by Rae Anna Blake

Created on: November 12, 2008

Deciding that you would like to become a pet owner and then opting to choose to rescue a dog who has been a victim of less than favorable circumstance is a huge decision for anyone to partake. The goal is to find a pet that will mesh with your family and that will be saved from possible euthanasia simply because no one wants to take the time to work with the dog. It is usually very obvious when a dog has been abused, they are generally very timid and seem to cower to the ground and the mere suggestion of someone wanting to pat them on the head. They fear they will be hit or worse because that is what they knew before.

It truly is sad that people think that because a dog is an animal that it is not worthy of the same compassion that you would give to a human being. I am not suggesting that pets are people, but there is evidence that pets do have feelings and emotions and they learn from what they are exposed to, just the same as people do. How the dog reacts to what they are exposed to will determine how they will fit in with a new family that has the expectation of integrated the timid rescue dog into their home.

Not all rescue dogs are a good fit for all families. You have to keep in mind that a rescue dog has already been exposed to a family that did not treat it well. The dog may have been abused, neglected, or worse. As people we really cannot even have any idea what the rescue dog has endured, they cannot tell us what they have been through so it is up to us to use our best judgement. Making the decision to adopt a dog that is in need of some serious TLC should not be made lightly and any additional information about the dog's past can be beneficial in making the right choice. Unfortunately we do not always have that information available to us.

Bringing a rescue dog into a home with small children can pose an additional problem at times, depending upon the dog and the children. We must remember that any dog that has been subjected to abuse can instinctively feel threatened by a sudden movement or what appears to be aggressive behavior from a child and they can end up reacting in a way that could harm the child or result in the dog being tossed back into the pool of rescue dogs needing yet another home. Ensuring that your children are aware that the dog needs to be handled in a way that is non-threatening will help avoid problems in the future.

Choosing a dog that does not react to people in a threating way is the first step in rescuing a dog. You will find

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