A Harsh Reminder for All Animal Families

There are a number of good reasons to work to have a well-trained, well socialized dog. The everyday rewards include a dog who is easy and enjoyable to live with, gets along well with other dogs and people, and adjusts to strange situations--such as being groomed. However, when left to their own devices, doga can't figure out this human world on their own and go down the only path they know--one that often leads to tragedy.

Let me introduce you to four shelter dogs, three of which I groomed. First there is Zeus, a powerful Siberian Husky mix who adores people, but was returned because he got loose and killed a cat, something the owners simply couldn't (or didn't?) want to deal with. Second is Raven, a gigantic Lab mix who most likely didn't have the best lot in life; she was a nervous wreck unless given positive handling and lavished with encouragement. She was returned time and time again because the families weren't ready for her neediness. Third is Trevor, one of the bravest Pomeranians I've ever encountered. He was stuffed into a crate with his brother Ben-o for eight years, and when the owner got sick of them, she sold them at a garage sale. Luckily, they were brought to us and adopted; Ben-o went home immediately, but Trevor had to wait with us until his home was ready. I gave this boy a lion trim with a rounded teddy bear head and gave him newly found confidence. Finally, there is Gypsie, a Chihuahua; that's all I can really say because I never had the pleasure of meeting her.

While I was gone at Groom Expo last week, tragedy struck the shelter. Zeus and Raven somehow escaped from their kennels and worked their way into the one shared by Gypsie and Trevor. The little dogs didn't stand a chance; the attack was instantaneous and resulted in their horrible demise. Zeus and Raven were now at the top of the most wanted list for severe aggression. Since the shelter can't adopt out dogs with known issues this intense and deep-seated, there was simply no choice in the matter--both attacking dogs were destroyed.

The news was devastating. Upon hearing it, I felt myself go numb. I don't ever remember something like this happening in our shelter's past, but dogs can and will make fools of us all eventually. Of all the dogs lost, I felt hit hardest by Trevor's loss. He was just removed from a terrible situation, only to have his promising life cut short. The family came in later that night to take him home, only to find out that he was gone. They joined the entire shelter staff in mourning the loss of the four dogs, something that I could feel lingering in the air after I saw everyone. The fact that I'd worked on three of the dogs, however, made matters worse: I felt like part of me died along with them. This is my first real loss as a groomer, something that I know I will get more when my four-legged clients get older. At least then, we will be able to get together for one more hurrah--I never got the chance to say goodbye to these ones. I could only look at the urns in the office for so long; the little collars with tags wrapped around each one hit me hard.

Wouldn't it be nice if people invested more time into their dogs? What if Zeus and Raven were well-socialized and got to meet a lot of different dogs growing up? Would they still have killed Trevor and Gypsie on the spot? Sadly, this question is one that we will never know the answer to as we add these names to the list of statistics.

I don't care if you are a pet owner, groomer, handler, veterinarian, trainer, or any of the other specialists that work with these amazing animals on a day-to-day basis. I don't recommend training because I want your dogs to be human, I want them to be well-adjusted to this twisted, humans' world. They simply don't have the capacity to figure it out for themselves. It is up to us to lead them to what we deem as acceptable, and to do so in a humane and nonviolent fashion. Think about it--if training and socializing your dog prevents a catastrophe like this, isn't it all worth it?
A candle lit for the precious lives lost: Gypsie, Zeus, Raven, and Trevor, my little "Donut Boy". For the last three, it was an honor to have groomed you!