April 2010
Before being surrendered at an Idaho shelter, this young American Bulldog lived his life confined to a crate. Urine scald and feces covered his body. He was malnourished and had not been socialized. The neglectful owner said “The dog is too stupid to learn anything.”
Although shelter staff found the young male to be friendly and playful, his breed and lack of socialization made it unlikely he would be adopted. As a longtime animal rescue volunteer and lover of the “bully breeds”, I fell for his big personality and took him home. Little did I know that this dog would be my greatest challenge.
Dogs end up in shelters for a variety of reasons. Some are sick and need medical care. Others are perfectly happy and healthy, but lose their homes due to death of an owner, or an owner may lose a job and the means to care for a beloved pet. Other dogs have behavior issues from abuse and/or neglect. Mostly, animals end up in shelters because they were poorly matched to the energy level and lifestyle of a former owner.
The majority of these animals simply crave what all living creatures need…love, a warm bed, proper nutrition, regular exercise, consistent training and discipline, and the gift of time. Some dogs take a short time to adjust. Others, need the investment of a great deal of time, love, effort and money to be able to go on to live a good life. Einstein was a dog who fit in the later category.
In just a few months time “Einstein”, as he was named, began to blossom into a beautiful, healthy dog. Because he spent his entire life lying down in a confined space, he initially had little muscle tone and even less stamina. I found our first weeks to be magical. Einstein had little life experience- watching him discover the world was heartwarming, funny and touching.
He was neutered within a day of coming into our home, got his shots and began basic obedience training. Initially his care was pretty easy. He was exhausted most of the time. Einstein couldn’t walk more than a block before literally, collapsing. I had to carry him home from short walks several times in those first days. His muscles continued to develop, but simply running across the yard resulted in somersaults and other comedic stunts.
Early on, his best loved activity was riding in a car on errands, which provided stimulation and opportunities for social interactions with humans and canines. He loved riding along in the car so much that for a time I had to drag him out of the car at the end of every trip!
Everything was new to Einstein. He experience and skill set was that of a puppy, but his body and hormones were of an adult male bulldog. Upon intake at the shelter he didn’t even know how to hold his bladder. He would pee and poop while walking or even while laying down. He caught on quickly though, and was housetrained within 3 weeks time. I spent about a half hour a day doing formal basic training, but really, in those initial weeks we were living ‘in training’ with Einstein. He was exercised each morning and evening, and every day was in contact with other people and animals.
As the weeks passed, I realized that Einstein would need more time and training any of my previous foster dogs. When
neglect and isolation occur in a powerful breed like the American Bulldog, even an experienced handler can need help training a dog. Many people were instrumental in helping to shape Einstein’s behavior in those early weeks. He benefited from regular visits to ” doggie day care”,
Wiggle Butts, where directed play within a canine pack helped him learn to read social cues from other dogs.
When Einstein began showing aggression towards other dogs while on leash, he lived with an experienced trainer learning calm submissive behavior for several weeks before finally finding his forever home.
July 2010
Einstein, a wonderful family companion
Einstein was an extraordinary dog. For all the suffering and abuse he experienced, he remained loving, intelligent and eager to learn. He transformed from an unruly dog on the edge, to a well-mannered, disciplined family pet.
Einstein and his foster family
Resources
forthcoming upon final edit
Pit Bull Rescue Central
Animal Farm Foundation
Don’t Bully My Breed
Best Friends Animal Society
Pit Bull Rescue Central
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