Disposable dogs: Special needs dogs and revealing results
March 13, 2011 • Health & Wellness •
By: Arden Townsend
March 26 is canine seizure awareness day and we ask all dog lovers (and your dogs) to wear purple to help increase awareness of this dreadful special need.
Many people have expressed surprise that we kept Precious, who is our seizure dog, and did not return her to the shelter when she started having seizures. My response is simple- she had become a member of our family. I do not understanding how people can take a dog that develops a health problem and just drop them off at a shelter. I feel that once you adopt an animal then you should care for that animal if at all possible. I have a friend of mine, Max from PA, who summed it up very well: some people treat special needs dogs as though they are disposable.
Has our society been brought up to think that everything including relationships is disposable? If things get tough, are we conditioned to just throw it out instead of working out the problem and coping with it? Sadly, I think many people do just that.
It is estimated that as many as 8 million pets enter shelters across the country each year. Of those millions, countless thousands have serious injuries or behavior issues that qualify them as pets with very special needs. What do they need? Exactly what is a special need dog? Special needs can encompass various disabilities, chronic medical conditions and behavioral issues. Some common problems among cats and dogs include missing one or more limbs, hind limb paralysis, deafness and or blindness, diabetes, allergies, urinary tract infections and lack of socialization. Some pets might require diapers, ramps, support slings, regular medication, and dog training or pet socialization classes.
Last fall I was outside in the yard with Daisy Grace and Precious. It was late in the evening, and all the sudden it dawned on me that I had not given Precious her medication yet. I called out, “come on girls. It’s time to go in and give Precious her medicine.” Both Daisy and Precious took off toward the door. At the same time, some guy was walking down the road heading toward town. He stopped in our front yard, and called out, “Oh, why does your dog take medicine.” I stopped walking toward the house and turned to him. Daisy started barking and growling at him. Precious started her woo-wooing and I told them both NO BARK. They both stopped right then. I then explained about Precious’s seizure and her medication. The guy had the nerve to say, “Well dogs with those types of illnesses should just be put down and it’s cruel of you to keep her alive.” I exploded, “How dare you say that to me. Get off my property and don’t come back. Precious is the sweetest and most loving dog I have ever met, and she has more compassion that you seem to have in that tiny brain of yours.” Daisy and Precious both then went off with their barking and growling. The man turned and continued walking back down the road. I guess he felt he had said what he needed to.
At another time, we just happened to be at the vet clinic when 2 different families came in. They signed the surrender papers and gave their dogs to the vet. One was just an 11 month old puppy who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and owner said they wanted a female dog they could breed, and one with hip dysplasia could not be bred. A young boy, about 10, was with them, and he had tears rolling down his eyes as he said goodbye. The pawrents obviously had no attachment other than financial to the pup, but we did feel bad for the young boy. He loved this dog. The second one that was surrendered to them was a 5 year-old dog who was going to have to have one of his legs amputated. This owner said they had no choice – they could not afford the surgery because their pet insurance denied the claim. This mom was crying as she said goodbye. The vet’s wife was also in tears and even tried to show her sites where she could apply for grants to get help paying the cost, but the owner refused, stating that there was no guarantee they would help cover the cost. She admitted she was angry over the pet insurance denial of the claim but did not have the energy to keep fighting it.
There are countless others. A friend told us she witnessed a pregnant young mom surrendering a Scottie puppy because it made her nauseous to pick up and another couple surrendered a 10-year old large mixed breed because they were moving.
The last two dogs I mentioned were not even special needs dogs, but they were being surrendered anyways. I couldn’t help but think, what if their human child who had a sickness that the insurance didn’t cover? Would they turn him/her in for re-homing too? Would they discard their children because they were moving?
We do understand that not everyone is able to deal with an animal’s special needs, and that sometimes circumstances force someone to give up an animal they deeply care for. Even for us, whether we adopted such an animal would depend on the needs. I know we would never adopt a large dog with special needs, but we would be unlikely to even adopt a healthy large dog because of my handicap since I must use a walker and am very limited on the amount of weight I can lift. I would be hesitant to get a dog that was paralyzed or had problems getting around – not only for the above reasons but also because we live in a 2 story house and I would be nervous about our steps. There are some days I have trouble getting up and moving around; how could I help a dog move around? If the dog was blind or deaf I could live with that, but would want specialized training.
Honestly if we knew that Precious was going to be a seizure dog before we got her- we probably would have not adopted her, and our life would have been poorer without her in it. Many of you have seen how full of love and happiness she is. Many of you have also seen us in tears over her seizures. Some of you have felt our fear when you have seen her have a seizure. Having a seizure dog is not easy even when you have them somewhat under control like we do. It can be a nightmare when they are not controlled. But we are able to afford her care and her medications. If money were to become tight, we would give up many other things before her.
Precious is not a disposable dog- she is a member of the family.
Apart from society as a whole, do we, as dog lovers, consider our furbabies as disposable? As part of the research for this editorial, we asked our friends on several websites for their opinions. All the people we asked own dogs – they are all dog lovers. We asked if they would adopt a dog with special needs and if they would keep an animal that later developed these needs. Why? Why not? The numbers are shown in the graphic below:
The results are not at all surprising. Only about 25% would adopt a dog with some of physical special need. Dog like our Precious stand almost no chance of adoption. If the need were behavioral, the results seem to indicate we would be more willing to adopt – with the notable exception of an aggressive dog. Once the dog is already part of our home, we are much more willing – about 75% – to deal with the special need. But these are just numbers, and numbers alone do not tell the story. Let’s also look at some of the comments we received.
“I would not willingly adopt a dog with special needs because I already have one…but I didn’t give him back either. I couldn’t imagine having more than one dog with special needs…the time and financial obligations we have now with one are about all we can handle. I think it depends on the dog’s special need and what the family can deal with.”
“My spontaneous answer is yes. I have three now. A “dangerous” dog given up by a person who lost there home. Abused from birth, never socialized, Sara tried to attack… and kill every dog she met… and she shortly after adoption she developed epilepsy. I have had a blind dog, a deaf dog, a dog with severe Hip Dysplasia, and dogs with other ailments, physical or psychological….but I am single, more or less retired and I have a barter relationship with my vet….so….. and of course I have an epileptic dog….when you’re in rescue, you really have little choice…you either rescue or you let them die….”
“My Dalmatian, Poppy, is deaf. I knew she was deaf when I adopted her and I would definitely have another deaf dog, it’s not that much of a disability and can actually have advantages. No noise distractions when training, doesn’t bark at every sound outside, sleeps through the mailman etc.
The epilepsy came 2 years later. Would I adopt an epileptic dog? It would largely depend on cost of medication. I have a limited income and luckily Poppy is insured. If it wasn’t too expensive or the cost was met by rescue then I probably would. I would also adopt a senior. I don’t think I could watch a dog struggle to get around so I wouldn’t adopt a paralyzed dog although I’m not saying they shouldn’t be adopted, just that I couldn’t.”
” I would still adopt a special needs dog with problems like Baylee’s because it’s a medical problem we can control most of the time. I could also handle a deaf dog. That being said I couldn’t handle a physically handicap dog because of my own health problems. I couldn’t carry a dog or pick one up over about 15 lbs.”
The results of this are obvious. As dog lovers, we definitely do not consider our pawed friends to be disposable. Although, if given a choice, most of us would chose a healthy and well-adjusted dog over a special needs dog, once we bring them into the family they are ours furever. But sadly many pet owners are just that – pet owners; not dog lovers. I have a friend who gave up two dogs just because she didn’t like them barking! We often hear of dogs being dropped at shelters in foreclosure cases, or worse – just being abandoned. DPFamily provided support to shelter in the wake of the DP oil spill. The shelter was facing a 400% increase in the number of pets brought in.
So the next time you are looking to adopt a furbaby, don’t automatically rule out special-needs dogs. Precious is the most affectionate and fun-loving dog we have ever seen. Sure, we have to provide her with more care and attention than normal. Yes, she is more expensive than our animals have been. But we can’t imagine life without her. And while in the past we would probably not have considered special needs dogs, in the future they may the first animals we look at. After all, don’t they deserve loving homes, too? We do not consider special needs dogs disposable in our world.
While searching the web, we came across this “Top 10” list. There are some good reasons (and maybe a couple not-so-good reasons) to adopt a special needs dog:
Top Ten Reasons To Adopt A Disabled Dog
http://reboundhounds.blogspot.com
1. You will save a life.
2. Your dog will only be disabled in the eyes of others and will not even know that he/she is “less than perfect.”
3. You will have fewer toenails to trim (in the case of tripods and other pooches with missing limbs!).
4. You will meet lots of great people – everyone wants to stop and visit with an extra special pup and a dog in a stroller is a great conversation starter!
5. You’ll have the perfect companion to spoil.
6. The bond you’ll share with your dog will be incredibly rewarding. Animals with special needs have an unrivaled ability to give love, affection, and more love.
7. Disabled dogs may have limited mobility, but they have no shortage of personality!
8. By adopting a disabled dog, you will inspire others to do the same.
9. You will never go to bed cold and alone!
10. Your dog will be your hero and his/her courage and tenacity will inspire you to be a better person.
