Pet of the Month
Pet of the Month:LawrenceLawrence is our "Pet of the Month" for September. This is one truly great little guy that can't give you enough loving! Lawrence is:About 5 years oldWeighs about 5 poundsMost likely a purebred AppleheadFor more details, please see Lawrence's profileLawrence can be seen and held at Unleashed (2643 C Tapo Canyon Road) in Simi Valley on Saturdays from noon until 4PM.
Back to our home page
Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet
Successful Furever Homes
Less Adoptable Dogs
What makes a pet "less adoptable" and left behind in the shelter?AgeApperanceBehaviorHealthIf this were a human being, would any of these factors be the validation needed to be euthanized? Of course not!Let's talk about these factors...AGEIt is a common myth that "Any dog over the age of five is old and going to be a lot of vet bills!"... Facts are, size, breed and weight factor into whether a dog is 'too old' or 'old enough to be euthanized'. The second myth that people believe in is that one dog year equates to seven human years.A Chihuahua female can come into heat and be impregnated at six months old (or 3.5 years if you believe the 7 year myth). When was the last time you saw a pregnant toddler?Chihuahuas have an average life span of 15 to 20 years if taken care of. If proper routine dental work is done and the dog is not allowed to become obese, the dog will live a long and healthy life.On the same token, a Great Dane has a life span of five to seven years... the smaller the dog, the longer the life span.APPEARANCEDogs are left behind in shelters because of their appearance. Overall, black dogs are usually the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Part of it is the supersitions surrounding the color black, but some of it is fear-based for many of the highly aggressive dogs are black (or a combination of black, tan, etc. or predominantly black). Others will tell you they don't adopt a black dog because it is too ordinary or non-descript. Finally, there have been scientific studies that prove we as humans are visual creatures and we need to 'connect' via eye contact. Peering down and deep into a dog's eyes is dominance in dog language. Most dogs who don't know the person will immediately back up a bit or hesitate, reading the language as a potential challenge. The human gets bad vibes, the dog doesn't get adopted.Along with the black color problem, many Chihuahuas will not bred true black (black EVERYWHERE) for it is a difficult color to bred to. White on the chest can easily accompany white whiskers, white tip on the tail and/or white tipped toes. People see the white on the whiskers and immediately believe the dog is old.Then we have the 'non-descript tan Chihuahua' that flourishes in the shelters. Chihuahuas actually have 16 different colors and types. What is tan to the average person could really be a red, a cream or a tan to a knowledgeable Chi lover. Browns can be herringbone, chocolate, etc. but the colors are all lumped together by many. And in rescue? We say anything with pointed ears, small and a curled tail is labeled as a Chihuahua! If the person is put off by the reputation of the Chihuahua and a dog is mislabeled, the dog doesn't get adopted. Rat Terriers, Toy Fox Terriers, Manchester Terriers and Chihuahuas look very much alike to many but their temperaments and needs vary greatly.BEHAVIORShelters are not good environments for little dogs. Frequently put in kennel runs that larger breed dogs are accustommed to, small breeds find it a frightening, scary world to contend with at the shelter. Many of the dogs react to the alien environment by going into various degrees of 'shelter shock'. Depending upon the dog's back story, they can emotionally go inward or they can become outwardly aggressive, feeling the need to protect themselves.Placed aside of a much larger breed, the small dogs don't have to see their neighbor to access the threat - many have been seen as prey by the larger breeds and have history of attacks or close calls. Simply hearing their neighbor's bark is enough for a dog to guage just how big that dog is!Shelters frequently have round-the-clock staff and lights stay on throughout the night for security. Many of these small breeds actually are in various degrees of sleep deprivation, unable to sleep on any normal pattern they were accustomed to before they arrived at the shelter.Heightened level of sound in animal shelters are comparable to the sound of a jack hammer, a subway train or a propeller aircraft. Studies have long been done on the effect of loud sounds and is used as a method of assault in the military. Prolonged exposure to extreme sounds affects every part of the body and mental processes.Change a dog's diet rapidly and you quickly incur diarrhea. For a small dog who is used to sleeping in someone's bed or on their couch and goes from that to a cold concrete floor, the effects are traumatizing at the very least. Place all of these issues together and you have the reasons for shelter shock in small dogs. And yet? We expect the dogs to come to the front of the kennel runs and act like the Lassie of our childhood - greeting us with a wagging tail and happy personality! Seldom do you ever see a dog's true behavior in these kinds of circumstances.HEALTHThe general public believes that if they cannot afford a much needed procedure or high vets bills for their pet, surrendering the animal to the local shelter or pound will insure the pet of quality care. In reality, many shelters provide no vet care or minimal at best. In addition, large concentrations of animals in less than sterile environments generally breed or help spread germs, illnesses and overall bad health among the residents.A sick dog is likely to just get much sicker and/or receive no vet care at all. Shelters are understaffed and under budgeted for extensive medical care.In fact, many rescues concentrate on the health issues when deciding who they will save from the shelters because of these various issues.THESE ARE THE REASONS DOGS GET LEFT BEHIND TO DIE IN SHELTERS.Change the course of the life of one of these 'less adoptable dogs' - they will love you unconditionally just as much - if not more - than other 'highly adoptable dogs'.
TLC Dogs
TLC Puppies
TLC Puppies for Adoption
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Fusce tempor arcu ac urna. Fusce congue eleifend mi. Pellentesque metus sem, elementum eu, rhoncus sed, gravida sit amet, nulla. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean condimentum, odio quis pharetra dignissim, diam nisl dignissim diam, eu interdum magna erat sit amet felis. Etiam non felis at urna tempus luctus. In ullamcorper nisl congue elit. In convallis nibh vitae justo. Quisque ac lectus vitae sem consequat sagittis. interdum magna erat sit amet felis. Etiam non felis at urna tempus luctus. In ullamcorper nisl congue elit. In convallis nibh vitae justo. Quisque ac lectus vitae sem consequat sagittis.lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Fusce tempor arcu ac urna. Fusce congue eleifend mi. Pellentesque metus sem, elementum eu, rhoncus sed, gravida sit amet, nulla. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Fusce tempor arcu ac urna. Fusce congue eleifend mi.
Back to the home page
Pet of the Month
Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet
Successful Furever Homes
TLC Dogs
TLC Puppies
More Ways to Help
TLC Home
More About Us
More News
More Galleries
