So you’re thinking of getting a dog. This is not going to be
a Katy Perry/John Mayer relationship, i.e. done-in-the-blink-of-an-eye.
Ideally, you and the dog are going to have more Faith Hill/Tim McGraw action
going on, i.e. still-making-goo-goo-eyes-at-each-other-after-all-a-these-
years. Where should you get the dog?
There are 2 great options to explore. I’m a big believer in
rescue groups. We got our first dog from Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies,
and he was wonderful. (Editor’s note: Yes,
I thought he was my reincarnated husband too. I think in previous lives I was
married a lot.) Rescue groups are often breed-specific, and they’re
dedicated to finding new homes for their dogs who have been left homeless due
to a variety of circumstances.
The great thing about these dogs is they’re fostered by
families until they are placed so the rescue volunteers know a lot about their
temperaments, i.e. good with kids, bad with cats etc.
The down side is that some rescue groups have incredibly
high standards. You have to fill out a questionnaire, they interview you, and
they won’t consider you as an adoptive family if you don’t meet some of their
qualifications, say, you don’t have a fence that’s at least 6 feet high. Some
rescue groups even require you to sign a pledge that you won’t leave your dog
alone in the back yard if you’re not home. I think their hearts are in the
right place, but some of their requirements can seem excessive.
Another great option is a prison dog program. It’s not what
it sounds like. The dogs aren’t prisoners. They’re just trained by them. These
programs are available at prisons across the United States, from Maine to
Montana.
Here’s how they work:
the prison dog program rescues a dog from the pound. It pairs the dog up with a
prisoner who then lives with the dog, in his cell, and trains Fido for a 4-8
week period. At the end of the training, the dog gets matched with an owner.
The result? Happy dog whose been saved from possible euthanasia. Happy owner
who receives a dog already trained to heel, sit, potty outside etc.
These dogs are more expensive, typically in the $400 range,
but you save money and time because you don’t have to attend any training
courses with the dog. And you save aggravation because you get a dog whose well
suited to your lifestyle.
If you’re interested in adopting a prison dog, you visit the
prison website, which has dozens of pictures of available dogs, along with a
short description about their temperaments. These descriptions are spot-on
because they’re written by the trainer/prisoner whose been roommates with the
dog for the last 2 months. Often they read like an ad on E Harmony because they're written in the first person, i.e. “I enjoy walks, swimming and rides in the car. I also like men, women and beef
jerky.”
We got Stanley, our current dog, from a prison group here in
Colorado. Rules vary, but through the Colorado program you can select two dogs
who you want to meet in person. Then you drive out to the prison, meet the dogs
and decide which one is for you. The prison visit is quite the experience,
especially if you take a 3 and 6 year old with you, as I did. But that’s an
adventure I’ll recount another day.
In short, Stanley is a great dog. Not once has he lunged for
a throat, as my twisted friend Jamie predicted. “I bet you’ll say something
innocuous like “popcorn”, and he’ll go for your throat.” Those were Jamie’s
exact words when I told her about Stanley’s training at the prison. Jamie is
clearly a sick and twisted person who took glee in the fact that I was nervous for a full year anytime someone in the
house uttered the word “popcorn”.
Don’t be a hater like Jamie. Embrace the love a dog brings
into your life. This link is to the “personals” page for the dogs at Colorado’s
K-9 Companion Program. The descriptions will make your day. (Colorado K-9 Companions.)If you’re
interested in these sorts of programs, type in “prison dog program” into any
search engine and dozens will come up.
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