Hey all, not so much a discussion as just wanting to get some insight on this sort of topic. I am sure all of you there are dog lovers of all sorts. As am I. my problem is, is that I have a hard time looking at the realistic picture when it comes to animals. I honestly would forgo my own well being to help an animal. I already dont have any real spending money of my own because I spend it all on maggie's needs. lol
I see a dog, and I melt instantaneously. My boyfriend, an animal lover as well, believes I have an unnaturally great love for dogs. lol
There has been a corgi/lab mix male...named Dustin, 2 yrs old, at our shelter for a month or two now. I kept checking the website to see if he was adopted...but he wasnt. Finally, yesterday, I convinced my boyfriend to go and visit the doggies, and Dustin. I told him I would be as realistic and neutral as i possibly could so long as he just opened up to the possibility of possibly adopting him if he was a good fit. He agreed. So we went, and there were many people there at opening hours..which was good! I love seeing all the cats and dogs get adopted and into homes :).
So we sign in and explain that we are interested in Dustin. We visit all the dogs (only 8 in there now, yay!) and say hello...so cute. Then we get to Dustin. And my heart just began to drop.
He is all black...about 40 lbs. And he just looked so sad. His info said he has alot of lab and corgi attributes, was a little bossy, but very high energy (perfect fit for maggie, right?) Well, he was laying down in his kennel, Just looking so sad. My boyfriend and I bent down along with the worker to greet him, softly, and he immediately began to growl. The worker put her hand up at the cage he and began to bark and snap. Brandon tried and he really barked and snapped. He did it less with me. We stayed for a few mins and just talked to him. Brandon tried again and still he growled. Me, thinking what this poor thing had to have gone through to be defensive like this began to cry. It just broke my heart. He looked healthy, and alert, shiny coat...but just sad.
We went out to talk to a trainer and just explained that we cant make any final decisons, as we have another dog and a landlord to talk to. I asked about his behavior. They said he has barrier issues...he does not like to be behind things. They said he is a little weary of strangers but will warm up to them, and when he does, is is very loving and very, VERY playful. I asked if they had known anything about why he was reacting so badly to brandon. They did say that he seems to be a little bit fearful of men. He had been a stray, then brought to one shelter, adopted, then returned for snapping at a male child. He also I guess, is picky about which dogs he likes.
We told them we would talk and maybe be back. After talking, brandon said if he was still there, and he liked maggie, and we had caught up on some financial stuff, he would like to try it. Despite that fact, brandon still felt like he would warm up to him. As much as I would like to try, I just feel like he would need someone that can devote alot of time to him and helping him warm up in the begining. We both work M-f, I don't think it would be fair to him. Our shelter does not harm animals though, so they will keep dustin until he finds a home. It just breaks my heart to think about how much of a hard time this little guy must have had in his 2 years of life. The good side though, is that where he is so young, he can certainly be shown that not all men, or people, are bad people.
This is probably why I should not go and visit animal shelters. I am signing up to volunteer there...maybe I shouldnt? lol.
Sorry for my venting....any one else ever had an experience like this? I just can't stop thinking about him!