Rescue Dogs

People often make excuses for their dog's bad behavior. In my line of work, I hear it frequently - he is a "rescue dog". Like somehow not pulling a dog directly out of it's mother's uterus has somehow contaminated the inside core of the dog itself. Or how not knowing where the dog came from (ie: from a nice lady in Missouri) can automatically make the dog "risky" or "potentially dangerous". People often site the reason for buying a puppy as "so we know it will be 'OK' with our kids.

But the truth is that many dogs that are "bought"are no safer then dogs that are "adopted". All dogs have the potential to bite. Well, all dogs that have teeth, that is - and some that don't! Dogs are dogs, and part of dog language is using the mouth for "corrections". Some dogs bite harder then others (bite inhibition) and some dogs bite more often then others. Some people are lucky enough to never have to witness their dog biting - but the potential is still there. Pure bred bought dogs and the so-called designer bought dogs have the exact same instincts that rescued dogs have. It was not bred out of them.

Even though I know this, I still feel that some dogs are more likely to bite then others. Dogs that have fear issues. Dogs that have guarding issues. Dogs not properly socialized. Dogs not properly trained. Dogs allowed to make their own decisions...

Notice I didn't give a specific breed.

Rescued dog or not, the burden lies with the owner to make sure that the dog is safe. If the dog is not safe to be around the public, it should be kept behind a sturdy gate. If it not safe around even the family, then it should be taken care of in the manner that the owner, the vet, and the courts seem appropriate.

Owning a rescue dog does not give you a license to possess a dog that is not safe. It is also not an excuse when your "rescue" dog attacks another well-behaved rescue dog. In the same manner, owning a *pure bred* designer dog does not give you the license to own a dog that growls, lunges, snaps or bites the rescuer that is going to take that dog from you when you decide that you no longer can care for it in the manner that he has become accustomed because you are going to have a baby.

At some point, you, the HUMAN, have to take responsibility.