It Is Me That Picks Up The Pieces

We get asked  a lot for the history of the dogs in our care, and the reality is this is something we rarely have. People drop off their dogs to the pounds, or discard them on the streets without a second thought. If you do manage to speak to the owner they tend to lie, and this is not only pointless, but can be dangerous.

When we collect a dog we know nothing, all we know is that the dog in front of us is usually terrified. They either pee themselves and stand so still in fear of what might happen, or they lunge, teeth showing, in an attempt to get us to go away. Is the dog aggressive, 90% of the time no, they are simply terrified.

Every dog I collect I have to treat as potentially dangerous for the safety of everyone, some come around quickly, others take time. Some dogs have to be left for days to adjust to their new "life" As I walk past their kennel they get the "speech" the life is shit, and I am sorry, and I am going to make sure life gets better speech.

Some dogs are simply hysterical, they want to tear me apart, as they see me as the person who has taken them from their owner, not that their wonderful arsehole owner was the one that dumped them. To these dogs their whole world has been turned upside down, and all they want is to go home. Sadly, that isn't possible, so we have to suck it up, and get on with moving forward.

To the owner who walked their dog into the pound, I want to say:

Thank you for being a total arsehole, I know nothing about your dog, and they could potentially be destroyed as their behaviour is a concern. We do not know if it is fear, or they are actually aggressive. Your dog has been so emotionally scarred that I cannot even enter the kennel to feed them without help, as they throw themselves at me in an attempt to get me to leave.

Don't worry though I won't give up like you did, I will pick up the pieces, and repair your dogs broken heart. I wont stop loving your dog like you did, and I will do everything in my power to help them overcome their fears, and move forward with their life. As you move on without a care in the world, all I ask is that you never get another dog to do the same again.