Posted on 06/19/2018 11:00:23 AM PDT by Norski
What They Tell the Public vs. What They Tell New Holding Facilities
web advertisements of aggressive shelter dogs Described as "loving, gentle," but has dog, stranger and handler aggression.
False Advertisement DogsBite.org - In September 2016, we published an expose about what lies behind the web advertisements of aggressive shelter dogs available for adoption today. We determined that many shelters candy-coat dogs with aggressive behaviors in their zeal to increase "live release rate." Animal behaviorist Alexandra Semyonova provided a detailed analysis of the 34 case files we obtained from a county shelter, along with a special report about behavior testing shelter dogs.
Which brings us to today. We have another example. These advertisements aimed at the public are often deliberately fraudulent. However, there is a willingness on the part of shelters to disclose the dog's true nature when the intention is to obtain a different holding place for the dog. One of these facilities provided this recent example to us; primarily due to the many requests they receive for unadoptable dogs with "serial" aggression issues that will never find a "forever" home.
The fraudulence is driven by the holy grail of boasting a high "save rate" at any cost, including over the welfare of high-risk dogs and public safety.
First, we invite you to read the fraudulent advertisement of a dog named Hershey located on the Cherryland Humane Society's Facebook page (accessed May 4, 2018). Note, "I can be kind of anxious," decoded translates into "extreme anxiety" even after "medication and behavior modification." Also, "I am continuing to work on my self-confidence," decoded translates into "stranger aggression as well as dog aggression" and "aggression towards his person/handler."
Cherryland Humane Society February 25, 2018
I'm ready for you.....are you ready for me? So questions HERSHEY! I'm a youngish (2 1/2 years old) lab mix and I am looking for a kind of calm, laid back home and best friend I can really connect with. So, I know most of the basic commands and like interacting with people but can be kind of anxious so that's why I am looking for someone to compliment my loving, gentle personality and who would love to have me as their only pet. I am continuing to work on my self-confidence and perhaps could use your help! Let's get together!1
Now, we invite you to read the letter sent to a potential holding facility. Ask yourself, "Why are the two so different? Why do they have to 'encode' for the public? Why would they create such false hope?" This dog was returned at least three times and has a multiple bite history. No-kill devotees will bend the truth or conceal it to place a high-risk dog like this into a home with an unsuspecting family with children, but they are factual when the intent is to unload the dog on a sanctuary.
My name is , I am the Animal Behaviorist at the Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City, Michigan. Best Friends, recommended that we reach out to you regarding a dog we currently have, Hershey, we are running out of options for him.
Hershey has extreme anxiety and with medication and behavior modification, it does not seem to help. We have had him for 7 months. He is very protective of his people to the point of stranger aggression as well as dog aggression. Hershey has a few bites on his record towards people and dogs. In Hershey's calm state he is affectionate, playful, loving, and kind of a goofball. Hershey can redirect his anxiety into aggression towards his person/handler. He has been returned twice and returned by a foster, which did not work out after almost a month.
We would appreciate any advice or assistance in finding Hershey an alternate place to live, as we are unable to adopt him out. Thank you, Animal Behaviorist / Enrichment Coordinator Cherryland Humane Society...
In a desperate attempt to "save them all," shelters, humane groups and rescues try to place unadoptable and dangerous dogs at sanctuaries across the country. Entities that claim to accept numerous dogs like Hershey often become hoarding operations, such as Spindletop and Olympic Sanctuary. A dog like Hershey, who can't be handled safely and has both human and animal aggression, could only co-exist at a sanctuary by living in total isolation with no quality of life at all.
The very inventor of the term, "save them all," Utah-based fighting dog advocates Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS), is also mentioned in the correspondence. With an excess of $80 million dollars in donations in 2016, and adoption facilities in four cities, BFAS recommends referring this unplaceable dog to smaller, under financed sanctuaries that are already stretched thin. BFAS, apparently, did not even welcome this problematic dog into its own five square mile sanctuary.
(Note: I accidentally did not click excerpt, so am posting the remainder of the article. I apologize for any confusion .)
The Dichotomy of Disclosure
The case of Hershey shows the dichotomy of disclosure. What is shared about the dog’s true nature depends upon the intention of the shelter. If the intention is get the dog into the home of a gullible family, they encode and conceal the dog’s aggression into a “baby talk” style adoption listing. If the intention is to obtain a different holding place for the dog, they are pragmatic: “stranger aggression as well as dog aggression” and “aggression towards his person/handler.”
Due to the prevalence of fraudulent adoption advertisements, we remind the public to always request the uncensored behavioral and medical files prior to adoption. As noted in our earlier piece, it is critically important to understand that “disclosure” is not the same as “full disclosure.” In order to gain full disclosure, you need to see the complete case file. Otherwise, you may wind up with a Hershey — a dog disposed to mauling or killing a beloved pet or seriously injuring a person.
When Adopting From a Shelter
Do your research
Go in with questions
Bring a trainer with you to the shelter to evaluate for signs of aggression2
Request all behavior records for the dog
Request all medical records for the dog
Request all “outcomes” for the dog (if the dog was returned to shelter)
Animal behaviorist and author Alexandra Semyonova provides analysis and a special report: Behavior Testing Shelter Dogs — A Summary of Where We Are Now
web advertisements of aggressive shelter dogs
“Save them all” is a myth with real life consequences. People pay. Beloved pets pay. The unplaceable dog pays and hearts are broken. There is no such thing as a “forever home” for dogs like Hershey. Not even reputable sanctuaries want dogs that cannot be safely handled and require a “prison-like” existence. We first obtained a copy of the letter to the sanctuary in late April. It is unknown what the final outcome was for this dog. Humane euthanasia would have been kind.
1The dog came into the shelter in October 2017 as a stray. It was adopted out the first time on November 10. So the February 25 advertisement was likely written after the dog was returned a second time (after two failed adoptions).
2Preferably a trainer who is not a fan of any breed in particular. The idea is to eliminate bias.
Related articles:
09/20/16: What’s Behind the Click and Bait Web Advertisements of Aggressive Shelter Dogs Available for Adoption Today?
true! Our golden retriever “rescue” was let go because he bit a child.and had big time trust issues.
No one told us. We took him to training classes and the instructor asked where we got him from. Said the name of the rescue and she said’ oh! you got the biter”
They don’t want to put dogs to sleep so they foist him on dummies like me.
These “No kill shelters” often do more harm than good.
Many animals must be put down. It’s tough, but failure to do so puts humans and other animals at future risk.
All cases to be put down are sad. The ones that are dangerous are at least, understandable.
The ones that truly suck hard are those they put down because of space issues, or time. Most are totally adoptable, no negative reasons for them to be put down.
There are keywords on government websites, foster websites, and other websites that are giveaways to the possibility of maladjustment. A devastating tragedy, which part of the problem stems from allowing the children To sort of write their own bio. But, it gives an insight into that particular Young Person’s upbringing at that point in time.
There are keywords on government websites, foster websites, and other websites that are giveaways to the possibility of maladjustment. A devastating tragedy, which part of the problem stems from allowing the children To sort of write their own bio. But, it gives an insight into that particular Young Person’s upbringing at that point in time.
https://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/08-13-16-la-presse-five-part-series-pit-bulls-vet-report.pdf +++++++++++++++++
MARIE-‐CLAUDE MALBOEUF LA PRESSE ! WHO IS PULLING THE STRINGS?
The US pet industry is worth 16 billion dollars. Without pit bulls to sell, to rescue, to rehabilitate, to care for and to feed, a lot of people would see their revenues plunge, denounced Jeffrey Borchardt, who lost his baby when he was torn from the arms of his babysitter by two pit bulls.
Since this tragedy, the American DJ and other victims have worked to expose the gears of the powerful pit bull promotion lobby. Who pulls the strings? Portrait of a tightly woven network.
Level one: Financing source
ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION
Run by an American millionaire, Animal Farm Foundation has for its motto: “Equality for pit bulls.” The pressure group devotes itself entirely to combatting against any regulation targeting its dogs.
After inheriting a fortune from her father, Jane Berkey, who also owns a literary agency, turned over at least $6 million to her group, $2.85 million in 2013, according to government records. She pays 9 employees (one of whom, the director, makes more than $100,000 a year) and finances numerous groups that share her philosophy.
One part of the problem is that while the spay/neuter rate for most dogs in the US is appx 70%, the rate for pit bulls is about 20%.
Is this why our local pound has so many Border Collies and GSDs who look like pit bulls in their pictures?
To their credit, I just checked out their website and a huge dose of honesty seems to have been swallowed. 90% of the dogs waiting for adoption come from fighting breeds, but the pound no longer pretends they are “Border Collie mixes”.
Increasing urbanization and lifestyle choices make dog ownership impossible or highly inconvenient for responsible people. There are thousands of latch key dogs whose owners go to work in the morning, leave the dog alone and locked up all day. When the owner arrives home, too often it's one or two pats on the heads, maybe a five minute walk to the curb. Frankly, dog owners often regard their dog as just more "stuff"—an accoutrement, an iThing, a Gameboy.
Dogs are social animals and physical animals. Dogs are not solitary creatures. People who can not provide the right environment for dogs, should not own one. If the result is more dogs being euthanized, well that's the way it goes.
I concluded that many of the persons involved in “save them all rescue” believe that animals should be elevated to human status.
And so they seem to believe that the life of a dog - and in most cases is a dog bred to have brain abnormalities and to attack without warning and maul its victim to death - is as valuable as that of a human.
I find this conclusion appalling.
Yes, here is an article on the ending of the practice of “breed lying” by animal shelters. It may have had something to do with what you describe.
“Virginia bars shelters & rescues from hiding dogs’ bite history”
http://www.animals24-7.org/2018/05/30/virginia-bars-shelters-rescues-from-hiding-dogs-bite-history/
See!! That’s disgusting. Our friends ‘chose’ a Cockapoo FEMALE only to find: it was a male AND it had not been neutered. “Well, neuter it right away and we’ll take it.” They got it, cone and all. That dog bit them both every time it got near. Back it went.
Second it. I volunteer at a no kill cat shelter and there is cat that is on meds to stay calm.
yes!! several people on this forum, btw. Your pets are pets, kids are kids. It is not the same.
I would shoot any of my dogs to save my daughter. Not the other way around.
I am fortunare to spend hours with my animals every day.
Run by an American millionaire, Animal Farm Foundation has for its motto: “Equality for pit bulls.” The pressure group devotes itself entirely to combatting against any regulation targeting its dogs.
Animal Farm Foundation. “Equality for pit bulls”.
“Animal Farm” written by George Orwell
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” - (the pigs, Animal Farm)
Does anyone else remember this?
George Orwell also wrote “1984”.
This does say a lot about the minds of the pit bull advocacy lobby, does it not?
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