Another Horror Story!

[Wendy and Myla]

I don't even know what to say!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/april-irving-wanted-1.39...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen, Amy. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I can't even look.

[Stacy]

This makes me so sad too. I can't even wrap my head around it. I feel like we could learn so much about how to be good people from our dogs. They ask for so little. Good food, a warm place to sleep, a nice scratch. And they give us all of their devotion. How can a person betray that? But then I see what humans do to their own children, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I think good people just keep picking up the pieces as best we can and we hope that those dogs will find better lives and maybe a little justice.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen, Stacy.

[Wendy and Myla]

What hurts me the most of this awful story is that I could never rescue one of these doodles, and yet they break my heart!  I am so afraid of dogs - I was bitten severely by a german shepherd when I was four years old and have not gotten over my fear of dogs but I don't think I could ever go without a dog! I have always gotten a puppy that we could train right from the start - I can't trust shelter dogs as I don't know their history and that breaks my heart as I would so love to rescue them and give them unconditional love!  I am so very grateful to everyone that does rescue them - it is so awesome for the dogs!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack was a shelter dog. :)
Granted, it was the shelter of a private rescue group, and he was a relinquished dog with a somewhat known history, but he was an adult dog. And I am here to tell you that from day one, at the age of 14 months, he was better behaved than many of the dogs here who were purchased as puppies. I read about all these dogs who can't be trusted to be given the run of the house when nobody is home, and Jack had the run of the house from the third day he was here. To this moment, he has never chewed or destroyed anything, including his own stuffed toys. He has never gone into the garbage. He has never counter surfed. I could leave a steak defrosting on the kitchen counter and he never touched it. I read about all these dogs who jump on people. To this day, Jack has never once jumped on anyone or put his front paws up on a single human being. He never digs in the yard. He has never growled at a single human being. He has never nipped. I could go on and on. And I didn't train him this way; he came to me this way. I had a foster doodle who was 11 months old, and all of the same things applied to her. Perfect behavior from day one, and that continued after her adoption. Not every rescue dog is like that, but the point is, there are a lot of really nice, safe, trustworthy, well-behaved dogs out there who need homes, including many doodles. 

[Wendy and Myla]

I totally agree - it's just my fear is too great!  My Myla is the gentlest dog I have ever known - I have never seen her growl at anything but I will never do anything that I know she doesn't like - like having her nails clipped.  DH does that - as I stated, my fear is too great.  I really wish it wasn't because I honestly know that more that 50% of shelter dogs are exactly like Jack and I would love to give them the love and security they deserve!!! 

[Wendy and Myla]

Actually, my Mom cannot believe that I have a dog, because honestly whenever a strange dog approaches me I totally tense up!  I'm sure Myla senses that, but I have tried really hard to make sure she doesn't growl or get aggressive when other dogs approach us!  I'm sure that if I hadn't been bitten as a child I would be that "dog lady" :)

[Amy and Annabelle]

I understand how you feel and your fear. When I was young and in grade school, I was walking home from school with a classmate that lived a couple of blocks from me. We were attacked by a boxer. Actually he attacked my friend. I don't know why he left me alone. But he had her on the ground was biting her everywhere. We were walking by the open field where there were no homes to run and get help. So I was by myself watching my friend be mauled by a big dog. A guy driving by in a car saw me screaming and got out to help me. He got the dog off of her. By that time several people had stopped and one took me home. I never saw my friend again, she never came back to school. I never heard what happened to her. Being so young I know my mom would have never told me if she died. I was deathly afraid of dogs for the longest time. It was almost crippling. Over time it got better. We did adopt a golden retriever from the shelter when my kids were young. He was the greatest dog. So gentle with the kids. His previous owner abused him. After all he had been through in his 2 years, he was still a very loving dog. I would do it again in a heartbeat. But even to this day, I won't go for a walk by myself because of dogs running loose.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How horrible. I'm so glad you were able to overcome your fear. 

[Wendy and Myla]

Wow - I really hope your friend was okay!  So scary! I hate being afraid of strange dogs and as I said, try really hard to make sure that Myla doesn't get protective of me (as I'm sure she senses my fear when strange dogs approach). 

[Amy and Annabelle]

It happened back in the early 60's and I have tried to check around my hometown and ask people if they remember it, so I would know she was ok. I think that is why it haunts me to this day, is because I have never been able to find out if she survived. I think I have had some survivors guilt as well.  Anyway it was important to me that I not pass on my fear to my 3 kids. So we always had a family dog until after the last kid went to college in 2001. Annabelle was the first dog we got after Charlie the golden passed in 2003.