The majority of dogs given up to shelters or dumped on country roads are there because of behavior problems. Studies have shown the number one factor in an animal staying in a home for it's whole lifetime is training. People get a cute lil puppy and it jumps,chews,barks and pees on the floor but because it's little the only training it gets is a "NO", pushed away or a rolled up newspaper which stops the behavior then but doesn't TEACH anything except maybe to be hand-shy or pee behind the couch-- not in front of you:0) The dog does nothing wrong but grow up. Then you have a 30 or 50 pounder jumping,chewing,barking and peeing on the floor.
You can't live with that.
And not to demonize the owner I have seen over and over in my years volunteering at the shelter heart-sick but determined people bringing in their dog because they don't know what else to do. There are few people born with the a natural gift for training so most people (myself included) have to be taught. It's so simple and now with clicker training it's even fun but if you don't know how, you don't know how.
When the dog is brought to the shelter it's absolutely terrified and this genius at love is abandoned to live in, no matter how hard we try, a prison. Losing it's family, everything familiar and now in the shelter it also loses whatever housetraining it knew, learns to bark like a fiend and now has abandonment issues. Some poor soul comes in to adopt, gets this dog and --no surprise--it's brought back. That happens abt 3 times and then if the staff is honest and gives a good history the dog never goes out again.
If it's a no kill shelter this adorer of snuggles, attention, play, this pack animal grows old and arthritic living on cement rarely ever touching another dog or person. Living in either it's own waste or what must be to them the horrible smell of bleachwater in, at least for a brief time, a clean kennel.
If it's a kill shelter it's spared that kind of life in an unfair death.
This is why we're working towards a sanctuary. So they can live in large fenced-in grassy areas with 4 or 5 other dogs. So there's room to run,someone to sleep next to, to play with, squabble with, all the doggy drama that makes life interesting. But they will not be turned out in a pasture and left. We're in the process of training a small army of volunteers. We will adopt out trained animals so they will stay in their new home. It's a way to break this cycle.
If they cannot be rehabilitated or no one wants to adopt them they can live out their life with room to run and play or sleep in the sun with their belly touching Mother Earth. We will train sit,sit-stay,down,down-stay, come,when you're called, walking on a loose leash because these basic behaviors are not just the foundation of learning for a companion animal they are the way to problem solving. Can't jump on someone if you're sitting.
We also will train frisbee dogs,tracking dogs,dogs that know lots of tricks,therapy dogs, and whatever else we and the dogs can think of. To break this cycle of abandonment like so many other vicious cycles on this old Earth takes education. Dogs love to learn,LOVE IT!
People.... not so much, but to be fair most dog training has been the 'ol choke chain method where you waffle between being uncomfortable because your choking and scaring your dog to the other end where your bored to tears. Happily we use clicker training and clicker training is FUN! I call it tail-wagging training because their tails wag all the time. I have 5 dogs and when the clicker comes out it's "Please Mom-- pick me, pick me. Let me train today."
Dog Star is a group of dedicated people determined to make life better for abused and abandoned dogs through living in a more natural environment and clicker training.
I'm a painter and a dog trainer. This is a painting of a rescue of a little dog who has been dumped on a country road to starve but her hunger and fear are about over, altho a storm is coming in she'll spend no more nights out there alone because this kind person has found her and will be taking her home.
The painting is a tribute and a metaphor to all those good people that love and rescue animals.
I'm having prints made and will be selling them to raise money for DogStar. We're just in the beginning phases of looking for land and finding money. We have our Articles of Incorporation and are in the long process of obtaining our 501 (c) (3) status.
The print is large it's 18x24 giclee (fancy way of saying fine art print on good paper). It will not be numbered because this will be an unlimited edition. As long as there are people wanting to buy to help not just DogStar but any rescue or humane society we will be selling them. Prints are $175. If you would be interested in selling this print for fund-raising contact me at artwarm [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
Clicker training will change the world--I believe it.
