One thing to keep in mind as you walk the halls of the shelter- any shelter- is that these dogs are in a form of jail. At our shelter we try to keep it white collar style- you know, tennis and keds as opposed to solitary and body searches. No matter what though, being in jail will heighten your personality- if you tend to be kind of quiet, you'll get quieter. If you tend to panic, you'll totally freak out. If you're mean, you'll get meaner. If you're sheepish, you'll get beat up. For people looking for dogs, this means, keep in mind that they are a more dramatic version of what they will be in your house in 3 months. It also means that if they are barking at you, it may not mean they will drive you insane with barking all the time at home- they might just be freaked out and not know what else to do.
One of the dogs we worked with today was given the name Darla. She is a little chihuahua mix who was BEYOND flipped out by her enviornment. She was uncertain, AND cold, AND wet (thank you mother nature for snowing in LA for the first time in years) AND in heat, so feeling kinda out of sorts in that regard as well. Poor little girl was just in sensory overload.
She did fairly well considering all of these factors could have easily made her want to kill
everyone- just out of self preservation. Instead, she sat there and shook a little and let us love on her and remind her that everything would be ok. She also posed for pictures like a friggin pro. I think part of her knew that I was doing something helpful when I made the flash go off.
I have no doubt someone will come in and find her fear "simply adorable, and we HAVE to take her home today" pretty soon. The little ones who look super pathetic tend to get homes pretty fast.
Another kid we worked with today was Romeo. Now he's another story altogether. He's a cattle dog mix- 10 yrs old- turned in by an owner who had health issues and could no longer care for him. This guy looked timid and fearful, but as it turned out, he's just older and choosey about what he lets bother him. When we got in his kennel, he was cautious but not totally freaked out. After some treats and finding his scratch-me-please sweet spot, he decided we were a-ok by him and we could stay as long as we wanted.
His lack of fear was equally touching, as he clearly has never been mistreated in any way, and yet he still ended up in the shelter. He's a confident guy who picks and chooses what he wants to get riled up about. A family came in and met him- considering him fas a 2nd dog for their family, and he did great with everyone. He loped around the play yard and made nice with everyone, while still staying on his own program. He's underweight, so he's clearly stressed and has every reason to be fearful, but instead he has just become quiet and reserved. I hope this doesn't make it harder for people to appreciate this older fella, 'cause he seems unflappable.
All told, shelter dogs, like people, all have their own individual ways of dealing with a less then ideal situation. They all have fear to some degree or another, but it's pretty rare that the fear leads them to actually commit a crime (biting, lunging, totally going mental every time someone walks past) Which just proves- they all deserve to be pardoned.
With dogs like these serving time, and just waiting to be let out, why would you go anywhere else to find a new pet?
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