"I'm a volunteer at a local shelter. I worked with a male lab mix named Rondo. The very first day, I taught him to sit, not to hump, not to jump on me. The second day, I taught him how to loose leash walk. The third day, we started working on sitting while I opened the gate. The fourth day, we worked on sitting and staying as I came into the kennel. On the fifth day, Rondo was a pro! So sweet, so eager to please, loved to be petted and praised. Over the weekend, an inexperienced employee put him in an exercise cage with another intact male and they fought. When I went in today, they informed me that Rondo and the dog he fought with were scheduled to be put down tonight. I took Rondo out and loved on him and played with him for his last hour. When I was crying, he kissed away my tears. When the man came to take him away, he sat so politely at the door to enter after the human. He learned so much in just a week! I was able to find a place that would take the other dog in the fight, but I couldn't find a place for poor Rondo, because he's not a purebred and doesn't even resemble one. He's gone now and I feel just horrible and sad and angry. Neither dog had a mark on them, and they had never shown signs of aggression before. When I begged for more time, I was told that he was too much of a liability. I mourn Rondo. Thank you."Unfortunately stories like this happen each and every day. Thousands of dogs are killed daily, simply because they were misunderstood.
Lets take a closer look at Rondo. I don't know why he was at the shelter, and I don't need to know why. Dog's live in the moment and Rondo was not thinking about his past life, no matter what it may have involved. Dogs react to the present situation.
A shelter worker, who understood what dogs need as animals, took Rondo under her wing. On the first day she taught him to sit, not to hump and not to jump. What she told Rondo was, "I am now going to be your pack leader. You respect me, and you do not jump on me. Give me my space and do not mount me." Rondo happily accepted this. All he wanted was for someone to tell him the rules. Dogs need rules. They long for them, they instinctually need them.
The next day... the shelter worker taught him to walk without pulling. She taught him to follow his pack leader. Something else dogs need. They need to walk in a manor that satisfy's their instincts to walk. Instinctually dogs migrate daily. Walking your dog the proper way satisfy's this canine instinct.
The third day, the shelter worker started working on sitting while she opened the gate. This was teaching the dog respect, and giving him much needed rules. Human opens the Gate, and it does not mean you are allowed to leave. Rondo was learning to respect the human. When a dog gives a human space, it is respect. For Rondo to sit down when the gate was opened was respect. No one had told him this before. This was new, and he liked it.
The fourth day, the shelter worker worked on sitting and staying as she came into the kennel. This was not only safety for the dog, but also challenged the dog's mind, at the same time giving him a clear place in the world. I am a dog, and you are my leader. When you come in, I give you your space while you enter. In the wild the followers give the pack leader space. Rondo was starting to understand his place, something all dogs long for.
"On the fifth day, Rondo was a pro! So sweet, so eager to please, loved to be petted and praised." Rondo, for the first time in his life, was understanding what was wanted of him, and he was a happy dog.
Rondo's fate was met when over the weekend, an uneducated worker put him in a kennel with an un-neutered dog. Two unfamiliar, intact dogs thrown into a cage without the proper supervision. The dogs got into a scuffle. One fight and the shelter wanted no part of either dog. The dog who fought with Rondo was a purebred and a place was found for him. However Rondo was not so lucky. No one wanted a mutt and Rondo was suddenly "Labeled". One moment of his life, he was understanding what the humans wanted, the next moment of his life he was put into a pen with another male dog... and the decision was made Rondo must be put to death.
Why did the dogs fight? For one, neither was neutered. An un-neutred dog has a stronger instinct to protect his territory. Here you had two intact dogs. Chances are, they were not properly introduced, the worker most likely opened the gate and shoved the dogs together. The dogs were most likely in an excited state of mine when they were put together. No human, who understood the dogs, was present. There was no one there to communicate to the dogs fighting was an unwanted behavior.
Even the state of mind of the human could have set the dogs off. Dogs have an ability we humans do not possess. They can read energy. In other words, they can read a humans emotions. Had the worker been anything but assertively confident, both dogs would have picked up on the humans negative emotions. This, along with all of the other circumstances of the moment could have set them off. Remember, dogs live in the here and now; they do not think, they just react.
The shelter worker who was making such good progress with Rondo, had one hour to spend with him before his life was to end. To Rondo the dog fight was no longer in his mind. That moment in his life was gone. When the man came to take him to be killed, Rondo didn't have a clue what was happening. He respected this human who was taking him away. He sat so politely at the door, allowing the human to enter before him. (the pack leader goes first). And that is where Rondo's life ended. It ended because of the lack of understanding most humans have for dogs. Dogs are canines, they are not humans. Fights are not premeditated. Nothing in a dog's life is planned out. Killing a dog for the actions of one moment of his life is cruel, and it makes no sense. If only all of the shelter workers understood dog psychology; how to communicate with the animal we humans choose to bring into our homes. If only all dog owners took the time to understand the psychology behind the canine we call "mans best friend", there would not be so many dogs in shelters in the first place.
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