COMMITMENT

Up until now, we’ve been pretty fortunate in that dad has had minimal input into these posts.  Well, our luck just ran out.  Usually when he has to get involved, it’s ‘cause something is bothering him so we might as well let the old boy get on with it and get it off his chest.
Hi.  Sorry to intrude on Miss Cocopuff’s space but I was hoping that someone might help me to gain a better understanding of human nature as it relates to our relationships with companion animals.
GARD takes in a number of owner-relinquished dogs.  Lately, a lot of these are due to the economy being what it is, they just don’t have the resources to take care of the dog in a proper fashion.  I don’t have a problem with this, they’re far better off here than at animal control or on the roadside somewhere.  Occasionally, we get dogs in that are causing unresolvable problems at home, either with other pets, the family or the environment.  Again, I generally am supportive of this decision.  What I totally don’t get is the throwaway dogs.  This has always bothered me and a couple of recent intakes have brought this issue, once again, to the fore in my thinking.  With this in mind, for better or for worse, I’d like to express my thoughts and philosophy on this subject.   I would apologize in advance for any offence taken from my opinions but, frankly, a lot of what I see in this respect disgusts me  and so I will refrain from doing that.
Quite recently, we had a little Shitzu come through here.  She came from the Macon area and was at animal control with a euth. tag on her cage.  Her story was that the owners had had her since she was a puppy, 12 years, and  they now wanted another puppy so they dumped her off at this high-kill shelter, still wearing her “Princess” collar.  We took her before her scheduled execution the next day. She was a wonderful dog and we got her a great home where she can spend the remainder of her days enriching an older couples’ lives.
We’ve got a little Schnauser here now (she’s sleeping in a bed by my desk) who was driving the owner absolutely crazy! Seems Trudy (my name for her) was reluctant to walk on the left while on a lead and to make matters worse, she insisted on pooping in the dirt rather that on the grass!  Imagine!  Don’t know how they got through it!
Another recent addition is a beautiful German Shepherd.  The owners had him for 10 years, since he was a puppy, deployed and dumped him in a high-kill shelter.  Chances are that this 10 year old dog would not have been adopted before his 3 day amnesty had expired.  He’s a great boy, gets along with everyone and loves to ride.  Cocopuff and I took him yesterday to do our banking, stopping on the way to get them a couple of double cheeseburgers from the dollar menu.
These dogs and countless others were essentially thrown away.  Sure, it’s a bit more humane than just dumping them on the highway which is so often the case but the fact remains that they were discarded.  And this is where I’m having problems.  Okay, I’ll be the first to say that I’m probably not your average Joe.  I’ve made choices in life that are probably not mainstream.  Hell, I live with 100+ dogs but the fact remains that I have essentially the same human attributes as everyone else on the planet and I just could not ever bring myself to throw a dog away (euthanizing a dying dog is a different, but no-less-painful matter).
I’ve always gotten the impression that I get much more out of my relationships with my dogs than a lot of other folks do.  Some of that is just me and my own personal values but I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t also because I value them more and am more committed to them.  I could not possible be more committed than if they were my own kin.  Years ago I had a White Shepherd named Lorien who I rescued from an abusive home.  She was my constant companion, hiking, swimming, cutting firewood to try to put some food on the table.  The only time she was overtly protective of me was when I was in the water, guess she figured any other time I didn’t need much help in that respect.  Many years later as she was in declining health, we were swimming at a local pond and, coming out of the water, heard a guy say to his 20 or so drunken friends “I’ll bet ya  10 dollars I can drown that dog.”.  I’d had a loaded revolver in my truck at the time but knew I wouldn’t be able to get to it in time so I placed myself between him and Lorien and informed him that the only way to that dog was through me.  Not wanting to lose face in front of his idiot friends, he persisted, at which point I offered to disassemble him in front of his friends (I was working construction at the time and it was obvious that this was not an idle threat).  Took about 20 minutes to talk him down while I was acutely aware that his friends may very well opt to support him in his drunken quest.  Had things gone differently, someone assuredly would have died that day and fortunately, all my years of training working with the mentally challenged stood me in good stead.  I’ve kept dogs that I didn’t really care for all that much in the same manner.  Even more years ago, the kids brought home a little hound-mix puppy.  I met him while my arms were turning to rubber trying to spline in a 4 speed transmission.  He came up to me, rolled over and peed in my ear.  Good dog!  I never really cared that much for Chipper, just like humans, there’s some you like and others, not so much.  I’m sure Chipper never knew this and once the kids were done with their 1 week obligatory feeding and walking him, I took good care of him for the rest of his life.  Why? “Cause he was my dog!  That's why we use the term "forever home" here at GARD.
Something I've always wondered about my Cocopuff;  Do I love her so much because she's an outstanding dog or is she an outstanding dog  because I love her so much?  It's the nature v. nurture thing all over again but, in reality, I think it's a little of both.  I could identify the traits in her, when she came to us at 8 weeks of age, that one would expect to see in a really great dog but I think a lot of who and what Cocopuff is today is a product of the love, affection and devotion I've showered on her since she was a pup.  I have the same quandry (with the same conclusions) about our Lil' Puff.  Lilly's such a sweet girl and I love her much like Coco except that I'm more protective of her given her crappy start in a life that was almost over before it really began (for Lil's story, see Cocopuff's earlier posts).  I often wonder if Lil's littermates would have been such wonderful companions had they survived or is Lil such a sweetheart (a quality that she reserves solely for family) because we fell in love with that little dying puppy and saw her through a truly epic struggle for survival.  Again, I think her kin probably all had a disposition to be nice dogs but I honestly think Lilly is who and what she is today primarily because we showered her with love and support.  Our reward for setting ourselves up for some major heartbreak with her (as well as dealing with IBS for the first year of her life)?  When you're treating a pet that is dying, you just don't want to give up on them; there's 1 chance in a million that they'll make it and Lilly is our 1 in a million.  She has, in her own way, healed the hurts of a thousand other heartbreaks.  As if that wasn't enough,  I'm rewarded every day by a little sweetheart who comes to you at bedtime for a goodnight hug and, in the morning has to have a "cuddle attack".  It's like she ran out of cuddles during the night and has to resupply for the day.  I could go on and on, we've got a houseful of throwaways ranging from quirky to formerly vicious (speaking of quirky, our reclusive, almost-feral Cinder is lying at my feet as I type this).  Now, if you just filled up your house with dogs that all had issues, you'd have a bloodbath on your hands but we've got a homogenous little family of misfits here that no one else wanted.  They all get along and we love 'em all.  They get along because we are devoted to them and help them to overcome their issues.  My old boy that came in here as a vicious dog who was on his was to be put down when we met him ( the shelter is not allowed to take in an aggressive dog but I, as an individual, can)?  Old Bailey is a steadfast friend and a trustworthy member of the family.
Okay, so this is how Philip sees the world.  Now will somebody please explain to me how it is possible to dump your sweet little lapdog at a shelter knowing she will probably be dead within days (probably while you're out shopping for that new puppy you wanted) or consign your riding buddy to a death camp because he's no longer convenient?  I really hate to be condemnatory but I get so damned frustrated seeing what should be someone's friend and companion being tossed out like the trash or, at best, recycled.  Not only is your dog, who undoubtedly loved and trusted you without reservation, the loser, I feel a great deal of pity for you as well because you're the biggest loser is what should and could have been an exquisitely rewarding relationship.