When Did ‘Shelter Dog’ Become a Breed?

“She’s a shelter dog.”

“I’m not sure what he is – just a shelter dog.”

And then my favorite: “I don’t know if I’d ever adopt a shelter dog. You don’t know what you’re getting.”

Shelter dogs get a lot of bad PR – some breeds worse than others – so let’s clarify something right now: Shelter dogs come in all ages, sizes, breeds, behaviors and dispositions. There is no “shelter dog” breed.

So why DO they wind up in shelters? Let’s take a look at the stats on the top 10 reasons dogs are given up to shelters, courtesy of Petfinder.com:

1. Moving (7%)
2. Landlord doesn’t allow pets (6%)
3. Cost of pet maintenance (5%)
4. Too many animals in household (4%)
5. Owner has personal problems (4%)
6. Inadequate facilities (4%)
7. Owners don’t have enough time (4%)
8. Dog is ill (4%)
9. No homes available for litter mates (3%)
10. Biting (3%)

(If you’re finding the numbers don’t add up to 100%, that’s because this study also included reasons for giving up cats to shelters – with most of the reasons being similar to dogs, with the addition of allergies and house soiling.)

Based on my own non-scientific, non-statistical personal experience working with dogs in shelters, I’d say the top reasons dogs wind up in shelters are:

• Behavior. We’re not talking biting. We’re talking: “He pulls too hard on the leash,” “She jumps on visitors when they walk through the door, “He’s chewed all my shoes,” “He barks too much.”
• Age. Seeing a senior dog enter a shelter is a heartbreaking sight. Usually an owner has become ill and has moved to a facility that won’t allow pets. (Never mind all the research that’s been done on the healing power of companion animals.) Sometimes the owner can’t — or won’t — pay for the medical expenses that go with having a senior dog.
• Lost dog. “I found this dog wandering around my neighborhood, and I was afraid he’d get hit by a car. He seems really nice, but I can’t take him so I brought him here.”

Are any of these reasons valid for giving a dog a demerit because he happens to find himself in a shelter?

Behavioral issues? Work with a trainer. Every problem I mentioned is easily trainable. He’s too old? If you can’t afford meds, there are resources to help you. And by the way, senior dogs can be the best dogs to share your home with. They ask for so little – minimal exercise, a soft bed, a pat on the head. As far as lost dogs, we’d have far fewer if everyone would make sure their dog’s microchipped and wears tags but … well, these things happen. Should we hold it against the dog?

I’m going to tell you a secret about “shelter dogs.” If you can find one who makes eye contact with you when you walk by her kennel, if she sniffs your hand when you hold it near her, if her tail is wagging low and she has a loose jaw and relaxed face – you have found a gem. Because a dog who can remain calm and friendly in the high-stress environment that exists in most shelters is truly a treasure.

And on the flip side, a dog who is jumping at his cage door, spinning and barking, may also make a fantastic companion animal. I once knew a dog who acted as if she would devour every cat in the facility – yet she went on to live a wonderful life in a household with six cats!

Please don’t judge a dog by his shelter behavior.

Shelters can bring out the worst in a dog – just like a maximum-security prison would bring out the worst in us. Hopefully, we will never have to put our behavior and disposition to the test in a prison setting. Unfortunately, every year about 3.9 million dogs will.

What’s your experience been with “shelter dogs”? Let us know in the comments section below.

17 May 2015

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