- Please Vote For "Second Chance Animal Shelter", East Brookfield Ma. At The Animal Rescue Site Its Easy, & Only Takes A Minute. Just Click The Banner Above. Thank You Very Much!
LETTER: Use care when introducing new pets
February 03, 2009 6:00 AM
Use care when introducing
new pets
The purpose of this letter is to offer a reply to Editor Bob Unger regarding his Jan. 25 column, "Doggone good advice for the First Family." I work for the Worcester Animal Rescue League, and Mr. Unger did in fact adopt a dog named Bear from our shelter on Jan. 10.
On Jan. 20, I received a call explaining that the family was having a difficult time introducing Bear to their cat, Larry. Bear was apparently taking every chance he had to chase the cat. Never during the course of adoption did the shelter sugarcoat the fact that this would be a difficult transition. I explained that the shelter would be able to extend their trial period with Bear to one month, provided that the family work daily on this issue. I further explained that a situation like this could potentially take several months to work out, if at all. The fact that the dog was listed as a retriever mix is in fact accurate. And there is always a possibility that the mix is with a hound.
The Ungers loved Bear already, and were willing to take the advice I offered when I referred them to the following Web site: http://www.canismajor.com/dog/dogscats.html. This Web site detailed several effective ways to train a dog with a high prey drive to live peacefully with cats. With the extreme vigilance of the owner, over time, it is usually possible to stop a dog from chasing a cat. Never did the article suggest leaving the two animals unattended. In fact, it specifically stated not to do so. The instructions explained how to manufacture a situation in which the family was in control of both animals to ensure the safety of each. First of all, the dog must remain on leash. The family had already broken this rule the first time they welcomed the dog home.
It is absolutely absurd to expect a strange animal let loose in your home to instinctively understand how to behave correctly. Dogs need guidance. After reading Mr. Unger’s column in which he detailed the behavior of his current canine, it was clear that he did not know how to provide guidance to a dog.
What is more disturbing, however, is that Mr. Unger was fully aware of his cat’s neurosis and still left him alone in a room with a dog who viewed little Larry as his own personal plaything.
According to Mr. Unger, even though "howling, yawling and the stink of fear" could be detected by him, he "slammed (the door) shut behind him" and "cheerily" suggested leaving them alone to fight it out.
This blatant disregard for the cat’s well-being, both physically and mentally, is appalling. Luckily both animals survived unscathed.
So, while I can appreciate the level of sardonic humor used in his article, I would like to be sure that it was not lost on his readers. The fact is that there is nothing peculiar about shelter dogs. All dogs require patience, including shelter dogs.
I am happy to report that Bear is now attending obedience classes, and beginning to live more harmoniously with Larry.
Liz Fay
Worcester Animal
Rescue League
Worcester
Mail this postPopularity: 30% [?]
comments
Leave a Reply
Stop Puppy Mills Now!
-
