your dog

Ridgebacks by Lexess
Kaizen in Motion

Member of the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States
and the Rhodesian Ridgeback Enthusiasts of Dallas.

Could This Have Been YOUR Dog?

by Pam Mathews, Ridgebacks by Lexus
Assisted by Joan Mahone, StarChase

It was a “normal” Rescue call. The owner said that boarding the dog every two weeks (necessary because of travel for family illness) had become too expensive and that, oh yes, the dog was a little territorial.

When I arrived at the home, the owner and the dog were in front of the home; with a quick glance, I saw that the dog was a nice-looking one and looked to be well bred. When I opened the truck door the dog started barking, normal behavior in my book. But when I stepped out of the truck, the dog lunged at my face, ready to do harm, not good.

We decided to take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood to see if it would calm down and warm up to me. It never did and in fact continued to lunge at my face whenever I got close.

The owner was informed that the dog was not placeable in the Rescue program and should be put to sleep. The owner was in major distress at this news but accepted it, asking if Rescue would go ahead and take the dog and put it down. And of course Rescue did.

I believe that this dog could have – WOULD have – been a nice dog had it had the correct home, socialization and training. I place the blame for this dog's death at the young age of 3 years old squarely on the shoulders of both the breeder AND the owner.

The breeder had failed to check up on this dog: the owner could not even remember the name of the breeder. The owner had misplaced the AKC papers and the contracts he had signed, although he did verify that the dog had been sold on a contract. Had the breeder been diligent in checking on the dog's well being, the owner would have been able to remember that breeder’s name.

This dog came from out of state and was delivered to this owner's home at 6 weeks of age by the breeder. As we all know, that is way too young to place a puppy. Another failure on the part of this breeder.

This dog had been altered at 1-1/2 years old because of his “territorial” problems. The owner had originally wanted to breed the dog, although it hadn’t been shown, let alone championed, but decided that it's temperament wasn't sound and altered it. Thank goodness for small favors. But why did this owner have the option to even think about breeding this dog? Why wasn't it sold on a spay/neuter contract? And if it was, why hadn’t the breeder checked up and demanded proof.

For all of THIS I blame the breeder.

The owner's responsibility was to socialize this puppy from the very first day it arrived, to get it in obedience training as soon as it was old enough, and to be consistent in it's training. The owners loved this dog, I have no doubt of that...however, they loved the dog too much. When this dog was lunging, barking, etc. at me, the owner was begging the dog to "please be nice while the lady is here." The dog was never given a correction; the dog had no reason to stop its aggressive behavior.

The dog was crate trained but never made to use the crate; in fact the crate had been discarded a long time ago. Why? The dog was rewarded in acting the way it did by the owners cooing and petting it and begging it to be nice. Why pet and coo at a dog that is misbehaving? This dog was put to sleep because its owner "loved" it too much to discipline it. For all of THIS I blame the owner.

Now, I ask all the breeders out there: when was the last time you checked on your puppies? I don't mean just the young ones, I mean the 4, 5, 6 and, yes, even the 10 year old ones? Do your puppy buyers even remember your name?

And for all the owners out there, do you make excuses for the way your dog behaves in public and at home instead of addressing the behavior and putting a stop to it?

Could this have been YOUR dog???

Pam Mathews, rrbylexus@earthlink.net, 479-667-0242
Joan Mahone, joan@rrstarchase.com

Last Updated on July 3, 2004