A Blog for a Dog (or two or three) in Search of a Home

These dogs were all available for adoption as of Tuesday, June 23rd, at the East Side Animal Care Facility, located at the intersection of the 101 and the 202 in Mesa (visit www.maricopa.gov/pets for directions/hours/fees).

There were many wonderful dogs there, but for some reason these really caught my eye, especially since most of them have been waiting at least a week (some for more than two) to find a new family.

Please note these are strictly observations through a kennel door, not a complete evaluation. These dogs demonstrated social, soft behavior, low arousal and kept focused on interacting with me even with multiple distractions around them. We do recommend a complete evaluation before deciding which dog would be most compatible with your family and/or lifestyle. If you'd like a more thorough behavior evaluation/temperament test on a dog you're interested in, please call The Canine Connection: 480-242-0001 and we would be happy to set up an appointment.

Also note that we can not guarantee that these dogs will still be available for adoption when you visit the shelter. If they have already found a new home, please consider looking around as there is no shortage of great dogs (and cats) still waiting to find a family of their own.



First is a 1 yr. old female Shep/lab mix. She came in as a stray. She was very flirty, pressing against the kennel to be pet. When I stopped petting her, she tried to solicit more attention and she sank to the ground when I did pet her again. She was talkative (not barky), submissive and soft. She's adorable and has a very expressive face. She is currently residing in kennel # 74. Her A# is 2708743. She's worth checking out if big (40ish lbs.) lovebugs are your type of dog.










This fellow is a 1 year old male Dachshund/Chihuahua (best guess) mix. He was also very flirty and pressed against the kennel for attention. He had very soft body language and put his feet up on the kennel (more relaxed) while I was with him. Seems like a sweetie, definitely a dog to check out. He weighs about 15-20 lbs. He could benefit from some quality food as his coat is a bit dry and brittle.
He can be found in kennel # 18, with A# 2696265.










Here is a 2 year old male Pit Bull/lab (?) mix who just could not stop wiggling. Threw me lots of play bows, wiggling the entire time. Sits politely and was gentle through the kennel. Did not become aroused like a lot of pit bulls tend to do. If you like a big handful of dog, he might be worth visiting. He will need an active guardian as he is a young dog with a lot of energy. He is in kennel # 6; A#2708045.

Here at the Animal care Facility in Mesa & several dogs catch my eye with their socialbility, soft body language and big tail wags! Pics coming later today!

More evidence that dogs don't "whisper"...

Yeah! More and more studies are coming out showing that the way to have a mutually appreciative and respectful relationship with your dog is to understand his behavior and what motivates him or her. The theories about needing to dominate your dog and exerting yourself as the "pack leader" currently being used by some charismatic tv "behaviorists" can actually be dangerous and harmful. Not only for the dog, but for the owner as well! The following appeared recently on Sciencedaily.com:

Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat

ScienceDaily (2009-05-25) -- A new study shows how the behavior of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behavior and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behavior. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behavior and training techniques suggested by current TV dog trainers. ... > read full article

Okay... I promise that this will be my last blog blasting "whispering" to your dog. I found it very interesting and wanted to share. I just hate to see dogs so misunderstood and having well-intentioned, loving owners hood-winked by people who are self-proclaimed "experts" in a particular field.

Thanks for understanding~

Think shelter workers don't care about animals... think again.

I was at one of the county shelters this weekend to look for dogs to profile in an upcoming book. Every kennel was full and more animals were coming in by the truckload. People were turning in puppies they couldn't afford, others they couldn't keep because they were moving... someone even turned in two cats that had been pets for 7 years but now the owners were "too busy" to care for them any more. It's enough to turn you into a robot just so you can deal with the daily stressors of the job. And a lot of people think that the staff at the local animal care & control is filled with uncaring individuals without an ounce of compassion. The opposite is true.

Who could work there unless you felt the animals NEED you to be there? To have someone to turn to when their own families abandon them? One particular individual really stood out and I feel the need to share it....

Someone had turned in a very young puppy they found and couldn't keep. A singleton puppy, especially one too young to adopt out doesn't stand much of a chance at an animal shelter. It looked like a Pit Bull mix too, which would further reduce its chances at ever finding a home.

One amazing, caring young man on staff immediately took this abandoned pup (pup #1) and went to see if a Pit Bull mom who had a tiny pup of her own (pup #2) might "adopt" this little girl. He removed pup #2 from its mom, then gently rubbed pup #1 against pup #2 hoping to transfer puppy #2s scent. The mother watched in earnest, wondering what this man was doing with her puppy. She remained very calm, just curious. After a few minutes, the man went into the kennel with mom and both pups.

He let mom smell pup #1 after she made sure that her own pup was safe. She was very curious, licked the pup and after a few more minutes allowed the new pup to nurse. The shelter worker stayed with mom and pups for a few more minutes until he felt sure that the mom was going to accept this new little girl. It was very emotional for me to witness and very validating as well.

This tiny, abandoned pup arguably could have, should have been quickly and humanely disposed of. She may not make it. She will use shelter resources that are already stretched tight. She will grow up to be a pit bull, and may be overlooked by adopters. But damn if she's not being given at least a chance to make it in this world... by one man who felt this one little puppy deserved this. That is your typical shelter worker for you.

Why temperament testing is important...

I was at the County shelter a few weeks ago to evaluate a dog whose time there had "run out" because he was showing fearful behavior. We agreed to look at him and determine if this was a dog we felt we could adopt out ourselves.

It was a 1 1/2 year old Bassett Hound/Pit Bull, cute as a bug. Huge head on a short, squat body with the thick bassett legs. One blue eye and one brown eye added to his charm. He was friendly upon approach and came easily out of the kennel with me. In the evaluation room he was social, approached me to be pet and seemed to enjoy contact. So far, so good! I was already thinking about how cute he would be at our next adoption event.

He tested okay with food~ was able to stick my hand in the food bowl while he was eating, pet him, etc. Next I gave him a rawhide to further test for resource aggression. If regular food isn't "valuable" enough for a dog sometimes a higher value item will elicit resource aggression if it is there. As soon as I gave this dog the bone, he turned his back towards me and held the treat tightly in his paws. First sign that he feels a sense of "ownership" towards this item. As I slowly approached, I could see him looking out of the corner of his eye to keep tabs on where I was. As I moved into his space, I could see his skin tighten~ another sign that he was not comfortable with me being so close. With all these signs, I decided to use our fake hand to reach for the item (we use a very realistic dummy hand on the end of stick to take a bite for us if a dog so chooses to respond this way).

As soon as the hand came within 6 inches of this dog, the dog turned quickly and bit down hard on the hand. No growl, no warning snap. I moved the hand away but the dog lept for the hand and gave it several more hard bites. I decided this was not a dog to mess around with and allowed him to finish the rawhide without being bothered. I made myself very unobtrusive so he would know I had no intention of reaching for that bone again!

Obviously, I did not take this dog into my care. I would not feel safe placing a dog with such severe resource aggression into a family. This dog didn't just say "back off" to me, he said "BACK OFF SERIOUSLY RIGHT NOW AND I MEAN IT!" It can be tricky because the dog's outward appearance was one of a friendly, pretty low-key guy. But ask this guy to give up something he felt was his and he became a very dangerous dog. This was one of the only dogs in the thousands I've evaluated who actually scared me. To actually LEAVE the object of his desire (bone) and attack the hand is pretty serious.

With resource aggression it is not just about food or treats or a particular toy, etc. It can represent ANY and/or ALL objects a dog finds valuable. I have seen dogs guard a certain spot on the couch, a remote control and even their owner. This is not a behavior that goes away or can be "fixed". It can usually be managed, but depending on the type and severity of the aggression it requires committment and compliance on the part of the owner. It can be very difficult to live with and does affect everyone (people and other pets) living with a dog like this.

Temperament testing is so valuable because it gives insight into a dog's "core" personality. It takes an experienced evaluator to be able to read subtle signs, be aware of behaviors and know how this might play out in a home environment. A reliable temperament test should be done on any dog you consider taking into your home to help you have a better understanding of the dog's personality, coping mechanisms and what the dog might look like on a "bad day". It has the potential to save heartbreak or avoid injuries by identifying behaviors that are not appropriate for a family pet. It's one thing to use behavior modification on a beloved pet that starts to show signs of resource aggression. It's quite another to take a dog into your home that already has these issues and may have had these behaviors reinforced its entire life. Not to say that it can not be done, but a person should have this knowledge along with an understanding of what living with a resource aggressive dog might look like.

People often tell me that shelter dogs have probably had to fight for food, haven't eaten in so long, etc. and that's why they may be resource aggressive. Resource aggression can show up in any dog. It is a very species normal behavior. The three worst cases I've studied were actually purebred dogs that came from breeders (a Golden Retriever, a Lhasa Apso and a Shih Tzu). So go ahead and adopt your next dog. And feel comfortable in adopting a "mutt". But do ask a lot of questions including if the dog has been temperament tested and ask them to explain any aggression that was seen.

Another option is to hire The Canine Connection and we'll go to the shelters with you to temperament test any dog you're interested in. Resource aggression doesn't necessarily condemn a dog, but we look at how a dog behaves (is there is biting? how hard does he bite?), how willing an owner is to work with this behavior and what type of resources does this dog guard. This is information a trained evaluator/behaviorist can provide. Adopt! But be informed and safe.... and you will find the dog of your dreams!

When Whispering Is Not Enough....

Okay~ those who know me know that I am not a big fan of the Dog Whisperer. While I appreciate that he's given the area of dog behavior attention, his methods are not based on science and he chooses to leave all explanations about what he does in that realm of "mystery" which I do not think is fair to his clients or viewers who do have an interest in learning how to understand and appreciate their dog better.

Here is a link a friend gave me that validates my concerns: http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090515/bs_prweb/prweb2418804_1

If you would really like some insight into canine behavior, check out anything by Pat Miller (The Power of Positive Dog Training is fabulous) or Jean Donaldson (current favorite is Culture Clash). They are highly regarded dog behaviorists and trainers and give us fascinating glimpses into our relationships with and our responsibilities to dogs.

One reason it's important to adopt.

In 2008 Maricopa County Animal Care & Control received almost 57,000 animals into their shelter system. This year, it will be even more. Some of these animals were stray, the others surrendered by their families.

Less than 20,000 of these animals found a new home with adopters or with a rescue group. 6100 of the stray animals found their way home. The others are left to become statistics, forgotten friends and animals that "nobody wants".

We boast that "no healthy, adoptable dog or cat has been euthanized in Maricopa County in the past three years". True. But what exactly is a "healthy adoptable animal? It is one that is older than 8 weeks or weighs more than 2 lbs. (old enough/large enough to spay or neuter). It does not show fearful behavior, signs of sickness (which could be a cough, a sneeze, diarrhea) and it doesn't show any signs of aggression. It can not show signs of stress. It is a very, very small number of animals that is "healthy and adoptable".

And by no means am I faulting the shelter. It is amazing to me that they can do what they do every day all day long. They are expected to take care of everyones "problem" but they will have a stigma attached to them if the outcome is less than positive. Everyone turning in their dog or cat is sure they will get adopted because they're "such a good boy (or girl)....". They have no idea what awaits their beloved former companion because there are just not enough homes for them all.

A shelter, even the best shelter is an extremely stressful environment for animals. They do get frightened. They do become sick. They do show aggressive behavior because they are out-of-sorts. They have to learn a whole new set of rules, a whole new way to cope. The prettiest, friendliest and the purebreds (even if not so friendly) will probably find a home or be taken in by a rescue group. A dog that acts social, soft and friendly in these environments is truly a prize worth finding. The others have to wait and hope. Their chances are slim.

Yet the majority of people still obtain animals from pet stores, breeders, Craigslist, from a friend whose dog had puppies..... reducing the chances for these shelter animals to find a home.

Shelters are full of dogs and cats that are wonderful, loving companions. "Pets" that would cherish you and the ground you walk on if given the opportunity. Yes it is hard to go there. Yes it is difficult to choose just one. Yes it is sad and might make you cry. But we have to be willing to put ourselves through this temporary discomfort if we really care about all the dogs and cats that are being put to death every day because there is nowhere for them to go. This is all of our problem and if we want things to change we have to be willing to step up.

When I talk to people and tell them I work in animal welfare, they always want to know how I feel about euthanasia, do the shelters I work with ever put animals to sleep, etc. They do not want to support "those types of places." What type of place is that? One that is trying to act responsibly when others (former owners) did not? Is it right or fair to keep a dog in a kennel for its entire life? Do we allow them to infect the entire population if they become sick? Where do all the new dogs go when they come in the next day? During the summer open intake facilities will receive between 100-200 animals every day. Where do they go? They certainly do not adopt out 100-200 animals every day to maintain the balance.

Everyone wants to reduce the number of animals that are put to death in our nations' shelters. I don't know anyone that enjoys euthanizing dogs or cats. But nothing will change until more people opt for adoption when looking for their next pet. At least it's a starting point...

Of course spaying and neutering needs to become mandatory. People also need to adopt wisely and understand the basics of dog and/or cat behavior (Hello, Canine Connection?) so the dog will actually stay with their family, but I'll save those subjects for another blog.....