# Interesting article



## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

With all of the discussion about rescues and euthanizing versus not I felt like sharing this read. I certainly wasn't what I was expecting and I found the grey area dogs near the bottom to be an interesting discussion point. 



https://www.k9ofmine.com/no-kill-vs-kill-shelter/


Also it's a place to talk about this without derailing some of the other threads.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Good article...and this sentence sadly reminded me of many of the people that have posted on this forum about their rescue dog:

*"Most people come to the shelter to adopt a loving family pet, 
not to become expert trainers with drained bank accounts."*


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Since when it is the job of the shelter system to take tax dollars and donation monies for this purpose?

"Protecting the reputation of shelter pets and specific breeds."

What qualifications or credentials as dog or breed experts do they possess to make these decisions or to perform in that capacity?


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## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

MineAreWorkingline said:


> Since when it is the job of the shelter system to take tax dollars and donation monies for this purpose?
> 
> "Protecting the reputation of shelter pets and specific breeds."
> 
> What qualifications or credentials as dog or breed experts do they possess to make these decisions or to perform in that capacity?



The person does say that it's their opinion not that it's a mandatory thing and there's a lot of ways besides using money to do this. There are different ways to read this as. For example they could protect reputation of specific breeds by only adopting out certain dogs to those capable of handling them, or avoid adopting out unstable dogs thus protecting the reputation of shelter dogs. I personally avoid a lot of shelter dogs because I associate them with problems, not necessary true but I'm unlikely to get an actual true snapshot of the dog and have little to no background history on them.


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## Orphan Heidi (Sep 21, 2018)

GSDchoice said:


> Good article...and this sentence sadly reminded me of many of the people that have posted on this forum about their rescue dog:
> 
> *"Most people come to the shelter to adopt a loving family pet,
> not to become expert trainers with drained bank accounts."*


Yes, a good article.
Having adopted 2 GSDs from our county shelter, I wonder if I'm an anomole in that after I've done 
a fairly quick assessment of the dog then IF I decide to adopt it- I take it understanding that I really don't know what I have on my hands- other than it didn't seem to want to be aggressive towards me- YET. But I'm the perfect adopter- older with lots of general dog training experience,
no kids around and only house cats. Oh and a farm with acreage- important factor for larger dogs.

So I figured my risks aren't that great. one shelter dog was a breeze- no problems whatsoever.
My second had other dog reactive issues. But after months (12) of directed socialization training, she has become about 98% safe (unless another dog initiates aggression).

My point is I went into taking the second dog who I was told had NO ISSUES , but I had an open mind and needed to be safe til I knew what I had on my hands.

I agree that most adopters do not have the same attitude going in. You simply don't know much
about shelter dogs or their history. So it pays to be cautious. And it helps to learn how to re-train.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Kazel said:


> With all of the discussion about rescues and euthanizing versus not I felt like sharing this read. I certainly wasn't what I was expecting and I found the grey area dogs near the bottom to be an interesting discussion point.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just wanted to share a story about a lovely Shepherd cross who landed in a shelter that wanted to be "no kill".

He came in at about 6 months old. He needed serious training, and he was UGLY! A super energetic, big, wire coated, sweet natured goofball of a dog. Appeared to be an Airedale/GSD cross, not an attractive animal. He stayed in his kennel for months. He became desperate for attention. Eventually he landed in a temp foster placement, got some training, got some attention, settled a bit and then got sent back to the shelter. He developed some kennel aggression, started jumping and nipping when taken out. It worsened over the next few months so they temp fostered him again. Again he straightened out, then they sent him back to the shelter. The kennel aggression got so bad he needed to be isolated. The nipping became biting, he developed some pretty serious self harm behaviors. More isolation. 
At just 2 years old this beautiful young dog was euthanized. He had spent most of his life in a kennel. No one ever loved him. He had no chance. 
Keeping them alive is not always the kindest path. To my mind it would have been far kinder to put this big guy down when it became evident that he was suffering.


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## T'Challa! (Dec 4, 2019)

Sabis mom said:


> I just wanted to share a story about a lovely Shepherd cross who landed in a shelter that wanted to be "no kill".
> 
> He came in at about 6 months old. He needed serious training, and he was UGLY! A super energetic, big, wire coated, sweet natured goofball of a dog. Appeared to be an Airedale/GSD cross, not an attractive animal. He stayed in his kennel for months. He became desperate for attention. Eventually he landed in a temp foster placement, got some training, got some attention, settled a bit and then got sent back to the shelter. He developed some kennel aggression, started jumping and nipping when taken out. It worsened over the next few months so they temp fostered him again. Again he straightened out, then they sent him back to the shelter. The kennel aggression got so bad he needed to be isolated. The nipping became biting, he developed some pretty serious self harm behaviors. More isolation.
> At just 2 years old this beautiful young dog was euthanized. He had spent most of his life in a kennel. No one ever loved him. He had no chance.
> Keeping them alive is not always the kindest path. To my mind it would have been far kinder to put this big guy down when it became evident that he was suffering.





Sabis mom said:


> I just wanted to share a story about a lovely Shepherd cross who landed in a shelter that wanted to be "no kill".
> 
> He came in at about 6 months old. He needed serious training, and he was UGLY! A super energetic, big, wire coated, sweet natured goofball of a dog. Appeared to be an Airedale/GSD cross, not an attractive animal. He stayed in his kennel for months. He became desperate for attention. Eventually he landed in a temp foster placement, got some training, got some attention, settled a bit and then got sent back to the shelter. He developed some kennel aggression, started jumping and nipping when taken out. It worsened over the next few months so they temp fostered him again. Again he straightened out, then they sent him back to the shelter. The kennel aggression got so bad he needed to be isolated. The nipping became biting, he developed some pretty serious self harm behaviors. More isolation.
> At just 2 years old this beautiful young dog was euthanized. He had spent most of his life in a kennel. No one ever loved him. He had no chance.
> Keeping them alive is not always the kindest path. To my mind it would have been far kinder to put this big guy down when it became evident that he was suffering.


I wish I could take them all! One day I will be able too!


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