She was found wandering the streets of Montreal with the other dog who lived with her, a Pit Bull. They'd been on the loose several times before and were returned to the owner each time by the pound but this final time was one time too many. This time, the pound decided they had enough of her owner's negligence. They kept her and then put her up for adoption where she eventually ended up in Toronto as part of the rescue program TAS has with Montreal based Companion Animal Adoption Centres of Quebec.
She'd been used for breeding and in fact when she was recently spayed, it was discovered that she was pregnant again (the pups were aborted). Maybe it's just her general demeanor but she seems tired out by all the breeding cycles she's been put through.
She's got a wide stance and thick muscles. Patting her is like patting a tree stump: solid, immovable. She's quiet, calm even when walking through the crowds. She's so laid back, it takes me a while to read her. She's gentle on the fingers when she takes a snack. She spots a couple of Doberman puppies playing in the leaves and I'm not sure how she's going to react then she goes into a play pose and wags her stubby tail.
People who walk by her comment.
"What kind of dog is that?"
"Looks like a bull."
"Wow."
"Stay away from that dog, honey."
"Is your dog friendly? Can we pet your dog?"
"That dog's a Pit Bull."
"You training that dog?"
"Is he from the Superdogs show? Does he do stunts?"
"Looks like a Boxer's head."
"He looks really fit."
"He looks strong."
"He looks mean."
"He's got an underbite. Funny."
"Cane Corso? What a beautiful dog."
Sunday, November 14, 2010
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A request
The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.
The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.
Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.
So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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2010
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- Update on Oskar and Dexter
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My other blogs
Animal rescue blogs
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What's That?5 years ago
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Late Night Musings: Clearing the Shelters5 years ago
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Simon Loves the Snow!7 years ago
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How I've missed your photos! These are so beautiful and capture the personalities of the dogs. Or... at least I think they do!
Poor baby...her eyes look so sad...no wonder she kept running away...I would too. If I had a backyard, I'd take her in a second.
Beautiful! I can't believe people's comments when they encounter a "different looking" dog. With my two danes, you can imagine the comments I get.