Warning: I'm on my soap box! A rant about breedism

I've been volunteering for a local rescue for the last couple of months and there is a few things that I've noticed that the general public probably isn't aware of. First - about the rescue. It's called Coco's Heart Dog Rescue and it is located in Oakdale, MN. I went to highschool with the woman who founded the rescue and my sweet Sister-In-Law is the foster coordinator. CHDR specializes in rescuing dogs that are destined for premature euthenasia. Most are large breed adult dogs who have been in the foster and shelter system for some time and just cannot find a forever home. CHDR works with shelters that have a high kill rate and gets the dogs into our foster network. The first thing I've seen is that large breed and adult dogs are harder to place, even in foster. Black labs, pit bull mixes and shepherd mixes are the most common dogs we rescue. I've picked up several of these babies on the morning they were scheduled to be put down and I am always wondering how they got into that situation. They are sweet, loving, usually well behaved and would make amazing companions. For some reason, people get scared off by their size and the stories and misconceptions about their breed. Not all labs are crazy. Not all pit bulls are mean and aggressive. Not all shepherds are born attack dogs. The second thing I've noticed is that people who work in rescue are automatically more lenient about behavioral issues. And this drives me nuts! I completely understand that it's easy to feel sorry for the dog and just manage the bad behavior or issue, but that WILL NOT help it get a forever home. Also, we see so many behavioral issues that it's easy to over look the ones that aren't so bad, like potty training or jumping up. Usually there's a couple other rescue dogs in the home that might have issues that need immediate attention, like resource guarding. I would like to see foster parents take responsibility for the training of the dogs. I'd like to see every dog learn basic obedience and other usefull commands, such as leave it and wait. I think if we can show people that these rescue dogs are well behaved and can be great companions, then alot more would find homes. So here's my challenge: If you work in rescue or are a foster PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE work with your dogs! If we can show the world that the labs and pit bulls in rescue are AMAZING we might just be able to change how everyone thinks of them. And that could help millions of pups find homes.

Holy cow...it's been almost 5 months since the last post! I apologize for neglecting this blog - it's been a little crazy here in the midwest. We had massive snow this year, and it has been a huge pain. We actually had to shovel off the roof of our house. Along with that, the puppy can't get to the yard to do her business, so we've had to resort to a puppy pad in the kitchen. She doesn't really understand that she has to do number 1 AND number 2 on the pad. Hopefully the snow melts and it warms up enough that we can start going on walks again. For the sake of my carpet and my husband, I hope it is soon!

I'll be updating the blog weekly again (hopefully!) and upcoming topics include: Aggression: misunderstood and misdiagnosed, Dealing with separation anxiety, heathy treats for your dog and ways to tire your pup out. My opinion is that a tired dog is a good dog. If we wear them out with appropriate and fun activities, your dog will be satisfied and content at the end of the day.