I havent seen the show but from what you describe I agree a hundred percent.
Anybody watch Dogtown?
I've only seen this show twice so I may not know what I'm talking about but..............
God love em for what they do. Giving these hopeless cases a second chance is wonderful. That part I think is great.
However, has anyone noticed the way they assess the dogs sometimes?
Ok example....
Neurologically challenged mutt. Has bowel incontience. Can't walk straight. FINALLY someone wants to adopt him but want to know if he's good with cats. They cat test him by putting him face to face with a strange cat. They are 4 feet away from each other. Dog is on leash, cat is being held. They let excited dog get close, cat hisses and swats, dog gets even more excited and now REALLY wants the cat. They try to give dog treats. Dog eats treats but is still face to face with the cat.
Finally they pull dog away from eye contact with cat and he goes over to the crate the cat was in to sniff it. He bites the crate lightly as if out of curiousity. Their response? "Oh no, this is not good. He bit the crate."
They deem he is unacceptable to place with a cat because of the way he reacted. Doesn't that seem wrong? I mean even MY dogs that are use to cats would freak and show excitement if we stuck them face to face with their OWN cats. If I tried it with a strange cat the outcome would probably be even worse!
Another time they were evaluating a fearful dog with other dogs so what do they do? They stick the poor dog in a small room with a dominate personality dog. Then they deemed him unsuitable for adoption because he freaked out and was running around the room trying to escape with his tail between his legs. All the while the dominate dog was growling, showing teeth, and trying to establish his rank.
They kept saying, "no, he's not ready". "He's (the fearful dog) is showing some aggression there with his hackles up". My thought? Ummm....he's scared out of his mind right now!
I dunno. I'm no behaviorist, nor a trainer, but their tactics look awfully wrong to me.
Anyone else notice this?? I doubt I will watch it again.
God love em for what they do. Giving these hopeless cases a second chance is wonderful. That part I think is great.
However, has anyone noticed the way they assess the dogs sometimes?
Ok example....
Neurologically challenged mutt. Has bowel incontience. Can't walk straight. FINALLY someone wants to adopt him but want to know if he's good with cats. They cat test him by putting him face to face with a strange cat. They are 4 feet away from each other. Dog is on leash, cat is being held. They let excited dog get close, cat hisses and swats, dog gets even more excited and now REALLY wants the cat. They try to give dog treats. Dog eats treats but is still face to face with the cat.
Finally they pull dog away from eye contact with cat and he goes over to the crate the cat was in to sniff it. He bites the crate lightly as if out of curiousity. Their response? "Oh no, this is not good. He bit the crate."
They deem he is unacceptable to place with a cat because of the way he reacted. Doesn't that seem wrong? I mean even MY dogs that are use to cats would freak and show excitement if we stuck them face to face with their OWN cats. If I tried it with a strange cat the outcome would probably be even worse!
Another time they were evaluating a fearful dog with other dogs so what do they do? They stick the poor dog in a small room with a dominate personality dog. Then they deemed him unsuitable for adoption because he freaked out and was running around the room trying to escape with his tail between his legs. All the while the dominate dog was growling, showing teeth, and trying to establish his rank.
They kept saying, "no, he's not ready". "He's (the fearful dog) is showing some aggression there with his hackles up". My thought? Ummm....he's scared out of his mind right now!
I dunno. I'm no behaviorist, nor a trainer, but their tactics look awfully wrong to me.
Anyone else notice this?? I doubt I will watch it again.
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
I have seen it and I agree it doesn't seem like the best methods. They use a doll to simulate a child, I would think some dogs can tell the difference. I give them credit for what they do, I have heard some of the Micheal Vick dogs went there.
I've watched it two or three times. I think it's great what they do with rescuing the dogs. I'm not expert but I think the way the evalutate the dogs is "different" and may be not the best way all the time.
Yea, I forgot to mention the little child doll they use to evaluate the dogs reaction to children with.
It's a freaky little thing.
They come rushing the dog with it, talking in a fast, high-pitched voice, and to me a lot of the dogs obviously know it's a doll. Fortunately the dogs I watched reacted happy towards it, but I'm wondering if I came rushing at my dogs with one of those things, if they wouldn't grab it and start shaking it thinking it was a cool new dog toy. LOL!
It's a freaky little thing.
They come rushing the dog with it, talking in a fast, high-pitched voice, and to me a lot of the dogs obviously know it's a doll. Fortunately the dogs I watched reacted happy towards it, but I'm wondering if I came rushing at my dogs with one of those things, if they wouldn't grab it and start shaking it thinking it was a cool new dog toy. LOL!
If I put a stuffed cat down next to my real cat I think Zeus would know the difference, he plays with stuffed toys all the time and is great with the cat. I'll have to try the doll thing I have a child size teddy bear in the house. Zeus will probably grab it and try to play with it.
This is the Best Friends organization in Knab Utah. While they may seem awfully conservative, they want to be 100% sure that the dog will do well in it's potential home before sending it out. They adopt nation wide so returning a dog can be expensive.
I love that show!
That child doll is creepy--if it had red hair--CHUCKY!
I want to know when it's coming back on with new episodes, supposedly they've been filming new ones.
That child doll is creepy--if it had red hair--CHUCKY!
I want to know when it's coming back on with new episodes, supposedly they've been filming new ones.
1 - 9 of 9 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
German Shepherds Forum
A forum community dedicated to all German Shepherd owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bloodlines, training, breeding, service dogs, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
