Rugers-Kris
Well-Known Member
This is not written specifically for anyone but just as a general reminder. I am so sick of seeing dogs "re-homed", sitting in shelters, "free to a good home" on here, facebook and even yard sale sites for crying outloud!!
I am so tired of seeing injured or even just unhappy dogs because people get them and either don't do shit for training or just throw them in the yard and forget about them until they become a problem.
It truly breaks my heart and it is everywhere you look. I understand there are times that you can end up with a dog who has real issues that aren't able to be trained away but that really is a rare occurrence. There are those situations that you take a dog in that just can't fit in with your pack and I understand that as long as you are responsible and make sure that you rehome responsibly. It is just so damn sad to see all of these dogs posted all over the internet looking for a foster, a new home or the next new home when many of them have been shuffled from place to place.
If you aren't of the mind that when you get your dog, he/she is your family member and forever a part of your family, please don't get one. It really is quite easy to decide not to.
I have so much respect and appreciation for people who rescue but please don't say you "rescued" a dog if you aren't intending to do that. Don't "rescue" a dog if you aren't ready to accept the responsibility with what that entails and you aren't in a position to offer a better life than the one they already have.
It seems so many people buy/get puppies and have expectations that it will be easy. It will NOT. It is NOT supposed to be easy. Training is the most important thing you can do for your dog and if you don't and your dog ends up having "issues" that you can't handle...Please keep in mind that YOU are the one that caused those issues, your dog is not failing, YOU are.
I have met some of the best dog owners ever on this forum and I am thankful to have done so and to be a part of it but I have also seen some dogs put in the worst positions possible and it just tears my heart out.
You don't accidentally get a dog.....It is a decision you make. Thinking a puppy is cute is not a good reason to get them. Please consider all of the pros and cons and weight them against what you are capable of and willing to do prior to make a decision to get a dog.
Setting a dog up to fail is wrong. It is that simple. Either you are devoted completely or you don't need a dog. I don't know how much clearer that can be. This is an even bigger deal with Mastiff's specifically as they are the biggest dogs there are and that means it is that much harder to control an untrained giant. Then your dog does something horrible (because you failed him) and not only does he/she get pts but the breed as a whole pays the price for your ignorance and lack of dedication.
To add to the that, Mastiff's are very sensitive FAMILY dogs even more so than other breeds IMO (I am NOT implying that all dogs don't deserve their own forever family because they do) and it is so detrimental to their well being to be treated badly/unfairly and not receive the love they deserve. They BOND like no other and will be devastated if neglected and ignored or treated harshly.
Again, this is not written specifically for anyone but if you bring a puppy home and the basic puppiness (Bitey young puppy behavior) freaks you out and you find yourself scared or referring to your puppy as "Aggressive"...YOU ARE NOT READY FOR A DOG. Asking for ways to train is ok but when you have a 8-14 week old puppy that is simply being a puppy and you are worried they will hurt or kill your children because of their aggressive behavior, do them a favor and rehome them before they are older, out of control and harder to re-home.
Ask yourself some questions prior to getting a new puppy/dog and answer them HONESTLY and use that information to decide if you really should add a new member to your family.
The following questions are just samples of what I wish people would give thought to prior to getting a puppy/dog:
First and foremost are you ready to accept this puppy/ forever? If you have a puppy....Are you stable enough in all of the areas of your life to offer them the care they need and the patience they require as well as the love the deserve for the next 15 YEARS? Are you willing to find a place at all costs to rent that you can keep your dogs in? It can get difficult when you are moving with 100+ pounds of dog to find a place that will accept them. Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to find a place? Can you imagine yourself considering re-homing because you "can't" find a place? If so....walk away. If your puppy is diagnosed with a serious condition are you willing to invest the money that it will cost to have surgery, medications, etc. to keep your dog healthy and happy? No matter what? You aren't sure? It depends on where you are in your life? Maybe not? WALK AWAY!!! Do you have children? Do you intend to have more? Are you ready to teach a giant dog how to interact with a new baby and willing to make it work NO MATTER WHAT? Not sure? WALK AWAY!!!
Am I ready to totally commit to training diligently to teach this pet the rules so that they can become the best/happiest dog they can be? When asking yourself this question, think about the many accidents on your furniture, rugs, floors that will occur, all of your possessions you may lose to puppy chewing, how much difficult it will be to do all of this with small children, How you significant other feels about those issues, etc......Consider how you feel about getting little to no sleep while housebreaking for possibly several months. Consider how much consistency and effort is required to teach basic commands.....
I could go on and on and all other additions from forum members are welcome and appreciated but basically I just needed to vent after seeing a few more Mastiff's being rehomed and another that will probably be put to sleep because people got a puppy and failed them. Sigh
I am so tired of seeing injured or even just unhappy dogs because people get them and either don't do shit for training or just throw them in the yard and forget about them until they become a problem.
It truly breaks my heart and it is everywhere you look. I understand there are times that you can end up with a dog who has real issues that aren't able to be trained away but that really is a rare occurrence. There are those situations that you take a dog in that just can't fit in with your pack and I understand that as long as you are responsible and make sure that you rehome responsibly. It is just so damn sad to see all of these dogs posted all over the internet looking for a foster, a new home or the next new home when many of them have been shuffled from place to place.
If you aren't of the mind that when you get your dog, he/she is your family member and forever a part of your family, please don't get one. It really is quite easy to decide not to.
I have so much respect and appreciation for people who rescue but please don't say you "rescued" a dog if you aren't intending to do that. Don't "rescue" a dog if you aren't ready to accept the responsibility with what that entails and you aren't in a position to offer a better life than the one they already have.
It seems so many people buy/get puppies and have expectations that it will be easy. It will NOT. It is NOT supposed to be easy. Training is the most important thing you can do for your dog and if you don't and your dog ends up having "issues" that you can't handle...Please keep in mind that YOU are the one that caused those issues, your dog is not failing, YOU are.
I have met some of the best dog owners ever on this forum and I am thankful to have done so and to be a part of it but I have also seen some dogs put in the worst positions possible and it just tears my heart out.
You don't accidentally get a dog.....It is a decision you make. Thinking a puppy is cute is not a good reason to get them. Please consider all of the pros and cons and weight them against what you are capable of and willing to do prior to make a decision to get a dog.
Setting a dog up to fail is wrong. It is that simple. Either you are devoted completely or you don't need a dog. I don't know how much clearer that can be. This is an even bigger deal with Mastiff's specifically as they are the biggest dogs there are and that means it is that much harder to control an untrained giant. Then your dog does something horrible (because you failed him) and not only does he/she get pts but the breed as a whole pays the price for your ignorance and lack of dedication.
To add to the that, Mastiff's are very sensitive FAMILY dogs even more so than other breeds IMO (I am NOT implying that all dogs don't deserve their own forever family because they do) and it is so detrimental to their well being to be treated badly/unfairly and not receive the love they deserve. They BOND like no other and will be devastated if neglected and ignored or treated harshly.
Again, this is not written specifically for anyone but if you bring a puppy home and the basic puppiness (Bitey young puppy behavior) freaks you out and you find yourself scared or referring to your puppy as "Aggressive"...YOU ARE NOT READY FOR A DOG. Asking for ways to train is ok but when you have a 8-14 week old puppy that is simply being a puppy and you are worried they will hurt or kill your children because of their aggressive behavior, do them a favor and rehome them before they are older, out of control and harder to re-home.
Ask yourself some questions prior to getting a new puppy/dog and answer them HONESTLY and use that information to decide if you really should add a new member to your family.
The following questions are just samples of what I wish people would give thought to prior to getting a puppy/dog:
First and foremost are you ready to accept this puppy/ forever? If you have a puppy....Are you stable enough in all of the areas of your life to offer them the care they need and the patience they require as well as the love the deserve for the next 15 YEARS? Are you willing to find a place at all costs to rent that you can keep your dogs in? It can get difficult when you are moving with 100+ pounds of dog to find a place that will accept them. Are you committed to doing whatever it takes to find a place? Can you imagine yourself considering re-homing because you "can't" find a place? If so....walk away. If your puppy is diagnosed with a serious condition are you willing to invest the money that it will cost to have surgery, medications, etc. to keep your dog healthy and happy? No matter what? You aren't sure? It depends on where you are in your life? Maybe not? WALK AWAY!!! Do you have children? Do you intend to have more? Are you ready to teach a giant dog how to interact with a new baby and willing to make it work NO MATTER WHAT? Not sure? WALK AWAY!!!
Am I ready to totally commit to training diligently to teach this pet the rules so that they can become the best/happiest dog they can be? When asking yourself this question, think about the many accidents on your furniture, rugs, floors that will occur, all of your possessions you may lose to puppy chewing, how much difficult it will be to do all of this with small children, How you significant other feels about those issues, etc......Consider how you feel about getting little to no sleep while housebreaking for possibly several months. Consider how much consistency and effort is required to teach basic commands.....
I could go on and on and all other additions from forum members are welcome and appreciated but basically I just needed to vent after seeing a few more Mastiff's being rehomed and another that will probably be put to sleep because people got a puppy and failed them. Sigh
As you are definitely a dedicated dog owner. Some days it is just more than I can bear to hear the sad stories about these poor dogs that are "bad". The dog isn't bad...The PEOPLE are bad. Then they keep them until they bite someone and the rescues won't even help them.
