Continued from Part I….

Burton was euthanized at the Boulder Valley Humane Society on Good Friday, April 10 2009. All the love in his heart and training in his head couldn’t overcome the protective instinct instilled in him by those who abused him as a puppy, which combined with his age and size, made him “unadoptable”. I know he is happy and running through fields in heaven, uninhibited by the behaviors and result of abuse that made life on earth difficult for him.  

It saddens me deeply to think there aren’t enough people, places, and resources available to help rehome perfectly Good dogs like Burton. It saddens me to think how society is o.k. with evolving dogs into cute toys and casting aside any dog larger than 30 lbs, older than 5 years, or any that — God forbid — need mental or physical assistance. What if we applied similar social mores to people?

I want Burton’s legacy to be an increased understanding and appreciation that all domesticated animals should be afforded the basic right to life and opportunities to find happiness; that society by virtue of engaging in domestication carries the responsibility to protect all domesticated animals and ensure these rights without regard to age, size, physical or psychological ailments; that these responsibilities extend to each and every individual to care for and protect domesticated animals.

You can start to help by being a responsible pet parent, not just a responsible pet owner. Take the steps to below to help ensure your animal has a long, happy, healthy life and can survive no matter the situation:

• Understand you are making a lifetime commitment to an animal you adopt.
• Adopt animals from shelters, rescues, or fosters. Do not support pet shops, puppy mills, anyone engaged in breeding for profit.
• Become breed-aware, only adopt an animal that fits your family, home environment, lifestyle, and skill level as a pet owner. Be knowledgable of characteristics of other breeds you encounter in your daily environment.
• Have your pet spayed or neutered, keep current on all vaccinations, and provide needed medical assitance to your animal when necessary. Get health ensurance for your animals.
• Microchip your pet, and ensure your pet always wears a collar with identification including it’s name, address, phone number, vaccinations, and microchip ID.
• Undergo professional obedience training and socialize every animal regardless of how well-adjusted the animal is or how many times you have been through animal training.
• Spend time to correct unwanted behaviors.
• Ensure your home is safe for your pet.
• Always keep your pet on a leash outside the home, or under constant supervision in designated off-leash areas only.
• Know how your animal responds to other animals and always introduce other animals carefully and properly.
• Feed your pet healthy food and treats that will not cause medical complications later in life: htp://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

If you need to surrender a pet:

• Ensure that there are no other options available before relinquishing the animal. Options include: additional professional training or behavior counseling, crating, boarding.
• Attempt to rehome the animal yourself.
• If you can not rehome the animal yourself, seek a foster environment or no-kill shelter with adequate kennel space and adequate human care and attention to prevent creation of unwanted behaviors.  
• If you can not find a foster or no-kill shelter, seek an organization that can tell you if the animal would be appropriate for a working animal: assistance animals, therapy dogs, /search/rescue/police dogs, guard dog, trackers, herders, etc.
• If you can not do any of the above seek a low-kill humane society. Understand the facility’s policies on care, temperament testing, and euthanization.  

Advice for rescues, shelters, and fosters:  

• Maintain adequate space, do not crowd animals.
• Create physical and emotional space for larger and older dogs.
• Provide daily love and attention to each animal.
• Maintain fostering resources, esp. for animals with behavior issues that can not be kenneled.
• Verify adopters’ home environments. Understand that if an environment is not 100% perfect, it may be better for the animal than kenneling if the owner will be a responsible pet owner.
• Show compassion to everyone’s situation and seek to educate and encourage with sensitivity wherever the owner and animal can benefit.
• Provide adequate training for volunteers and ensure volunteers are consistent in communications with the public, veterinarians, and other facilities.
• Always maintain and provide an updated and comprehensive list of other shelters, rescues, fosters, and humane societies for those looking for lost pets, relinquishing, or seeking a specific animal. Clearly designate each facility’s policies on breeds, euthanization, adoption, lost & found, relinquishing.

Below are some recommendations of people who were most helpful to me with Burton. My deepest thanks goes to all those who helped give Burton a second chance by spreading the word and helping me email and call, but especially these folks for their humaneness — maintaining a very practical and rational understanding of the realities of Burton’s situation with a very high level of compassion and understanding that went above and beyond even most “dog people”.

All Breed Rescue Network
http://www.allbreedrescuenetwork.com/
Box 150803
Lakewood, CO  80215–0803
303–989–7808

Ted Terroux Dog Training
http://www.tedterrouxdogtraining.com/
tedterroux@att.net
9797 W Colfax Ave
Lakewood, CO  80215
303–232–1034