# Shelter euthanizes dog/owner chgs mind too late



## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Wichita woman upset with Kansas Humane Society over euthanized dog | Wichita Eagle_


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I really have no sympathy for her at all.

RIP Lucy. You deserved better than what you were dealt.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Jax08 said:


> I really have no sympathy for her at all.
> 
> RIP Lucy. You deserved better than what you were dealt.


 
I could not agree more! I hope this continues to haunt her for many years to come.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I do hope that article gives people a better understanding that when they surrender their animal to a kill shelter that the animal can die at ANY time. There are no set rules.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

What planet does that woman live on? She takes her dog to a kill shelter and is shocked that it was killed? Oh - and blame the kill shelter for killing the dog that she took there, because she didn't want it. Poor dog. Crazy lady.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Amazing isn't it?


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

If the owner leaves a dog with severe SA at the shelter, the KINDEST thing they can do is to immediately euthanize the dog. It would very, very cruel to stick the dog in a cage (dogs with severe SA often have fear of enclosed spaces) for awhile and THEN euth the dog.

Shame on the owner. Sounds like she was given several options, but chose the easy way out.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Stories like this just amaze me. My dog isn't perfect, I choose not to deal with it so I'm going to pass it on to someone else. 

I'm glad that lady is suffering from guilt. She deserves it.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I agree that it is far better to euthanize the dog than to put it in a cage next to other barking dogs, to be bewildered and frightened if they are only going to put the dog down in the end. And why waste resources on a dog that is not adoptable? It is very, very sad for the dog. The problems the dog had were not so bad that someone could not have come up with a solution. But a shelter NEEDS to put their money into helping dogs that have the best shot at getting out. 

I really do not feel sorry for the woman. She made a stupid decision that cost the dog its life. I think she was aware. Sometimes when we change our minds, things work out, sometimes they don't. The loser here is the pup. Another present gone wrong.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> If the owner leaves a dog with severe SA at the shelter, the KINDEST thing they can do is to immediately euthanize the dog. It would very, very cruel to stick the dog in a cage (dogs with severe SA often have fear of enclosed spaces) for awhile and THEN euth the dog.
> 
> Shame on the owner. Sounds like she was given several options, but chose the easy way out.


100% agree.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

Stupid woman. And really, who knows if that behavior was SA or just the pup being a PUPPY. He was a year old. Not one word if she had tried crate training or exercising the dog. PLEASE!! The poor dog paid the price for her stupidity. I hope she doesn't get anymore dogs. Ever.

ETA: Until I learned how to manage Dharma's puppyhood appropriately, she was chewing on the walls, window sills, furniture, etc. It wasn't SA, it was the fact she was a PUPPY. I needed to learn and educate my self about her and her breed. So I did.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Did you see the picture with the 12 yo girl?  Breaks my heart. 

The labrador was probably just a normal puppy with zero training, and no crate training. So many people still think crates are "inhumane". I had someone defriend me on FB because I use/d one with Rocket.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

RocketDog said:


> Did you see the picture with the 12 yo girl?  Breaks my heart.
> 
> The labrador was probably just a normal puppy with zero training, and no crate training. So many people still think crates are "inhumane". I had someone defriend me on FB because I use/d one with Rocket.



Yep. My best friend doesn't believe in them and thinks I shouldn't be crating Pippa, ESP since Pippa is the ultimate escape artist and has destroyed 2 crates already and figured out how to open the door on the Vari- Kennel. My friend thinks I should just leave her out. Uh, no. She is destroying my house. She is a puppy and chews on everything. Not only is she destructive but she could get hurt. 

Pippa doesn't have SA, she has "I am a puppy" syndrome. Probably what that other puppy had. Stupid, stupid woman.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

That is so sad, the reality is the dog most likely was just a young in-trained, under exercised puppy, another home could have been a simple fix, my Cairn Terrier I rescued from the shelter was turned in because her owner passed and her adult children didn't want to hassle with a high energy uncontrollable house dog , she's been nothing but a joy with me, completely housebroken, stay in my house all day while I work, no messes, no chewing anything up or anything, when I get home though and we feed and clean the horses she's a hunting maniac, after just 3 months I can't imagine not having her, she's a gem. It's another case of the wrong dog in the wrong home.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Wow, she tried to contact rescue a whole 2 hours before going to the shelter? She's right, she really did try everything. *sarcasm*


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## JenniferF (Dec 22, 2011)

Every pet owner giving up on their pet should read this first--- you let your pet go and there is a VERY good chance it is put down. What do they expect?


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

Poor baby. 

I have a question - would the shelter even allow her to take the dog back if she wasn't euthanized so quickly? I know that a few shelter and rescue's policies are that once you surrender an animal, you cannot have it back. 

One of my mom's friends thought crates were cruel. She has a lab/sharpei mix puppy who was destroying the house and driving everyone mad. She would always ask me for advice, and my mom let her borrow our crate just to see how he would react to it. (That took a lot of convincing). She followed my directions for crate training and - surprise - he loved his crate, and I quit getting so many calls/texts about if something he ate will hurt him.


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## heronponie (Sep 27, 2011)

Wow- I have to say I'm really surprised by the responses! I am no dog expert, but the behavior sounded like normal puppy stuff to me. As a layperson I would assume the shelter knows that, and would do their own evaluation before euthing the dog. They have no idea if the owner was credible or not but still took her 100% at her word? 

I agree they were within their rights to euth. But 10 mins? That doesn't seem a bit rash to anyone else?


I guess it doesn't make a difference to me, because I keep my pets as family for life. But if I ever hear acquaintances considering sending a dog, I'll remember this.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

At first reading, I thought "why didn't they do the crate test?" Then I thought about it. The woman says she spent 45 minutes in a teary goodbye, obviously feeling guilty and over-emotional. The poor dog was probably a wreck when it was taken into the back. Yet another mess created entirely by this woman in an attempt to ease her conscious.
Everyone knows the first thing to change with a dog with SA is to do a lowkey goodbye. If the dog DID have SA, I can't imagine the state it was in. If it didn't, I'm sure that it was acting like it after that scene.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Heronponie, mopst shelters are filled to the brim. As they said, if the dog DID have anxiety, to keep it there in a kennel would be beyond cruel. Even if it didn't, do you think there is a waiting list for large dogs that destroy furniture and eat holes in walls, also, see my post above.

Sadly, so many people see their pets as disposable. The shelters have to make decisions to give the dogs with the most chance of being adopted the floor space.

ETA and yes, it could have been normal


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Heronponie, In many, many shelters, owner surrenders are euth'd the SAME day. Everyone surrendering a pet should know that. And.....if not the same day, they should be aware that the chances of their pet making it out of the shelter alive are very slim. The more issues a dog has, the less adoptable it is.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I am sick of people who have to have a baby puppy because they are "soooooo cuuuuute" and are totally unprepared and unwilling to do what it takes to raise it to become a well adjusted adult. We regularly get inquiries about adopting newborn puppy. Because an 8 week old is too old to bond with these super owners. And of course they oppose crating, do not provide enough exercise, and then the dog end up at the shelter as a hyper 80 pound teenager. 
The other version is that they let a bad behavior deteriorate because it is too much effort to train or install safe fencing and then want to pawn off the dog with aggression issues on others because they love it so much but they really cannot have an unsafe dog in their neighborhood. Of course, people out there are just dying and waiting in line to endanger themselves, their own animals or their neighborhood just to please the fine people who cannot.
And when talking to them they only feel sorry fornthemselves not for the poor animal they ruined.
I wonder what the world would look like if dumping children were not against the law.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

This lady makes some odd contradictions which is why I think I have a negative reaction to her story. I can't sympathize with someone who says one thing and does the complete opposite... The evidence is in her careless actions. Hope she thinks twice before getting another pup. 



> “Ultimately, we can only adopt out the animals that the public is willing to take.”
> *Nott chose not to pay a $30 fee that would have given her the option to reclaim the dog, and she signed the part of an agreement that said she chose not to retrieve the animal,* Janzen said.
> Nott said she didn’t read everything before signing, that she was upset.
> Nott said she was never told that Lucy would be euthanized that day, only that the *dog might not be a candidate for adoption*. Otherwise, she said, “I would not have left without my dog."


What did she think would happen to a dog that wasn't a candidate for adoption? 



> *A staff member told her very, very specifically, "If you leave this animal here, it will be put sleep today." *The worker said it multiple times, Janzen said.
> 
> “*If we had had any indication that she was on the fence or might come back to get the dog, we would have held the dog longer*, just to be on the safe side. We gave her multiple opportunities to explore other options, and she declined them.”


I just find it irritating that she faults the shelter staff (most LOVE animals and deeply regret putting dogs down) when they gave her multiple opportunities for reconsideration.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

What kind of moron thinks a 9 month old puppy has separation anxiety because he's chewing stuff? What puppy doesnt chew stuff?!?! Not only is she an idiot what kind of Humane Society euthanizes a puppy that is clearly wrong about SA and easily adoptable?!?!


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

The shelter is required to disclose the reasons for the surrender of the dog. Nobody would adopt a dog with the history this owner described. Sadly, owners often make the dog sound worse than the animal is to justify their action of dumping the animal. With the numbers of animals dumped, the shelters simply don't have the resources to individually evaluate these situations.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

RebelGSD said:


> The shelter is required to disclose the reasons for the surrender of the dog. Nobody would adopt a dog with the history this owner described. Sadly, owners often make the dog sound worse than the animal is to justify their action of dumping the animal. With the numbers of animals dumped, the shelters simply don't have the resources to individually evaluate these situations.


I don't agree with this at all. If people wouldn't adopt a puppy because it chews things nobody should EVER get one because it is inevitable.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I don't know what part of Rebel's post you are disagreeing with, because I think she is dead on. Adopters want the dog that is housebroken, not destructive, doesn't bark too much, etc., etc. Sure they have unrealistic expectations, but you can bet that potential adopters are looking at every negative word said about a dog. 

This woman portrayed her dog in a very poor light. Rebel is also right about that. People who surrender their pets seem to want to make themselves look better. As in, "No one would blame me for not putting up with this behavior." They want to justify dumping the dog. Whether intentional or not, they are signing a death sentence for that dog. Shelters go by what the owner says about the dog - even if it is not true. I think it is grossly unfair to blame the shelter.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I don't know what part of Rebel's post you are disagreeing with, because I think she is dead on. Adopters want the dog that is housebroken, not destructive, doesn't bark too much, etc., etc. Sure they have unrealistic expectations, but you can bet that potential adopters are looking at every negative word said about a dog.
> 
> This woman portrayed her dog in a very poor light. Rebel is also right about that. People who surrender their pets seem to want to make themselves look better. As in, "No one would blame me for not putting up with this behavior." They want to justify dumping the dog. Whether intentional or not, they are signing a death sentence for that dog. Shelters go by what the owner says about the dog - even if it is not true. I think it is grossly unfair to blame the shelter.


I blame her completely. Just find it absurd that a puppy is put down and considered not adoptable because it chews. Call me cold hearted....


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Not cold hearted at all. I see your point, but the thing is the potential adopter will see the form completed by the previous owner. At least I did, when I adopted my dog. That person has said the dog has SA and is destructive. The shelter could say they re-evaluated the dog and did not find that to be the case, but then - who are you going to believe? 

People should absolutely expect to put work into any dog they adopt. Often, as you said, such doggie behavior is normal. Unfortunately many people have a preconceived notion that shelter dogs are problem dogs. They don't want to adopt someone else's problem. Then, when the previous owner says the dog has issues......well it's just a no win for the dog.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Not cold hearted at all. I see your point, but the thing is the potential adopter will see the form completed by the previous owner. At least I did, when I adopted my dog. That person has said the dog has SA and is destructive. The shelter could say they re-evaluated the dog and did not find that to be the case, but then - who are you going to believe?
> 
> People should absolutely expect to put work into any dog they adopt. Often, as you said, such doggie behavior is normal. Unfortunately many people have a preconceived notion that shelter dogs are problem dogs. They don't want to adopt someone else's problem. Then, when the previous owner says the dog has issues......well it's just a no win for the dog.


I understand stand your point completely. Sorry for the rant I suppose myself just like everyone on here gets very annoyed when people take on an animal and then can't handle the responsibility and its the animals life that gets taken for no reason other then the person is to lazy to work with the dog.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Even with non-kill shelters/rescue... just don't surrender. Once the dog is out of your hands you won't have any influence what happens with the dog or what doesn't. You've surrendered the dog, period. 

However, in this society, it's a lose lose situation. You can't win, no matter what you do. 

If you re-home: Bad Owner
Surrender: Bad Owner
PTS: Bad Owner


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

nomansland4404 said:


> I understand stand your point completely. Sorry for the rant I suppose myself just like everyone on here gets very annoyed when people take on an animal and then can't handle the responsibility and its the animals life that gets taken for no reason other then the person is to lazy to work with the dog.


I hear ya. When Jazz was 7 months old he opened our fridge and cleaned us out. I told this story to my sister-in-law and brother over Christmas and they actually said, "I can't believe you kept that dog." They have a history of rehoming their pets because they are lazy and don't want to put any training into a dog.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

nomansland4404 said:


> I don't agree with this at all. If people wouldn't adopt a puppy because it chews things nobody should EVER get one because it is inevitable.


This goes way beyond chewing. 
After doing rescue for a number of years now (started in 2002) I've seen my share of SA cases.
It's unreal the amount of damage a dog can cause not only it's environment, chewing through sheetrock, insulation and 2x4 studs, but it's own body.
We have euthanized for severe SA. 
Because the fact is...people have a hard enough time dealing with this when it's their own dog they raised. It's like, the #1 or #2 reason dogs get turned into shelters, maybe #2, I forget and need to shower and get going so can't look it up.
But that's their owners - who love them! You take a dog from a shelter and within 3 days it destroys your laundry room, your garage, your windows, and itself in the process. Nobody can deal with that or be expected to.

And so the dog gets brought back to the shelter. And maybe adopted out again (probably not but let's say it's a "no kill" shelter) and then boom, does the same thing. It's a vicious circle and every trip to a home and back to the shelter makes it worse.

Anyway I believe SA dogs have something wrong either chemically or mentally, but either way they are the worst adoption candidates and this owner didn't even pay the $30 to get her dog back, what was the shelter to do? They've been down the SA road trying to help these dogs and saw what happened in the long run. Why make the dog suffer any longer than necessary (and even one moment in a shelter will be too much, 15 minutes or a few hours are going to be even worse). 

I see why they did what they did. It's sad, but the one thing people need to realize is, you cannot pass along your problem dog to another and expect them to be overjoyed or want to work with it, the best person to work with it is the one who raised it and quite probably created the problem.
As a rescue I must also say I am sick to death of people doing that to us, they won't neuter a boy (for instance), bring home a female and she goes into heat, and they blame the boy for marking at age 2-3yrs. of age when he's still intact and then want us to take this "problem dog" they created off their hands. It goes on and on. People toss a dog into a back yard, it digs, barks, escapes all day while they are gone at work, the neighbor threatens to shoot it because it's escaping all day long and the folks come home and call us to take their problem _they _created!

Ugh. I need to shower and leave. LOL


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

msvette2u said:


> This goes way beyond chewing.
> After doing rescue for a number of years now (started in 2002) I've seen my share of SA cases.
> It's unreal the amount of damage a dog can cause not only it's environment, chewing through sheetrock, insulation and 2x4 studs, but it's own body.
> We have euthanized for severe SA.
> ...


While I believe that it was rushed, I also believe, in the end, from the Shelters point of view, that it was the only right thing to do. 

You can't save every dog. It's an impossible task and passing a SA dog around, from home to home to home to home where it destroys the interior... one of these owners will take the dog to the vet and PTS it themselves somewhere along the line while that vicious cycle could have been prevented from the very beginning.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

fuzzybunny said:


> I hear ya. When Jazz was 7 months old he opened our fridge and cleaned us out. I told this story to my sister-in-law and brother over Christmas and they actually said, "I can't believe you kept that dog." They have a history of rehoming their pets because they are lazy and don't want to put any training into a dog.


Yep! My dog Reeko destroyed stuff like crazy. Just being a puppy. Guess I never realized that I should have had him put down. Also amazes me some of these elites on here think a dog that has bit people multiple times just needs a better trainer...but a dog that chews some stuff up should be killed.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

Also in no way will you ever make me believe a 9 month old dog has SA and is unsaveable. This was a puppy being a puppy.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

As long as it is separation anxiety. Nowadays, with Cesar Millan and all the dog shows, every other dog is declared to have separation anxiety. Normal puppy behavior, especially with owners who find crating cruel, can be a lethal combination for the poor dog.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

nomansland4404 said:


> Yep! My dog Reeko destroyed stuff like crazy. Just being a puppy. Guess I never realized that I should have had him put down. Also amazes me some of these elites on here think a dog that has bit people multiple times just needs a better trainer...but a dog that chews some stuff up should be killed.


Not sure who you are talking about - I am not and have never been in a "save them all" camp.

Did you even read my post? 
Yes a dog who is 9-12mos. could have SA, very likely could have.
And the owner caused it, had they crated and established a routine from early on, the dog would not be a problem.
This went _beyond _chewing. We're talking destroying. 
Anyone can handle chewing - crate the dog when not supervised, and put valuables up you don't want chewed.

SA is far different and until you've had a dog with it, you shouldn't chalk it up to "every puppy chews".

Maybe my post was too long for you to read it all. 

In short, SA = eaten doors, crates (even wire ones), damage to the sheetrock, insulation (which can kill a dog if it eats enough of it, it's FIBERGLASS), 2x4s in the walls, and damage to the dog, from it's mouth being cut up while destroying said 2x4s, sheetrock and the like.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

msvette2u said:


> Not sure who you are talking about - I am not and have never been in a "save them all" camp.
> 
> Did you even read my post?
> Yes a dog who is 9-12mos. could have SA, very likely could have.
> ...


Maybe the original article was too long for you to read it all. I don't remember reading ANYTHING close to eating 2x4's and sheetrock. It said the pup dug at carpet and household items. Every dog that chewed household items was put down we'd be in short supply.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

NoMansLand - did YOU read the article? She said the dog destroyed drywall and carpet. My aunt had a maltese that had severe separation anxiety. It wasn't usually an issue, because she took that dog, literally, everywhere she went - even work. One time she left him with her dad and he put him in the bathroom. He did several thousand dollars worth of damage. Destroyed the cabinets, the walls, the door, the floors.... And this is an itty bitty Maltese, all done in less than a few hours! 
I don't even want to think about how much damage a lab puppy could destroy in that time if it had SA. 
Most dogs won't chew through drywall or carpet just out of being a puppy. I believe the dog most likely had SA, which, as was said before, is not just a 'little' problem. Though I also believe that if the owner wanted to work with her, it could have been overcome. It's not someone else's job to adopt the problem dogs to work with their extreme issues - which is why she was euth'd.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

nomansland4404 said:


> Maybe the original article was too long for you to read it all. I don't remember reading ANYTHING close to eating 2x4's and sheetrock. It said the pup dug at carpet and household items. Every dog that chewed household items was put down we'd be in short supply.


According to the article, the owner stated that the dog dug up the carpet and ate a hole in the drywall. The shelter is required to disclose that information to potential adopters, and nobody is going to adopt a large dog that destroys walls and floors.


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## nomansland4404 (Jun 15, 2010)

Emoore said:


> According to the article, the owner stated that the dog dug up the carpet and ate a hole in the drywall. The shelter is required to disclose that information to potential adopters, and nobody is going to adopt a large dog that destroys walls and floors.


Oops missed the drywall part. My fault...thank god it was put down. Who knows how many buildings could have collapsed.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Emoore said:


> . . . . and the Great Politeness Initiative of 2012 comes to a screeching halt.


Hey, but it was worth a try. LOL!


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> Hey, but it was worth a try. LOL!


Look see, I deleted it because I'm still trying to be nice, but you caught me anyway!


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

nomansland4404 said:


> Oops missed the drywall part. My fault...thank god it was put down. Who knows how many buildings could have collapsed.


Because drywall is so healthy for dogs....


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Does this mean we can be snarky and sarcastic again? 'Cause the whole "do unto others" thing was really stressing me out.


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## heronponie (Sep 27, 2011)

I guess I'm still hung up on the 10 minutes part. Maybe it's shocking to me that any "office" environment could run that fast 


I understand not everything is adoptable. I work in rescue (not dogs). But I can't think of a time when any rescue came in here and was PTS 10 minutes later. Then again we do not operate on a national scale like the Humane Society.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

One of our adopters, during a home visit, showed us a hole in the drywall his pup generated. This was a pup from a breeder, not rescue. He said he would fix it when his dog is old enough not to create one again. And we laughed. 

The original article did not mention anything about the dog being crate trained.

I do remember pictures of holes in the drywall on this board too.

I think everybody agrees that one has to make sure that it is SA before the dog gets labeled and put down. Once the dog goes into a shelter with such a negative history, it is usually a death sentence, sadly, because of the numbers of animals the shelter deals with. Many animals with no negative history are killed too, because of lack of space.

My dear puppies shredded a sofa into one inch pieces because I thought they were mature enough to be uncrated. When the pet sitters arrived at noon, they were sitting happily on the naked wooden frame and spring with a grin on their faces. They were very proud of themselves. The room was covered with foam knee-high. I smacked myself on the head when I arrived home.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Emoore said:


> Does this mean we can be snarky and sarcastic again? 'Cause the whole "do unto others" thing was really stressing me out.


Sorry about that. I thought it was funny.

And yeah Girlfriend. Let the games begin. Bring on the snarky sarcasm. Can't live with it. Can't live without it.


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Nomansland4404, aside from it already being mentioned numerous times that caging a SA dog can be defined as "cruel and unusual punishment" and the kindest thing you can do is put the animal down, the likelihood of a dog with noted destructive tendencies finding a home is slim to nil. When people go to a shelter to find a dog there are an overabundance of animals to choose from. Although there are a lot of "bleeding hearts" who will willingly take in an animal with a medical condition, those altruistic leanings tend to stop once someone's personal property, i.e. house, is involved. People are far more willing to spend money on medication, than watch their house be destroyed. Yes, a year old lab pup is adorable, but most likely, they have another year old lab pup in the same shelter or a nearby shelter that is not destructive. Meanwhile, the dog continues to sit in a cage, its anxiety problems continuing to grow until you have a neurotic dog who is miserable.

I love all animals, and have had numerous rescue dogs, but I personally would not bring a dog home that had these destructive tendencies, just as I would not adopt a cat which was turned over to the shelter for excessive furniture scratching. Even if I had my heart set on a year old lab, I would simply go to another shelter and find a dog that suited me. All of my friends would do the same. It is not as if there is a shortage of animals being brought to the shelter.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

When my local shelter is full, owner surrenders are taken directly to the back room to be put down. They are required by law to keep strays three business days, owners surrenders are put down first for space. Regardless of temperament. When the dog is particularly nice, they call rescue before the dogbgoes back. If someone can pick the dog up within an hour it can live. Once they stacked crates in the corridor for the owner surrenders because there were no free kennel runs, while the dogs were waiting for rescue to pick them up. They are not really allowed to do that. Very sad for this society.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

RebelGSD said:


> When my local shelter is full, owner surrenders are taken directly to the back room to be put down. They are required by law to keep strays three business days, owners surrenders are put down first for space. Regardless of temperament. When the dog is particularly nice, they call rescue before the dogbgoes back. If someone can pick the dog up within an hour it can live. *Once they stacked crates in the corridor for the owner surrenders because there were no free kennel runs, while the dogs were waiting for rescue to pick them up. They are not really allowed to do that. *Very sad for this society.


I have seen shelters this full, too.

I'm incredulous that nomans doesn't understand SA, but then again, until you are on the front lines dealing with a dog with it, perhaps it doesn't hit home.
It does here. It's awful, it is truly a death sentence in a rescue dog and it breaks my heart. I stand by my original statement though, that something is "wrong" in the dog's head to cause it to get this way, a chemical imbalance or something.
And when you have healthy dogs with no such issues to adopt out, you can't take up space for a dog with SA that nobody will adopt anyway. 
These days, with adoptions so slow, even a mild health issue is a huge thing and hinders adoption, let alone a dog that eats your home to shreds.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

heronponie said:


> I guess I'm still hung up on the 10 minutes part. Maybe it's shocking to me that any "office" environment could run that fast
> 
> I understand not everything is adoptable. I work in rescue (not dogs). But I can't think of a time when any rescue came in here and was PTS 10 minutes later. Then again we do not operate on a national scale like the Humane Society.


It is more likely that the 10 minutes was just a horrible coincidence. The woman brought the dog in and turned it over at the time that the tech was working in the back. It is bad that the owner feels it is ok to blame everyone but herself.

No mention of any effort she made to keep the dog, only all the work she put into trying to find someone to take him off her hands -

friends and family - Hi Aunt Sally. Fluffy ate a huge section of the carpet and chewed a hole through the wall. Can he come live with you?

rescue - Hi. I know that you are probably busy and might be out working your "real" job, but I need to get rid of my dog RIGHT NOW. You probably get dozens of these calls a week, but I'm serious!. Opps, I haven't heard form you and it's been 2 hours - how could you fail me like this?

shelter - I don't want my dog. He is horribly destructive and I don't want to see him again. No, I don't want to pay any fee that would let me change my mind. Just get rid of the dog. OMG!! How could you kill my pure sweet baby to death???

Also, as I said in another post, she says that she spent 45 minutes crying and saying goodbye to the dog. Even the best tempered of dogs is going to be stressed out in a shelter, add in the additional stress of the owner trying to ease her conscious, and the dog was probably a nervous wreck by the time that the staff took it into the back. 

My only fear is that people will use this to rationalize dumping their dogs "in the country" instead of going to the shelter.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

This shelter is kill happy, they didn't even have the dog for 10 minutes before they euthanized it! The owner was still in the parking lot for pete's sake! Shame on the owner of this dog and shame on the shelter.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> When my local shelter is full, owner surrenders are taken directly to the back room to be put down.


I suppose some people would see them as kill-happy. Yep, evil shelters, they just like to kill animals all the time.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> I suppose some people would see them as kill-happy. Yep, evil shelters, they just like to kill animals all the time.


The shelter in my area used to be kill happy and put dogs down daily regardless of if they were full or not until an outcry from the public changed how things were ran there. This shelter may not have been full and may very well have been kill happy. The owner was still in the parking lot-talk about fast.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

"may have been" and "this shelter is" are two vastly different things.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> "may have been" and "this shelter is" are two vastly different things.


Exactly-and consequently we don't know if it was or not. Anyhow, I don't share the common opinion on this thread but I do have the right to my own opinion. And I have stated it and will now remove myself from this conversation because there is nothing further to say without this interaction becoming snarky and sarcastic.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

It's easy to have an opinion on it when you're not the ones holding the needle. Not just you, GSDLova. 
When you're in the trenches doing the euthanasias, showering for hours because you feel you'll never get clean, dealing with owners who can't put even an ounce of work into their "beloved" pet, the last thing you need is someone calling you "kill happy".
If shelters were not "kill happy", we'd have overstuffed shelters across the nation, what with people giving up their dogs on a whim, let alone for actual unworkable problems. 
And as a euth. tech I can guarantee you we'll all go out for a huge party the day people start taking their jobs as a _responsible_ owner seriously.
And what did that owner think, anyway? That someone was out there just dying to adopt a dog who digs up and tears apart carpeting and eats walls?


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> It's easy to have an opinion on it when you're not the ones holding the needle. Not just you, GSDLova.
> When you're in the trenches doing the euthanasias, showering for hours because you feel you'll never get clean, dealing with owners who can't put even an ounce of work into their "beloved" pet, the last thing you need is someone calling you "kill happy".
> If shelters were not "kill happy", we'd have overstuffed shelters across the nation, what with people giving up their dogs on a whim, let alone for actual unworkable problems.
> And as a euth. tech I can guarantee you we'll all go out for a huge party the day people start taking their jobs as a _responsible_ owner seriously.
> And what did that owner think, anyway? That someone was out there just dying to adopt a dog who digs up and tears apart carpeting and eats walls?


I could not imagine having to do that job! I completely understand what you are saying, I am the owner of a dog who has many issues. Many people told me that they would have taken him to the dog pound already, and I sure wouldn't do that to him-I can't even imagine how an owner could do that to their pet. I know that this dogs owner was a real crappy person-ultimatley it is her fault that her dog was killed-she never should have taken him in to begin with. It's just that the dog pound in my area was putting dogs down that they received during the night before their doors opened in the morning and with people outside waiting to adopt. When they'd open at 9 am they'd say-the dogs were already put down. Now they have to give people a chance to adopt the dogs and work with rescues but before they were indeed kill happy. Since the policies there have changed, many dogs lives have been saved. I know not every shelter is like that-but I just don't know anything about the history of this particular shelter to know what their story is.Of course the dog was deemed unadoptable so there was no point in holding on to him. Especially since the owner would not pay the extra $30 so that she would have had the opportunity to reclaim him.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I also think it's unfair to call the shelter "kill happy". I don't feel bad for the dog owner but the dog absolutely...he was done a disservice by his owner...he was not to set up to suceed as a pet in the home. Pet ownership is a big deal.

I refuse to believe the staff at a shelter is thinking "oh great another one to kill"...I'm sure this line of work weighs on them heavy. I could not do this job but Thank God for those who can for those who won't or can't.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Honestly, I do feel sort of bad for the owner. I can only imagine how distraught she was to make that decision in the first place. She was on the phone with her sister. 

She made a horrible mistake and wanted to correct it. Sadly, too late. 

She wanted to work it out. She tried finding a solution and ten minutes is a very short time-frame from the owners point of view. I would have been just as upset. 

She wanted to get done and over with it as fast as possible just not to have to think about it and changing her mind, but did it anyways and was too late. 

I actually can understand her way of thinking and why she did what she did and why she is upset.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

msvette2u said:


> Not sure who you are talking about - I am not and have never been in a "save them all" camp.
> 
> Did you even read my post?
> Yes a dog who is 9-12mos. could have SA, very likely could have.
> ...



I stopped reading here but I am going to address this, forgive me if someone has already said something. Destroying sheetrock, eating walls, furniture, etc, is NOT always SA. Dharma has never, EVER had an ounce of SA in her body. She put several holes in my walls when she was a puppy. I have her teeth marks in my window sill in my bathroom. I caught her chewing on my sofa once. She chewed on the legs of my coffee table, the only reason it survived was it is iron. NONE of it had to do with SA, some of it she did WHILE I was home and not paying close attention. 

It was MY fault. She was under trained and under exercised. She was a hyper puppy with needs I WAS NOT meeting. Once I stopped looking at the pretty pictures in the books I had and actually started reading them, found the dog park and started to learn from the people their and found this forum, things got better. I learned how to manage her. 

So, those behaviors are NOT exclusive to SA.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

You know, I just don't have any sympathy for people who take their dog to a kill shelter and then want to play the victim later. 

You took your dog to a shelter where unadoptable dogs are euthanized.

You were told your dog was unadoptable and will be euthanized.

You refused to sign the paperwork and pay the fee that would buy him some time if you changed your mind. 

And now you want to act all surprised, cry and play the victim and try to get sympathy? Sorry. No. All my sympathy is reserved for the dog.

I don't care why they euthanized the dog. I don't care if they said, "We really hate yellow dogs and your dog is going to be euthanized because he's yellow." The owner was told what would happen and she didn't care until after the fact. I just don't feel sorry for her.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Agreed. The article does not mention whether she attempted crate training or not.


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

It doesn't sound like she tried crate training at all. It doesn't sound like she tried anything. If she honestly expected a rescue to respond in 2 hours than I seriously doubt she worked with this puppy at all. I have absolutely NO sympathy for her.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm assuming she alerted the news media about her story?


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

DharmasMom said:


> It doesn't sound like she tried crate training at all. It doesn't sound like she tried anything. If she honestly expected a rescue to respond in 2 hours than I seriously doubt she worked with this puppy at all. I have absolutely NO sympathy for her.


It's the news, do you honestly think they are going into the depth of training and what she did and could have done to prevent SA?
Do you honestly think it was written by a dog expert? :help:

They don't even go as far as THINKING about crate training nor would they ever ask that question.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

She could have volunteered that the dog tore up several crates same as she volunteered the rest of the complaints.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Oh please, really?


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Oh, yes "please". Really


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Who says, she didn't tell the reporter? How many times have the news gotten it wrong? 

All we know is what is in that article. From the pictures posted it doesn't seem like the lab was a horribly unloved dog. It seems like the dog WAS actually loved and what happened was a horrible horrible mistake.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

Have it your way


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

She's already down and feeling guilty beyond means. Just let her be....


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## DharmasMom (Jul 4, 2010)

I think anybody who gives a rescue 2 HOURS to respond before hauling their dog to a kill shelter for what is honestly most likely puppy behavior, most likely hasn't really crate trained their dog. The article never mentioned because she probably never mentioned it because she probably never tried it. But that is just MHO.

Nobody is saying the dog was unloved. Lots of people "love" their dogs but have not clue what they are doing and never bother to learn. I know, because at one time I was that person. I had to make a decision. I was going to buckle down and learn or fail and Dharma would have to go because I couldn't continue to live like I was. I then made a decision. I had made a commitment to her the day I brought her home and I owed it to her to make it work so I did. This woman chose the other route.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Mrs.K said:


> It seems like the dog WAS actually loved and what happened was a horrible horrible mistake.


Gotta disagree with you on this one. You don't accidentally by mistake take a dog that you dearly love to a kill shelter, accidentally sign the paperwork saying he can and will be euthanized, and then accidentally by mistake not pay the fee so you can keep him alive. I'm just not buying it.


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## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I don't see anybody communicating with her or not letting her be. People are entitled to their opinions since she was the one who brought into the press and attacked the shelter through the press or the internet. Apparently most of the people don't pity her but dog who paid with his life for her "mistake". And nobody can guilt or bully people into feeling sympathy for her.
You are welcome to contact her and support her, if you wish. It is your right.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I've posted many times about my co-workers and their attitudes towards dogs and training. Well, she mentioned the other day that she's never going to get another dog because "she's tired of them dying"
Yup, the only options are no dog or dead dog because they run into the highway.
Training isn't an option, too much work and time.
Chaining isn't an option because it's a pain to "remember" to put the dog on a runner instead of just opening the door.
Fence is too expensive and you've got to work to put it up. Plus, some dogs dig or find other ways out.

THAT is a pretty dang common attitude with the public, unfortunately.
The woman contacted the paper to get the word out about what the cruel shelter did to her beloved dog. But all the focus was on how many different ways she tried to get RID of the dog. 
Honestly, if she had tried so many times and for so long to get rid of the dog, do you think that she had a sudden ephinany and wanted to solve the problem? Or is it more likely that she was guilt-ridden and upset? In the latter case, how long would you give before she was dropping off the dog again?


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Someone listed a news article. This is not a case where an individual came on and posted about their terrible experience.

Normally, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I am having a hard time dredging up some compassion for this [insert explicative of your choice]. 

Times are tough and people are dumping dogs because they are losing homes and relocating, unemployed, under employed, etc. Shelters are, as always, pretty full in most places. Yes it was a gift, and dog savvy people pretty much accept that that is a no-no. But she accepted the gift. At that point she accepted the responsibility.

You do not have to be an internet dog forum junkie to know that there is a problem of too many dogs in shelters all over. You have to be deaf, blind, and illiterate to not know that a hyper older puppy with issues isn't going to come out of a kill-shelter. 

The hag couldn't be bothered with the dog, dumped the dog, and now feels bad that they took care of the problem in the way they had the resources to deal with it. The sad thing is that an individual owner COULD manage a SA dog with a bit of training and management. But I do not think ANY shelter environment could really. 

So sorry Mrs. K, I can't just leave her alone. She killed the dog. Ok the gun killed the dog, but she pulled the trigger.


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

I've seen a few posts that say a shelter is required to disclose info on the dog... is there a law somewhere that states this? If so, are they required to disclose info about strays, too, or just owner surrenders? The reason I ask is because a friend of mine adopted a dog from a shelter and she asked several questions, including "Is he good with other dogs?" and "Is he good with kids?" The shelter staff assured her that he was great with other dogs and kids. Well... the dog turned out to have severe dog aggression (attacked several dogs) and severe aggression towards kids (attacked a kid and went directly for the throat, delivering multiple bites... luckily he didn't kill the child). I was extremely upset/angry with the shelter for lying to my friend... they either didn't bother testing him or they lied.

Regarding how quick the dog was euthed... well... perhaps I have a different viewpoint because I know firsthand what a shelter can do to a sensitive dog (with or without SA). My Nova was surrendered to a local shelter. My friend (a behavioral trainer familiar with Nova) tried to pull him from the shelter, knowing that he wouldn't do well in that kind of environment. The shelter refused, thinking they'd be able to quickly find him a home. After a week had passed, they called my friend and told her to come get him, because he'd been driven nearly insane by being in a shelter environment. The dog was so messed up, the trainer decided to put him on Prozac. She had him for six weeks and was unable to find a good home for him because of his anxiety issues. She approached us (people with GSD experience who work/train our dogs) and asked if we'd consider adopting him. We have now had him for two years. We have weaned him off of the Prozac, but he still has a lot of anxiety issues and behavioral problems, and likely always will. We are a good home for him, but I can honestly say there aren't many homes that would be right for him.

1) He has separation anxiety. It is mild, but it is there. He can be crated, but only when other dogs are present. If we leave for any length of time (a workday or even half a workday), he cannot be crated. He also cannot be left without other dogs, so one of the requirements for a home for him is another dog that can he can be left unattended with. We turned our attached garage into a kennel. We insulated and heated the garage, installed a dog door, and built a secure kennel off the back of the garage.

3) He barks. A LOT. It is one of the ways he releases anxiety. We live in the country, far from neighbors, were there are no barking/noise ordinances. If we lived in town, he wouldn't last 10 minutes before the neighbors complained.

4) Every single morning, he has to immediately go outside and run like a maniac. Off leash exercise is a MUST, and we have a 3 acre fenced in yard that is perfect for him.

5) When he get anxious, he does this high pitched whine/yip that a lot of people cannot handle. The only way to even begin training it out of him is to ignore him completely... imagine even 15 minutes of a pacing, panting, yipping dog... a lot of people couldn't handle it.

6) Because of his history and SA, he cannot be boarded. If we go on vacation, he has to go with. 

7) Routine is EVERYTHING to him. If his routine changes, it takes him months to adjust.

I'm stating these things not to say, "gosh, what a wonderful owner I am!" because I realize that a lot of people on this forum would do the same for their dogs. The reason I share Nova's issues/story is because how many of the average public would be willing to take in a dog like this? I know Nova had trials in several homes before we adopted him and he was always returned.

If something happened that we couldn't keep Nova (would never happen, but just for the sake of "what if"), I would take him to the vet and get him euthanized myself if I couldn't find the perfect home. Putting a dog like him in a shelter would be horribly cruel.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Rott-n-GSDs said:


> I've seen a few posts that say a shelter is required to disclose info on the dog... is there a law somewhere that states this? If so, are they required to disclose info about strays, too, or just owner surrenders?


The only information they're required to disclose about strays is "This dog was a stray." They're not required to do any kind of temperament testing so they can let people know how the dog is with children or cats or whatever. But if you dump a dog at the shelter and say, "He scratched my kid" or "He knocked Grandma down" or "He pee'd in the house" they have to give that information to a potential adopter. I'm talking about Texas here because that's all I know.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

My local dog pound does a brief analysis of the dogs behavior and it is written right onto the card that is attached to the dogs cage. For instance the one on my labs cage read-docile and also noted that he was found stray and what city he was found in. Also on the card was written the general condition of his health. It said he did not have fleas or ticks-he had a tick. It said that his ears, eyes, etc were healthy-in reality he had pink eye and an ear infection. It said that he didn't have worms and he was infested with them. So obviously the check-up isn't accurate. And of course, many dogs are fearful and uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment with a hundred other dogs barking constantly so the behavior analysis is probably not very accurate either. I think this analysis is done as a courtesy not by an enforceable law.


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

What I think isn't going to make me popular. We don't really know what the truth is about this owner: She may be someone who got to the end of her rope, panicked and made a terrible mistake, or she might be a witch who never liked dogs in the first place and didn't care about this one. However, she did come back, which indicates something to me, because most people don't. 

I don't care as much about the owner, whom I think we all agree has no recourse, as about the poor dog. Maybe the dog did have severe SA or maybe not; we'll never know because the shelter employees didn't bother to find out.

Here's what I believe happened: You have a bunch of angry (rightly so) burnt-out shelter employees, tired of irresponsible owners dumping their animals. Not only is this woman dumping on them, but she either can't or won't give them any money either. I think they deliberately taught her a lesson, maybe she deserved it, but I think it was cruelty to the dog not to the give the situation at least 24 hours to see if anything happened. I know the majority of shelter staff are caring, positive folks, but some are burnt out and completely obsessed with the bad owners and need to quit and take a break for a while. Euthanized in ten minutes? Come on....


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## Rott-n-GSDs (Jul 7, 2010)

Bridget said:


> Here's what I believe happened: You have a bunch of angry (rightly so) burnt-out shelter employees, tired of irresponsible owners dumping their animals. Not only is this woman dumping on them, but she either can't or won't give them any money either. I think they deliberately taught her a lesson, maybe she deserved it, but I think it was cruelty to the dog not to the give the situation at least 24 hours to see if anything happened. I know the majority of shelter staff are caring, positive folks, but some are burnt out and completely obsessed with the bad owners and need to quit and take a break for a while. Euthanized in ten minutes? Come on....


Deliberately taught her a lesson? How on earth could they possibly know the owner was going to come back?


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Bridget said:


> Here's what I believe happened: You have a bunch of angry (rightly so) burnt-out shelter employees, tired of irresponsible owners dumping their animals. Not only is this woman dumping on them, but she either can't or won't give them any money either. I think they deliberately taught her a lesson, maybe she deserved it, but I think it was cruelty to the dog not to the give the situation at least 24 hours to see if anything happened. I know the majority of shelter staff are caring, positive folks, but some are burnt out and completely obsessed with the bad owners and need to quit and take a break for a while. Euthanized in ten minutes? Come on....


MOST shelter employees don't want to put a dog down. I don't see how they were "teaching her lesson" as I'm sure they never expected to see her again. If there was no empty cage to put the dog in, what do you want them to do? Owner turn ins are the first to be euthanized because the shelter is not required to hold them. It's is a very difficult and thankless job working in a shelter, especially a city shelter that also works as animal control but I have yet to meet someone who works at one that would put a dog down to be spiteful.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Bridget said:


> Here's what I believe happened: You have a bunch of angry (rightly so) burnt-out shelter employees, tired of irresponsible owners dumping their animals. Not only is this woman dumping on them, but she either can't or won't give them any money either. I think they deliberately taught her a lesson,


Eh, it seems far-fetched. How could they have possibly known that, out of the hundreds and maybe thousands of people who drop off their dogs, _this_ woman was going to come back? It's probably SOP at this shelter to PTS owner-surrender dogs when the shelter is full, since they have to hold strays for a certain amount of time.


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

It would not surprise me to learn that the dog had not really been put down at the time the woman returned, IF she really came back as fast as she said she did.

Sorry, I didn't really think of the aspect of not having an empty cage to put the dog in.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Bridget said:


> Sorry, I didn't really think of the aspect of not having an empty cage to put the dog in.


Unfortunately it happens more than you might think, especially around the holidays.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> She may be someone who got to the end of her rope, panicked and made a terrible mistake, or she might be a witch who never liked dogs in the first place and didn't care about this one.


What we find in rescue is that people who decide they are done dealing with a pet and want to "get rid of it" (I always wince when hearing that term), usually do.
And when she wasn't getting responses from rescues or whatever, she brought the dog to the shelter. She didn't want to even pay them the $30 to get the dog back later.
That, to any shelter worker, signifies serious intent to be _rid of the dog_ on the owner's part.
And yes, OS dogs are the first to be put down since they don't have a mandatory hold time. 
When pulling dogs from shelters, we always look at the dates the strays come in, and if it's an OS dog, we would always know they are on borrowed time already so we might choose to pull an OS dog rather than a dog who just came off a stray hold, for instance.

Upon re-reading the article, I find:


> The Humane Society says its staff made clear to Nott that the Lab was not a candidate for adoption and would be euthanized that day because,


Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/01/01/21...-with-kansas.html#0_undefined,0#storylink=cpy

How much plainer could they have told her? She knew the dog would be PTS *that day*, and still did not pay the $30, nor just walk out with the dog then.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

My daughters school took a tour at a newly built shelter in our area...she came home so upset..completely different living situation that our boy is in..she was so shocked by the noise, the pacing and some of the dogs just pushing there bodies against the cage begging for attention

I have never been in a shelter...I literally cannot stand the thought of it, thinking about it right now turns my stomach. In the morning I pass that same shelter and have to turn my head when the dogs are outside playing..I feel SO SO bad *tears*.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

Courtney said:


> My daughters school took a tour at a newly built shelter in our area...she came home so upset..completely different living situation that our boy is in..she was so shocked by the noise, the pacing and some of the dogs just pushing there bodies against the cage begging for attention


I'm surprised they would do that. I'm not sure I would let my kid go at least not without me present. Some days I barely make it out of the shelter without tears in my eyes and I am no stranger to walking through the city animal control shelter.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Courtney said:


> My daughters school took a tour at a newly built shelter in our area...she came home so upset..completely different living situation that our boy is in..she was so shocked by the noise, the pacing and some of the dogs just pushing there bodies against the cage begging for attention
> 
> *I have never been in a shelter...I literally cannot stand the thought of it, thinking about it right now turns my stomach. *In the morning I pass that same shelter and have to turn my head when the dogs are outside playing..*I feel SO SO bad *tears**.


That is how I used to feel and it took great personal strength the day I walked into our city shelter and decided that I was going to rescue a dog-but let me tell you-there is nothing like walking out of that pitiful place with a dog that you rescued and giving him a new life and watching him be all that he can be instead of being PTS. Instead of just glancing from the outside and feeling bad-if possible, doing something about it,that is what makes all the difference-even if only for one dog-to that dog, it means everything.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> That is how I used to feel and it took great personal strength the day I walked in and decided that I was going to rescue a dog-but let me tell you-there is nothing like walking out of that pitiful place with a dog that you rescued and giving him a new life and watching him be all that he can be instead of being PTS. Instead of just glancing from the outside and feeling bad-if possible, doing something about that is what makes all the difference-even if only for one dog-to that dog, it means everything.


Yep...even my husband won't go in the back and I finally asked him why, he said it's too distressing for him.
I go in with the idea that we're going to help at least one dog that day. 
It might mean the difference between life and death!


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

gsdraven said:


> I'm surprised they would do that. I'm not sure I would let my kid go at least not without me present. Some days I barely make it out of the shelter without tears in my eyes and I am no stranger to walking through the city animal control shelter.


This was when she was in 6th grade, I think? The class was working on somesort of "awareness" project that included community service. I remember my husband being iffy..he goes to safety concerns first..but we did let her go. I also understand your point.


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## jang (May 1, 2011)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> This shelter is kill happy, they didn't even have the dog for 10 minutes before they euthanized it! The owner was still in the parking lot for pete's sake! Shame on the owner of this dog and shame on the shelter.


I had to take my dad's cocker to be put down and phoned them first to make ABSOLUTELY SURE she would be put down immediately-- She was always afraid of the vets and I didn't want her in a cage and freaking out--However, I didn't go in "there" with her-which I will forever be disappointed in myself for..My point is that I believe the shelter thought they were being humane in performing their task quickly--This is truly unfortunate-but the shleter did what was right IMHO
Jan


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Germanshepherdlova said:


> That is how I used to feel and it took great personal strength the day I walked into our city shelter and decided that I was going to rescue a dog-but let me tell you-there is nothing like walking out of that pitiful place with a dog that you rescued and giving him a new life and watching him be all that he can be instead of being PTS. Instead of just glancing from the outside and feeling bad-if possible, doing something about it,that is what makes all the difference-even if only for one dog-to that dog, it means everything.


I'm not in a position to take on another dog...the one we have is a handful! Maybe in the future. I can't even watch those tv commercials...the one with Sara McLachlan always comes to mind..I have to turn the channel.

I did start to donate to a GSD rescue...for now that's what I can do.

Your boy sounds very loved and in a outstanding forever home


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

I think if any good were to come out of all this its that perhaps with the media coverage it might open someones eyes about what goes on in the Shelters (the good, the bad and the ugly). Maybe, just maybe, someone might see the story and try just a little bit harder to find their 'throwaway Fido' a home before sending it to the Shelter.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

Konotashi said:


> NoMansLand - did YOU read the article? She said the dog destroyed drywall and carpet. My aunt had a maltese that had severe separation anxiety. It wasn't usually an issue, because she took that dog, literally, everywhere she went - even work. One time she left him with her dad and he put him in the bathroom. He did several thousand dollars worth of damage. Destroyed the cabinets, the walls, the door, the floors.... And this is an itty bitty Maltese, all done in less than a few hours!
> I don't even want to think about how much damage a lab puppy could destroy in that time if it had SA.
> Most dogs won't chew through drywall or carpet just out of being a puppy. I believe the dog most likely had SA, which, as was said before, is not just a 'little' problem. Though I also believe that if the owner wanted to work with her, it could have been overcome. It's not someone else's job to adopt the problem dogs to work with their extreme issues - which is why she was euth'd.



This still doesnt mean the puppy had SA. A person I know had two lap puppies eat his porch..over 1500 worth of damage.

They were BORED and UNSUPERVISED. 

Labs, IMO are one of the few breeds who will eat almost anything, so putting a hole in the wall does not surprise me. Heck, I had a lab eat the bottom of my bathroom door once.


I don't really fault the shelter..although it does seem a bit hasty, IF it was that short of a time as the woman says it was. I don't feel sorry for the woman at all, I fee sorry for the dog though.


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## Germanshepherdlova (Apr 16, 2011)

Courtney said:


> I'm not in a position to take on another dog...the one we have is a handful! Maybe in the future. I can't even watch those tv commercials...the one with Sara McLachlan always comes to mind..I have to turn the channel.
> 
> I did start to donate to a GSD rescue...for now that's what I can do.
> 
> Your boy sounds very loved and in a outstanding forever home


I know how you feel, my GSD is something else. That commercial is very sad. I think it is wonderful that you are donating to a GSD rescue. Everything helps!


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