventually cover two pages, but for now I hope to give you a good start. If you are pulling a stray from off the street, please seek a professional. There are ways to protect yourself that can only be taught face to face. If you are getting a dog from a shelter, pound, or rescue group, you should be only dealing with minor problems. I understand that there are lazy pounds across the country that just want the dogs gone and will adopt them out to anyone and to you I am very sorry. I will do whatever I can to help you, but again, seek a professional if there are severe problems. If you live in North Georgia and would like one on one help with your dog, I am happy to be of service and for free. I only ask that you either come to me or help pay my gas. Until I have deemed this page perfect, I hope this will at least ease some of your worries.