The Secret Behind Having a Good Dog, or Passing the Scent Test

The Secret Behind Having a Good Dog, or Passing the Scent Test

There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.
We found Max at Orphans of the Storm which is a no kill animal shelter in Lincolnshire, IL, a north suburb of Chicago. My wife Helen and I had talked about adopting another dog to replace Sneakers, our 14 year old Poodle that had we had put down because of terminal cancer sometime ago. However, the day we found Max we weren't even looking for a dog, we were showing our grand daughter the kittens and cats at Orphans of the Storm.

He captured my soul!
I had strayed from the cat area of the faciliy to look at the dogs. My heart aches everytime I go to a place such as Orphans. There are so many dogs and cats waiting to be adopted. That day I happened to pass kennel 25 and there he was. A black lab or lab mix. He looked a bit shocked. He was young, the biography said he was a lab, six months old and his name was Big Boy. I tried to pass by him quickly, but it was too late. He looked into my eyes and captured my soul.
I quickly walked to where I had last seen my wife and daughter in the cat area of Orphans of the Storm. "You should look at the dog in kennel 25 I," I said to her.
She did, and the black lab in the kennel looked her in the eyes and captured her soul. She had a tear in her eye and said," We can't leave him here."
We asked if we could take the dog to the fenced in area so we could become better acquainted with him. The fenced in area was about as long as a tennis court and almost as wide. We unleashed the dog and he ran and ran and ran and ran. He was a steel spring of boundless energy. I knew if we were going to adopt him he was going to be a handful. Plus, he seemed to have little or no training.
My wife and I discussed the commitment we would be making by adopting such an animal. He would need to be exercised/walked regularly twice a day. We told the personnel we were interested in the dog, but wanted to think it over.

We went home and had a serious discussion about adopting the dog we had seen.
It is so easy to adopt or buy a puppy or dog on impulse. But like most impulse decisions there can be bad consequences. So Helen and I went home and discussed the pros and cons of adopting such a robust hi-energy half grown dog. We decided we were game for it. So that evening we went out and purchased a dog crate, food, food bowls, leash, collar, grooming brush and chew toys. We also decided what we would name the dog. Our choice was Max. Code for Maximum Energy.

Max's story.
Orphans of the Storm had a pretty good bio on max. He had been born on the day after Christmas, making Max almost exacly six months old. They said he was a registered black lab and had been turned into the animal control of a nearby city by his owner. Why they did not know. Perhaps it was because of the hernia operation Max needed.But whatever the reason Orphans had taken Max from the animal control people three days ago. Before we could take him home he would require an operation for his hernia, and to be neutered. Orphans would pay for both the operation and the neutering. We would sign the papers that they required to be signed and pay the adoption fee.

Why had Max's original owners turned him into animal control?
We will never know that answer. Perhaps the owner didn't want to or couldn't pay for his hernia operation. Perhaps the owner had fallen onto hard times and couldn't afford to provide a good home to Max. Or, perhaps the owner had purchased Max as a cute seven or eight week old roly poly puppy and had no idea what a fountain of energy he would turn into.
We suspect its the later reason. When we got Max home and took him for his first walk he acted more like a seven week old puppy on his first walk in the park rather than a six month old puppy. Everything seemed strange to Max. He heard a plane flying overhead and he stopped to look up at it. Even though he was full of energy he was restrained. He cowed at strange noises and people and dogs.

We soon discovered Max also was terrified of the basement.
Food, no amount of gentle coxing could persuade Max to go to the basement. He wasn't afraid of stairs because he had no fear of the stairs leading to he second floor of our home. It became clear to us that Max must have been kept in a basement for most or all of his life. That was why he acted so strange on those early walks we took him on and why he wouldn't go down stairs.

Max was a victim of a well intentioned but naive dog owner.
Fortunately, Max was not hand shy or exhibit other behavorial evidence he had been hit or physically abused by his first owner. He was house broken and knew sit and a few other rudimentary commands. We don't think his first owner(s) were ill intentioned. They were just guilty of what many first time dog owners are guilty of... ignorance. They were ignorant of the committment and requirements it would take to care for a dog. They were likely unaware of the specific requirements a breed such as a lab requires. The result was a dog who like many other dogs ended up in an animal control kennel, where he may have been put down. Fortunately, he was adoptable and the animal control people contacted Orphans of the Storm and within days he was in a new home. However many

adoptable dogs aren't so lucky.

What should have Max's first owners done before they adopted him as a puppy!
If the purchase was an impulse purchase they should not have made it. They should have waited a day or so. .
During that time since Max was a Lab they should have researched the breed. Labs are great family dogs, but what people overlook that without lots of exercise they can and will become very destructive. They are high energy dogs and classified as large dogs.
The family should have looked into how much it would cost to have Max. That means not only dog food, but vet bills, and other expenses. Dogs are increasingly expensive to own and more and more older dogs who had fairly good homes are ending up in shelters or being abandoned because their owners can no longer afford them.

Read about dogs before and after you buy one.
Some reading about about labs specifically, dog behavior as well as dog training should have been a must for the family that originally owned Max. Even though I have owned dogs all my life I still find it informative and useful to read such books. One I have found very helpful is

Katz on Dogs. The author doesn't suggest a certain way to train dogs, but rather takes a philosophical look at dogs and training suggesting different methods for different pooches.

A dog is a living thing, not a disposable accessory for the home.

Perhaps most importantly the first owners of Max should have seriously considered they were dealing with a living, breathing animal that feels pain and separation. Even though the owner did not abandon Max on the street, imagine the trauma a six month old pup goes through when in less that two weeks he:
loses his home.
is placed in a crate at an animal control facility
is transferred to another shelter
is taken to the vet to be neutered and to have an operation
ends up in a totally strange home.
I am totally amazed that Max and other dogs can take so much change and trauma and still adapt to a kind and loving home.

Every One Says Max is Such a Good Dog!
That is because I am a good dog owner. By that I don't mean I am a good dog owner jjust because I am love Max. I am a good dog owner because I also understand that love means firm discipline and training are required.
It means Helen and I have made a committment to Max that as long as he lives we will provide him more than lovel. We will provide him long walks, happy swimming, throw the ball for him, teach him not to be a pest and appropriate behavior that will make his own life safer and will make him welcome by others..
I would strongly urge that anyone thinking of adoping or purchasing a dog do the same. Follow these recomendations. SCENT

1.Stop: Don't buy a cute puppy or dog on impulse.

2.Cash: Do you have the money to care for the dog you plan to acquire?

3.Educate: Learn about the breed you are purchasing and make sure it fits your home environment.

4.No ego: Ask yourself are you obtaining the dog merely as a status symbol, if so buy a luxury automobile.

5.Time: Do you have the time to commit to loving, exercising, training, and caring for the dog for 10 or 15 or even 17 or more years?

If you pass the SCENT test, then dog you bring into your home will recognize you as someone who is worthy of having its friendship and loyalty. You in return will be a good owner, and that makes for a good dog.