I know many of us have heard that there are people that are Dog porters. Which means for whatever reason whether it’s well intentioned rescuing, overpopulation due to lack of spay neuter, or some other reason, people end up with way too many dogs.
I have been in a situation several times where I got a dog from one of these situations and I wish I would have known the signs or knew exactly what I was getting into so I thought I would share some advice.
First I will talk about the signs. Usually it’s someone who has way too many dogs. Usually in a space that’s not adequate to meet the needs of the dogs.
The dogs are usually not in good shape. Usually they are dirty, not very healthy, and the living situation is usually not very clean.
I find in most situations the owner of the dogs is a little delusional whether it is about the needs of the dogs, sometimes they have irrational fears about the dogs and they always think they’re doing a great job.
Some of the other signs are, the dogs are usually not socialized have very little to no training most of the time they’re not even housebroken and some of them are aggressive or super anxious.
I would say the first thing if you are determined to take a dog out of the situation or maybe you are getting them from a shelter and they have been in a dog hoarding situation previously is to get them veterinarian care. Even if the shelter or rescue has done basic veterinary care I would highly recommend bloodwork, fecal testing the whole bit because they usually have underlying health issues that could plague them for the rest of their life.some examples of the sicknesses I have had dogs contract from being in an overpopulated hoarding situation, is Giardia, which is an intestinal sickness that animals get from drinking dirty water usually with some sort of an animal feces in it.
Also tick born illnesses, such as,Ehrlichiosis witch , is a tick-borne (transmitted by tick bites) disease caused by infectious bacteria from the Ehrlichia genus.
So yes veterinarian cost are something you should definitely consider not only that you should have a good veterinarian that you trust wholeheartedly that will be helpful, compassionate, and a good communicator to help you through this process.
Definitely look into spay neuter and the cost of the surgery and what kind of care you want for your dog. Example I have used mobile clinics which do the surgery in one day and there’s not a whole lot of aftercare provided so if anything were to develop later on you would still have to go to your veterinarian. Now, I will say I’ve never had to go to the veterinarian after a mobile spay surgery but there’s always that one time.
A friend of mine adopted a dog from one of the same hoarders that I got my dogs from and her dog ended up having a reaction to the dissolvable stitches after her spay. She did not have the surgery done at a mobile clinic but she was not able to go back to the same vet so she ended up having to pay for theSurgical incision to be medically taken care of.
So after considering medical and cost that go along with it. The next thing you would need to consider would be the social aspects of a dog brought up in less than favorable conditions. In my experience, the dogs from hoarders can be a little anxious around humans. Depending on what sort of living conditions they have been living in they can be afraid of indoor things or outdoor things. I’ve had some of both. The first dogs that I got from a hoarder were afraid of outside. They were always afraid they would be trapped outside and not allowed to come back in. It was also hard to get them to go outside for potty breaks and if they needed to travel in the car or go somewhere away from home they were very anxious.
On the other hand I’ve also had dogs that were used to being outdoors. It was hard for them to stay inside all the time they would
Try to find out as much about the dogs background as you possibly can. It’s very important example to know about likes dislikes what they’re used to doing eating what kind of interaction they’ve had with humans and other dogs. Personality. I will say, the personality will drastically change after living in a better environment.dash out the door when it was opened and they had a problem with running off from home if they were allowed outside and supervised. Also these types of dogs were used to rolling in the mud sleeping on dirt going under houses things like that. So they were a little harder to keep clean. That’s not a huge deal but it was just something I noticed.
I will say the transformation you will see in the dog after being in a comfortable happy healthy environment will be astonishing. Dogs do not dwell on the past. They live in the moment so they’re super forgiving and adaptable and eventually they will turn around and be comfortable in their new life it might take time, and there will be things, such as habits that Will remain from the prior home.
My bichon was allowed to eat off her owners plate. She ate pizza and chocolate and all sorts of things that dogs should not have. She was also allowed to drink out of her owners cup. So even though I’ve worked with her and never allowed that behavior she will still try to do those things even though it’s been five years.
It’s very common for dogs from hoarding situation‘s to have unhealthy habits when it comes to food. Whether it’s taking food from people, eating off plates, drinking out of cups, maybe even fighting dogs for food. A lot of times there’s not enough food to go around so every dog does not get to eat and so food is a rare commodity and it can lead to some aggressive behaviors.
A lot of these dogs do not know how to play. They’re not sure about toys, or even dog treats. They usually don’t know anything about leashes, harnesses, or even collars. Most of them have never been in a vehicle possibly never gone to the vet, maybe even never had a dog bed, or maybe never even had a bath. Some of them have never even spent the night in a home.
Usually they have dental problems of course never had their teeth brushed. Some of them are in need of a dental and possibly need to have teeth polled.
Also a lot of them have intestinal parasites, they are covered in flees and possibly ticks, some of them even have heartworm disease.
If the dog has fur that needs to be groomed,most of the time if they’re in a hoarding situation the person is doing it themselves or not doing it at all. My bichon was in horrible shape when I got her the owner had tried to cut her herself and she was cut too short almost to the point where she had sores on her skin.
Sometimes the anxiety that they are suffering needs medication or a lot of intervention. Of course the dogs are going to need time to decompress and adjust to the new situation but if the anxiety seems overwhelming, or maybe you’re just not sure it’s fine to consult with a veterinarian about medication.
It Will be an adjustment for both of you and it will not be easy. It’ll take time, patience, and you need to have grace for the dog and yourself. You’re both going to get frustrated, overwhelmed, and there’s going to be some really hard days in the future. Stay strong, remember you’re both adjusting you’re both learning you’re both growing hopefully you will start to bond and start to enjoy each other.
You will see the dog develop and flourish right before your very eyes. One day you’ll look back and not even know it’s the same dog. I recommend training. Definitely maybe after the first six weeks or so when you feel comfortable about taking the dog out definitely start training as soon as possible. It would even be better if you could start some training on your own at home but not everybody’s able to do that and I understand that.
I understand the dog has had a hard time but, do not let bad habits develop or continue because you feel sorry for the dog. Compassion, understanding, grace and love are expected and required but staying stuck in a place of excuses and allowing things that you would not normally allow it’s not going to be helpful for you or the dog.or it’s going to be hard on both you and the dog if you allow even more bad habits to develop.
Rules and boundaries are a good thing. No matter what dog you’re dealing with. Yes you’re going to have to be understanding and start from square one no matter how old the dog is, but when you see a new bad habit forming it’s best to redirect or figure out a solution from the get-go.
I normally recommend positive training but everyone likes a different training method and they have that right. Rules and boundaries are needed no matter what Dog you’re dealing with. The way you train your dog of course is your business, but I prefer gentler more humane methods but that’s just me. Especially with dogs who have been neglected or abused.
I did the typical feeling sorry for my dog that came from a bad situation. I cuddled and loved and tried to be understanding. She had Giardia when she came to me had never been to the vet never had a leash was underweight under nourished and had had multiple litters of puppies.very entitled. I know you think how on earth can a dog be entitled but that’s the best way to describe her.
She’s the type of dog that will bark at you because you’re not petting her or whine and scream in her crate because she’s not getting the attention she wants. She is the kind of dog that comes when you call any dog even if it’s not her and barks if you’re giving another dog attention. Yeah a little spoiled. I had to admit I did that because I felt sorry for her because of her bad upbringing.
So on top of training her and trying to get rid of the bad habits that she had learned in her first home I’d let her develop new bad habits that I had to work on.
I know all this sounds like a lot and you think why on earth rescue a dog if you’re going to have to go through all this. It’s worth it. I love my dogs no matter where they come from actually working with them and seeing the progress they made and the transformation was amazing and very encouraging.
You know the saying when we learn better we can do better well we can. So if you know what you’re getting into and some tricks and tips for making the transition easier. Maybe we can get more dogs out of hording situations. It’s not impossible and bringing home any new dog is not always going to be easy. In fact at first it’s going to be difficult no matter what dog you bring home.
Paws of Happiness 