Colorado German Shepherd Rescue
"I am the voice of the voiceless; Through me the dumb shall speak; Till the deaf world's ears be made to hear the cryof the wordless weak. From street, from cage and from kennel, from jungle and from stall, the wail of my tortured kin proclaims the sin of the mighty against the frail"
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
(1850-1919)
This is Chief. He was less than 8 months old and left tied to a tree when his
former owner moved. Click on the picture to see an enlargement.
"Top Ten List"
Below is a compendium of lies given when people surrender their dog at a shelter or rescue facility. This particular list comes from the Humane Society, but sadly, it is also the experience of Colorado German Shepherd Rescue. These are the most common lies people give when dumping an animal. Be sure to read the Humane Societies "translation" provided below.
10) We're moving.
9) He's perfectly house trained.
8) He's good around small children.
7) My child is allergic to him.
6) We can't afford to feed him.
5) I'm sure he'll be adopted.
4) He is already obedience trained.
3) He needs to live in the country.
2) He never barks or digs or eats the couch.
1) He needs someone who will give him more time than I do.
Translations:
10) "We're moving." If they were really moving, they would take
old stereos, ancient refrigerators and thread bare sofas - if they are still
functional. The difficulty of taking a pet with them is far less than that
old Volks Wagon that they intend to restore, sometime in the 21st Century.
This is an open admission that the dog or cat has no real value in their life.
9) "He's perfectly house trained." This means that the pet is trained
to do his business in the house - perfectly, every single time. You shouldn't
really be surprised at this, as many of these people had trouble potty training
their children.
8) "He's good around small children." He is good around small children
if they are hand cuffed, bound and gagged. The real problem is that their
kids are not good with dogs. Even the most patient canine will eventually
get tired of being slapped, pinched, jabbed and gouged.
7) "My child is allergic to him." My child is allergic to having
an uncontrolled dog nip him and jump all over the place.
6) "We can't afford to feed him." We can't afford to keep feeding
him our best shoes, socks, curtains and television controllers.
5) "I'm sure he'll be adopted." I am sure some person out there
would love to have an untrained, unhousebroken, destructive and potentially
dangerous animal - many polls indicate that a percentage of every population
is insane.
4) "He is already obedience trained." He is already trained to obediently
race to the door in answer to the bell, jump on guests when the door is opened,
tug unmercifully on a leash and get into the garbage.
3) "He needs to live in the country." He needs to live in any country
other than this one.
2) "He never barks or digs or eats the couch." He never does these
things if he has an opportunity to chase carts, jump on the kids, steal food
from the table or bite the mailman.
1) "I spend a lot of time with my dog, but he really would be happier if he had someone around all day, every day."
Until we can change the way people interact with their pets, they will continue
to treat them as disposable items, rather than valued family members.
'
HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
8-10 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
4-5 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
3-5 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600 and 750 thousand—15% of animals entering shelters (HSUS
estimate)
Number of animal shelters in the United States:
Between 4 and 6 thousand (HSUS estimate)
Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred:
25 percent (HSUS estimate)
Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3
Average number of animals in an average feline litter: 4-6
In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce
420,000 cats.
Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
Average number of animals in an average canine litter: 6-10
In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000
dogs.
Copyright © 2000 The Humane Society of the United States. All rights
reserved.
A pet is for life!
What Can You Do?
Did you know that more than MILLIONs of dogs are put to sleep in this country each year by shelters? It is a fact of life. Call your own community shelter and learn more about how many dogs they get each day for whom they can not find homes. There are many things each of us can do to help prevent cruelty to animals and the need for shelters around the country to kill so many animals each year. Schwarzen Berg Kennel actively supports and participates in the rescue of purebred German Shepherd dogs. Click on the links on this page to learn how you can do your part to keep such dogs from being put down.
Adopt unwanted animals Select this link to see dogs available through COGSR and other organizations.
Provide appropriate training for your dog. Training is not a one time, 8 week effort!
Spay or neuter your dog
Keep your dog's vaccinations up to date
Keep your pet contained in its' yard with adequate shelter and water
Have a Microchip ID put in your pet
Spend time with your pet, engaged in meaningful and fun activities
Do not allow your dog off-leash in public - "dog parks" are not a good place for your dog
Volunteer with animal welfare organizations, or your local shelter
Report cruelty to animals
Report abandoned animals
Breed responsibly, if at all, and only after meeting stringent breed requirements
If you breed, actively participate in rescue or donate to rescue organizations
Donate to animal welfare organizations
