NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/604047
48 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2015 "Especially breeders. A lot of rescue dogs are coming from breeders. Once they're done breeding them, it's straight to a kill shelter. "I believe that's where Sadie came from. It's obvious she's had multiple litters, but the way she hunts and the way she acts at home, I don't know why someone would get rid of her unless they were done with their purpose for her." Janell Ford started the Great Plains Pointer Rescue in 2008 in memory of her shorthair, Ace, who she rescued from the Nebraska Humane Society. She said they will never know the story behind most of the 80 or so German shorthair and English pointers her group rescues and places each year. They know some are from people who have fallen on hard times. Others are the product of what she calls the "dump season." "We'll get all of the dogs that don't hunt," Ford said. "They're found left in the field." Ford said those guilty of abandoning their dogs are what she calls "hobby hunters. They're not really into it. They go out and they spend thousands of dollars on a dog that doesn't want to hunt and they get frustrated and don't know what to do." Ford also gets other "crazy calls" from people threatening to shoot their dog if she doesn't come get it. You can sense the disgust in her voice for the niche of hunters who, unlike many who treat their dogs as family, consider their dogs as tools. Left for Dead? Yoakum can only guess who would've dumped the litter of pit bull puppies he found, or the survivors anyway, on the Loup River. Or why they did it. "Maybe they didn't look pit bull enough or weren't big enough," he said. "If they would've left them in a box outside the front door of the vet, they would've had a much better chance than out in the middle of nowhere." He found another dog, a brindle mastiff, while mushroom hunting this year that he assumed was abandoned. It was taken in by a no-kill shelter in Ashland and now has a new home. "People shouldn't own a dog if they're not ready for that responsibility," Yoakum said. "Everyone in my family, if we get a dog, it's a life-long commitment. You have that dog until they die or you die. "At the same time … I think most people in the world would benefit from having a non-human companion." Adopt Me Collectively known as pit bulls, American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and other similar breeds were once a favorite family pet in the U.S., and still are by those who know the breed well. Yet because of their undeserved and sometimes sensualized reputation as fighting dogs, they are incredibly hard to place in homes once they arrive at a shelter. One study estimates that 93 percent are euthanized. Another says one in 600 is adopted. Shorthairs and English pointers fare better in a shelter, but their I helped perpetuate a stereotype a few years ago when I put my 12-week-old lab puppy in a box under my Christmas tree and snapped a gob of photos, one of which ended up on the cover of NEBRASKAland. In reality, however, giving someone a dog for Christmas is a really bad idea. Give a puppy to the kids at Christmas, and it may end up like many of the toys they open, forgotten and neglected. And then guess who's taking care of it. But you should probably plan on training, feeding, walking and cleaning up after it anyway. And ladies, don't even think about giving your husband a hunting dog for Christmas. Picking a dog is a personal endeavor that should involve the future owner personally visiting the litter and picking what feels to be the best for him. If you're really serious, you might even pick the breeder before puppies are even born. It's not a task you should take on for someone else. And perhaps most importantly, the perfect dog for you might not be ready at Christmas. Just because it is a hunting breed doesn't mean it will be a good hunting dog. A pet store Labrador retriever may come from stock that hasn't seen the field in generations. And even if you do find a breeder with a line of dogs you would like, what are the odds that litter will be born Nov. 13? What is the significance of that date? Top trainers say a puppy should be brought home at 7 weeks of age in order to form the greatest bond with their master and, believe it or not, to start their training. Nov. 13 is 7 weeks from Christmas morning. If you're planning on getting a dog anyway and the stars just happen to align and your pup will be ready Dec. 25, go ahead and wrap one up. Otherwise, wrap up a gift certificate that says "We're getting a dog, let's start looking for the perfect one for us." Then start the search for a reputable breeder or a rescue and pick the dog that's right for you. Pup in a Box