PDA

View Full Version : A happy yet VERY sad Saturday :(



k9krazee
09-25-2005, 01:29 PM
Yesterday (Saturday) the shelter had a mobile adoption event. It was a very good day, 8 dogs were adopted at the event and another 7 dogs back at the shelter. The good thing is that we had two litters of puppies there and only one was adopted, why was this good? Because that means that the other 7 were older dogs and people weren't only looking at the pups. Usually at these adoption events one or two might get adopted but we had an extremely successful day!!

The bad bad news....*tears* :( I am still really upset about this. In a post under dog breeds titled petfinder dream dogs I put some dogs from my local shelter that I fell in love with. Well one of those dogs I listed was Spot, an australian cattle dog mix.
Here is his picture...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/kangashrew13/SHELTER%20DOGS/4th.jpg
We took him and his friend Rosie (beautiful brindle greyhound/shepherd mix) to the event. He was great in the car and kept putting his feet up on my seat and giving me kisses! That boy was made out of springs and could stand still and jump up to where I was looking him straight in the face.
Anyway, at the adoption event we chained him up to his post but he was extremely hyper and bouncing all over the place, they told me to put him in a crate until he calmed down. After about a half hour I decided to take him out because he was acting a lot better and I was just going to walk him around. This guy came up to him and reached at Spot's head and Spot nipped at his ankles. I reeled spot into me and knelt down. The guy continued to come up to him and spot nipped a little again, he was not acting aggressive in any way, just nipping at his ankles and such in a herding way but I put him back in the cage anyway. The guy went and told the director Jamie what happened. Jamie told everyone that Spot had to go back to the shelter and not to let him out again.

Supposedly they had problems with Spot and this behavior at 2 adoption events in the past. The first time wasn't Spots fault, a crazy guy had a scab in the shape of a cross on his palm and peeled it off so it was bleeding, went up to Spot and then went and told the director that Spot bit him. Spot was put into quarantine for a week and then went back up for adoption. They took him to another adoption event later and he nipped at a kid and was sent to quarentine once again. So this time when he nipped at the guy he was sent back to the shelter.

After we were finished loading everything back up I went to talk to Jamie about Spot. I told her that I would like to adopt him and get him out of the shelter, that he was acting like that because he had so much energy (He only acted nippy when he was extremely excited) and was going crazy in the shelter (hehas lived there for close to two months) and needed a place to run. This guy would have made a great agility dog! Jamie told my Spot was being put to sleep that day (yesterday) I could not believe it, I literally begged for Spot's life, but she said there was no way she could release a dog like Spot from the shelter. I belive Spot was put down unjustly, it really wasn't his fault, I am crying now as I type this, he was the happiest little boy, he didn't even get to see his second birthday!!! It makes me so upset, maybe if I would have left him in his cage the whole episode with the man would have never happened. I feel so bad, he was so young. I truly believe he was not an aggressive dog, he is a working dog, all he needed was a job and a way to release excess energy.
Thanks for listening to me, this was the second spotty dog I fell completely in love with and was put down. I don't know how much longer I can volunteer at the shelter, I love helping get them adopted but in a situation like this I wish I would have never met Spot and gotten so attached.

Spot, you were a good boy, it wasn't your fault. I will see you again someday, I wish I could have known you longer. You will never ever need to live in a cage again, run free and herd till your hearts content little guy!!
R.I.P my love
:( :(

Jessika
09-25-2005, 01:32 PM
That is TERRIBLE!!! If EVERY herding dog were put to sleep for nipping... well.. we wouldn't have any left!! It's NATURAL, part of their herding instinct, and is NOT done to harm anyone or anything!! Shame on the people who tried to get that poor dog in trouble!!

k9krazee
09-25-2005, 01:35 PM
Originally posted by Jessika
That is TERRIBLE!!! If EVERY herding dog were put to sleep for nipping... well.. we wouldn't have any left!! It's NATURAL, part of their herding instinct, and is NOT done to harm anyone or anything!! Shame on the people who tried to get that poor dog in trouble!!

I know and I think thats why I was/I am super upset. He was such a happy dog and would have made someone a GREAT family member. I could see if he was really dangerous but he was not!!

gemini9961
09-25-2005, 01:39 PM
That is awful. It's like even the shelters don't know the breeds that well and their behavior. I have a pure bred ACD and he likes to nip me. He's not being agressive, he's a HERDING dog and they HERD things by nipping at them. He has never hurt me, but he likes to give little nips. He even will tug on my shirt so he can get my attention. It's sad he was put down so unjustly, I wish you could have saved him. I think some of the shelter workers need to be a little more educated about the dogs they are trying to adopt out.

EDIT: I know not all shelters are like this, but some seem to be very ill educated about the very dogs they are trying to adopt out.

k9krazee
09-25-2005, 01:48 PM
Originally posted by gemini9961
I think some of the shelter workers need to be a little more educated about the dogs they are trying to adopt out.


These people definately need to be more educated!! I think the volunteers are much better at breed identification and temperments than the employees! It is one of my biggest pet peeves, they tend to label anything unknown a lab/pit mix and this tends to scare potential adopters away.

For example this girl was labeled a pit mix, adoptees would look at her paper see the word pit and walk away when obviously she has no pit in her!!!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/kangashrew13/SHELTER%20DOGS/Rosie.jpg

Oh and this girl was called a pit bull/lab mix!!!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/kangashrew13/SHELTER%20DOGS/1.jpg
Can you guess what they call him???....Pit/Shepherd..
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/kangashrew13/SHELTER%20DOGS/Howard.jpg

It makes me so angry, I always tell potential adopters to not take their word on the breed and always give my own opinion.

Edited to fix first pic and spelling errrrrrrrrs

gemini9961
09-25-2005, 01:59 PM
I do appreciate you doing your best to help make potential families aware the correct breed. Sometimes people being so careless really ends up hurting the dogs.

AngiBaby
09-25-2005, 02:56 PM
OMG that is so sad!! Poor guy! I'm crying myself! And yeah I agree he shouldn't have been put to sleep for doing what the breed does. My neighbor has an Alstrallian Cattle Dog and I have to agree I don't like it when she hurds my kids. LOL But I know that is what she was bread to do. At least she knows to hurd them AWAY from the road. So I guess all is well.

Angi

dukedogsmom
09-25-2005, 06:37 PM
Now you've gotten me teary eyed at work. I am so very sorry about Spot. It seems he's a victim of circumstance. I don't know why they wouldn't just let you take him. I really don't know if I could work at a shelter like that. I think it would break my heart. I know it's hard but try not to blame yourself. Play hard at the RB, Spot.

Daisy and Delilah
09-25-2005, 10:13 PM
What a sad story. This is awful. I read this earlier at work and I was crying too. I had to stop reading so nobody would know how upset I was. Of course, I'm still upset. My son's Aussie nips at their heels all the time and it breaks my heart to think somebody would be so thoughtless to put that little fellow down for him only doing what he's supposed to do. This story has upset me beyond words. I just can't imagine something like this happening:( RIP Spot and play hard at the bridge sweetheart.

Den Anne Pen
09-25-2005, 10:41 PM
That is soooo sad :( :(

A long time ago when i was younger i remember we got a dog from a shelter it was kinda in the same spot he nipped a few times when people took him out.
They where going to put him down the next day we went in there and wanted to look at him they did give us a hard time at first but after being very very pushy we did get to take him out.
We did have to sign a waivier if he bite us there not resonsable but he did'nt and we ended up coming home with him.
He never did nip us ever.
I really believe that dogs can tell how people are and maybe these people where not good people.

I don't understand why they would'nt let you have the dog if you signed a waivier.
Instead of what happened :( :(

CagneyDog
09-25-2005, 11:03 PM
RIP poor pup :(:(:(

K9karen
09-25-2005, 11:48 PM
You got feet? Boots? Sneakers? Then meet my Logan! She's part herder! It's her favorite game! No broken skin, no damage, just full of energy and natural instinct! Chasing, digging..you're right, it's the breed! People shouldn't go rushing up to dogs with their hands extended anyway! Why couldn't you adopt Spot? You were willing to accept responsibility. You handled him. You'd think Jamie would be more supportive of your plea to adopt him and train him. I don't get it. You understood his needs. How horrible that the only alternative for Spot was to be PTS. Poor defenseless thing. His story broke my heart.

Vette
09-26-2005, 04:10 AM
When i was little.. i was playing with one of my little cusions,, and they had an ACD female by the name of Blue.. and i was running around like a mad banshe. LOL and she nipped the back of my leg. but i was about 11 or something years old and knew that when dogs sersiouly want to bite.. they will. so i didnt tell anyone she nipped me since no one seen it happen. i liked her and didnt want to get her in trouble.

when i went home that day and looked amy leg(what i could see of it anyway) it left a huge brusie on my leg. but not even on single puntcure wound.

whats even sadder. is 'nipping' is a fourm of dog play. dogs nip each other all the time when they play...

im sorry to hear about this.. and why i cannot work at a shelter for the same reason.... i know id get too attached and get all depressed when they have to be put to sleep.:(

*huggies*

k9krazee
09-26-2005, 02:14 PM
I can't believe I still miss him so much, I have been thinking about Spot all day long and hoping maybe that this never happened! That maybe he will still be in the shelter when I go on Tuesday or Jamie decided that they would just quarentine him again and then release him to me. Why couldn't they just let him go to me and he can live under a dangerous dog sign the rest of his life...there have been worse dogs that were spared but little Spot who didn't mean any harm had to give his life up.

I adopted an Aussie in October 2004, he would actually bite my dad in the face, he did this 4 or 5 times, bit my dad's friend in the arm leaving a huge wound and bit my cousin in the arm breaking the skin. I loved Lenny soo much but he actually broke the skin when he bit, Spot never once broke anyones skin, he didn't even touch the guy on Saturday! Lenny was allowed to be adopted out to a different family.

I know its all over with and done but I don't ever think I will forget what happened to Spot, and I know there are probably many many more dogs that get put down unjustly. It makes me soo incredibly sad just to think of him....

I'm sorry for bumping this up again but I really haven't found anyone else who I can talk to this about, my mom just keeps telling me that you can't save them all and I know that but this whole situation was sooo unfair to Spot.

cyber-sibes
09-26-2005, 03:09 PM
:( *tears* RIP Spot.
This is sad and horrible. Try not to blame yourself, you tried to do the right thing. It's not your fault. There are no easy answers, people are just ignorant and the shelter's probably worried they'll get sued. I'm sure many of the pups you look after as a volunteer are grateful for your loving care.

Chica
09-26-2005, 08:29 PM
That is terrible.!!!!How could they do that!!!!!Poor Spot!!!!! :( :( :( :(

luvofallhorses
09-28-2005, 11:33 PM
So sorry that I missed this! :o I am so sorry. :( ((HUGS)) R.I.P. SPOT, KNOW THAT YOU WERE LOVED!!

pitc9
09-29-2005, 02:19 PM
OMG... how sad.
RIP Spot..... know that you were loved.
Play hard and run free!! No more cage to hold you in.

k9krazee
09-29-2005, 02:53 PM
Thanks guys :( :(