This avenue is dedicated to Lila, a young mixed breed who never got a chance to live her life. I met Lila when I was 16 and just beginning my animal rescue career. I was volunteering for a rescue organization that did not put dogs down for reasons such as length of stay or amount of space at the shelter. Thinking all animals were safe there, I was horrified when I came to volunteer one day and learned that Lila had been put down because she bit someone. Management at the shelter told me she was unadoptable, shrugged their shoulders and went on with life. I remain heartbroken to this day. Of course, I understood that Lila had trust issues with strangers and placing her in a home with children or with a family that was not knowledgeable and prepared to handle these issues was unethical. That did not mean Lila should be slated for death. Nor did it mean Lila would have to languish in a kennel, deprived of all the things dogs need to live a high quality of life. I knew right then and there that there had to be a more compassionate solution for dogs that were difficult to adopt out due to having bite histories, medical issues and/or other reasons. A solution that would both embrace the lives of troubled dogs while at the same time, fully respect the public’s right to safety.
After Lila’s death, I quit volunteering at the rescue organization she had been at and started volunteering at a true no-kill shelter. I befriended many dogs who had trust issues, some with aggressive tendencies and/or bite histories. Rather than viewing them as monsters, I began learning that these were dogs that society had failed multiple times in multiple ways. They were dogs who were extremely stressed, had no structure to their lives and all the factors had come together into a situation that resulted in them biting. They had specific triggers that caused their anxiety and frustration, but these triggers were generally not hard to identify. The dogs responded incredibly well when they realized that the person on the other end of the leash was aware of their state of mind and was respectful of it. While some of them were not suitable for adoption to the general public, they were very safe and gentle dogs with people who had “cracked their code.” There were also many ways to give them a high quality of life and protect them from situations they were not prepared to handle.
I have no desire to judge the feelings and/or opinions of those who have been harmed by a dog or have had a loved one harmed by a dog. Nor do I pretend to know everything there is to know about canine behavior. As a CPDT-KA, I am constantly learning new things about dogs all the time and can be confused, disheartened, and affirmed all in the same day.
I do know that abuse, neglect, miscommunication, genetic manipulation and commodification of dogs are factors that contribute to dog bites. I also know that dogs with bite histories are, for the most part, “written off” society’s moral compass and killed. This is what CCLS hopes to change. Dogs, who in the opinion of CCLS cannot be safely adopted out, will have a lifetime home at our sanctuary, where they will enjoy hiking, swimming, agility, nose work and all the comforts of a loving home environment.
This is the way Lila would have wanted it!