Our Policy on Accepting Aggressive Dogs
While we try our hardest to place as many animals as possible there are certain behaviors that we feel are unsafe to place within the community. Some examples of these types of behaviors are: unprovoked aggression towards humans, aggression towards humans relating to resources (food, toys or chews), extreme fear or nervousness, extreme aggression towards other animals, and aggression related to emotional arousal. Under no circumstances will we place or accept an animal with a known (human) bite history. A (human) dog bite is defined as: canine teeth placed on human skin in an act of aggression that causes an open wound, abrasion or scratch.
We all too often receive desperate emails or calls from owners that must surrender their dogs immediately because of aggression. Their dogs may be displaying aggression towards men/women/children/dogs/other animals/etc and they have come to a point where they no longer feel safe keeping the animal in their own home. Aggression can be anything from growling and snapping to actually biting. Often owners believe that their animal can be placed in a new situation where the aggression won’t be an issue.
They are hoping that a miracle will happen for their dog; that somehow the aggression will dissipate in a new environment. Many believe that the dog can be trained or rehabilitated to a point where he or she will be safe. However, they are not able or willing to risk keeping the dog in their own home because they have children/work too many hours/can’t afford training/aren’t skilled enough/etc. For dogs that are aggressive towards children many believe that an adult-only home is a perfect solution. Owners that have been bitten by their dogs over food, toys, or other resources sometimes believe that this is perfectly normal dog behavior but they are now scared of the dog and believe that the dog will do better with a different owner. With the rise of popular dog training shows many argue that they have witnessed aggressive dogs being rehabilitated and that it is the shelters responsibility to rehabilitate these animals.
The unfortunate part is sometimes these dogs can be rehabilitated if they are with an experienced dedicated owner working with a good trainer or behaviorist. However the truth is that most owners are not willing, able or qualified enough to properly manage and work through these aggression issues. Most dog owners work full time, have children, social lives, and responsibilities other then their dog; they are lucky if they have enough time to walk their dog, let alone working on a time intensive behavior modification program. Other owners have already been pushed to their breaking point and are no longer willing to work with such behavior issues.
Dogs that are showing aggression and whose owners are no longer willing to keep them have very few options. Adoption into a new home is very rarely a possibility as most adopters come to a shelter looking for a new family companion. They are looking for a dog that will be good with their family and friends; a dog they can take to the park, go hiking with or just hang out with them and their guests. They want a dog they can trust and even if they adopter does not have children themselves most adopted dogs will come in contact with children at some point. Nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors’ and friends’ children will all be exposed to the newly adopted dog. Very few adopters are willing to take a dog that has known behavior issues, even basic issues like marking in the house and even fewer are qualified to deal with aggression.
In the time it would take us to accept, train and find a qualified adopter for an aggressive dog we could have taken in and placed ten or more dogs. The average stay at our shelter for a highly adoptable, young dog with basic training is six days, the average stay for a dog with minor training issues such as pulling on leash, jumping on guests or not being housebroken is 21 days and they stay for dogs that have more severe behavior issues is exponential. We are a limited intake shelter; we have only a certain amount of space to house adoptable dogs. When we take on a dog that will need extended amounts of time and training we will be turning away dozens of highly adoptable dogs.
Finally we do not accept aggressive dogs into our program because it is part of our mission to ensure that the animals we place up for adoption are going to function as happy and healthy members of their family and the community. It would be irresponsible of us to knowingly place an animal that growls, snaps, bites or tries to attack people or other animals into a new home. Also the liability of placing a dog with a known aggression issues will prevent us and most shelters and rescue groups from placing these types of dogs.
Many would be surprised how many calls and emails for help that we receive from desperate families dealing with aggressive dogs. Many of these aggression issues can easily be prevented if owners seek training before a bite occurs. The time to start training and socializing a new puppy is the day they come home. In instances where owners are no longer able or willing to keep an aggressive dog humane euthanasia may be the only option.
In regards to dogs that are aggressive towards other animals:
For dogs that are aggressive towards other animals it would be unfair to the community of pet owners for us to knowingly adopt a dog that is highly aggressive towards dogs and cats. Most of our adopters live in close proximity to other people and share fence lines with their neighbors; even if the adopter does not have any other pets their neighbors likely will. It is unfair of us to knowingly risk the animals that are already living in the community.
