Chico's Story

Cheryl lives in Maine and has two dogs. An odd couple, in the eyes of some, they are a seven-year-old chihuahua named Peanut and a two-year-old pit bull-Labrador mix named Reid. Cheryl also has two cats, Tink and Tequila, ten and six, respectively, and both rescues.

Despite having a full house, and one that includes a chihuahua--a breed that tends to be yappy and neurotic and often misunderstood--Cheryl checks the list released daily by the New York Center for Animal Care and Control every single day and cross-posts profiles hoping to connect dogs in need with fosters and adopters.

When Cheryl saw Chico on the list, she jumped into action. A four-year-old white chihuahua, pictured above at the shelter, Chico was listed with two other chihuahuas, both of them seniors. A rescue group pulled the two older chihuahuas, but Chico remained despite people showing interest not only in fostering him but also adopting him--a lucky break that doesn't happen often.

Why? Chico earned a behavior rating of SEVERE for being aggressive from the Brooklyn branch of the New York Center for Animal Care and Control. People calling in expressing a desire to foster or adopt him were being turned away. The same dog that, according to the shelter, showed affection to both men and women was reportedly tense, highly nervous, and attempting to bite staffers who attempted to handle him. He had to be sedated to receive his rabies vaccine. Yup. Sounds like a frightened chihuahua to us.

When Cheryl called to say she wanted to adopt Chico, she was taking a leap of faith, if you will. She was making a huge assumption that his aggressiveness was simply the typical chihuahua response to being in a chaotic environment completely foreign to it. She was told by a NY CACC employee that she could not handle a dog like Chico. Cheryl did not give up. She argued her case, pointing to her experience in handling chihuahuas as well as to the conflicting information in the dog's write-up. When the second shelter employee turned her away, she turned to the rescue organizations.

Two rescues organizations were ready to take on Chico's case, and ultimately it was AmsterDog that managed to get through to the high-kill shelter and put a hold on Chico, saving his life. Arrangements were made to transport Chico to a foster in Connecticut that night. Cheryl drove from Maine to get him and bring him to his new home.

Training Humans asked Cheryl whether her hunch about Chico acting out because of his surroundings was correct. She says:

He is the sweetest mush ever. NOT aggressive and probably just afraid of the noise and scary men [shelter employees, including those who assess the dogs]. He gets along great with my two cats and two dogs.... They [the shelter employees] were wrong and [it is] so sad how many poor animals get PTS [put to sleep] for no reason!

Training Humans received photographs of Chico settling in to his new environment.

The city boy seems to have taken to life in the country splendidly.

Chihuahuas are nervous dogs, and often bark and attempt to bite when they feel threatened. They also tend to take to one owner and become very possessive and territorial. While not all chihuahuas should be painted with the same brush, Training Humans cautions people with small children against getting chihuahuas without doing their research first.

Even children with the best of intentions can be a little too rough on this small breed dog and make it feel threatened. Training Humans will be dedicating a blog post to this breed, especially in the wake of California's chihuahua epidemic. Please look for it soon.

For now, please enjoy these last two shots of Chico with his new pals.

Training Humans thanks Cheryl, AmsterDog, and the foster in Connecticut for not giving up on this beautiful pooch and wishes Cheryl and Chico the very best of luck!

So You Want to Get a Dog...

Or a cat. 


Or both! 


Where do you start? You have very specific needs. And why shouldn't you? It's going to be your pet. Perhaps you grew up with a specific breed, so you really want to have one of those again. You don't have much free time, so it can't be a puppy or kitten or any type of high-maintenance pet. You want to have it for a long time, so seniors are out, too, as well as any special-needs or ill pets. It must be healthy. And it HAS to be a boy. Or a girl. 

So those shelters, where large numbers of dogs and cats wait for someone to foster or adopt them, are surely out of the question. They only have injured or sickly animals, and just a bunch of mixed breeds that are probably aggressive. Right? 

Wrong!

You'll be surprised to find pure breeds of all ages available at high-kill shelters. Many no-kill shelters also make available lists of dogs and cats looking for new best friends and forever homes via their Facebook pages, official websites, Petfinder.com, or any combination of those. Furthermore, even if you find your new best bud at a no-kill, you've helped a greater cause: you've freed up a space for that shelter to go and save one from a high-kill facility. 

Owners surrender their animals for all sorts of reasons: some move to places that don't allow pets, some are evicted, some have babies and have no time for their pets anymore, and some pass away. So there are many awesome animals available, and all you need to do is look for one. 

No time to go through lists? No problem! Training Humans wants to help you. We'll do the research for you! Simply leave us a comment on this blog or visit our Facebook page and leave us a message and we will put you in touch with a rescue organization or shelter that has the pet you are looking for. Be sure to check back here for tips on what to purchase in preparation for receiving a new pet into your household (we'll link to the relevant blog post once it's live). 

When adopting a new pet, you have to complete an application, and if you go through a rescue organization, they will follow up with you to make sure the dog or cat is doing nicely. Remember that sometimes these things don't work out, so if you decide the dog or cat you get is too much work or simply not for you, then please return it to the rescue group from where you got it. If you got the pet directly from a high-kill shelter (sans middle man) then please contact Training Humans and we will help you find a no-kill shelter. 

Training Humans wishes you the best of luck with your new pet.

Layla and Dieter, Sitting in a Tree...

Monica considers herself a dog person, even though she hasn't always had a pet. She grew up with dogs in her household - had three of them, one after the other, with the last of them passing away 7 years ago. 

She has since moved in with her boyfriend and his 4½-year-old pug, Layla. Monica's boyfriend has had Layla since she was 6 months old, when he answered a local classified ad announcing her owner needed to surrender her. After years of Layla being the only household pooch, Monica decided it was time for her to have a dog to call her own and to keep Layla some company. She adopted 8-year-old Dieter - a long-haired dachshund - from Circle of Friends Animal Society.

The idea of bringing in a new dog into your home when you already have a dog can be a little daunting. As with most things regarding pet ownership, it requires time, patience, and an adjustment period. Things don't always work out, either. Chances are if you got your second dog from a shelter (which is always ideal) then the folks at the shelter will let you know to simply bring the dog back if this is the case. 

It wasn't the case with Layla and Dieter, however, which was happy news for Monica and her boyfriend. She took certain advisable steps when she first brought Dieter home. 

Here's what Monica had to say: 

I was very happy to see that Layla reacted well to Dieter upon meeting him. I think she was very curious about him because he's the polar opposite of her (she's a pug and he's a dachshund)! We first had them sniff each other on loose leashes, then relocated to an enclosed room off-leash so they could run around together. After that, we took them outside for a walk. A few more sniffs and licks to his face later, Layla seemed to accept Dieter as a potential addition to our family so we adopted him that day!

A month later, Layla and Dieter look like they are old familiars. 

Monica happily reports that they get along better and better each day. They nap together and have become huge cuddle-buddies. Neither dog gets territorial over food or toys. In fact, Dieter doesn't pay much attention to the toys Monica got for him.

Monica's lucky - the two pooches just took to each other in the most ideal possible way. But what about money? I asked Monica whether she felt a financial hit now that she'd taken in a second dog. 

I don't believe there has been much of a change financially caring for another dog. It was somewhat more expensive initially because we had to buy things for a new dog (crate, leash, collar, etc.) but thankfully you only buy those things once! Overall, there hasn't been a giant leap in costs.

Steps Monica took:

• She adopted Dieter from a rescue organization that pulls dogs from high-kill shelters. That opens up a space for another dog that the organization can pull out of harm's way.
• She didn't adopt him right away. She was honest about having a dog in the house who had been used to being top and only dog for 4 years and asked to introduce him to Layla the pug to see how things went.
• She leashed both dogs before bringing them into the same space together for the first time. Leashing them helps equalize the playing field, neutralizes it so that Layla does not feel like Dieter is trampling on her turf.
• She took them into another space and let them off leash while supervising them to see how they would behave after initial sniffing.
• She leashed them again and took them both for a walk. This helps them burn a little energy and lets you get a feel of how they will do outside together. 

If you are considering the possibility of bringing a second dog into your home and have any concerns, leave me a comment below and I will be happy to give advice and answer any questions you may have. Consider, too, checking out your local shelters. There are a vast number of dogs available, many of them pure breed, and you never know: you may end up saving a dog's life and giving your pooch a new best bud.

Training Humans wishes Monica's family the best of luck.