So the Eleventh Hour begins my wife shows me this picture of a pit bull that will be put down at 6:30 pm Sunday 8/15/2010 . Needless to say the cry for help tugs on my heart strings.My wife giving me those sad we can't let her die Puppy Dog eyes that definitely are hard for me to say no to.Now this was to be a little different
as we were already told someone else had tried to foster her but she did not do well with the other dog she already had.Which turned out to be a stray male still intact which she took off the street not more than 2 weeks ago.Her heart was in the right place but not ready to handle two pit-bulls. This is a breed with many strong traits and if not dealt with properly it can get out of had,and not all dogs can be socialized with each other.With that being said i need to meet with Lydia and see if she was dog aggressive.
So the my wife Tracy, Kramer and myself arrive at the PSPCA I choose to leave Kramer in the truck.I did this so I could first meet with Lydia and establish a base line of temper and view her in her surroundings in the kennel with all the noise and barking .This will help me get a good feel for her in a surrounding that shes been in for over a year and half .First I greet her than I entered her cage I saw she had some obedience training and new basic sit commands.This was a dog that has been held by the PSPCA pending a criminal investigation .
Once the investigation was over she was given 5 days to find a home.Well this is where My wife and myself come to fulfill a commitment we made to help dogs.With a soft spot for the Many dogs that fall under the pit-bull breed .Back to my first encounter with the sweet and very loving Lydia.So after entering her holding pen I removed bed to gain more room.Once I have showed her love and compassion it was now time to have her submit to me.With any strange dog this can be a very trying time as tensions exist.With a dog that was abused and kept in a shelter for the last year and a half this is even more reason for concern.Much to my surprise Lydia was loving and willing to be put in a dominance down position showing very little resistance.I did take her about 2 minutes to relax.This was a lot quicker than I expected.
The Introduction
For this introduction I chose to do this in the out door back area with Lydia being held by me and Kramer brought out by my wife.First I get Lydia in a calm state of mind.It was at this time i encountered my first hurdle.The staff and there rules.Don't get me wrong they have them for a reason and above all they exist for the safety of the other animals and staff.That being said i told the staff for me to determine the stability and ability to help Lydia find a forever home I need to control this introduction .The main thing I count on is my buddy and best friend Kramer as it it his stable mental and over all ability to judge another dogs ability to be approached. When I told them to do this Kramer need to be off leash with the freedom to start with a very free roaming non threating presence to Lydia.Well this went over like pouring gas on and open fire.
I understand they were worried about him running off or getting out of the back area and into the busy street and getting hit by a car...Not something that i was worried about but i did understand.Either way it had to be my way .This was for the safety of my dog and everyone else .Theres no need to have a dog fight break out and get people hurt trying to stop this dog fight.My next hurdle was to have the staff not get upset by my method of handling and changing Lydia's state of mind .As with any dog that was abused the emotional issues they may have with other dogs or even people don't always show right away .Dog rehabilitation is a process not a miracle.When Kramer did approach Lydia very quickly started to get excited this was not easily redirected with a simple touch to her side as I have done with her up till this point .With the knowledge of the breed and its ability go from excited to frenzy i found my redirection had to be direct and clear in purpose well here was my second problem with the staff .I used a loud open but clear push with light slap to her chest as force from a Alpha (ME) was needed to have her understand my control was not to be challenged.Rita staff member handling or at least over seeing the meeting of not only us but Kramer and Lydia.I than made it clear if i did not get her to change her state of mind this could turn ugly very fast.I did know that previously Lydia turned aggressive with other meetings with dogs.This is the case many times with dogs that have been abused.The have mind set of survival for them thats either fight or run.When on a leash that becomes one option fight. By me giving her a sense of protection and Kramer having the ability to approach her with a slow and calm state of mind is critical.I do this knowing that Kramer off his leash will not just approach her.He has alway acted as if most dogs are not even there no matter how they act out.After 5 minutes of her being able to see him and me forcing her to change her state of mind and return to a calmness that he can now approach.At this time i call Kramer while keeping her in check with the necessary reenforcement that i'm in control and she has no need to fear him or even dominate him.Kramer made several approaches each time feeling her out with each meeting.First they were nose to nose than he allowed her to sniff his bottom.After about the 3rd time she was trying to mount him this can not be allowed to happen as it is a sign of her trying to dominate him.As with every dog introduction there only one dominate and that me.
Explaining my actions to the staff
Once the dogs were OK with each other and it was now clear to the staff I was able to help Lydia.Now my actions were now called into question.?.?. Knowing that the staff is concerned about my methods I than explained why i do what i do.This brings me to my pack and the very unique pack structure with Duke my 90+ pound Alfa male red nose pit-bull as leader under me.No Kramer is not pack leader! More like pack elder.He is 14! The question about having 7 dogs no creates no pens and total control is now in question.I was asked what happens if a fight breaks out ?Good question! I than explain i have established that when i'm dealing with any dogs in my house weather it's training love discipline that my space is not to be challenged.This did not sit well with Rita. She than asked me why i want my dogs to move away from me and not to me.This is simple should a scuffle happen i don't want the pack mentality to escalate and have the 2 dogs become 7 dogs taking it to the next level becoming a blood bath. I make the dogs respect my space I AM ALPHA NOT TO BE CHALLENGED.With such a powerful breed I reinforce this everyday with a calm assertive manner.I never let them take control of anything not even when playing.They play on my terms or not at all.Dog want and need a leader.In my house its me.My wife well i love her but she does more wrong with the dogs than she even wants to admit.Her role has become MOMMY mine is ALPHA.It works for us.
I don't claim to be a dog trainer or even a dog expert i have no formal training .What i have is a natural ability to understand a dogs body language.I do this a true love for animals not just dog.
Above is a picture of the lovely Lydia in her home a dog pen at the PSPCA where she has been for the last 11/2.she still has scares on her face from past neglect .She has a sweet very loving disposition even thou she was abused.This is amazing as we could all learn from her.
Meeting a man from http://www.rescueink.org/
While doing our dog evaluation a man walks in wearing a Rescue Ink shirt.I looked at him and said i have one of those shirts with a proud smile on my face.He responds i'm with Rescue ink !Oh cool i tell him i met a bunch of the guy at the L'oreal benefit for dogs.Held in New Jersey to help dog rescues raise money for each one of there causes.This is a cool thing that draws people from all over.The guys at Rescue Ink are big guys with even bigger hearts for a truly bigger cause.Keep up the good work the dog thank you as do I .
Back to Al or Alley Cat as hes called.The neat thing about Al is hes a cat man and still delicates him self to helping raise awareness to the cause of helping dogs.I was happy to see that we had a local guy working with Rescue Ink right here in my back yard Philadelphia.Rescue Ink is based out of New York.So to have someone local is really cool.After meeting with he asked are you on Facebook ? I replied yes I am.He asked me to friend him .It turns out that Facebook can be a very powerful networking tool for the good people out there helping those that cant help them selves A.K.A Dogs and Cats.I started out with .Wet Nose Rescue and now this will be my second foster from the PSPCA.I guess doing dog rescue has me bound by heart and not just one rescue organization.All though i work very close with Wet Nose Rescue as my primary place to help dogs in need!!!
Tonight we pick up Lydia from the PSPCA.As last night when we committed to saving her they than said they were going to have her fixed and given all of her shot.So about 6:30 or so we will take the ride to get Lydia bring her to her new home till she is found a permanent home.We will take more pictures and in the coming day start helping her adjust to and find a center of balance in her life.I am very confident that she can over come her issues with other dogs and even cats.My road is long and going to give me many challenges but the love from her makes it well worth the effort! Thanks as always fro reading and remember your donations to not just our rescue but all rescues helps.
First, let me say it's great you're fostering and great you don't feel daunted by dogs other people might not pick for whatever reason. However, no wonder the staff was upset/confused at your tactics. Having fostered multiple dogs vis the PSPCA and ACCT, I can attest that slapping, pushing or punching a dog during an introduction is not going to make for a great introduction. Yes, when a dog becomes excited, you may need to redirect the dog, but throwing yourself in her face and physically assaulting her isn't the way to go and can get you seriously injured especially with an unfamiliar dog. I don't disagree with the idea that, especially with dogs like Pit Bulls, structure and discipline is a must, but this can and should be accomplished with as little physical confrontation as possible. Nothing In Life Is Free accomplishes this without smacking, hitting, pushing, punching or doing those so-called "alpha rolls". It establishes a bond, not just some outdated notion of "dominance" that has been debunked in wolves and was never shown to exist in dogs in the first place.
ReplyDeleteNormal procedure is to walk the dogs together in a neutral area (like the shiny new park) until they are calm and then allow them to do a sniff. Normal procedure is to redirect the dogs vocally or with treats or other positive reinforcement as necessary. Normal procedure with dogs who don't like each other off the bat is to crate and rotate in the home while the dogs slowly learn to live together. Maybe you should let the staff do their job next time. They're actually not bad at it.