When adopting adults, it’s what you see in front of you that matters
By Micaela Myers
“It’s how they’re raised.” Every Pit Bull person has heard this refrain. When pit bulls get media attention for the wrong reasons, we often say, “It’s not the breed, it’s how they were raised.” And the idea has sunk in, with unintended consequences.
As a volunteer for a Pit Bull rescue, I heard it over and over again. “We really want to adopt a puppy because we want to raise it right.”
In fact, the majority of adopters I talked to wouldn’t even consider adopting an adult Pit Bull, especially if their pasts were unknown. When the rescue would get litters of puppies, they were always adopted quickly, while wonderful adults would stay for up to two years awaiting homes.
Guardians of Patriots: Afghan Dog Fights Like A Marine
Company D, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), arrived in the Khan Neshin District in the summer of 2009 for a seven-month deployment and established a coalition presence in the Southwest part of Afghanistan. The LAR Marines pushed west to gain a firm position in a town called Qal’ah-ye Now, where they found two dogs in a compound they began using as a patrol base.
The dogs were beaten and malnourished. One of them was pregnant and the Marines named her Sandy; the other dog was small and frail, and the Marines fittingly named him Scraggles. The company adopted the two dogs, who accepted the Marines as family. Sandy soon had her litter of puppies, one of which would be named Willy Pete. All the puppies went to local residents to protect their farms and herd livestock, but Willy had a different opportunity – he went to the Marines of Company D for companionship.
Smoky (c. 1943 – 21 February 1957), a Yorkshire Terrier, was a famous war dog who served in World War II. She weighed only four pounds and stood seven inches tall. Smoky is credited with beginning a renewal of interest in the once obscure Yorkshire Terrier breed.
In February 1944, Smoky was found by an American soldier in an abandoned foxhole in the New Guinea jungle. She was already a young adult Yorkie (fully grown). The soldiers initially thought the small dog belonged to the Japanese, but after taking her to a nearby prisoner-of-war camp they realized she did not understand commands in Japanese or English. Another GI then sold Smoky to Corporal William A. Wynne of Cleveland, Ohio, for two Australian pounds (equal to $6.44 at that time)—the price paid to the seller so he could return to his poker game.
Ricochet's path in life was to become a service dog, and help a person with a disability. But, as he grew, so did his interest in chasing birds & other critters, which is a no no for services dogs. So his title went from service dog to SURFicedog!
He's best known for his inspirational video that went viral on YouTube! It has over 3 million views so far! WOW!!!He's the only known dog in the world that surfs tandem with special needs kids & people with disabilities for therapeutic purposes! Ricochet lives a lifestyle of helping others by "paw"ing it forward while raising awareness/funds for human/animal causes.
It touched the hearts of people all over the world, bringing them to tears. Kleenex alert!
Summary:I am opposed to the widespread use of shock collars in dog training, particularly in the hands of novice trainers. I support legislation to regulate their use, including a total ban on shock collars. At most, shock collars should be used only by highly trained professionals who are certified and licensed for their use. Shock collars should not be used for ordinary pet dog training and for solving behavioral problems in dogs. In technical terms, shock collars allow trainers to apply a combination of positive punishment and negative reinforcement to modify a dog's behavior. Shock collars work by causing pain, which the dog seeks to avoid. Shock collars use an electrical current to cause pain. At lower levels the pain is sharp and resembles being poked with a hot needle. At higher levels, the tingling sensation of an electrical shock can be perceived radiating between the "live" electrode point and the ground point. The potential for misuse and abuse of the shock collar is enormous, potentially greater than that of other methods of positive punishment in dog training.
