However, I think that there are a fair number of animals in shelters that while not directly physically abused were probably in situations of neglect or just really poor ownership. Direct physical abuse isn't the only thing that can cause behavioral problems, as I'm sure you've seen in your work with shelter animals 🙂
Of course. However, many non-sheltered animals (those animals in homes and not in a shelter) can be neglected at times. If I have a big test the next day, am I running around in the backyard with my dogs? Probably not. Do I still love them and care for them and would do anything for them? Definitely.
True "neglect" I think (IMO, at least) is relatively rare (ie, leaving the dog outside with no food, water, shelter, medical attention as well as hoarding situations). People don't always know that puppies need to be socialized to the extent that they require, but that doesn't mean they were purposefully neglectful and that the dog is not in a good, loving home.
Example:
My next door neighbors got a puppy (*facepalm*) a few years back. I went to dog sit while the mom was at work. This dog did not understand what a toy was. He gave me the oddest look when I wanted him to fetch. His mom walks him at least 5 times a day, rain or shine. Bad owner? Not necessarily.
Few things are as black and white as we (myself included) often make them out to be. True abuse is rare (thank goodness), at least in my area. Are there questionable practices by owners? Definitely. But that doesn't necessarily equate them with being "neglectful."
Most people love their dogs (and cats!) and would never puprposefully abuse or neglect their animals. At least in my opinion, a dog in a home is usually (barring abuse or true neglect) 100% better off than a dog in any shelter. Just because the home is not perfect does not mean they are neglectful.
I do agree that there are animals in shelters that are undersocialized, reactive, etc. I would venture to say (feel free to disagree!) that the average dog owner does not understand the responsibility with regards to obtaining a dog from a young age. A puppy is a holiday gift or a means to keep a struggling marriage intact or to a means to "teach children responsibility." I think most of the behavior problems we're actually seeing in animal shelters is the result of a (
usually) average dog/cat that cannot handle the stresses of the shelter. Who could blame them?
Furthermore, I would say that
the shelter (if anything) creates more problems for the average dog than the previous owners did (barring extreme cases, as stated above). A dog that would do just fine in a home cannot held the uprooting and emotional turmoil that the shelter
creates.
So....
That brings me back to the original issue. Are there phobias in shelter dogs? Absolutely. Are there dogs that don't fit that criteria that have phobias? Absolutely (including both of mine). Is it fair to assume that EVERY dog that passes through shelter doors was abused, neglected, or the result of bad ownership? Heck no. At least not in my circumstances. When we adopt a dog out, we thoroughly explain the dog's history (ie, little old lady had Fluffy for 14 years when she passed away, dog found as stray, dog is part of ongoing cruelty investigation). We give the owners as much information as possible to ensure success of that animal in his new home (if any shelter DOES NOT do that, I would consider
that as being neglectful). Any known abuse/neglect is disclosed (of course, with strays we have little information).
Of course anything can cause behavioral problems. One of my dogs has an anxiety disorder that we only diagnosed when he was around 5 years old. We obtained him as a puppy, did all of the right things, went to puppy kindergarten, etc. When people came into our home, he would run away and hide (because of his anxiety, presumably). Through the help of a veterinary behaviorist, we have him regulated on medication (woohoo!). Now when people come to the door, he jumps, barks, and carries on like a mad man. This situation did not arise until he was older and was not (at least, we believe) a result of anything we did or did not do. Now we have a behavior problem that needs to be fixed (and in another family, may have resulted in him being released to a shelter) that was not the result of neglect or even undersocialization.
This dog of mine is also undersocialized, because when we went to puppy classes (of which the most important part is socialization with other dogs to learn bite inhibition, proper play technique, etc.), he would hide behind my mom's legs when given the opportunity to interact with other dogs. Now he is completely inappropriate with other dogs (he hits them on the head with his huge paws). Again, undersocialization not due to neglect or abuse but another issue entirely.
Yes, this is a personal anecdote, and I'm sorry for going into crazy tangentials. However, I would like to point out that the number one reason we get animals into our shelter nowadays is because of the economy. Loving families can no longer afford to take care of their loved animals.
From pet-abuse.com:
Myth: Shelter pets are obviously not good pets, or else their original owners wouldn't have gotten rid of them
If the main reason why a pet gets brought to rescue shelters was because they were a *bad* pet, there would be thousands of empty shelters across the country. Animals are brought to shelters for a large variety of reasons, some of which are...
- Their owners have passed away
- An irresponsible owner didn't get their pets spayed or neutered so they found themselves with a litter of babies that they could not keep or did not want
- The animal's owners were abusive to the animal, so the authorities have removed the pet from the harmful environment
- An animal was purchased or adopted by someone who did not take into consideration all of the responsibility that caring for that pet would entail. A good example of this would be someone who adopts a pet in an apartment complex that does not allow animals and then is subsequently forced to get rid of the pet.
This is the biggest reason I've seen in my experience. There are, of course, other reasons.
Read more:
Pet-Abuse.Com - Dispelling the Myths About Shelter Pets http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/animal_adoption/adoption_myths.php#ixzz0qULMzxCa
Sorry, that was really long. I would like everyone else's input on what I've written, as I am always looking to expand my knowledge base and love a friendly debate
🙂
~NStarz
"Oh, LAVAGE!"
