PAWS TO PONDER

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by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.

Did you know shelters are full of dogs either by owner surrenders or being unclaimed strays.  Surrenders are mostly due to behavior issues, landlords, moving, health, kids or can longer afford.  The unclaimed strays?  We can only assign some sort of a reason for abandoning them.   Just take a look at our current homeless dogs as examples and how many days (   )   they have been in the shelter:

Beagle/Bulldog Bruno (672 days) – surrendered at 2 years old for jumping on the counters, eating everything, knocking over items and the kids – family unwilling to provide training 

Boxer/Mastiff mix Dior (380 days) – abandoned in a condemned building at age 1

Eager to learn, friendly, playful and listens

Shepherd mix Jerry (193 days) – turned in as a stray by his owner at 10 years old for

growling at children when eating, friendly & happy, prefers adult companionship

American Staffordshire Goose (673 days) – abandoned with a severe skin infection and old injury in a remote state park – loving, loves car rides and pup cups, a one person kind of guy

Jack Russel Terrier mix Jack – (35 days) owner became homeless and could not provide shelter

He’s a sleep buddy who loves belly rubs, dress up and long walks

Siberian Husky Kavik (490 days) unclaimed stray at a year old

Friendly, playful, loves snow, carries a toy during walks   

German Shepherd mix Maggie (87 days) – unclaimed stray with a skin infection at age 6+ – sweet, easy, enjoys walks

Hairless Chihuahua Mimi (92 days) – surrendered at 7 months old due to owner relocating – sassy, spirited, bouncy and playful one person kind of girl

White/tan German Shepherd Oli (491 days) – surrendered at 15 months old due to no pet policy – loves to play, enjoys training and walks, unsure of strangers

Pitbull Terrier Rufus (486 days) – unclaimed stray at a year and a half old

Goofball, tries to be good, loves treats and going for walks

Rottweiler Tinkerbell (177 days) – unclaimed stray at 2 years old

Friendly, dominant, loves her Kong toy, enjoys going to walks

Many of the behavior issues could have and should have been addressed by their families early on before they became such a problem leading to the surrender or abandonment of the dog. If their own family doesn’t want them anymore why would anyone want to adopt them?

Addressing these issues in the shelter environment is a challenging effort for staff and the dogs.  Shelter dogs have pent up energy being confined to their kennels for long periods of time.  When it’s finally time to go for a walk they exit like gangbusters!  They need to run off that energy before training can even begin.  We try our best to give the dogs a better start for the new life that awaits them with a family committed to their physical, emotional and social well-being for the rest of their lives with our goal to make a good match for all!   

Pet of the Week: