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| Nero, out in the pasture, looking conflicted. He wants to come to me but he is a little scared of the mower, appropriately so. |
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| Nero through the tall grass. |
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| Nero came a few weeks ago with a bad skin condition. That's improving, but then he got beat up in a fight. His wounded ear is nearly healed. |
There is a crazy school of thought being promulgated by Nathan Winograd that holds that there is no pet overpopulation. He even objects to spaying pregnant female dogs, but like I said, he's just gone crazy. The fact of the matter is, we have more dogs knocking at our door than potential adopters. We could simply pass out dogs to anyone and everyone regardless of qualification, but I think that's nearly as irresponsible as irresponsible breeding.
We feel strongly about the pet population problem and consequently we feel that spaying/neutering is the very basic level of responsible dog care. If a person hasn't done even that, I can't help but question whether it's a home where we should place another dog.
That decision might well be different for a shelter dealing with a higher volume of animals and the need to either move them out or euthanize. It's a little different for a rescue. We have a little more leeway in holding out for a better home.
So I'm not sure where I stand on this issue generally or on this particular application. This one is not really my decision to make unless they get approved and then want one of my fosters.
Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm coming down on the side of rejecting applications like this. If people choose to be blind to the consequences of unintended breeding and refuse to take responsibility for their part in it, we can at least visit some consequences on them by telling them, "no thanks, we can do better."
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| I'm a bit conflicted about Nero as well. He's a velcro dog, wants to be with me always. He has a sharp, painful bark, which he uses when he wants attention, which is always. He assaults me with that shrill, ear-piercing bark whenever I go outside. He will be great dog for someone when he's adopted, but he's a pain in the ass foster because of it. |
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6 comments:
As to your comments about no-kill -- no-kill actually does work. I'm the author of a blog, No-Kill Communities, that has documented about 2 dozen communities where the open admission shelter has a save rate of 90% or above. There are a dozen or so more that are close to no-kill. It's a marketing problem. If you were selling refrigerators out of your home, you might have a hard time. If you are selling refrigerators out of a nice storefront in a convenient part of town, with lots of publicity, it's an entirely different thing.
You have several no-kill shelters near you including Charlottesville and Lynchburg, so I'm surprised that you feel that pet overpopulation is an insuperable problem. As for Winograd, he is in favor of targeted low-income spay-neuter programs -- that's part of the no-kill equation. He simply feels that it's unnecessary to spay an animal who's pregnant, because puppies and kittens are highly adoptable and spaying during pregnancy carries a much higher risk to the mother.
As to the family with the intact male, perhaps VGSR could agree to adopt a dog to them if they neuter their male. 2 birds with one stone. As to Nero, maybe try a spray bottle on him if he isn't too scared already. My dog was a terrible barker for years when riding in the car. Finally it occurred to me to take a spray bottle. I sprayed her twice and she hasn't barked at any passersby since!
My concern is, if their dog has not been neutered, how responsible are they going to be about the general health care of the dog?! I personally think it seems irresponsible, and I would not be placing one of my dogs with them. I know you will make the right decision.
As to Anon 1 - although there may be no-kill shelters, is this the solution to overpopulation?! A dog locked up in a kennel with no home is no way for them to spend their life. Animals are to be loved and cherished.
An intact dog in an adoption applicant’s home is a dilemma for rescues placing a dog but one that is easily resolved. Here are some determining factors: Has the rescue contacted the applicant about spay or neuter? Are they willing to consider it? Have there been any unwanted litters as a result of dog’s fertility status? Does the applicant demonstrate responsible ownership and the ability to control the mating behavior of the intact dog? Check with the vet to determine the owner's record on regular preventative and urgent care for the intact pet in the home. Has the topic been discussed between the vet and the owner? Does the owner have any justified reasons for keeping the dog intact? For instance: breeder contract, show dog, schutzhund competition, or is the owner one of the growing community who accepts the growing number of medically-based counter arguments to spay or neuter? As you have stated, the dog that may eventually be adopted from the rescue will be sterilized and cannot contribute to the unwanted pet population. A properly qualified home in regard to experience, responsibility and veterinary history, is still a qualified home and a sanctuary for an animal in need of a home. The rescue must remember that the applicant owns that intact dog; it is, in the end the owner’s decision on what action if any they should take. The rescue mission is to educate, and advise regarding sterilization, based on its desire to reduce unwanted pet populations. It is outside the scope of the rescue’s mission to demand that an intact dog be spayed or neutered in an otherwise qualified home as part of a requirement for adopting a rescue dog.
An intact dog in an adoption applicant’s home is a dilemma for rescues placing a dog but one that is easily resolved. Here are some determining factors: Has the rescue contacted the applicant about spay or neuter? Are they willing to consider it? Have there been any unwanted litters as a result of dog’s fertility status? Does the applicant demonstrate responsible ownership and the ability to control the mating behavior of the intact dog? Check with the vet to determine the owner's record on regular preventative and urgent care for the intact pet in the home. Has the topic been discussed between the vet and the owner? Does the owner have any justified reasons for keeping the dog intact? For instance: breeder contract, show dog, schutzhund competition, or is the owner one of the growing community who accepts the growing number of medically-based counter arguments to spay or neuter? As you have stated, the dog that may eventually be adopted from the rescue will be sterilized and cannot contribute to the unwanted pet population. A properly qualified home in regard to experience, responsibility and veterinary history, is still a qualified home and a sanctuary for an animal in need of a home. The rescue must remember that the applicant owns that intact dog; it is, in the end the owner’s decision on what action if any they should take. The rescue mission is to educate, and advise regarding sterilization, based on its desire to reduce unwanted pet populations. It is outside the scope of the rescue’s mission to demand that an intact dog be spayed or neutered in an otherwise qualified home as part of a requirement for adopting a rescue dog.
Well, here's how this one is playing out. Applicants have stated that they (husband) will not neuter their intact male dog. There is no reason except that male "I wouldn't want that done to me so I won't do it to my dog" thing. If they had a female dog, it would have been spayed. I did not recommend approval of their application without a neuter. It is their choice whether or not to do so; it is our choice whether or not to adopt to them. Their dog lives outdoors under an electric fence that keeps no one out and may or may not keep their dog in. I have no doubt that their dog has contributed an unwanted litter to the pet population, and dog only knows how many more dogs resulted from later generations. Not adopting to these people will not force them to neuter their dog, but it will send a message that their behavior falls outside developing social norms.
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