Getting a new rescue.....

[Bo Peep]

Is this normal?

I was feeling fine. I talked with her and I don't want to mention names, but some of you will figure this out. This woman has had BC's and has done fine with them. She doesn't trial much- uses them mostly on her goats- She chose "Blue" Don's dog as her stud and Don felt her as "worthy". Her name is well known, as why I don't feel that I should share it.

She felt this BC was too "soft" and gave him to a friend. The "friend" of hers was moving to CA. and needed a home for this "older male BC- somewhat trained and very friendly, neutered and I thought would be a good home and companion for Usher. I KNOW I"m not explaining this right. Emotions get in the way.

She said If XXX said I was a good enough home to give a pup to that was good enough for her. Well, kids were yelling in the background and we had to hang up. I called her back and said XXX didn't decide that the pup went to me it was the Stud dog owner. She said that's good enough for me. You run in the same circles. Well, I was upfront and honest and the dog is neutered and a submissive dog and seemed good.

Next, I get a call that she is NOT moving- I say "great" Enjoy your dog and that's wonderful, but she says her hubby wants to "downsize" and she thinks I'm the perfect home. NOW, THIS makes me worried. I just have this "gut" feeling that this may not be the right dog for here. Am I wrong? I hope I explained this right. It's a change of hands, with a change of hands, over another change of hands- very complicated.

This dog (never seen it) sounds wonderful & pretty much started, yet older. He is potty trained, yet XXX says he has a tendency to run off. I never leave any dog here unattended even when "outside potty" He is NOT crate trained, but that's pretty easy. Did I bite off more than I can chew with training other dogs for the disabled?

I would appreciate any comments- including "I can not understand what you are saying" because I re-read it and me trying to hold someones name doesn't work for me and also, I am so flabbergasted by this it's effecting my emotions.

Thanks for your input-

Dianne

[Quill]

THIS makes me worried. I just have this "gut" feeling that this may not be the right dog for here.

 

Face it, this woman is trying to dump a dog on you. Call her back and say "I am sorry, I cannot take this dog at this time. Good luck finding a home." And that is that. If you do not feel like this is a good idea, do this dog a favor and DO NOT bring him into your house. Usher will pick up on your feelings and so will the new dog. Unless you are eager and confident that this dog will be a good match for your lifestyle and training, do not bring him home.

[Quill]

Did I bite off more than I can chew with training other dogs for the disabled?

 

I've been following your dog training threads for a while now. I think it is a very empowering thing to do, and if it makes you happy and your dogs are going to good working homes, then it is a worthy endeavor.

 

Having said that, I think that your emotions are running high off of both your success for your friend and your loss of a loved dog. It seems to me that you've been going around willy-nilly talking about acquiring this dog or that dog (boisterous BC guy, Lab from man, calm neutered dog currently in question) and I think that others have given you sound advice in those posts:

 

1. Dogs who go into service homes are rigorously screened for temperament and ability to do a job.

 

2. BCs might not be the best dogs size-wise for those of the general populace that have your condition

 

Now, you have to think about what your goals are. If your goal is to rehome BCs and BC mixes in good homes where they are working and needed, then you might want to branch out into other types of disabilities where they are not going to be used for balance. More deaf assistance dogs might be a good idea here. If your goal is to train dogs to help people with your disability, then you should either look for larger dogs, or take on appropriate dogs from owners to train for them. It is entirely possible that you could do both. There is nothing wrong with being open to both possibilities as they come up.

 

It makes sense to me that because you are not working with an organization that has a large number of trainers and dogs and people are not on a waiting list for dogs with these skills, that you need to be very clear on what you will be doing, and also network with individuals prior to taking on a dog. It will be generally better for you (and your turnover will be higher) if you first find a person in need and fit the dog to the person.

 

Taking dogs sight unseen is dangerous, and irresponsible for a trainer unless you are positive that you want to simply rehome dogs that come to you that are unsuitable for training for a disabled home. That, of course, is the responsible thing to do, but you will get a higher percentage of unsuitable dogs if you are not there to test the dogs out for yourself, or barring that, have others go in your place that know exactly what you are looking for.

 

Because these dogs will be living in your house with your existing dog, you need to be completely comfortable and confident with a new dog's ability to fit in well. Even if they do not work out well, your attitude will make things easier for you, for Usher, and for the new dog.

 

I will reiterate that you have been put in an inappropriate situation by this woman. Step back, congratulate yourself for your successes, and tell this woman that she needs to bugger off.

[mum24dog]

Dogs who go into service homes are rigorously screened for temperament and ability to do a job.

 

Taking dogs sight unseen is dangerous

 

Excellent post.

 

I've taken a couple of rescue dogs sight unseen and wouldn't rule it out again but -

 

Although I wanted them for agility, there was no question that they would be staying whether they were any good or not and

I trusted the person I was getting them from.

 

If I'd needed them for a serious job rather than a hobby, I would certainly have wanted to see them first.

 

Pam

[beachdogz]

Hi!

 

I am new to the BC breed, new to this board, and don't know you or your background as many of these people do.

 

However, I am old enough (we won't say how old) to have learned one thing in life: TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. If you have this nagging feeling about the situation, then listen to yourself. Either there is an underlying problem your brain is trying to relay to you...or maybe even just the timing is not right for you.

 

I know that anytime I have not listened to my instincts (if I was doubtful but went ahead anyway), I found that I should have paid more attention to that little nagging feeling.

[mbc1963]

I absolutely agree with BeachDogz: YOUR GUT KNOWS WHAT'S RIGHT! We're trained to trust logic in life rather than intuition, but I think intuition is our animal instinct trying to tell us when danger is approaching.

 

I took a horrible job from hell at age 21, despite feeling really uncomfortable during the interview. (Boss creeped me out!) I tolerated it as long as I could and finally made my break, with crazy boss lady literally screaming at me as I drove away. Yeesh! I swore, then and there, to NEVER AGAIN do anything when my gut was telling me, "Something's not right."

 

Just reading your post, I started to get that weird-sick feeling in my gut.

 

Run away! Run away!

 

Mary

[Ooky]

I've been following your dog training threads for a while now. I think it is a very empowering thing to do, and if it makes you happy and your dogs are going to good working homes, then it is a worthy endeavor.

 

Having said that, I think that your emotions are running high off of both your success for your friend and your loss of a loved dog. It seems to me that you've been going around willy-nilly talking about acquiring this dog or that dog (boisterous BC guy, Lab from man, calm neutered dog currently in question) and I think that others have given you sound advice in those posts:

 

1. Dogs who go into service homes are rigorously screened for temperament and ability to do a job.

 

2. BCs might not be the best dogs size-wise for those of the general populace that have your condition

 

Now, you have to think about what your goals are.

 

This post was so excellent. Bo Peep, I have also followed your threads on Bailey and think what you have done/are doing is admirable and needed. But I also think forming such a strong bond with a dog during training, as you did with Bailey, must be a very emotional experience. Giving her to your friend was truly a success and joy, but also so hard! If I were in your shoes I might still be sort of grieving, but at the same time I'm not sure I would be strong enough to do what you have done in the first place! You seem not really nervous but a bit distressed in your post, which doesn't bode well for the long-term prospects for success with your next trainee.

 

I really agree that matching the dog to the person sounds like great advice, and something impossible to do without evaluating the dog first. Good luck to you and keep at it!

 

ooky

+Odin (BC pup), Dr. Benway (ocicat), and Lobo (bengal)

[Shetlander]

I would appreciate any comments- including "I can not understand what you are saying" because I re-read it and me trying to hold someones name doesn't work for me and also, I am so flabbergasted by this it's effecting my emotions.

 

I'm a huge believe in gut instinct, but to be perfectly honest, I don't understand what you are concerned/upset about here. Is that you feel you may be getting a problem dog dumped on you? If so, is there any way to see the dog (you or someone you trust) first before accepting it? Are you disturbed/shocked by the behavior of the person(s) in giving the dog away and that is what is concerning you?

 

As far as going from one home to another home to another, I've known some really great dogs, that through no fault of their own did exactly that. One of them was probably as close to a perfect companion as possible but the first two homes gave him up, very suddenly with the lamest of reasons. On the other hand, I've known dogs who were shunted around around a lot because of behavioral issues.

 

While I don't follow why, I get that you are having an extremely strong reaction to this offer and that alone may be all you need to know to walk away from it -- whether because of the dog, the people or this simply is not the right time for you to take on a rescue.

[Bo Peep]

Excellent answers. All of you are great on-line friends. I DO agree, that my emotions are playing a big part in this. Also, the size factor for MY type of disability is correct. I've been looking into Golden's. They were always my 2nd choice after BC's. I would LOVE to get back into herding and I thought this dog might help. I have a woman loaning me some pasture and sheep after the fair is over. She has a round pen and a few acres. I wasn't planing on training this guy as a service dog, due to his age.

 

I felt good about taking on this dog until they said they weren't moving. Then, I felt that yes, that they should keep the dog, if he's as great as they say. THEN I worried.

 

I think I want to do BOTH. Help find homes for unwanted BC's and also, IF they can work out as a good service dog, whether hearing (that's easier to train) or for some tremor related issue, that would be great. You all are right. I WAS very attached to Bailey and Usher was, too. I miss her.

 

 

Maybe I'm doing too much between taking care of my Mother, training dogs, and also trying rescue. I guess I have to realize that I'm not young anymore.

[jdarling]

Dianne, that's good news getting some sheep and pasture! Whose sheep and pasture? Someone close by, I hope, especially with gas prices nowadays. Which fair are you talking about? I just ran Zip and Echo at the Canyon County fair. Don and Jeanie were there and I was hoping to have Echo show off for them. Yeah, she showed off alright! LOL! Looked like I had never worked her before. I sent her on her outrun, and she ran out about 5 or 6 feet before making a nice sharp turn, breaking into a full on run, and blasting right into the sheep. After a couple of failed attempts to get it back under control, I called the run. Last night, I took her to a friend's house, worked her in a giant field, and she ran beautifully. Rrrrggghhh! Zip did well at the fair though. I was happy with the way he worked. Are you going to the Western Idaho Fair? I think I'll try running Echo in that trial, too. The busy surroundings is a good thing. I hope they have it on the infield again. Are you running Usher?

[Bo Peep]

Good news-

The breeder of Usher was in town and talked to the gal that I was going to pick up the rescue from. She said if Usher is anything like his mama, these two will NOT get along. The other dog is very mellow, where Usher is pretty high prey driven and loves to play and the other dog does not like to play. So, we discussed this and she is keeping the dog or placing him in a one dog family home. We both discussed our reservations and now I feel so much better!!!

 

Oh, Jodi- yes, they are at the canyon county fair with their sheep. Sorry to hear about Echo. Been there, done that! Usher isn't ready to trial. I had too many crash and burns to put him out until he's ready. I have some on old video tape and replay them when I think it's time- LOL.

 

I'm glad Zip did so well. Hope someone taped it for you. You should post it. Usher & I have come a long way since we saw you last. He doesn't pull me out of lawn chairs anymore and he is a wonderful dog. Of course, he's not 8 months old anymore, either-LOL

[jdarling]

We walked through the show barn, and all that's there are overgrown Suffolk and Suffolk crosses. There were no Dorpers, no Katahdins, no Rambouillets, only a couple of Dorset crosses, only a couple of North Cheviot crosses ... mostly just giant tightly shaved Suffolks. So I'd imagine that the sheep you're talking about are probably the ones that were provided for the trial, eh?

 

Waiting until your dog is ready to trial before you put him in? What are you crazy? When are they "ready"? LOL!! C'mon out and crash and burn with the rest of us!

 

No ... no one videotaped anything. Heck, I didn't even think to bring my own camera.

[ErinKate]

Glad things look like they will be working out! Sounded stressful!