Second Chances

Second Chances
Karla Clinch

Coughing and hacking, he is barely able to stand while he urinates. You can count every bone in his back and ribs. Yet, his gentle nature shines in his eyes. His tail continues to wag, and kisses abound joyously.

His name is Drager, and he just walked into my life, via Jean Burns, DVM, who has an incurable love for all mastiff breeds and is very active in rescue. A wonderful person, with a love that I have seldom seen for animals and their needs.

As near as we can determine, Drager is 18months old and was thrown from a moving vehicle. Weighing a mere 70lbs, he is 30lbs underweight. And he has kennel cough to boot.

In Miami-Dade County alone, you can walk into their animal control facility on any given day, and find well over 400 dogs, 90% of which are purebreds. Most will die within 3-4 days. Some will be adopted, to good home and bad homes.

Why? My mind cries out. I know that the answer is ignorance on the part of the general public, and complacency on the part of some canine professionals.

There is a treatment for this disease: EDUCATION. And education comes in several forms. Here are a few things I am trying to do to educate and solve this problem.

1) Offer free “pre-pet Seminars” I offer these a few times a year, before major holidays when pets would be purchased. I provide a small packet of materials, in inexpensive folders, most of the material having been gleaned from the Internet. The following are some of the topics that I cover:
a) Where to purchase a pet, and more importantly, where not to purchase a pet
b) How to research breeds and breeders
c) Information on the AKC, and how registration papers are not a guarantee of
quality.
d) Where to acquire more information regarding certain breeds
e) A listing of shelters and purebred rescues in the area
f) Why adult dogs are just as good as puppies.
g) And, of course, my business card, along with a 10% discount on training
services
h) Instead of purchasing a pet for someone as a gift, buy a crate, books, and
obedience classes, or gift certificates to the local shelter, where the person
can pick their own pet.
2) Point out that since they wouldn’t buy a car without researching, they shouldn’t buy a pet without researching.
3) Offer obedience training at a discounted price for those that adopt from animal
shelters.
4) Get together with local shelters and teach classes at their facilities. Charge for the classes, but donate the money to the shelter.
5) Rescue, provide health care, and obedience training to at lest two dogs per year. Then place them in good homes. Don’t just give them away, rather charge an adoption fee.
Then donate the money to the same rescue that you acquired the dog from. I do this, charging at lest $400.00 for the dog, requiring a contract and forwarding all money to the rescue.

If every canine professional—whether trainers, groomers, vets, vet techs, breeders or whatever—would rescue two dogs a year, we would make a serious dent in the number of dogs who die in shelters every year.

I am not saying to take the sickest, most timid dogs out there. I am saying take a dog that is on death row, who is nice dog, with kind eyes, and give him a chance.
A chance at life.
A chance to be happy.
A chance to make someone happy.
A chance for deliverance from certain death.