What a way to end 2014 - by getting a slew of messages from people that there are 5 rescues out there bashing a fabulous organization. I am not going to name the organization nor am I going to name the rescues/people. Most of you will know who all of the people involved are and I see no reason to mention them. And if anyone comments by mentioning the organization or rescues/people doing the bashing I will delete and block. So youre wondering what the story is....here it is. I have heard that a dog was picked up from rehab and some time afterward they felt that the dog regressed. So this dog was placed with a trainer to undo all the damage. Hmmm well that alone makes me wonder two things 1) was ALL the protocol/instructions followed to maintain the dogs balance? 2) Does the dogs owner realize that there is a difference between a trainer and a behaviorist? Now let me say that if the protocol was not followed then yes you certainly can expect that the dog will regress. That is not the behaviorists fault - that is your fault. Same as with a trainer - you take your dog to a trainer to learn things and youre to continue the training at home. You dont continue the training at home and you will get no positive results. You will end up with a dazed and confused dog. And then you may decide to bash the organization by starting a PM and/or sending out emails. And that is a shame. You see, I have arranged for many dogs to go there and there have been no complaints about the dogs that have completed rehab. This leads me to believe that is because they have followed the protocol. Here are some things that we all know - updates are not regularly sent and emails may not be answered as quickly as you would like. Well they are working with the dogs and your dog is not the only one there. Yes it is realized that your dog is the only one that you are concerned with. Here are some things that you may or may not know - 1) They are working on getting a better system in place so that updates are forthcoming 2) Updates are a moot point until there is significant progress 3) When you surrender a dog you no longer own the dog and they realize that you care about the dog and will do their best to update you 4) When the dogs make significant progress they will post on their FB page 5) Dogs from rescues/shelters are not the only dogs there - they also have private (for lack of a better word) that bring their dog there for rehab and/or training and work with the dog and the staff 6) The chicken wire attached to the white fence is clearly visible on the videos and pictures. The chicken wire is there for the safety of the dogs. Does it look pretty? Maybe and maybe not but who cares? It is for the safety of all the dogs there. 7) The broken gate? That was broken by a dog and was repaired 12 hours later. Why was it not repaired immediately? Well because the dog that broke the gate was just brought in and tried to rip the face off of the behaviorist. For some reason that maybe you cant understand, the gate was least of the problem at that point. 8) You can expect that after a rainfall that there will be smells emanating from the ground - there are over 50 dogs there. 9) The holding crates are not in the best shape. Yes this is true. Why? Because dogs that come in have issues (you may want to refer to #7) and crates get bent, twisted, and damaged. The new incoming dogs are held in these crates for a VERY short period of time for their safety depending on when the dog arrives. Arrival in the morning or afternoon? Until the last client leaves and they now fully assess the dog. Arrival late at night? Then it may be overnight. Keep in mind that the dogs need to settle and putting a new dog where the dog can begin to decompress is optimum. If the dog breaks out of the crate or damages the crate well thats no big deal - the crate is already damaged and the dog is inside an office where the dog cannot get out and possibly injure staff (again refer to #7) or other dogs there. 10) Did you know that your dog that was ready to leave 2 months ago is there and you have not received a bill for the additional 2 months? That your dog is continuing to receive rehab, playtime, food, boarding, exercise, pack walks, etc. at NO charge to you because they felt that you needed time to find the perfect home for him/her? 11) Did you know that a staff member volunteered to sleep on a mat on the floor in the office alongside a large human aggressive dog that had severe anxiety? Why? Because at this organization the dogs and safety take priority. So yes, this is one of the reasons you havent received your update (please refer to #1). #12) Did you know that removing a dog before rehab is complete could be detrimental to the dogs balance? Your dog may have been there for a month and in that month may have learned to be around the pack and may have been making significant progress. Progress which you will now remove from his/her life. #13) Did you know that many of the rehab/surrenders come in emaciated? Sick? No? You didnt know that? You didnt know about the dog that came to the organizations owners home an hour from the center at 3am? That the owners were afraid the dog wouldnt survive? That the dog could barely stand up? That the owners waited on bated breath until a reasonable time, 6 am, to call their vet at home and ask for the vet to meet them at the vet office to assess and treat the dog? Did you know that dog was dehydrated, filled with every parasite and worm known to man and the organization paid for that treatment? Did you know that dog was fed 5 times a day a special diet that the organization paid for? Did you know that it took almost 3 months for that dog to be healthy enough for them to start rehab? #14) Did you know that the dog your rescue has there for rehab, the one that came in emaciated, has a skin issue and came in with bloody diarrhea? Did you know that the organization pays $70 a bag for special digestive food for your dog? That the organization did this because they love every dog that enters? And we are not talking about grain free food either - because the dog cannot eat regular or grain-free food. Did you see the video/pic of your dog and how the weight gain makes him look fabulous? #15) Have you bothered to look thru the albums at the pics and videos and see the difference in behavior from the time the dog entered rehab and the dog now? Did you also notice that the dogs look extremely healthy and have gained needed weight to maintain healthiness? #16) You complain about the cost of rehab $1500 for 3 months/$3500 for surrender/$5000 for sanctuary. Well Im glad you mentioned the cost! Lets break it down. For $500/month your dog gets rehab, training, food, heartworm, flea/tick, playtime, pack walks, exercise, socialization, baths, nails trimmed, ear cleaned, food, snacks, bedding, love, overhead expenses, payroll, operating expenses, and the list goes on. So lets say your dog is there for rehab - 3 months at $1500. Your dog is now ready to leave but the organization is allowing you some time to market the dog for adoption and find the perfect home. Now fast forward 2 months of you looking for placement for the dog - yes that is now $1000 that the organization lost in revenue and that tied up a kennel that another dog could use. (remember the shelter mentality of adopt a dog and save 2? the one leaving and the one coming in?). Multiply that by 5 dogs and thats $5,000 lost in donations and 5 dogs that cannot enter. Now lets look at it a little further. $3500 to surrender a dog. Lets say there are 10 surrendered dogs (thats probably a true statement too). Say after the $3500 is gone (which would equate to 7 months) and a year later - a year later the 10 dogs are still not adopted out. Thats one year of 10 dogs (remember rehab is $1500/3 months which equals $6000) in kennels that now keeps out 10 more incoming dogs. Wow.....did you figure it out? Thats 10 lives and $60,000 in donations that is lost in one year. Does that put it into perspective for you? Now you may look at that $60,000 and say geez! thats a lot of $ they make! Ummmm, no. Refer back to #16 and you see what the $1500 rehab donation covers. Now how much would regular boarding where the dog is in a run 24 hours a day without training/rehab cost? $30 a night? You provide the food? The heartworm preventative? The flea/tick preventative? I am going to assume that after that explanation that I do not even need to address the $5000 sanctuary donation for a dog that can never be integrated into society because I know youre smart enough to figure it out. Oh, did you know that they had a wolf hybrid there? That the wolf hybrid was great there with the staff and pack but could never be integrated into society? That they paid to place this wolf hybrid in wonderful wolf sanctuary where she now runs freely with other wolves and is living life to the fullest? And now lets look at the big picture and the truth of it all - this organization does not euthanize The owners and staff love each and every dog that enters and wants what is best for each and every dog. That they work some days 14+ hours so your dog has the best shot at being well balanced. That they provide the same level of care and put out the same amount of love that they do for their own personal dogs and their sanctuary pack. You see, a dog entering this organization is not just a dog, not just a donation.... these dogs become part of their lives and they care about each and every one of them. A lot of these dogs that come in for rehab for 3 months are held longer than the 3 months to ensure that the dog is ready to leave. I do not know of any dog that they have given up on. They are there for the dog even after the dog leaves. Maybe you need to put things in perspective and know the inner workings of the organization, look at the success these dogs have due to the hard work between the staff and the dogs, look at the pictures and videos and do this by placing your bias on the back burner and by looking into your heart and mind and ask yourself if you followed the protocol that was outlined. If you havent followed the protocol that is not the organizations fault. It is your fault. Now it is understood that you may run a rescue and have people pulling at you from 10 different directions. (hmmmm sounds like the rehab organization huh? where they are being pulled in 10 different directions, where 30 people want an update and want an update now). Did you know that you can email or call the organization and say Ive been overwhelmed and this is the first dog that Ive sent to rehab and I did not (or my foster or adopter) did not follow the protocol to a T. The dog is now regressing and I dont know how to get the balance back. Well now you know. Will the organization be happy? Maybe not but they do not judge - they understand how busy lives can be and this is your first experience with rehab. So you may eat some crow but big deal. Write that email, make that phone call - it is in the dogs best interest. And the organization will listen to what has happened and guide you back to getting the dog back on track. Why? Because for this organization it IS all about the dog.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 15:04:59 +0000
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