For The Love Of Dog

The Age

Thursday April 24, 2008

Geoff Strong

Foster homes for pets, a rescue squad for corgis? There's a growing breed of dog lovers out there and they're making sure every mutt has its day, and then some. Geoff Strong reports.

LARA has been a silly girl. Spared the euthanased fate of most unwanted Victorian dogs, she was rehoused with a family of dog lovers along with a male dog that dodged the needle around the same time.

But despite three months in what should have been canine paradise, Lara blew it. Addicted to affection, the enthusiastic young kelpie wanted all the attention, lording it over the other dog to such an extent the owners had to chose between the dominant and the dominated.

The dominated got the sympathy vote and now Lara's back in the pound, subdued in her cage with a morose face indicating her predicament might finally have sunk in.

She's a lucky mutt; if she had ended in one of Victoria's larger pounds, such foolishness would have probably earned her the death penalty. But this pound, run by the Save-A-Dog scheme for Stonnington and Boorandara councils, has a policy of only putting down dogs that are vicious or seriously ill.

Save-A-Dog is one of a number of groups dedicated to going to considerable lengths to find new homes for unwanted pets. Each year an estimated 15,000 Victorian dogs are euthanased, some for illness or dangerous temperament, but many otherwise healthy, unwanted dogs die.

Pam Weaver, who founded Save-A-Dog about 20 years ago, is a thorn in the side of some larger animal-protection agencies. Weaver argues that larger agencies kill because it is more convenient than hanging onto animals until they find someone who wants them.

Her agency is one of a number that save animals through a network prepared to offer foster homes until a permanent one comes up and the trend appears to be growing. Save-A-Dog has just bought a three-hectare site near Cranbourne and hopes to have a new 100-dog shelter operating in less than two years.

"Public attitudes to euthanasing healthy pets are beginning to change, like our attitude did to whaling. Not only is there a growth of groups dedicated to rehousing, but we are even finding a change in the attitude of council officers," Weaver says.

"Unfortunately, it is still widely seen as acceptable to kill. It is a sad reflection on us that it is easier to kill than to save. I admit it does take time and effort if you go down this path.

"In some cases, the life of an animal is seen as just another disposable commodity. People have pets euthanased because they don't fit their lifestyle or new decor. We used to have animals in our lives in past centuries, even if they weren't very well treated. Now we live in a human-dominated society where people can go through life with no inter-species interaction at all. We need pets to remind us how dependant we are on other species."

Weaver says some bigger agencies will declare a dog unsuitable for adoption for as small a misdemeanour as pulling on a lead, whereas her group's policy is to learn about a dog's behaviour and if necessary try to correct it.

To help do this they rely on foster carers such as Karen Lambourne, who has been providing a temporary home for Save-A-Dog refugees for about 18 months.

The current number one dog in the Lambourne household is Ridley, a bossy six-year-old Jack Russell who came as a foster case last year just before the family's old labrador died of cancer. These days he is quite happy to share his home with a succession of less fortunate dogs waiting for permanent placements. The current guest is Patch, an eight-year-old Jack Russell cross.

"Often a dog of Patch's age is put down because he is thought too old, but a lot of people want an older dog rather than have to go through the puppy stage."

She says her task as a foster carer is to house, feed and monitor the dog's behaviour, with the agency covering any veterinary costs. The dogs are all advertised on the website and if anyone is interested, a meeting is organised in a nearby park. If the prospective owner already has a dog they are expected to bring it to see how the two get on. Lambourne explains there is also an element of matchmaking involved between prospective owners and the dogs.

"A while back I had a blue heeler kelpie cross and a young guy was interested so I took the dog to the meeting, but I could see straight away the dog didn't like him. I just said, 'Look this dog is not suitable for you'," Lambourne says. "Next there was an older couple who wanted to meet him and there he was wagging his tail. I knew he would get on with them."

Some anti-euthanasia groups are even smaller than Save-A-Dog and work to save particular breeds. Corgis, cattle dogs, labradors, greyhounds and even Tibetan spaniels all have they own rescue squads.

One of the smallest must be Victorian Canine Rescue, run from Von Chalmers' backyard in Lang Lang. She no longer fosters dogs to outsiders, instead doing it herself with the help of her own 10-dog pack. She claims her well-behaved canine helpers help rehabilitate and overcome any behaviour problems in a dog she hopes to resettle.

"Second in charge of the pack after me is my staffy mastiff cross. If we get a dog with aggression problems, I get her to deal with it," Chalmers says. Which brings us back to Lara. She does get another chance. Now that Save-A-Dog knows more about her personality, her next prospective owners are likely to be a one-dog household, allowing Lara to pour upon them all her devotion.

It might take months to find the right home, but they are prepared to wait.

Every dog has its day, and there are people out there committed to giving them the chance of many more.

LINKS

? www.saveadog.org.au

? boxerdogrescue.net

? pugrescuevic.com.au

© 2008 The Age

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