Large breed dogs (still) need help
In which Jill explains why it’s too soon to do the happy dance.
“We have more foster and adoption applications than we do dogs!” a rescue friend said recently. We were texting – after all, we’re #saferathome – so I sent her a virtual high-five.
For those of us in animal rescue, this is music to our ears! Demand exceeding supply?? When has that EVER happened? While shelter euthanasia rates continue to decline, perfectly-adoptable animals are killed for all sorts of sad reasons. But the onslaught of COVID-19 has meant that more people are home, and many want to use their newfound time to do some good.
My friend is a volunteer at a southern California rescue center. As the coronavirus began dominating the news cycle, applications from prospective fosters and adopters increased apace. Rescue center staff and volunteers were justifiably gratified. For the first time in recent memory, there would be empty kennels!
As tragic as the pandemic has been, it has forced businesses in both the private and public sectors to modernize their processes, meeting customers where they are. Animal shelters are no exception. New practices like video home checks, virtual meet-and-greets, and curbside animal pickup are not only keeping people safe, but improving the overall adoption experience.
“Is Bowser out?” I asked, trying to sound casual. The rescue center had recently pulled Bowser from Camarillo shelter, where he was a long-term resident and volunteer favorite. Bowser is an older pit bull mix, who’s sweet once he gets to know you (every time we met, he’d offer me his paw), and weighing in at a healthy 72 lbs.
“No, Bowser is still at the rescue center,” my friend sighed. “So is Nala” (another large dog and longtime shelter resident).
As smaller dogs exit shelters – many to cheers from the gauntlet of shelter workers lined up to see them off – large dogs linger, many for months or even years. Bowser had been a shelter resident for 13 months.
Outta the Cage, the rescue I run, recently found a home for Cleo, an adorable young beagle-mix. It took us two days. When applicants – and there were many – learned she’d been adopted, they pleaded with us to find them a dog “just like Cleo.” Never mind that Cleo was dog-aggressive and couldn’t live with any other pets. People figured that at 24 pounds, Cleo would be “easy.” Though Outta the Cage focuses on rescuing larger dogs, as well as seniors and those with medical issues, we receive daily requests from would-be adopters who “would like a dog under 40 lbs.” (Some applications even contain the words “toy” or “teacup.”)
You could argue (and people do) that smaller dogs are easy and more practical. After all, as one adopter explained, “you can pick them up, and if they try to bite you, just throw a towel over them.” Then there’s the size doesn’t matter argument: an empty kennel is an empty kennel and saving a life is saving a life.
But what kind of life is it for a big dog – a dog like Bowser who previously lived in a home with a family – to be stuck in a cage day after day? Large dogs stay longer in shelters, are less likely to be kenneled with other dogs, and are more prone to kennel stress, often developing health or behavior problems due to lack of activity and engagement. They’re the first to be surrendered, and usually the first to be killed.
Don’t get me wrong. We celebrate every animal that escapes the shelter system and makes it into a loving home where it will get the attention and enrichment it deserves. We’re also realizing that our pleas for fosters and adopters have been heard by a public that has recognized the need, but has not been ready. COVID-19 has changed that. Our advocacy is working, and lives are being saved.
But until the scales tip and people see that bigger dogs can be wonderful hiking partners, couch potatoes, napping buddies, and playmates, it’s too soon for high-fives.
UPDATE: Bowser was adopted by a wonderful family not long after we published this post. Sadly, he died of cancer 3 months later. We are gratified that he was surrounded by love in his last chapter. We just wish it had been longer.
