All Rescues are not abused - and some come from GREAT homes

[Angie H]

I just want to vent for a moment about a topic that really bugs me...please feel free to share your own experiences and opinions.

 

It seems that an awful lot of people like to "label" a shy or fearful rescue by saying that the dog must have been "abused". I'm not sure of the reason, unless it might be that it makes people feel good to assume that they saved this dog's life by rescuing him from a horrible situation...Well, if he was homeless - you still saved his life - why does he also have to have been abused?

 

I can't tell you how many people (including my family members) come into my home, meet a new foster that I'm working with, and say, "OHhhhh - someone MUST have DONE something to this poor dog. Look how he is cowering!" I have finally just started blurting out "The dog is cowering because you are acting very strange and upset, which makes him think there must be something to worry about."

 

Lots of dogs, especially under-socialized dogs (whether they are rescues or not), develop unwarranted fears of objects, people, places, sounds, etc.. I've seen many intakes come in with physical battle scars and mental phobias that have nothing to do with being abused...some may have developed from living outdoors on their own (strays), some from chewing on themselves out of anxiety or boredom, some from fights with other dogs, broken toe nails do not mean they were trying to claw their way out of someone's closet, ya know?

 

The danger in labeling them this way is that most people (due to our humanism) then proceed to feel sorry for the dog - which the dog can sense, and it does them no good at all. The dog doesn't feel sorry for itself and for us to do so will only slow down or halt their progress in rehabilitation.

 

Ok - sorry for the rant ~ Though I am curious to see whether most of you agree or disagree with my perception. Maybe I just feel like this because I work in rescue - but I don't think so...I think it's everywhere.

 

I am not suggesting that there aren't plenty of abuse cases out there; just that there aren't as many as the average adopter seems to think.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I agree, the vast majority of dogs come from just fine though possibly clueless situations. Border Collies in particular are supposed to be really adaptable dogs, but they are also sensitive to their handler's moods and emotions. Going from a lassez faire (sp) situation to a well-meaning but smothering with love situation can be tremendously scary. The dog knows it lost its home, but not why, and maybe this new scary person wants something unknown from the dog. So the dog starts throwing appeasing behaviors at the new person. That makes the new person freak out even more.

 

What makes me particularly annoyed is when people who take a dog rehomed from a working situation, assume that person mistreated their dogs if the dog in question has even the smallest hesitation in adjusting to the new home. It must be because they "spent all their time in a kennel" and "never knew what it was like to know love."

 

Most people are sensible, but I've also noticed an increase in the myth of the Abused Rescue Dog.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I'd tend to agree with you that us humans like to lable and feel sorry for the dogs. Make excuses ect. Most people that meet my dog assume she's a rescue that's been abused. Not true in her case, while I do have reason to believe someone in my house treated her poorly, I have no proof and they are long gone, so I chalk it up to under socialization and bad breeding. The majority of the dogs we get in the rescue I volunteer for are strays from the reserves in our area. Some have been very badly abused and it will take them a very, very long time to recover, but the larger number are simply litters and their moms found hiding under some building ever so happy have someone feed them and love them. The biggest myth I've come across it the "An adult rescue has too much baggage" excuse. Well, I got a brand new puppy and she came with more baggage than one could ever expect, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

[Alaska]

My pet peeve is this one: "All rescue dogs come with issues."

 

My second pet peeve is the word "rescue", which I think tends to encourage people to make up stories of purported abuse or issues that they think they have "rescued" the dog from. I prefer to say that I "adopted" or "got" my BCs as adolescents after their original homes didn't work out.

[juliepoudrier]

Becca,

I know you've posted these comments before, but if you have time you ought to repeat them--the whole thing about how dogs who truly have been abused actually act very differently than what folks think of (i.e., they don't generally cower, etc.). As an owner of several dogs who tend to cower over stuff, and knowing that they are absolutely not abused, it also drives me crazy that people need to assume abuse for their own egotistical reasons....

 

J.

[MaryP]

Yes, I agree, as well. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, too. I have actually seen very few dogs that have ever really been abused. Of course, it kind of depends on what your definition of "abused" is, though, too. But, I agree that most rescue dogs are not abused dogs and I also agree that not all rescue dog behaviors are the result of abuse in their former lives. My youngest dog is fearful of men. I've had him since he was a puppy. No man has ever abused him, unless you count the vet taking his temperature rectally. My border collie, Charlie, has a chipped lower canine and recently chipped one of his incisors when he caught his soccer ball. He was not being abused at the time. I even find that a lot of the foster homes that I have will tell me that they believe the dog was probably abused when I know that it probably wasn't. I recently sent a dog to a foster home (first time foster) and told them that the dog had been well taken care of even though he had spent nearly his entire life at the shelter (see Boone in the Adoption section). About a week later, he emailed me and told me that he believed that "there was probably more to the story" because he thought the dog was too skinny (he wasn't) and that the dog had been afraid and barked at a maintenance worker that came to the house. So?! All of mine would/will do the same thing.

 

I have had one dog come through rescue that I had a lot of evidence that he was likely abused. He did have some fear issues that were pretty severe in the beginning, but he learned how to deal with them so that he could function almost like a normal dog. He was also the sweetest dog you'd ever meet. I almost punched a man in the face in a pet store once as he went on a tirade about how he'd never adopt a shelter dog because they were all abused and messed up or old, and even though he didn't want a purebred dog, he would only ever consider purchasing a mixed breed dog from a pet store as a puppy.

[Tranquilis]

My pet peeve is this one: "All rescue dogs come with issues."

The AKC has been pushing that particular line...

 

Here's where it's at:

A dog in a shelter, or in a rescue, is a dog under stress - They've been removed from the situation that they knew, and placed in a situation they don't know; full of strange dogs and strange people, with nothing familliar left. When you move them to a foster home, they're stressed again - Another upheaval; when will they stop? The poor dog only knows that life has become a rollercoaster. I don't know any dog that thrives on uncertainty! They want some stability and reassurance. So, of course you're going to see some uncharacteristic behaviors. Maybe not all the time, but often enough! That doesn't mean the dog was beaten, kicked, starved, neglected, has 'issues,' or anything else - It only means the dog is under stress! That goes away with time - It takes a bit, but as the dog gains confidence, so does the dog's characteristic and normal personality return.

 

Maybe there are other factors, maybe not... But the fact of being in a rescue in no way implies or confirms anything other than the dog is in search of a new home.

 

End of rant.

 

 

Now; My experience:

Suka's been a damn good dog from the word 'go,' despite losing her beloved boy to circumstance, despite being removed from her familliar home, despite having to deal with my sister's rambunctious crew of dogs, despite a 5000-mile flight, despite being confronted with a new family, despite being confronted by a big, bad, grouchy old tomcat, despite being confronted with The Rude Dogs At The End Of The Neighborhood - all in less than two months. Issues? She's got a right to issues, if she wanted them. But nope, she doesn't have any that I can find. She's tried a few things on, briefly, like a little resource guarding - Solved quickly. Or maybe taking a run at TRDATEOTN - Solved not quite as quickly, but quickly enough! As far as I can see, she's just been checking her position in the family, and has accepted her place happily and with all signs of joy. She's even, slowly, learning to play with me, for all that I can be a big scary guy a lot of the time.

[BustopherJones]

...she was an owner surrender who could no longer physically care for her and surrendered her in tears because that was what was best for the high drive dog that she loved so much...

Many years ago, we had a Beagle named Missy. Missy passed away, at about the same time that DW lost her beloved favorite uncle to brain cancer. At the time, we had Tiffany (our English Springer Spaniel who has since also gone on to the Bridge). At first, DW did not want another dog, saying having only one for a change would be sufficient. Our vet knew us better; she was also always looking for good homes for dogs in local pounds and shelters, and always gave first preference to her own clients who she felt could provide the ideal environment. She found a Border Collie/Belgian Sheepdog mix at the West Haven (Connecticut) Dog Pound (which at the time was run by Judy Reddick, a well-known animal advocate, and was at the time a no-kill shelter). The dog's name was Missy, and her owner (who worked at the same Pratt & Whitney plant as DW's uncle) was dying of brain cancer. He had turned over the dog to Judy Reddick because he wanted to be absolutely assured that she had found a new home before he died. John had no family, so Missy would have been the only one there to mourn for him when he crossed over; but he loved her so much that he thought it was more important to ensure that she had a good home before he died, than to have her there with him when the end came. Missy was never abused; it was obvious that she was loved and well-cared-for when we got her. (After we adopted Missy, we made sure that we sent letters from her to her former owner, sending him pictures of her with her "sister" in her new home and telling him about her new life, but assuring John that he would always be her first love; and when he entered Hospice, we took her to visit him on several occasions. He loved Missy to the very end; his last statement to his nurse was that he could die in peace, because he knew that his beloved dog had found the right home. We mourned for John, and thanked him every day for the 14 wonderful years we had with Missy; our only regret was that we could not be at John's side with Missy at the end.)

 

You are right; not every "rescue" dog has a history of mistreatment.

[Tea]

Lets see of our rescue Border collie dogs.

 

One was a pup when he came and he was ill but not abused.

The other was about 1 year old and was not socialized at all. She is pretty shy. But not at all with me and better now than she was.

 

Of our rescued sled team, only one actually was abused.

[beachdogz]

 

It seems that an awful lot of people like to "label" a shy or fearful rescue by saying that the dog must have been "abused". I'm not sure of the reason, unless it might be that it makes people feel good to assume that they saved this dog's life by rescuing him from a horrible situation...Well, if he was homeless - you still saved his life - why does he also have to have been abused?

 

Oh, I think you've hit the nail on the head, here. Many people who rescue or adopt dogs from shelters will give you that line...and you can hear it in their voice. They are so proud that they have "rescued" the dog from "abuse". Of course, sometimes that is what the shelter tells them...for the same reason. It's a "selling" point - to make them feel good about adopting the dog. (Of course, there certainly ARE dogs in shelters that really were abused.) And you're right..."abuse" is not necessarily hitting...it can mean anything in anyone's eyes (not fed a healthy diet; not socialized enough; denied medical treatment; not enough attention), but most people when they hear it, perceive it as "beating".

 

My pet peeve is this one: "All rescue dogs come with issues."

 

Well, I'm going to agree with this one...to a point. All rescue dogs DO come with issues...because...ALL dogs have issues (rescue or not.) The difference is that with our own dogs, we know what those issues are and we may even know what caused them....even if that means they are genetic. However, with an adopted dog, that's the challenge. Figuring out what to do about issues without knowing where they came from. (That's the part that fascinates me; it's like a puzzle.)

 

Example: my new dog was from a rescue organization as a courtesy listing; meaning she was still in the home. After 2 1/2 months we still had the "brush" issue. She would run when I would pick up the brush to groom my other dog. She would growl and run if you tried to brush her. I didn't want to push the issue at first, since she was adjusting. I did all kinds of things to try and introduce the brush (food, playing ball). Playing ball was the most successful and I would swipe her as she came by to retrieve the ball. It seemed to be going nowhere when DH finally decided to take the bull by the horns....called her over, took hold of her collar, started brushing while praising her up. She bucked around a bit, then she sort of settled down and...guess what...she let us brush her. BIG PRAISE after a short brushing and she was so excited and happy to get the praise. So now she gets brushed! Huh! Go figure!

 

Before, people would say, "Do you think she got hit by the brush where she was before?" "Do you think she had a bad/harsh grooming experience?" Well, if I had to guess, MAYBE I'd say that as a youngster, she didn't hold still for brushing and no one pushed it. I don't know. I'll never know. But maybe our brush "issue" was just an issue of something different in a whole new environment.

 

However, I believe the "toenail" issue is going to be a REAL issue!

 

My other dog came with issues, too. Issues like tearing apart furniture. Really easy to fix (on him), once I knew about the problem (the hard way). He had been a stray, and then went through 2 other homes before mine. Would have helped if the person who I got him from had told me about the furniture "issue"!!

 

This is a very interesting thread.

[Shetlander]

My pet peeve is this one: "All rescue dogs come with issues."

 

Reading this it just occurred to me that a more accurate statement would be "All dogs come with issues." Just as all people do. Some more, some less but we all have our weaknesses (and strengths). The three dogs I have now came to me as puppies and they all have their own issues. It's just I know their history and so I know what is genetic or "just them," stuff that has happened to them, mistakes I made, bad luck, etc. I don't need to make up a story for why my Sheltie is shy or my Lhasa doesn't like kids. She just is and he just doesn't.

 

Quinn just went through a period of noise sensitivity this summer which thankfully he appears to be over. I don't have a full understanding of why he became so skittish but I also know a series of events occurred that seemed to be making things worse. Again I know his story. I don't need to make one up.

 

I think it is human nature to try to figure out why people/animals act as they do. We like to make sense of our world. And we tend to love stories. And maybe it makes sense to a certain way of thinking that the cowering dog who was given up or found wandering must have been abused. Otherwise, he would be at the feet of a loving owner, just as our own dogs are.

 

Anyway, I agree with the OP. I lost track of the number of times people informed me my first Sheltie "had to have been abused." He came to live with me at 7 weeks old. But not knowing his story, in this case his genetics, you could have spun all kinds of stories about the mistreatment he had suffered in the past.

[jdarling]

Well, let's see. Of my dogs, my rescue dog, Jag, is the one with the most solid temperament of the bunch.

 

If the criteria for determining whether a dog was beaten was by how many scars it had (as set forth in another thread by Bo Peep), my main ranch dog, Zip, has been beaten ... a lot!

 

If Echo ended up in rescue, people would think she was beaten with a white stick about 4 feet long ... because every time one of those comes out, she pays particular attention to it and moves off it (like she was taught to).

 

If my ex-husband's dog ever ended up in rescue, she will convince people that she had been beaten with the laundry - particularly snapping jeans.

 

Yes, assumptions are wonderful, aren't they? My question is ... once you rescue the dog, why does it matter? For the sympathy factor? So you can look like the hero? Aren't you already the hero simply by rescuing it? I guess I don't see a need for trying to create a history for the dog -- especially when crystal balls just don't exist.

[Shetlander]

All rescue dogs DO come with issues...because...ALL dogs have issues (rescue or not.) The difference is that with our own dogs, we know what those issues are and we may even know what caused them....even if that means they are genetic.

 

Obviously great minds think alike. We were writing the same thing as we cross posted.

 

Great example with the grooming issue. My first Lhasa came from a humane society at 9 months old. I don't think he was in any way abused, just a total squirrel who was too much for a young family to deal with. It was like living with Ricochet Rabbit. Anyway, when I first started grooming him, he growled and thrashed and fought me. I thought his mess of a coat and amazing lack of cooperation was because his neglectful owners never groomed him. Well, flash forward several years. I had combed out his coat every freaking day, year after year, except when I was on vacation. And every freaking day, year after year, he growled and thrashed and fought me. He had totally knew what grooming was and he still fought me every night. At least his coat wasn't a mess when I took him to a groomer for his first trim.

[Bo Peep]

If only dogs could talk, wouldn't that be great? My most fearful border collie was Migraine. I got her WAY too young- 5 weeks. She was very timid, and people asked me if she had been abused. Well, she had only been with me and I do no hitting, sometimes I growl a tad bit. She would cower- that's a basic border collie nature.

 

With rescues, we can only guess. Most of the rescues I've had have been fine. It seems people keep them about a year and realize border collies just aren't the breed for them. Then they get passed on to someone else and someone else you know how it goes.

 

Sure, some have scars from working, but you hardly see those in rescue. Those are the "keepers". Bliss was a rock chewer, her dental work shows that- she doesn't chew rocks any more. I can only GUESS why. It's just that at best a guess.

 

She had her "hair done" today and the groomer had to sit with her during the hair drying experience. BIG TIP!!! I think those of us that take in rescues do it for ourselves. A "feel good" type of thing. It's so hard to let them go, but such a reward when they go to a good family. I don't think it matters if you do it on a big scale like I used to do or now on a small scale. All in all, it's just saving one dog at a time.

 

As far as guessing their past, I don't think you can. It's like a puzzle. You can maybe fit a few pieces together, but it's just a guessing game.

[mbc1963]

My dog does have issues... but I can't say whether they're from his early history (street dog in Puerto Rico, with probably some family pet time, based on house manners) or from the many months he spent in shelters, or just a combination of both layered on top of a natural-born fearfulness. Doesn't really matter to me. I do tell strangers that he didn't have a good early life - mainly because it helps them put a "label" on the dog that explains why I won't let them stick their hands in Buddy's face. I'd rather they feel sympathy for him than judge him as a snarly, mean dog. Hey - I figure you've gotta use pathos when it serves you.

 

You know, I've often wondered what I would do if I found out I had a terminal illness. My original thoughts were that one of my siblings could take in my dog. But given his skittish nature and their noisy, chaotic households, I really don't think it'd be a good match. More recently, I've decided that I'd search in this forum - to try to find someone who has experience with the breed and with all kinds of dog issues. That's pretty big credit to you all.

 

Mary

[BCjetta]

I have the same pet peeve. People are always saying they think their newly adopted dog is abused when they come into the vet with it because it may be timid or reactive. Sometimes I try to say it may just be lack of socialization or the nature of the dog, but they rarely believe me.

My BC is very timid and will cover. She's never been abused and I've had her since 9 weeks. My older dog we got from the pound when she was around a year. She has some issues....had some food guarding issues, still has some fear aggression and is a bit reactive to other dogs. The fear aggression and reactivity I think is just her. However, she had a few other behaviours when we got her that made me wonder if she'd been mistreated...she was terrified of teenaged boys playing street hockey or even holding the sticks - very specific to the age and gender. She was also terrified if you threw a ball towards her...she'd jump out of the way as if you were trying to hit her and act like you were mad at her. She was also and still is afraid of older heavyset women with long straight black greying hair. Those 3 things made me wonder if she hadn't been treated well but I'll never know.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Basically, dogs who have been physically abused in the way most people imagine when they see a hand-shy dog, aren't hand-shy. Dogs learn quickly to flinch away from an occasional strike or swat.

 

But, people who really hammer on dogs tend to just get madder if the dog flinches away, or in fact no matter what the dog does. Instead, these dogs learn to stay very, very still and never react. Psychologists call it learned helplessness.

 

Imagine if you get in an elevator with a scary looking guy and then the elevator gets stuck between floors. Then you notice the gun sticking out of his pocket. Do you do anything to draw attention to yourself? Heck no! You stay as still as possible and avoid meeting his eyes - and pray hard for the elevator to resume motion or someone to come bail you out.

 

The really abused dog has had its soul torn right out. You can see it (or rather not see it) in the eyes. He has no hope that the elevator will keep moving, and in fact it takes a long time to convince him that he's no longer ON the elevator.

 

It takes an awful lot to get a dog to this place though. Dogs really are forgiving, otherwise dog rescue wouldn't work. All dogs have issues, as people have mentioned here. Any environment will change a dog. Many people could find fault with the way my dogs are managed, and would be annoyed by some things if they had to "adopt" one of them (God forbid). There's no one out there who manages dogs exactly like I do and every dog I've gotten here, I've had to reshape to fit better. That doesn't mean they have problems, or my dogs have problems, or any of these dogs were mismanaged or abused.

[beachdogz]

But, people who really hammer on dogs tend to just get madder if the dog flinches away, or in fact no matter what the dog does. Instead, these dogs learn to stay very, very still and never react. Psychologists call it learned helplessness.

 

Imagine if you get in an elevator with a scary looking guy and then the elevator gets stuck between floors. Then you notice the gun sticking out of his pocket. Do you do anything to draw attention to yourself? Heck no! You stay as still as possible and avoid meeting his eyes - and pray hard for the elevator to resume motion or someone to come bail you out.

 

The really abused dog has had its soul torn right out. You can see it (or rather not see it) in the eyes. He has no hope that the elevator will keep moving, and in fact it takes a long time to convince him that he's no longer ON the elevator.

 

That was one of the most moving posts I have ever read. Thank you for the enlightenment.

[Shetlander]

She was also and still is afraid of older heavyset women with long straight black greying hair.

 

Quinn (came to me at 9 weeks and is a happy boy) is sometimes nervous of people in ball caps and other hats. And sometimes not. He also won't go near a dear friend when that friend insists on wearing a bright yellow slicker but that could be embarrassment .

[Root Beer]

I'm on the other side of this. Because he has fear issues, people assume Speedy is a rescue who was abused. Typical conversation:

 

Me: Sorry, he will look at you, but he might not let you pet him. He's pretty shy. (That's not exactly accurate, but it is enough explanation for the average person who notices him)

 

Interested Party: Awwww. Is he a rescue? Was he abused?

 

Me: No. He's from a breeder and has been loved every day of his life and he has a great life. He's shy because he's "wired" that way.

 

Interested Party: Oh . . .

 

There has never been a day in Speedy's life when he was not loved, cared for, and protected. And he's the one people are always positive is a rescue!!

 

People rarely ask me if my rescues were abused, although the question has certainly come up. Personally, I am pretty positive that Maddie suffered some harsh treatment. Some of her default behaviors suggest that she learned early that she might be "in trouble" at the drop of a hat and that "trouble" is not good. I do know for a fact that the people who had her originally moved away and simply left her behind. She was malnourished. In spite of that, she has the most solid temperament of any of my dogs. She's a survivor, that one, and if she was not technically "abused", her early life was not good.

 

But to answer your question, Dean was definitely not abused. His people were very clueless in a lot of ways, but they absolutely loved him and treated him with great affection.

 

I have no reason to believe that Sammie was abused, either. He has quirks, but nothing that suggests abuse.

[NorthfieldNick]

My rescue mutt was certainly neglected and starved, but not abused. She definitley has issues- she's snarky, a bit dog agressive, and pushy- but I'm pretty sure she'd be that way no matter what her early life was like.

 

My previous horse was most certainly abused. She was, as Becca describes, totally dead to the world when I got her. She reacted to almost nothing- just stood there looking distant. She eventually became the best horse I've ever had, probably the best one I ever will have. I miss my funny little grey mare!

[theshine]

All of my dogs certainly have issues....my shelter dog has the least of all. He was a very destructive chewer when we got him, but after 9 months (can't believe it's been that long) we've mostly worked through it. People come up with imaginative stories though, my mom is the worst. When we got Shiner, the volunteer said he had been picked up stray, had what appeared to be road rash, and he's also missing a tooth...my mom turned that into "He was thrown out of a car onto the side of the road"......not likely...someone had taken the time to house train him and teach him basic obedience commands. How he ended up stray I'll never know...it seems like a fair asumption that he was hit by a car, but that could be wrong too, though it's more likely than him being thrown from one.

 

One of my shelties has far more issues and I got him as a 9 week old pup and socialized him very well. He is fearful of plastic bags, aerosol spray cans, socks, the vacuum, certain loud noises, strangers...he's actually bitten me in one of his panic episodes over me spraying febreeze. He's also very hand shy. No idea where these issues came from. Could be when he was attacked by a neighbors dog at 4 months old, could be genetic. People always ask me if he was abused when they go to pet him and he slinks away though. Nope, just a quirky dog.

[sandra s.]

I think it can be innocent ignorance. I used to believe Kessie had been "beaten" as well, now I know more and I doubt it very much. She was taken from her owner because he sello-taped her mouth shut when he left her in the car, and of course that p*sses me off immensely, but I doubt that she perceived it as violence (as in being physically attacked).

 

They're a lot more sensitive to body language (or more offended/worried by rudeness) than the dogs I ran around with in my pre-Kessie life. They're also more human-focussed and eager to please, and therefore more easily worried about miscommunications (that a word?).

I've tuned my signals down a lot since getting Kessie. These days I see that "normal" dogs can read quieter signals as easily as BCs (if they want to) but back then they never made it clear to me when I was being rude. At least not in a way that I picked up on then. So Kessie seemed quite "overreactive" at first. I genuinely believed (as did the shelter staff before me) that this was due to "bad experiences", rather than her brand new human behaving a bit like an ox at times.

 

Also, I've been guilty of telling people "she had a bad previous owner", because it's a lot easier than trying to find a non-offensive way (one thing I'd hate to be seen as is a dog snob!) of telling them they're blundering about alarmingly . It works nicely, they give her space and quiet down immediately without taking it personally. But you're right, it does contribute to the "shelter dogs with issues" stereotype (which is huge over here, and I hate its guts!!) and I shouldn't do it anymore.

[ShoresDog]

Sandra, you expressed that very well. I have been guilty of the same thing at times. I would love to have a phrase that I could use to communicate people to give Daisy some space until she knows them better, without invoking her rescue background and without making her sound like a bad dog. What I often say when I'm out with Daisy and Juno and meet people is something like, "Juno would love to meet you and get some love, but the rule for her is four feet on the ground. Daisy would prefer to be with us but be totally ignored for a while until she gets familiar with you all." That works with some people, but isn't strong enough for others. Daisy doesn't back off, she likes to be part of the group, she really just doesn't want strangers staring at her or touching her.

[Lewie'sMom]

I almost punched a man in the face in a pet store once as he went on a tirade about how he'd never adopt a shelter dog because they were all abused and messed up or old, and even though he didn't want a purebred dog, he would only ever consider purchasing a mixed breed dog from a pet store as a puppy.

 

 

Probably a good thing you didn't. I think that's illegal.

 

But I understand your frustration.