Typically this should be a simple approach:  The shelter took in 100 animals, 90 were adopted, 10 were killed, the shelter has a 90% LRR (live release rate).  Many shelters that don’t want to play the games will use these numbers, but they are often then criticized because other shelters have a lower “kill rate”.  So how do they achieve this?  Since I’m not one to over-explain, this might be the simplest outline available.

If a shelter is using a program that boasts a no kill or low kill program, there may be more to the numbers than the simple equation offered above.  These shelters will take into account the number or “healthy adoptable animals” they killed.  For example a neonate (under 8 week animal) is not adoptable, aggressive dogs are not adoptable, old / sick dogs or cats are not adoptable, and this list goes on and on.  So therefore this number is deducted from their kill numbers.  If this shelter takes in 100 animals and adopts out only 40, of the 60 remaining, 25 might be sick, 15 are labeled as aggressive, 15 are neonates.  This shelter only counts 5 as being killed “per se.”  Now this shelter is operating at a 95% Live Release or 5% euthanasia.  This places this shelter in the very top of the game.  BUT is it honest?

Shelters that kill for space are frowned upon because on the surface it seems WRONG!  So instead shelters are forced to pad their numbers.  Better to say that the animals killed were not adoptable.  Or is it.  I say NO!

I’ve had this discussion / argument over and over again.  I would prefer to be honest and say YES, we had to kill these animals because there was no room and no one adopted them instead of lying on the souls of these animals that had to be killed and then their behaviors or health lied about.  Don’t get me wrong, if there is an animal that is a danger to society (a true danger) I have no problem killing it (same for a person in my opinion – but I digress).

If I lie about an animal’s health and say that this kennel cough was a serious illness and the animal was justifiably killed or the dog that barks at his kennel door is aggressive and again justifiably killed – NOW I have a big problem.   Let’s put the focus onto the public and give them the chance to adopt, let’s show that shelters do have good dogs and cats and other animals.  Let’s strive for shelters that really shelter.  Let’s make shelters a place that will treat illness with medicine and behavioral issues with training.  Shelters that will work with the public and a public that will work with shelters to reduce the number of animals that are killed there.  Let’s strive to shut down backyard breeders and dog fighters, work with feral cat groups and look for a society where animals are safe, humans are compassionate and people work together for a common good.  Let’s open our eyes to the honesty that may hurt but will lead to a solution instead of putting our heads in the sand.

Transparency may not be easy to look at, but without knowing the truth we may just think that everything is OK, when it really isn’t.

Critics exist in all areas, but here I would like to address those in my own backyard.  The people that criticize rescues doing the hard work of rescue.  People that have given their last drop of sweat trying to save animals at risk.  To the critics of these people I say SHAME ON YOU.  The person who is overwhelmed with work, bills and heartache trying to save “just one more” doesn’t need to be criticized by someone on the outside complaining of the way the job is being done.  To the critics of the shelter that is overrun with intakes and not enough room, the employees who try to figure out a way to save a dog for one more day in hopes of the perfect human may be showing up…  these people don’t need the outside critics showing up to protest that this shelter is forced to kill pets in order to make room for the 25 that are lined up at the front door, they need help – not critics!

It is the critics that lend nothing but hot-air to the problem.  They complain and criticize a job they have never done – a job they could never do!  They feel they can do better, but yet they never “do.”  I have seen people criticize others to the point that these people quit and fail.  The people that protest the person who has too many animals in their rescue, yet they don’t offer to take one out.  The critics that lay blame at the poor conditions that animals live in at a rescue / shelter, yet these critics don’t step up to volunteer or donate to make it better.  To all of these people I say, Shame on You!

I’ve had my share of critics albeit very few.  These people have often hid behind fake names or aliases and never come to my face so that I can show them for whom they are.  These critics feel that my way of handling shelter dogs is not in line with their ideals.  Bearing in mind that almost all of my training at shelters involves motivational and positive training, these people criticize that I don’t want volunteers “baby talking” to dogs or allowing dogs to lick their faces or picking up dogs.  WHY?  Because these actions oftentimes put dogs in positions to fail.  When a dog is licking your face and then nips, it’s a BIG RED STRIKE.  If you pick up a dog and it bites because it gets spooked, it’s a BIG RED STRIKE.  My position is to save as many dogs as possible including those with behavioral problems.  I’ve never said NO to a dog no matter what the dog’s issues.  Any shelter that I’ve worked at can attest that I will work with any dog, regardless of temperament or reputation.  Most every one of these dogs have been saved because of my work and most importantly because of my steadfast commitment to the dogs and my disregard for the critics.  I run a tight ship and those that have trained with me know why.  I have base guidelines on how to interact with the dogs, what to wear, what to do and what not to do.  These guidelines are for one reason… TO SAVE LIVES.  And very importantly, to save the lives that are at the greatest risk in our shelters.

So for all of you who have been criticized by those that stand by and throw out words and never any help, I commend you and stand with you.   You are making the difference; you are saving the lives that others discard.  You are taking the time to give of your blood, sweat and tears to make the world a better place for those that can’t help themselves.  Saving lives depends on hard work and dedication and the clock ticks fast!  We don’t have time to try and combat the negatives of the bystanders, any detraction from our work costs lives.

So, if you’ve been criticized, take a minute now and pat yourself on the back for the lives you’ve saved – that’s something that critics fortunately are unable to do!

Robert Cabral

BOUND ANGELS

Participants learned dog handling, marketing, training and adoption skills.  Everyone came away feeling inspired to save more lives.   VCAS has graciously partnered with us to allow us to continue to provide this life-saving training on an ongoing basis.  We are currently gearing up for our next training and will be announcing that on our Facebook page very soon.

If you want to learn the skills to save lives, please have your shelter or rescue contact us so that you can participate in our training.

One of the best parts of the weekend has to be knowing so many dogs will be saved as a result of this workshop.  Both directly and indirectly.  Some of the dogs were saved  right in front of our eyes.

All participants in the event must be either working in rescue, volunteering at a shelter or humane society or be an active shelter employee. The workshop teaches all of our life-saving skills including videos, photography, social media and marketing as well as canine handling, evaluation and training skills. This is a boot-camp training and will be 5 hours per day for two days (Saturday and Sunday).

There are only a limited number of seats still available and it is first come first served. If you can’t make it to this workshop consider getting your name on the list for future workshops. Please use our contact page to submit your name, rescue affiliation and contact info.

If you’d like to learn more about our Shelter Rescue Workshops, click here.

I look forward to seeing you there…

Robert

Now that you know the question, you’ll have to ponder the answer…  and to many there may be no answer.  No way to ever see that every animal is safe, that they all get rescued and to be sure that every animal is loved for their entire life.  It can be a pretty daunting task, and many give up.  The problem is that every time a good person gives up, many more dogs die.  I said a long time ago, “you can’t save all the animals in the world, but you can save one.”  That has become my slogan and my mantra.  I know that every life I touch and each life I save is saved because I care.  If I didn’t care or if I gave up, that life might not be saved. Then I focus on the home-front and know that my dog has a forever home with me, and even if we have to live in my car, we will be together until one of us dies.

Now, onto the question at hand, what is the answer?  Well there are a few.  There are several things that have to happen to solve the pet over population situation.  Let me first say that in this country we don’t really have an “overpopulation” problem, we simply have too many pets that people don’t want in particular colors, breeds and temperaments.  There are people buying and looking for dogs all the time.  And to simply state we have an overpopulation problem, does not address the issue.  We have, in many cases, an ignorance problem.  We have people who get dogs and don’t understand them or even grasp the concept that this dog will grow up.  We have people who don’t train their dogs, don’t spay / neuter and others who are just plain idiots, those that breed their dog with the neighbor’s dog in order to show their children the miracle of birth.  I would think it better to have a child watch a sex film, and then take them to the hospital and have them watch the birth of a child.  That is more along the lines of what would make sense.  Seeing a dog hump another dog and then 8 puppies born would not be realistic.  People who do this are down right stupid.  Dog breeding to show a child the miracle of birth is senseless.  Unless of course you want to march your child down to the shelter a few months later and show them a barrel full of puppies, dead puppies.  The one’s that didn’t get a home because of all the people exploring the miracle of child birth with their children.

Often times spay/ neuter is not readily available to a wide degree in poor areas.  That is where we should be focusing much of our efforts.  Mobile spay neuter vans can spay up to 75 or more pets in a day at a greatly reduced cost.  The big name orgs could take a fraction of the money that they spend on marketing and actually fund these life saving events.  Of course this probably would not be good enough PR to garner millions more in donations, so they just leave it to the little guys and then show up for a photo op.

Now, how about low cost vet services for people that can’t afford medical issues with their dogs.  These are available and every now and then a person in a Cadillac will show up and screw the system.  DAMN, but at least we know there are some places available.  But yet another place that big rescue ogs could really help the desperate dogs of our society.

People could also spend more time volunteering at local shelters and help walk dogs, train shelter dogs, socialize them and make them more adoptable.  Everyone who loves dogs possesses a skill that could save many dog’s lives, but that would involve giving of your time and caring.  So many people I’ve met are constantly starting their own “rescue’s” because they feel pulling dogs out of the shelter and into their rescue is the answer.  Is it?  Well, no one is really sure.  There are those that do great work, there are those that get the best dogs and sell them at a good profit under the guise of a non-profit and there are those that go off the deep end and have 170 dogs on their property until they get busted and many of those dogs that suffered at their house will now end up back in the shelter… and often times killed.

So, what is the answer?  I would say moderation.  People should be conscious not to take on more than they can handle.  A focused volunteer protocol with a local shelter or rescue, doing what you can do, supporting small local rescues that actually do the work and putting pressure on the big orgs that you may support would make a big difference.  Remember, only a couple of pennies of every dollar you give to those big ANIMAL orgs every gets to the animals and next to nothing ever trickles back to your local animal shelter.

I urge you to think locally and act in the best interest of your community.  Help the animals where you live and investigate where your money goes when you donate.  Volunteer and encourage people to keep their pets, help someone who can’t afford it with their vet bill if they are broke.  Maybe suggest to your local vet to start a fund to help the poor in the area.  Helping out with local rescues, shelters and mobile adoptions is a great benefit to the animals at risk in your community.  Remember, charity starts at home.  Think about helping others when your back yard is clean.

When I train shelters through our Shelter Rescue Program I explain that there are many roles that can be filled with volunteers including handling dogs, training dogs, working with fearful dogs, photographing, video shooting, social media and networking, outreach off-site adoptions and so much more.  Some people may think that it’s too difficult to help in a shelter that is killing animals, but it is these shelters that need your help the most.  Volunteering at a humane society that is no-kill is a feel-good way to go, but the hard work is to help those animals that are at risk.  Through our programs we’ve proven that these animals can be saved, and we’ve proven it with our programs and our training, not with lots of money.  Big orgs will throw a lot of money at the problem, but the truth is that the solution lies in grass roots efforts.  These are things that almost anyone can do.

The people that have trained with me have learned that oftentimes we have to put our egos aside and look at the animals we’re helping.  For example, everyone wants to take a dog out and start training: SIT, DOWN COME, etc.  Others want to put a leash on a dog and take him for a walk.  I’ve shown that these dogs need more engagement, socialization and structured training – that training saves lives!

People also think that they need to dedicate an immense amount of time at a shelter to make a difference, NOT TRUE.  If you can spare a couple of hours a week, you can make a huge difference.  If a hundred people could spare 2 hours a week the shelter would have 200 man hours of help.  However, the case is that most volunteers give a lot more hours but there are a lot less of them.  Often times these volunteers burn out and the ones that loose are the animals.

I also think it’s a good idea that local rescues spend a couple of hours volunteering at the shelter that they work with.  Building a relationship with the staff and management could go a long way to make a difference for the shelter pets.

Currently I’ve been training at a shelter in Ventura, CA and have noticed that there is a very small core crew of volunteers that is wholly dedicated and other people who stand by the side and wonder why the shelter isn’t no-kill.  Aside from the issue of countless more dogs are coming in than are being adopted out, there aren’t enough people to show dogs, train and engage dogs to prepare them to show well and only a few people are working the shelters social media outlets.

Shelters need structured volunteer training and structured volunteer curriculum.

Please consider volunteering at a local shelter and help them save more lives.  You can make a HUGE difference in a shelter pet’s life.  Yes, your bumper sticker that says ADOPT DON’T SHOP is nice, but getting into a shelter and working with the animals will help even more.

And if you think it’s painful to go into the shelter, imagine for a moment how painful life is for the animals living there – just waiting to die….

Thanks for reading!

Robert

I looked with despair at the dog walking along the cement sidewalk on this sunny day. He stopped along the way to take his last smell of the grass next to the walkaway that led to the last building he would see in this life. He marked the grass with one last long pee. I asked the employee if I could take a quick photo of Indigo and say hello – she complied.

His eyes were heavy as he turned to look at me, I snapped my picture and he was off. He didn’t pull on the leash, but didn’t lag behind either. He had spent 16 years on this earth, dedicated to (maybe more than) one family, maybe not. No one really knows his truths but him. He never gave up on his people but his people did. Last night he slept in a house probably on a bed or maybe just a comfortable corner of the room never knowing that today would be his last day and that he had just awoken from his last sleep. He went for a ride with the people he loved and those he grew to trust. It could have been a ride like any other but it wasn’t. This is a ride that only led one way for Indigo. Once he stepped out of that car he wouldn’t be stepping back in.

There were no goodbyes, no last petting, no kisses – just a handoff of the leash. Within minutes he would be alone in a room with people he’d never met before, but people he trusted just as well – because that’s the way dogs are. Someone would hold his leg and give him an injection, not like the ones he used to get at the vet, but a last injection. He would get sleepy and close his eyes for the very last time. His last vision would not be of the people that he shared his life with, but rather a cement wall in a shelter that was probably not too far from where he used to play and walk.

Within a few moments he would drift off and his body would become limp, as his spirit left his body the employees would take his body and discard it with all of the other animals that no one loved – in a barrel. Piled one on top of another; there was certainly a body under his and more than likely a few above him. Perhaps after passing along he looked down into the room with relief or maybe sadness thinking to himself “This is not the way it was supposed to be.”

For those of us that have mourned the sickness of a beloved pet or struggled with the decision to put a suffering animal down this may not make sense, but it is a sad reality for countless animals every day. I don’t know if there was great pain on the side of the people who dropped Indigo at the shelter, but I know the sadness and pain that Indigo must have felt – I saw it in his eyes. Alone, as an old man, walking through a place he’d never known with someone he’d never met, now his final steps without the loving hands he’d grown to trust.

This is a painful reality for people who work at the shelter who have no choice and an even more painful reality for a loving pet who has nowhere to turn

When the day comes to say goodbye won’t you please be there every step of the way for your beloved pet. Let his last sound be your voice, he last sight be your tear filled eyes and his last touch be the beating of your heart as his takes its last beat…

Godspeed Indigo…. See you on the other side!

In short, temperament testing a dog involves putting a dog through a series of tests to see if he will bite.  There is a lot more to it than that, but the bottom line is: If the dog bites – he dies.

So why do it?  Critics to temperament testing have been against the idea of the test since day one, yet everyone wants to know certain things:
• Is the dog good with other dogs?
• How is the dogs with kids?
• Is he friendly?

The question remains, “How do we know if we don’t test him?”

Well, there are a good many ways we can get a snapshot into a dog’s behavior without “testing him.”  There are two common tests that shelters perform, SAFER and Assess a Pet.  I have been, and remain, against these tests because of the level to which a dog is pushed in both tests.  In fact, I feel the dog is pushed to fail.  For one example, and the most ridiculous part of the test in my opinion remains the “food test.”  During this test a dog is brought into a room and a fresh can of wet food is put in front of the dog (keep in mind that dogs at shelters are rarely – if ever fed wet canned food).  This wet food becomes even more of a high value to the dog and he will seek to protect and keep it.  THEN…. One person holds the dog on a leash while another person suspiciously walks in front of the dog and using a “plastic hand” tries to (not only) take the food away, but also push this plastic hand into the dog’s face while he is eating.  Proponents of this test claim that it is for the safety of children, yet I see it as an excuse to kill a dog.

If a dog has food guarding or aggression issues, they are usually relatively simple to remedy through behavior modification training.  Furthermore, if a person adopts a dog and is too ignorant not to educate their child or themselves not to reach into the food bowl of the dog, they should be punished.  Of all of the components of these tests, this is the most flawed.  Of course there are other aspects I would love to take apart but this is the one that causes me the most grief because so many dogs lose their lives because of it.

Assessing a dog’s behavior is necessary in getting a snapshot of the dog’s personality for potential adoption, but it should be just that – an assessment to help a potential adopter.  It is also a tool that should help shelters understand what a dog might need more of.  There are shelters and recues that use behavior assessments to place dogs into training and enrichment programs and these are the organizations that should be using these tools, shelters that don’t have the time to retrain dogs should not spend too much of their focus on temperament testing.

Our BARC, Behavior Assessment and Reactivity Checklist is not a pass or fail test, but rather a checklist that can be done in 10 minutes or so and gives the staff, volunteers and adopters a little more information in order to adopt the dog.  BARC is a tool to aid in a dog’s adoption, there are several components in it that allow for correcting a dog that is showing troubled behavior and it allows for a dog to be retested if any part of the test is in question.

It’s important to understand that shelters are over-run with immense amounts of dogs entering the front of the shelter and not as many dogs exiting that same door.  Eventually it becomes a question of what do we do with the dogs.  Progressive programs including aggressive spay and neuter are important aspects municipalities must focus on in order to decrease the kill rate in our nations shelters.  Furthermore, BARC does not allow for a person’s opinion, there are a series of checkboxes that relate to most any situation.  It is also easy for anyone to examine afterwards and get a clear glimpse into the dog’s personality.

Using temperament tests in order to label dogs as unadoptable is a cop-out and one that should be fought against.  Assessing a dog’s behavior is a tool to save a dog when used properly and a BS excuse for killing a dog if used improperly.

A wise man once taught me, “Even a mouse will bite when cornered.”  If you push any dog enough, he will bite.  I’ve proven this over and over.  The question shouldn’t be “How far do I need to push this dog to get him to bite?”  It should be “How many good behaviors can I bring out of him during this assessment?”

Please read about BARC by following the link on BoundAngels.org under resources.

When I taught martial arts, years ago, I was perplexed when it came time to promote my first black-belt. I called my teacher and told him, “None of these guys are as good as me. How can I promote them to the rank of black belt.” He told me, “Judge them on their merits and skill-set, not yours.” That lesson stuck with me for years. I see this when I teach people how to train their dogs, some people don’t really get it, but they are trying. That deserves credit.

I don’t know why it is, but for some reason when it comes to handling and saving dogs there is an amazing amount of ego that gets into the mix. Everyone, dog trainers and rescuers in particular, think that the only right way is THEIR WAY. This is annoying, wrong and it costs animals their lives.

I know, for an example, a friend of mine was denied an adoption of a dachshund (an injured one at that) by a rescue group locally. Now let me explain why this is so ludicrous. This friend of mine is one of the wealthiest people I know, has an impeccable reputation as an animal lover and would have given this dog a fantastic home and has given all of her dogs a great life. The reason she was denied is ridiculous and drives me crazy. I’ve heard over and over of people like this trying to do the right thing and then just saying ‘f*ck it,” and getting a dog somewhere else – often times a (back yard) breeder or pet store. Every time a dog is denied a home because a better home “might” exist down the line, it costs another dog their life in the shelter.

There is an epidemic in our nations shelters and animals are coming in faster than they’re going out. Make no mistake, I’d like every dog to get a perfect home, but more importantly, I don’t want to see animals killed in our shelters… and they are! In large numbers. It’s not that I don’t care – I DO – more than most! I understand that there is no perfect home – but with guidance, trust and help we can give new dog owners the tools to become better dog owners. It’s like a new parent, there is no one who says you can’t have a baby, although some should be told that. Owning a dog is a learning experience and one that changes a person’s life!

There are people who are screened and screened and still turn out to be crappy people to their pets. There is no crystal ball to determine this – we have to go on our guts!  We may occasionally fail, and we have to accept that.

I know when I got my first dog, I didn’t know much and would probably have been turned down by most rescue groups. But I learned. And it is in the spritit of this learning that we need to give people a chance. Am I saying we should give a dog to anyone who asks? NO! I am saying we need to help people along the line of dog ownership and educate them and give them a chance. Every time we give a chance to an adopter, we also give a chance to another dog getting out of the shelter.

Let’s remember that each time we turn down a “potentially” qualified adopter, we see another dog go down in the shelter. This happens because once we move one dog out of a kennel, we can fill that kennel with a dog that would be killed. I’m not saying to give dogs to un-qualified people, I’m saying let’s loosen our stranglehold on qualifications that we “expect” people to have. Believe me, there are many rescues that have very little clue on canine behavior – yet they wield their all knowing – all controlling power. It turns out to be a power-play and their are lives at stake. This pisses me off and I’m on a path to make it right.

In an ideal world (for me) dogs would be very expensive to acquire and people would need to show some knowledge before getting one. However, this world just doesn’t exist. Dogs are easy to get and easy to dump. For this reason a lot of stupid people have dogs. This screws the chances for dogs.  Let’s level the playing field and help more dogs to good home and save more lives!

The truth is that no one can ever train your dog if you don’t participate, and signing up for a 10 pack of dog training sessions will not assure your dog ends up well trained.  I hope those of you who live in other parts of the world will also take note on this topic and see to it that you understand this important point of dog training.

When you start training your dog you’ll feel that this it’s sort of like painting your house – that’s to say that once you paint it, you can sit back and enjoy it once it’s done.  Dog training is not like that.  Once you start training your dog it is something that you should continue for the entire life of your dog.  Sort of like working out; once you get into shape it’s gonna take a bit of work to maintain it, maybe not as much as the initial phase, but it’s still work.

A dog trainer is similar to a coach or teacher.  He can give you the tools to train your dog, but you have to make it yours.  It is something you should do even on the days when the trainer is not there with you holding your hand.  Imagine that, you’ll have to do some work on your own.  If you believe that training 1-hour once or twice a week is enough, STOP NOW!

The exercises you learn are taught to you and your dog during the training session – now it’s your job to practice and perfect this until your next session.  Here comes the important part – once your dog learns it, he needs refreshers from time to time.  Yes, your dog will get sloppy, so once the training sessions are over you need to keep practicing.   Imagine if the Olympic athlete reached his goal and then stopped training.  What’s the chance that he would be able to duplicate the feat if he didn’t continue training? – I’d say very slim!

So when it comes to dog training, get the basics, polish them and keep on training.  There’s nothing more unfair to a dog than training him and then expecting him to remember things that he’s not reminded of.  I have a mental list of all of the things my dog can do and I review them every week.  Each and every day we do a form of training and at the end of a week everything is covered.  If you want a well-trained dog, make it fun and continue the training.  It’s like learning a language, if you stop practicing the language chances are you won’t be able to converse in that language after a year or so.  However, the good news is that is comes back quickly.

Be fair to your dog and keep him focused.  Using training as a form of play is the best way solidify your relationship.