Adopting dogs has its share of pitfalls

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

By KIM SKORNOGOSKI
Tribune Staff Writer

The dog may require extensive veterinary care for months after they are adopted. They may have worms, need to be spayed or neutered or have parasites.

Different breeds have different needs. Many of the seized dogs are cattle breeds like Border Collies, Australian Shepherds and Blue Heelers, and like to have a lot of room to run and are high-energy dogs.

The dogs probably will need training. Many are outdoor dogs and aren't house trained. They may not be familiar with being on leashes. With adult dogs training may take more time and patience.


The dogs may have destructive behavior, like chewing clothes and personal items.

Unsocialized dogs may be shy around people, startled by loud noises and have trouble adjusting to their new surroundings.
The hours Cyndi Baker spent walking and petting the dogs at Camp Collie didn't prepare her for when she brought one of the abused dogs home to stay.

She expected Roxie to be hungry for human contact and enjoy the luxury of living indoors. Instead, she was scared of simple things like leaving the yard on a leash and she didn't like to be inside.

"I don't think anybody really has any idea of what they're getting into," Baker said. "You expect to lavish love on it and that will make it all better."

Hearing the story of the 170 collies crammed into a semi that were confiscated on the Canadian border in 2002, people leaped to help care for and eventually adopt the animals.

Now, people are opening their hearts again, this time to 90 dogs seized from an animal refuge west of Great Falls. Their owner Pamela Polejewski is charged with animal cruelty and assaulting a deputy as he took the dogs.

But as Camp Collie owners learned, those interested in adopting Polejewski's dogs, may find their good intentions come with big responsibilities.

Deputies discovered 200 animals, including 140 dogs on Polejewski's property, in August when they responded to a complaint of unwatered horses.

Since then, Sheriff's Office animal control officer Lynlee Van Wicklin has been collecting names of people interested in adopting the dogs, cats and horses. A dozen people left their names, with still more willing to wait and call back.

When people inquired about adopting Polejewski's dogs, Humane Society of Cascade County Director Chuck Tourtillott suggested they come by the animal shelter instead.

"I really appreciate everyone stepping up to help," he said. "Their hearts are in the right place. All of us need to be reminded that there are plenty of homeless dogs that need to be adopted already."

Tourtillott hopes half of the dogs will be adopted through rescue organizations to out-of-state homes to ease the need to find homes locally.

A dog behaviorist spent time with all the dogs while they were on Polejewski's property and found that most were highly adoptable and would adapt to most families.

But that doesn't mean that the dogs won't come with medical and behavior problems.

Waiting for charges to be resolved against their owners Athena Lethcoe-Harman and Jonathan Harman, the collies spent nine months camped in Shelby and then Great Falls.

Volunteers regularly walked and spent time with the dogs, getting them used to people during that time.

To prevent dogs from being held in limbo while court proceedings drag on, the legislature passed a law allowing a judge to determine the animals' fate before criminal charges go to trial.

Polejewski's dogs remained on her property until Dec. 19 and have since been kept either in the pony and llama barn at Montana ExpoPark or at a veterinarian.

While they will be adopted sooner than the Camp Collie dogs, Polejewski's dogs won't have nine months of constant human attention like the collies.

Of the 170 collies, eight were brought back to the camp because their owners realized the dogs' troubles were too much for them to handle. Those dogs were found homes through rescue groups.

"Sometimes people have the best intentions and they think that in a week or two everything is going to be great," said the Great Falls Camp Collie coordinator Cindy James. "They get a bit delusion."

With her adopted dog, James paid for months of veterinarian bills to rid Allie of hookworms, parasites and to care for a thyroid condition.

Allie needed to be housed trained and it took time to adjust to her new home.

"Dogs that have been raised in inhumane conditions like this have special needs," James said. "These dogs are beautiful dogs, but they're not Lassie. People need to go in with their eyes wide open."

Being retired, Carolyn Dolezal was able to dedicate the hours needed to help her tri-colored collie Rio become a good housedog.

Rio was very shy. At first he was afraid of her husband Ed and he still isn't comfortable when new people visit.

He was scared of loud noises and he had never been on linoleum or carpet before.

"Besides not knowing how to act in a house, they don't know how to act in a neighborhood or on a leash," Dolezal said. "Don't expect them to be like other dogs because it won't be. It takes lots of time and patience to get a good friendly dog."

Feeling frustrated and helpless with her adopted collie, Baker eventually started a support group for fellow Camp Collie owners.

They learned that the dogs had a lot of the same bad behaviors and timidness. They worked with a vet to get advice on how to handle their dogs' problems.

The group still meets monthly, though mostly it's because they — the people and the dogs — enjoy spending time together. Baker invites anyone who adopts a rescue dog to join.

Now two years later, Roxie is a loyal and loving dog, but she's not the dog she would have been if the Bakers had adopted her as a puppy.

"When you have such a mess of animals, they're not getting the human attention they need," Baker said.

"Dogs that have been raised in inhumane conditions like this have special needs," James said. "These dogs have come from a horrible situation. You want to make sure this is their forever home."

[mulroony]

I don't like this article, and it could have been written differently to not make rescue/shelter dogs look so bad. The adoption cause is already facing enough hardship w/out reporters bad mouthing the dogs in shelters/rescues. I know most of the shelters I have been to get a majority of dogs because of landlord issues, people moving, or additions to family. It is (unfortunately) not often that huge seizures happen.

And yes they may require training, but I guarantee so does any puppy you bring home. Most of the dogs I meet in shelters are good dogs, and any that are there because of behavior are easily fixed w/ time and patience.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I really didn't think they made the shelter / rescue dog look bad, they made it realistic and in my opinion people do need to see the bad side before adopting animals like those that were seized from the border.

Those involved in their care, just like any dog in a shelter or rescue want their new home to be that "forever home" and again, in my own opinion if more rescues / shelters were upfront with people before that adoption takes place I think the animals stand a better chance of that first adoption being that forever home.

Potential adopters need to realize that these dogs may not have come from the best situations and many will not start off in their home as the "ideal" pet. I think its great when people are willing to open their homes and hearts to a dog in need but, they should be given all the information and let their judgement rather than their hearts decide if adopting a dog thats been through something like this is something they can and are willing to handle.

Many people have no idea what all goes into many of the rescue dogs and while your right, a puppy needs training too there are tons of other things to consider with some rescues that you normally do not encounter early in a puppy's life.

While many come to the shelter / rescue because of landlord disputes and things of that nature there are plenty of others that come from abuse situations. No, there may not be as many dogs statistically in there that come from such a large seizure but there are plenty with many of the very same issues. Seperation anxiety, being kept outdoors or in small confined spaces as well as bad breeding just to name a few.

[mulroony]

Rereading the article I guess I misread the beginning, and took them to be talking about dogs in shelters in general and not this particular situation.

That said I still think the article was a little harsh. I know how important it is to make sure a dog's home stays it home for the duration of its life, but at the same time I think this article could deter people that could have possibly been good matches for these dogs from going and meeting them. If you just say this dog has lots of energy, affraid of men, and is heartworm positive people are probably not going to give it a second look. If that same person is talking to a shelter staff who tells them all this, but then says... well if you have a fenced in yard and take them for a walk a day that will calm them significantly, working to alleviate their fear of men should just take a slow gradual process of introducing them to men with lots of positive outcomes, and the heartworm issue is not that bad yet and can be cleared up... the person is much more educated.

I guess I just think anything that might keep people from at least looking into shelters/rescue is bad. Yes it gave people a realistic image, but what if someone reads this and decides to stay away from these dogs, where if they hadn't maybe they go their and realize the dog might not be for them but they can volunteer or tell friends or donate or anything else.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

but what if someone reads this and decides to stay away from these dogs

Then it probably means they weren't up to the challenge anyway. I agree that its always better when someone can explain how certain things can be handled and possibly overcome but I don't believe people should candy coat the problems a dog may have either. With my own rescues I prefer to be upfront with the issues the dog has first then, if someone is still interested I go into what can be done to assist in turning those problems around.

There are tons of people out there that love dogs and when they hear those sad stories they want to open their hearts and homes but lets face it, letting someone's heart make decisions instead of their brain when it comes to adopting usually ends up a terrible decision for both. More people need to be made aware that the majority of shelter and rescue dogs do in fact come from situations that were less than ideal and that those dogs may be effected from that past, whether it be behavior issues or medical issues. It is actually the minority that can be adopted and right off the bat be an instant loving family member.

I'm not a fan of anything that makes a shelter / rescue look bad either but again, I don't think that being honest with the general public makes them look bad, it makes them look like people who care enough about the dogs to give them every chance possible at making that first adoption be the only adoption. jmo

[mulroony]

I agree with what you are saying about shelters/rescues and the dogs in them it just something about this article that just rubbed me the wrong way, probably just because I am not in the best mood.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by mulroony

I agree with what you are saying about shelters/rescues and the dogs in them it just something about this article that just rubbed me the wrong way, probably just because I am not in the best mood.

I understand and you know, when I went back through it again I have to admit that it didn't seem to flow very well. The info I thought was important but a little more postive wouldn't have hurt.

More info on how the collie they were talking about turned out would have been nice, they mentioned it all worked out in the end but I would have loved if they would have gone into more detail on that as well so people can see that even though there was a bit of work involved it paid off.

[sammy]

I agree with Mulroney on this one.

Sure rescue dogs may come with problems some more then others but buying a pup does necessarily mean you won't end up with problems and a whole lot of work.

What so many people don't know (and I didn't either until I learned the hard way) is you've got to do your homework and research. Know what breeds will and won't suit your lifestyle and personality.

If you get a dog out of rescue they are often fostered in family homes and you can find out what the dog is like with other dogs, cats, children, what issues the dog may have etc

People think a breeder is a breeder and end up with pups who have not been handled, socialized or well bred. They may have health problems etc etc Many very smart well educated people have no idea what to look for in a breeder and have no clue about the breed they choose other than how they look.

I think the message shouldn't just be a warning about rescue dogs but about adopting dogs/pups in general- make a good, well researched, well thought out decision when you get a pet. I do agree that may people feel so sorry for the rescue pups when they read their sad stories and jump in without really thinking BUT people do the same thing when they fall in love with a pup they know nothing about from a pet store of from a BYB.

Gee, I hope this doesn't sound like a rant. I'm just having trouble making my point in a few words

[elegy]

i'm all for rescue and shelter dogs, but i have to admit that i cringe a little bit when there's a big, well-advertised rescue effort splashed all over the media, because it makes these dogs seem very glamorous and it tugs the heartstrings and people don't always stop to consider what goes into have a dog, not to mention a special needs dog. and it does the dogs no favors to be rescued into somebody's home only to be dumped again later.

but i think that whole situation is different than going to a shelter or a rescue organization and looking to adopt just a regular old dog in the everyday course of life. i think it's like anything else- people need to be realistic and use their brains a little bit.

[skroll5]

Everybody needs to give alot of thought to adopting a rescue dog that has been mistreated/abused..these dogs need perhaps more than most folks can handle,I agree.
I know that when a story is in the news,people jump to adopt these dogs,but...it is true,there are(sadly)many dogs in shelters already,needing good homes-could it honestly be that getting a dog that was in a news story is like a status symbol??

My chocolate lab.Coco,was a stray,living in a field with her mother,and siblings-the shelter had to put down her mom,her siblings were already adopted out,and she was with some other dogs-in the corner of the cage,shaking with terror..I said-"I want THAT dog!"
The shelter people even tried to discourage me,but I won...
Coco is now 13,and yes,she was quite a handfull getting to be a "normal"? dog....But what a wonderful dog she is!!
Since I have been told that I am a "dog nut",all my dogs have been shelter/rescue dogs.-dogs that no one else wanted....they needed a good home,and a person like me(I think like a dog LOL)....you need that "whatever it takes"attitude to deal with special needs dogs!

[Raised By Wolves]

My last three dogs, (two from a local shelter and one from a home environment), all came to me with a lot of "issues" and behavior problems. Everything from neurotic licking to aggression and fear.

Personally, I love working with dogs like these, although I know it's not for everyone.

Health and breeding aside, I can't help but enjoy seeing a messed up dog, turn around and begin living a happy, stable life.

I sometimes feel like a detective, viewing a crime scene and trying to put together the possible series of events leading up to the point at which the dog was surrendered. Tia had a lot to "tell me" about how she was treated in her former home.

It's a lot more challenging, than doing an in-home consultation, where you can view everything first hand, and pinpoint the problem by seeing how an owner is interacting with their dog.

One thing I have found to be sad, is so many people turn their own dogs in as "strays", and give no helpful information which could be useful in rehabilitation or rehoming. I'm sure this makes things hard for a shelter to know what happened in a dog's life, before they were given up.

Is this due to "embarassment" over failure on the part of the owners, or are the shelters being too hard on the people for "giving up"? Do shelters charge for an owner surrender, where as a turned in "stray" is accepted with no questions or money asked?

I suppose each shelter is different. But, I have heard some sad stories of how people are treated both when they surrender, or try to adopt a dog from some places.