calling dog lovers of PNW

[Biciclista]

aren't these dogs seriously unsocialized? Is there much you can do with a 2 year old dog who has never been handled?

[NbyNW]

aren't these dogs seriously unsocialized? Is there much you can do with a 2 year old dog who has never been handled?

I imagine that some of these dogs might not be good candidates for adoption from a socialization standpoint, and that's very sad. But some of them do make it!

We think my dog Gordy was 1-2 years old when he was rescued (we think it was Spring '08, and we don't think he came from a mill, but he was left alone long enough to nearly starve to death), and then it wasn't until about December '08 that his health was good enough for him to be listed as an adoption candidate. We got him this April, and we are guessing he is about 3 years +/-

His foster family did an AMAZING job with him. He was house-trained, already knew most basic obedience commands and was alright walking on a leash except for a tendency to pull, which we've worked on. He's gotten better over time as we won his trust.

He occasionally has issues with other dogs and with some people, but we haven't been able to figure out what the common trigger is -- we have to deal with it case by case.

We've been working on his social skills -- at the off-leash park, taking an agility class. We finally found a doggy day care that is a good fit for his personality and energy levels, and I think that is helping a great deal as well.

Yes, it is an ongoing challenge. But by contrast I once house-sat a purebred poodle whose owners got him as a puppy from a responsible breeder, and that dog had way more issues than my rescue mutt.

Here's a picture of Gordy. It's a goofy picture because the perspective makes his body look tiny -- he's about 50 lbs. And his beautiful long tail is wagging so fast it's a blur.

[TsPoet]

aren't these dogs seriously unsocialized? Is there much you can do with a 2 year old dog who has never been handled?

+1 what NbyNW said (and cute dog!).
I have 2 dogs with bad backgrounds - Murphy was abused and Finagle was feral for at least a year. Neither was in a puppy mill, though. Agility and other fun dog sports are great... these dogs are a lot of work! It's rewarding and fun work, though. I love my guys, but my next dog will not have all that baggage.
But, it can be done, and it's very very rewarding, and you end up with a terrific buddy! Murphy will only let a very few people touch him (up from 0 a few years ago), but he loves and deeply trusts me - and that is a (selfish) wonderful feeling.
So, if anyone has the time and drive, I say go for it! I will do so again, I will get another dog from an abusive situation or a puppy mill, just not my next dog.
I'm not sure I'd take another feral dog, though. Luckily there aren't many out there (unluckily because they don't survive).

Badger - OK if I post this on the Mighty Mites forum? It's a small dog performance forum. Also, any other info I can give them?

[MartianDestiny]

aren't these dogs seriously unsocialized? Is there much you can do with a 2 year old dog who has never been handled?

Of course there's plenty you can do with a rescue dog from any circumstance. The whole "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is complete bull crap, and while it can take time to get rid of old habits it is completely doable.

I've only ever had rescue dogs, and I've worked with rescue groups as well. I've personally had: left on side of road for dead, severely abused (to the point of lifelong physical issues), and the more normal "bought WAY too much dog for my lifestyle". I have friends that have adopted the gamut as well: puppy mill "breeders" (the older dogs), abuse, starvation, etc, etc, etc. Helped with foster dogs from most all the situations as well.

They inevitably turn out to be amazing dogs, most in short order. I'm sure there are some that just can't handle it, but short of severe abuse and trained fighting cases (more of which could be rehabed with the right people and facilities than are given a chance IMO) it's the exception and not the rule IME.

Like others here I've seen many a pampered pooch from a reputable breeder that has just as many if not more mental and behavioral issues than my rescue dogs. It's all in how much time you are willing to put in, how much you are willing to educate yourself, and more often than not how willing you are to change your behavior patterns towards the dog. That goes for all dogs, not just rescues with "issues".

[NbyNW]

They inevitably turn out to be amazing dogs, most in short order. I'm sure there are some that just can't handle it, but short of severe abuse and trained fighting cases (more of which could be rehabed with the right people and facilities than are given a chance IMO) it's the exception and not the rule IME.

Yes, it seems that as with many needs out there, there are more dogs (and other animals!) that need help than there are people/facilities/resources, especially those who are equipped to deal with extremely bad situations.

Every now and then I come upon a story about where the dogs from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation have ended up. I believe they did have to put some dogs down due to socialization & health issues, but a lot of organizations went to great lengths to rehab & place as many dogs as they could. A few are in no-kill shelters/sanctuaries. Some have even found homes. It's pretty incredible.

[badger]

The organization is called Ocean Dog Rescue. It's a small grass-roots organization that is comprised of individual rescuers. Hopefully the link works, these are the dogs that are up for adoption through them. http://www.petfinder.com/shelterSear...helterid=BC170

They've rescued and adopted out several former puppy-mill dogs. They've done well in their new homes with some understanding and patience.

I would imagine these dogs are unsocialized and guaranteed to not be housebroken, but that doesn't mean they won't be able to learn.

Of the 500 or so dogs, the rescuers will primarily only take dogs that are hopefully adoptable. I've found that a lot of the dogs from Taiwan are not well socialized. The rescuers do what they can, but with sometimes 100+ dogs in their care, they can't have one on one attention that they deserve. Most do not know how to walk on leashes because they simply haven't been walked regularly.

But again, it doesn't mean they can't learn, and of the 150+ dogs that have been adopted in the last 18 months, only 1 have been returned and that was because the man of the household was not attuned to his needs (firm hand as opposed to positive reinforcement).

I believe if you are generous enough to make a donation, there is a button on the site to contribute. In case the above link doesn't work, try this one

Thank you all for caring

[Biciclista]

cool, i didn't know that. all this time I always assumed everyone who was rescuing these horror story dogs had basket cases for the rest of the animals' life. Glad to hear that is not so.

[badger]

p.s. Gordy's awfully sweet!!

[NbyNW]

Yes, he is!

I spent most of 1997 in Taiwan and the stray dog problem was awful. I was back for a couple of weeks earlier this year and the situation is much improved, I'm sure in no small part from due to the efforts of organizations like yours.

Hope you're able to find good homes for the pups!