Rescue Dogs - Clues To Their Lives Before You.

[fainty_girl]

I think it is normal to be curious about your rescue dog's past.

I wish that I knew who owned them before, I would have loved to have seen puppy photos of them and I wish I knew what Tilly's name was before (she was a stray without a microchip). That might sound silly, but I love them and it would be nice to know what their previous lives were like.

I was told a little bit about Jessie, but to be honest I don't believe it...physically she looked great, but she had a lot of issues and obviously did not have a good start to her life.

Tilly has always been a very happy and friendly dog and didn't come with any fears that I knew of. She wasn't housetrained when she came here (she was about 8 months old) and was clueless about being inside a house. She was and continues to be hard work to walk on a lead (can't blame the previous owner for that now!). She came with a scar on her back leg and some kind of scar on her ear, so perhaps she lived with another dog or got into a fight with a dog at some point .

[tarope]

If I was buying a second hand car,I would like to know about the car's history. As a dog is more than a second hand car, it's only natural to wonder what this poor dog's life was before. Maybe I'm a little bit more compassionate about dogs than some here on DOL.

That's a very poor analogy. You are unlikely to be told if a car has had problems, but if you are concerned you would buy a new car or at least a car with a documented service history. The same opportunity is there with dogs. You can buy a new pup or you can buy an older dog that has a documented history. But if you do buy an older car or an older dog you have to accept that things may have happened that you will never know about. You are buying exactly what you see in front of you, and there are heaps of good older cars and good older dogs to choose from.

When buying a car or a dog, I would give the same advice. Buy the best one you can afford, of a type that suits your lifestyle, from an ethical dealer. Cars or dogs that have obvious damage might be unsafe or unrepairable.

But if you go out and buy a wrecked car, because you feel sorry for it, you won't seem compassionate, you will seem like a fool.

As I said in my post,dogs are more than second hand cars and everyone is entitled to their own opinion on how to repair the damage but it does help IMO to know the cause.

No it doesn't help.

Inventing a fantasy tells us about the type of person you are. But it doesn't help the dog.

You are entitled to give your opion and others are entitled to say that it is wrong. I think your attitude is harmful to dogs and your unwillingness to explain your reasons is selfish. Maybe you lack compassion?

Very nasty comments Greytmate, it's time for the report button now.

[spyda62]

While it is natural to wonder about a rescue dogs past, I think you are often better off not knowing.

No matter what past experiences a dog has had, you cant change them. All you can do is live in the "here and now" with that dog. I think sometimes if you know a dogs past, it is easy to have perceptions about it.

When taking home a rescue, I think it is a good idea to view that dog as a clean slate and start all over again for that dog. Treat it like a brand new puppy.

Train that dog the way you want that dog to behave.

Instead of worrying about what issues it may have, deal with the issues and any problems as they arise.

Make it "your" dog instead of always being a "rescue"

[mantis]

While it is natural to wonder about a rescue dogs past, I think you are often better off not knowing.

No matter what past experiences a dog has had, you cant change them. All you can do is live in the "here and now" with that dog. I think sometimes if you know a dogs past, it is easy to have perceptions about it.

When taking home a rescue, I think it is a good idea to view that dog as a clean slate and start all over again for that dog. Treat it like a brand new puppy.

Train that dog the way you want that dog to behave.

Instead of worrying about what issues it may have, deal with the issues and any problems as they arise.

Make it "your" dog instead of always being a "rescue"

Totally disagree. My 83 year old friend who passed away earlier this year, had a rescue Pom X, who was the sweetest dog, except he hated people he didn't know & trust trying to pat his head, he would snap & if they weren't quick enough the person got bitten. He also hated children touching him, she had to keep him away from children, or muzzle him when she walked him, in case some child ran up to pat this cute dog.

This lady was an experienced dog owner, who used to breed & show Great Danes, until she became to old to cope with it. It's obvious poor Angus had been hit on the head by adults & treated badly by kids.

[WreckitWhippet]

While it is natural to wonder about a rescue dogs past, I think you are often better off not knowing.

No matter what past experiences a dog has had, you cant change them. All you can do is live in the "here and now" with that dog. I think sometimes if you know a dogs past, it is easy to have perceptions about it.

When taking home a rescue, I think it is a good idea to view that dog as a clean slate and start all over again for that dog. Treat it like a brand new puppy.

Train that dog the way you want that dog to behave.

Instead of worrying about what issues it may have, deal with the issues and any problems as they arise.

Make it "your" dog instead of always being a "rescue"

Totally disagree. My 83 year old friend who passed away earlier this year, had a rescue Pom X, who was the sweetest dog, except he hated people he didn't know & trust trying to pat his head, he would snap & if they weren't quick enough the person got bitten. He also hated children touching him, she had to keep him away from children, or muzzle him when she walked him, in case some child ran up to pat this cute dog.

This lady was an experienced dog owner, who used to breed & show Great Danes, until she became to old to cope with it. It's obvious poor Angus had been hit on the head by adults & treated badly by kids.

Wow that is an assumption and a half.

The clue is in the first part of your post. He didn't like to be patted on the head by people he didn't know well. That is a typical reaction of many a dog that feels threatened. Dog basics 101, do not come over and pat from the top. Many dogs are also frightened of children, they do not need to have been abused to react like that, a lack of socialisation is all it takes.

[tdierikx]

While it is natural to wonder about a rescue dogs past, I think you are often better off not knowing.

No matter what past experiences a dog has had, you cant change them. All you can do is live in the "here and now" with that dog. I think sometimes if you know a dogs past, it is easy to have perceptions about it.

When taking home a rescue, I think it is a good idea to view that dog as a clean slate and start all over again for that dog. Treat it like a brand new puppy.

Train that dog the way you want that dog to behave.

Instead of worrying about what issues it may have, deal with the issues and any problems as they arise.

Make it "your" dog instead of always being a "rescue"

Wise advice... well said spyda62!

The fact that you can't change the past is very true - whatever happened in the past cannot be "taken back" - we just have to focus on making sure the future is better.

Dogs are not humans, and their "reasons" for certain behaviours are myriad. As noted here by many, their perfectly well raised dogs have certain peccadilloes that are baffling, and from no "fault" of their upbringing. I think that sometimes we lose sight of that fact and anthropomorphise a little too much when it comes to our furry friends.

T.

[Salukifan]

Mantis:

Totally disagree. My 83 year old friend who passed away earlier this year, had a rescue Pom X, who was the sweetest dog, except he hated people he didn't know & trust trying to pat his head, he would snap & if they weren't quick enough the person got bitten. He also hated children touching him, she had to keep him away from children, or muzzle him when she walked him, in case some child ran up to pat this cute dog.

It's obvious poor Angus had been hit on the head by adults & treated badly by kids.

Dont mean to single you out Mantis but this is precisely what I was talking about. There are definitely other, more likely reasons for this.

Angus could have lived in a lovely home and developed EXACTLY the same behaviours. Angus was either a fear biter or extremely intolerant of such behaviour. Confronted with situations in which he felt threatened, and if forced to take action himself to remove the threat, he bit. Ot alternately, he was an intolerant little shit who used his teeth to end behaviours he didn't like. Mantis, EVERY one of my small dogs dislikes being patted on the head by strangers. One of them is frightened of small kids and would, if put in the situation, snap at them. They have never been abused. It's just how they are.

Frankly, those more familiar with tiny dogs probably wouldn't have reached the same conclusions about abuse because the behaviour isn't uncommon.

And again, it doesn't matter how Angus got that way, surely the solution was the same?

Edited December 1, 2012 by Haredown Whippets

[eyeopener]

I think you need to start fresh & only take into account what you know to be fact about the rescues past. I think making excuses or accepting behaviours passed on an assumed past is a recipe for disaster. You run the risk of being very wrong to like I was in assuming the bitch was the 1 with true food aggression issues when in fact it was the dog.

[fainty_girl]

His second fascination was when you were drinking a cup of tea, he'd want some. So my best guess was he belonged to an older person, i've had a few dogs from older people and they've often been after my tea. He found a wonderful home with 3 adults and their large and friendly rescue girl.

With the fascination about drinking tea, my dogs know that tea can possibly mean that there will be biscuits around, because sometimes they are given a small piece of a biscuit from my folks (who always give in to begging, they don't try it with me!). :)

[Greytmate]

Make it "your" dog instead of always being a "rescue"

I really like that concept.

[mantis]

Mantis:

Totally disagree. My 83 year old friend who passed away earlier this year, had a rescue Pom X, who was the sweetest dog, except he hated people he didn't know & trust trying to pat his head, he would snap & if they weren't quick enough the person got bitten. He also hated children touching him, she had to keep him away from children, or muzzle him when she walked him, in case some child ran up to pat this cute dog.

It's obvious poor Angus had been hit on the head by adults & treated badly by kids.

Dont mean to single you out Mantis but this is precisely what I was talking about. There are definitely other, more likely reasons for this.

Angus could have lived in a lovely home and developed EXACTLY the same behaviours. Angus was either a fear biter or extremely intolerant of such behaviour. Confronted with situations in which he felt threatened, and if forced to take action himself to remove the threat, he bit. Ot alternately, he was an intolerant little shit who used his teeth to end behaviours he didn't like. Mantis, EVERY one of my small dogs dislikes being patted on the head by strangers. One of them is frightened of small kids and would, if put in the situation, snap at them. They have never been abused. It's just how they are.

Frankly, those more familiar with tiny dogs probably wouldn't have reached the same conclusions about abuse because the behaviour isn't uncommon.

And again, it doesn't matter how Angus got that way, surely the solution was the same?

No problems Whippet. Angus was surrendered when he was 2yo, by a young couple with 3 small children, so I think it was a fair assumption by my friend.

His problems didn't bother her, she still totally loved him, just took precautions so he didn't bite anyone. He was a real sweety, who I loved looking after, when she went away, or was in hospital.