Helping an Abused Dog

RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By james mercy. (Guest Post) (07/28/2008) Well, I adopted two abused dogs. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By Susan from Dallas, TX (Guest Post) (05/08/2008) Reading all this feedback is very helpful. I bought a King Charles Cavalier about 4 months ago and was told he was a 2 year old, shy dog in good health. It turned out he was 9 years old, had infections in both ears, rotten teeth (they pulled 11) and still runs whenever we come in the room from years of neglect and abuse (according to our Vet.) Even though he uses the doggie dog often, lately he's been going on the floors again. We have had him fixed, put in a chip, healed, cleaned, etc and try to love on him as often as we can. I now realize this is going to take some time before he doesn't feel afraid of us. . . and it may take a LONG time. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By Nicole (Guest Post) (04/18/2008) My neighbor has a dog. It's a white husky, one eye is blue and the other eye green. He's about 5 months old and he's adorable. They keep him in their apt. tied to a very short leash in the kitchen. They don't feed him and don't give him much water so they don't have to walk him. When he does need to do his necessities he does it there in that little spot where they keep him. No one cleans it. His white fur is all stained yellow from him sleeping on his own pee. The apt is in horrible conditions, too. You can smell it from the outside. I've told them to give him away. That I will find someone who will take care of it but they refuse to it since they want sell it for $1,500. He cries all the time. I recently contacted a animal rescue to save it but they haven't responded. The poor puppy cries all day. Any place I can contact? Thanks. Nicole Editor's Note: Nicole, you could try contacting the landlord. They probably wouldn't be happy with the situation. Also keep calling animal control and see if you can get other neighbors to call, too. It sounds like a situation worth resolving. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By mackenzie meredith (Guest Post) (03/09/2008) You need to show him who is the boss. My grandma has the same problem with her dog and I just told her show him who is the boss. This is the dog in the picture. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by KJP (33) | (01/23/2008) Contact Thank you everybody for your interesting comments. You have given me many new ideas to think about. I really love this website - don't you all too? Thanks, Kate Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by msettamae2 (71) | (01/22/2008) Contact I have nothing but praise for anyone that rescues a dog or any animal for that matter. But please tell me why on earth would you want to pet the dog while he is eating? Let him be and let him eat. THEN give him love and affection. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by crazylady4christ2007 (53) | (01/21/2008) Contact give you dog a chance to get use to you and dont try to touch him...he will eventually realize you mean him no harm and will warm up to you..just talk to him every day in a soothing voice..and dont show fear around him dogs can sense this in people...he is just afraid he will be punished or hit..when a dog bites you its because he has been hit before and it is a defense mechanism...just be patient and dont force him he will come around when he senses he can trust you.. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By penny (Guest Post) (01/21/2008) Well I have a different take that the others. If it were mine I would hand feed it every morsel one by one. Use a glove if you need to, but he will learn that the hand is a good thing, not a bad thing...very time consuming but well worth it. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By (Guest Post) (01/21/2008) Kate My advise for now is to just leave him alone when he is eating. Too many changes have occured in his life already. Please let him adjust. It may be that he will always ber food protective. If this is the casde, do not let any young children to bed nedar him when he eats. On the safe sided, feed him in his crate. Woofey Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By audrey (Guest Post) (01/21/2008) It takes lots of love, patience,and understanding. 10 years ago we adopted our dog lady, she had been beaten, and yelled at, she would run under the bed at the slightest loud noise. She was with us almost a year before she would wrestle with my husband or chase a ball with my daughters. just keep the food bowl full stay in the room when he eats and just talk to him in a soft reasuring voice, it will take time but it's worth it I have never regretted getting our lady. Good luck. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by daiquiri (40) | (01/21/2008) Contact Give these abused babies time....some need days, some weeks, some months and some years. I have a puppymill Bichon Frise. She was in a cage for 3 1/2 years and has been with me since Sept 2006. She is still skittish at times. She does come to me and she does play and she loves me very much BUT about 2 months ago she was in front of the bathroom door and the lights were off and I couldn't see her. I almost stepped on her and yelled. For 10 days she reverted to the way she was a year and 3 months ago. She wouldn't come to me and she slept on the floor instead of in bed with us. I was distraught and considered giving her back to the rescue group since she was so terribly unhappy...but I held out and continued top talk to her and sit on the floor with her and she came around. I guess she was just insulted!! Give your babies time and love and they will come around. And bless you all for taking them in and giving them forever homes! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by moncarroll (17) | (01/20/2008) Profile | Contact The Australian RSPCA uses the hand in the food bowl as a last check to see if a rescued and retrained dog is family suitable. If the dog remains possessive over its food (continues to growl and bite) it is not able to be placed in a home. While you are trying to coax him around, give him encouragement when eating. Try to train him to wait for his dinner once it is placed on the ground, you might need other treats to keep his mind of the dinner bowl as you get started. I wouldn't let any children play with the dog until you are satisfied that the possessiveness has gone. Once he feels safe and comfortable in your home, test his behaviour yourself doing things children might. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post by Lorelei (176) | (01/20/2008) Profile | Contact Allow the dog time to adjust to its new owners, home environment and meal time. Patience is the key word and sit near the dog while its eating, but don't bother the food bowl once it has been given to the dog or touch the dog while its eating as its apparent the dog doesn't trust yet. You might want to try extending treats to the dog other times during the day and let it take it from your hand once its more comfortable with you. Have family members talk to the dog often so it can get used to your voices and pet the dog too. This way the dog will learn to trust all of you more. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By Kelly Krumm (Guest Post) (01/20/2008) Regarding food issue: When you feed him, do it from several different bowls placed in different areas of the house. Not more food, just divide it up among different bowls. In this way, he will hopefully figure out that he has access to more than just that one bowl of food and doesn't need to be possessive of it. I suggest you check out Warren Eckstein's website: www.thepetshow.com. This is advice I learned from listening to his show. In the meantime, I'd give him his space while eating. Stay in the same room perhaps, but don't stare or touch him. Let him get used to your presence and once he really learns that he doesn't need to worry about food, he will probably lighten up. Regarding skiddish dog: Time and patience. Our rescue was 9 months old and afraid of all kinds of things. A man was definitely not nice to her. She wouldn't let my husband near her for two weeks. If she responded to your husband and son before, pick ONE of them to be the main contact with her for the time being. The rest of you may just need to hang back until she is more comfortable. Maybe have him approach her with something irresistible, like steak, in order to reestablish contact with her. Eating and drinking are the last things on a dog's mind when they are nervous. Unless she needs immediate medical attention, i'd wait on the vet until she is a bit more comfortable. It sounds like she has had a lot of change and needs to get used to her new situation with you before she's going to calm down. My girl (now almost four years old) loves my husband and while she is no golden retriever, she is much more comfortable with new people and new situations. Good luck to you both. Kelly, Michigan Report Spam or Abuse RE: Helping an Abused Dog Post By Anon (Guest Post) (01/20/2008) The best resource would be local animal rescue groups in your area or you can try calling your local (preferably no-kill) animal shelter or police animal control to report the potential animal abuse. People who abuse animals are a short step from abusing people. http://www.1-800-save-a-pet.com/ looks like a useful resource to find local animal rescue groups. Oh, and don't forget about the click-to-give at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com Editor's Note Thanks Anon for the links. This person would like help in teaching her rescued dog that it has a good home now, and will always be fed. Sally for ThriftyFun Report Spam or Abuse Request: Helping an Abused Dog Post by Sally_Admin (99) | (01/20/2008) Profile | Contact We rescued a dog yesterday from being put down. The dog is a pure breed German Shepard 5 mo female. She was trained to be a K9 dog, but the trainer gave her up because she was not aggressive enough. The dog is very skiddish of everyone. She has only let my husband and son pet her. But as of today, she will not let anyone pet her. We purchased her a dog house and bed late last night because she would not come inside. It is freezing outside. She has not used the house or the bed yet. She is however eating. Not a great deal but enough. She is not drinking well though. We were hoping to take her to the vet Saturday. But I do not think we'll make it. She will not come near us. I think the trainer must have been really cruel to her or she doesn't trust anyone. Please help! Belk Family from Charlotte, NC Answers: RE: Helping an Abused Dog Poor baby, she sounds very traumatized. I wonder if she was trained not to take food from anyone but her trainer. Maybe you can talk to one of the trainers or someone who does K9 training so you can try to use what they have already taught her to make friends with her. Trust needs to be developed. Because dogs are pack animals, they really want to be with other dogs or people. It just takes some time. Just keep trying to make friends with her and talk to her in a soft voice, telling her this is her home and she is safe. If she has already let your husband and son touch her, they might be the best to keep trying to approach her. Good luck with her. I've never dealt with a dog in the same situation as yours but our dog was very shy when we first got her. She's a gregarious family member now, but it took about a month for her to feel at home enough for her to be herself. Susan from ThriftyFun (12/02/2005) By ThriftyFun RE: Helping an Abused Dog May God bless you richly for your kindness to this dog. You've made a wonderful start, in that you truly care about her. Susan has given you some great advice, too. Call your vet, even if you're not taking the dog in for an appointment right away. Ask them to recommend a certified dog trainer, then get in touch with the trainer right away. Even if you can't afford their services, you might get some bits of advice. And sometimes trainers are very reasonable in price. If you live near a university, contact them and ask if they have free or lowcost services of an animal behaviorist. Don' t be ashamed to ask -- you're doing something good. Also, search "German shepherd rescue" on any Internet search engine. You should find a list of rescue groups that specialize in shepherds. Write to them via e-mail, or join their online groups. These people are very helpful and experienced. Get some really yummy treats -- not dog food, people food. It will NOT hurt her to eat common-sense kinds of people food, like beef, turkey, chicken, or cheese. Cut it into small bites, and let your husband and son feed her one piece at a time. Drop the pieces on the ground at first, if you have to, but slowly work at getting closer to her. Gradually progress to using these treats as a way of rewarding only her "good" behavior, such looking at a person or coming near. Keep feeding her as you normally would, but reserve the treats for training rewards. Never challenge or punish her, but always reward the good stuff, no matter how small. And reward it IMMEDIATELY -- within a second or two. Dogs think in very small time segments. Be sure she has warm straw in her doghouse, and water that is not frozen. Be prepared for a long effort, since she has apparently been through a lot of suffering. Keep at it, and remember, you are saving this girl's life. Please let us know how it goes. zballoongirl (12/02/2005) By zballoongirl RE: Helping an Abused Dog Thank you both. She is still eating and drank quite a bit this morning. I called and left a message with the vet. She will call back later in the morning. I had taken a towel and wrapped it around the heating pad last night and put it on top of her dog bed. I know she had to of used it, because this morning I found it by her spot she likes at the corner of the fence. She is getting better with being afraid. You can tell by her tail wagging and it not between her legs. She will circle me but never get any closer than about 2 ft from me. Today it is suppose to be warmer. I will continue to sit in the yard in hopes she get closer or even let me pet her. Thank you all. The Belks (12/03/2005) By jeniferjensen RE: Helping an Abused Dog All of the suggestions posted are excellent. I truly believe a trainer will be your best bet with her. Hopefully the trainer will let her know it is okay to live in the house. I have two rescue dobies, and even though they are indoor dogs, 3 and 4 years old, they love their kennelaire crates. The doors are never closed but they feel secure taking naps and sleeping at night in them. Please keep us updated on her progress. Bless your hearts for saving her. Rescued companion pets are the best! Jennifer Alexandria, Va. (12/03/2005) By ILuvDobes RE: Helping an Abused Dog Get some professional advice from a trainer since she was being trained to be an aggressive work animal. I would be careful. I always thought that when a dog was being trained to be used as a K-9 dog that the dogs weren't abused but treated as a work companion. I would hope that this so-called trainer was reported and not allowed to train in the future. (12/03/2005) By mkymlp RE: Helping an Abused Dog Bless you for giving this dog a loving home and not giving up! If you haven't found a trainer to help you, contact Andy Bunn and /or Trent Parker at Total Canine Training. They have a website, http://www.totalcaninetraining.com so you can check them out and contact them by email if you prefer. If they can't help, they can recommend a fear/aggression specialist. These guys are worth every penny they charge, and then some. They are very humane, and the training your dog will get is a lot more effective and thorough than, say for example, Pets Mart. (No disrespect intended....the trainers there do good work, but it sounds like your dog needs more help than what Pets Mart can offer) My husband and I both grew up with dogs and have always had at least one of our own in addition to the occasional foster dog. We never thought we would have to resort to a professional trainer, BUT... We have 2 rescue dogs, both shepherd mixes. One of them was almost a year old when we adopted him and he had a troubled childhood, being bounced from one foster home to another; no consistency, no rules, etc. He had not been abused, but he was a gigantic bag of nerves, high strung and hard to train. We kennel trained him with Andy and Trent for 2 weeks, and got back a whole new dog! One of them will come to your home and do a couple of private lessons with you as a follow up to the kennel training and they offer really good group classes as well. (which we have continued with both of our dogs) In addition, they have boarding facilities with an attached dog park that they offer only to training clients. I always hated boarding my dogs before, knowing that they would be locked up in chain link and concrete, but my "boys" love it there; they think they are going to camp! Anyway, good luck and God Bless! (12/03/2005) By Sharon9824 RE: Helping an Abused Dog All 3 of my kids suggest The prayer of St Francis[he was an animal lover]. Love and patience are tried and true but doesn't work overnight. She's wagging?-Good sign! (12/03/2005) By coacheer2002 RE: Helping an Abused Dog Major kudos to you for rescuing her. I've had more than 1 abused dog I've rescued. It just takes time like everyone else is saying. But you will have a totally different dog in time. It's such a rewarding experience to rescue & rehabilitate a dog so they become a happy well adjusted dog. And with my experience, it's rare that a dog doesn't adjust. I've had very emotionally disturbed dogs that became the most laid back dogs & you would never believe they were abused. All the suggestions are good. Treats, praise, & more treats. Since it's cold you must get her inside. Even if it means tricking her. It's for her own good. If it takes several people then ok. Just so everyone is upbeat & heaping praise. Once she's inside it will also be easier to get her to adjust to having lots of people love her. (12/03/2005) By Vicki RE: Helping an Abused Dog I rescued a puppy last summer. She, too displayed the very behaviors you have described. She laid on the back porch for a month, did not play, bark, but would take off as soon as I exited the house. She seemed terrified of me. I would talk to her gently and give her plenty of fresh water and food and snacks. When it became bitterly cold a few weeks ago I found that she refused to go into a dog house nor could I coax her to come into the house...she would just bark and whine. So I put two big fluffy blankets on the porch for her. She took both of them and placed them in the yard where she wanted them and seems to be happy. I tried to pick them up to shake them out and wash them and she ran quickly to get on them so that I would not take them. If she thinks I am going to get her 'blankies' she races to get on them. Be patient. I believe your new family member will come around. Blessings to you! (12/03/2005) By 1dog4felines RE: Helping an Abused Dog I can definitely understand what you are going thru. Now that the dog is warming up to you, one thing I found was that when you are both outside, lay down, yes, just lay down, I would almost bet she will come up to you to see what you are doing. Keep doing this until she lays down with you. Keep one arm out, palm side down, let her sniff you, lick you, just about everything, when she lays down with you gently put your hand or arm on her paw, don't kuddle her quite yet, let her make the first move and see what happens. Please keep us informed of how it turns out. Good Luck (12/03/2005) By Stacey L. RE: Helping an Abused Dog I wanted to let everyone know, we contacted a trainer that will come to our home Monday. I found out tonight she likes KFC. She would not take it from my hand, so I gently tossed it towards her. She ran away of course, but soon discovered what it was. We had torn all the meat off and discarded the bones. She loved it and since then, she has been coming up to the sliding glass door. Just looking in. If we approach the door she stays put. But when we open it she'll dart off. I believe we are making progress. We spent a lot of time outside with her today just talking to her and sitting still. We'll do the same everyday until she trusts us enough. My son even laid down and she approached him, but did not make any contact. We will try thr KFC again Sunday. I appreciate all the advice!!! The Belks (12/03/2005) By jeniferjensen RE: Helping an Abused Dog Thank you for the update! She is a smart girl and can be reprogrammed to be a cherished member of your family! Please be careful with chicken bones. Take the meat off first! If they cut her throat, you will not be able to take her to the vet. I would never give mine anything but a thick beef bone (which I bake slowly in the oven with garlic and they love them). Thanks again for the update! Jennifer Alexandria, Va (12/04/2005) By ILuvDobes RE: Helping an Abused Dog I'm always glad to hear that someone has rescued a doggie in need of a home. Just be gentle to her and give her lots of love. Hang in there. (12/05/2005) By teddygirl RE: Helping an Abused Dog My friend just took in a small dog who was being abused by a larger dog in the family. He was all cut up from attacks from this dog. The dog slept on the bed with him but when the alarm went off he urinated all over the bed. He thinks a shock collar will help, I'm against that. I think it is cruel and how could that help anyway? The dog is scared. What is your suggestion? (b)Editor's Note: (/b) Something like that would just terrify the poor little guy, he needs some time to heal, lots of love and reassurance. It will take him a week or two to realize that the other dog isn't there and he is safe. He definitely should be seen by a vet as soon as possible to make sure he doesn't have any infections from the attacks. (08/24/2006) By karlie RE: Helping an Abused Dog We adopted a mixed Dachshund and Chihuahua 4 mo. old two weeks ago. She is afraid of everything and everyone. I laid down on the floor, and she eventually came and laid beside me. As the days pass, she is showing more love toward me...tho still very frightened. She will not come to me when I call her and continues to wet in the house, even having been taken out every 30 minutes. She does make it through the night in her crate tho. All suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks so much! (05/26/2007) By Grace from SC RE: Helping an Abused Dog Last week the cable man came to our house and we have a guard dog so we took our guard dog for a small walk and we walked upon a small abused puppy. when he saw us he slowly got up and walked toward us. The dog seem a little dead by the way he was walking you can tell he was not that close from death. His old owner was cruel. The dog had a hair ribbon and a fishing line tied around his neck for a leash. My daughter took him home and bath him and gave him some food and water and we put him in the glass house so he can be comfy. In the glass house we were sure he would like it there , it had air conditioning and everything. My daughter makes sure that she goes out side and plays with him everyday. But he seems shy and he doesn't come to anyone but her. She comes to me and says ma i think something is wrong with the puppy. I said why, she said because he does not look happy or seem happy, but he still seems sad or sick. My daughter said well since he was mistreated with her other owner he might think that were here to mistreat him too. How can we help him trust us. PLEASE HELP US (b)Editor's Note:(/b) Please take him to the vet. He may be sick, hurt or be traumatized but in either case, he should be checked out. It does take a while for dogs to trust after they have been abused or abandoned. Just take your time and let him come to you. Treats always help. Also pay very close attention to his reactions to your body language, if you raise your hands, clap your hands, etc. and see if he reacts like he is frightened. Just give it time but also, please take him to the vet. (07/21/2007) By Briona R RE: Helping an Abused Dog Please take that poor baby to the Vet immediately. I cannot imagine being sick and injured and being left untreated. What is a "guard dog"? Jennifer Northern Virginia (07/21/2007) By ILuvDobes RE: Helping an Abused Dog I have a question for the audience. I have a neighbor who has a beautiful dog, looks to be part terrier and maybe part sheltie. Anyway, these neighbors had two dogs for a time but one died suddenly. I personally question the circumstances of the other dogs death, but being that I've lost control on an earlier occasion with these people and their treatment of two previous dogs they had, which suddenly disappeared, I can not confront them for fear of being arrested. My concern is not really the dead dog because as they say let dead dogs lay. No pun intended, but rather the current and surviving dog. You cannot see any overt abuse on this dog. However, it is kept in a garage in a kennel, size I have not been able to determine. When it is let out it is put into a fenced area that is certainly large enough but they leave the dog no water, no food and no shelter sometime for hours or even an entire day in either sweltering 90 degree or higher or freezing temps. When it is a nice day and they leave the dog out they totally ignore the dog. The poor thing is just starved for attention. When you go near it when it's in the fenced area it barks viciously until you get close at which time he wags his little tail off and tries to get you to pet it. He just whines and barks sometime for hours when the kids of the house are out as he watches them hoping for some attention the whole time. But they just ignore it as if it weren't even alive. I don't know what to do and my heart breaks for this poor dog. Does anyone have any suggestions. I've called the Sheriffs office but they say I have to call the Humane Society. When I call the Human Society they tell me they do not service the area I live in because we are in the county. I would love to take matters into my own hands and take the dog, but I don't want to end up in jail for assault or theft. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I live in El Paso County, Colorado. Most of the neighbors don't understand why they even have dogs or a dog now because of the way they ignore the poor animal. However, I am the only one that has had the kahonnas to confront them, although I did get rather aggressive and I guess scared the hell out of them at least enough for them to have called the sheriff on me for assault. No I didn't hit or make contact with any of the family. However I did kind of threaten the husband. My bad.... Anyway, any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help. Doug S Falcon, Colorado (07/28/2007) By smithdw55 RE: Helping an Abused Dog I am in the same position. I purchased a K-9 protection dog about 8 months ago. He has been acting like hes been abused but I didn't know for sure. I had 3 trainers and 3 vets look at him and so far all 6 and me agree he was severely abused. We have just found scars from whips under his fur and the most recent trainer has verified my dog grow up in a crate most likely 23 hours a day because his paws have not grown correctly. I don't know what to do but I want to make it known to PETA or the attorney generals office or whomever high up about the "breeder" I bought him from as well as stop further abuse to any more dogs of his or anyone else's from this abuse. My dog was definitely abused and I'm not sure what to do from here or who to talk to to investigate the "breeder". If you have any information on where i may start, please let me know. I can be contacted at mcar659056 AT aol.com or 908.420.0972. I unfortunately cant provide any advice that hasn't already been given for your current situation but I do congratulate you on efforts in helping an abused animal. Thank you! Without people like you, God only knows what more harm could have been done. Thank you again! If you do or anyone has any information on how I might be able to protect the current dogs in this breeders care as well as others PLEASE let me know where I can start. Thank you, Mike (10/21/2007) By Michael C RE: Helping an Abused Dog I rescued a 16 mo old Golden from the local rescue group he had been turned in by his owner because the dog he said is stupid and can't learn. I have had him 10 weeks, he is house broken, loves to play fetch etc and sleeps in my bed and adores my sons however, he has yet to bark and is terrified of everything: ie sudden movements, things in your hands like, remote control of the tv, fly swatters, etc. He doesn't come when called, eats like somebody is going to sneak up behind him, and wack him. He is skinny but putting on weight slowly. My question is why doesn't he bark? My female golden whom he seems to adore barks all the time and this poor baby walks around with a worried look on his face, I'm doing the best I can he's an inside dog of course being a Golden sticks close to me and does fine left home inside with his new sister but will he ever lose this fear he has? Any suggestions? He really is a gentle soul. (11/25/2007) By Helen Report Spam or Abuse