Domino was a hyperactive black lab brought to the shelter by his previous owners, who could no longer deal with his rambunctiousness. In their eyes, Domino had all-too-quickly outgrown his cute-puppy stage and was now a large, juvenile dog with no manners.
During his stay at the shelter, Domino was a boisterous animal who barked a lot. When volunteers entered his kennel to take him for a walk, Domino would jump up and sometimes knock them against a wall. When anyone was actually able to get a leash on him, he would drag and pull on the lead until he coughed.
Poor Domino wasn't trying to be a bad dog; he just hadn't been taught how to be a good dog. Most adopting families would stop at his kennel and comment on his handsome appearance, but after they visited with him, they all said the same thing: They couldn't handle his level of activity. Domino's behavior wasn't exactly helping his cause to find a new family.
But a fortunate thing happened to Domino. One of the employees at the shelter had just returned from the Humane Society of the United States's Pets for Life™ National Training Center in Denver, Colorado, where she learned all about hyper and previously untrained animals like Domino. And more important, she learned how to help them.
She applied what she had learned at the training center and quickly enrolled Domino in the shelter's newly developed Head Start program. Volunteers were trained at the shelter how to teach manners to dogs like Domino. The volunteers started working with Domino and discovered he was very smart—he just needed some direction.
Through the use of positive reinforcement training, the staff and volunteers saw a big change in Domino in no time. He learned how to sit and wait when someone approached his kennel. He learned how to properly walk on a leash without dragging a person down the street. He learned not to bark at everything and everyone around him, content as he was with the newfound stimulation of the training classes.
With his new skills, Domino calmed down considerably. He developed such good manners that potential adopters were now impressed with how well behaved he was. In just a matter of days, Domino went home with a new family.
Domino is not actually a living, breathing dog; he's a composite of different dogs who have wandered through shelters across the United States, the very same shelters being recognized during National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week from November 3-9, 2002. But Domino's story illustrates a very real point: The training that shelter workers receive at the Pets for Life National Training Center not only empowers these often overtaxed employees, but also gives hundreds of pets a better chance of finding a lifelong home. The HSUS launched its Pets for Life campaign in 1999. A cornerstone of the campaign is the Pets for Life National Training Center at the Dumb Friends League in Denver. Qualified shelters send up to two staff members to attend an intensive, 10-day course taught at the League. Students learn how to implement behavior programs within the shelter, as well as within the community, to make pets more adoptable and to keep pets in their homes.
Since the first class in March 2000, 275 students from 150 shelters in 47 states and Canada and Hong Kong have gone through the training center. At the National Training Center, shelter workers learn about Head Start-type programs—like the one our fictitious Domino participated in. They also learn how to recognize signs of animal stress, and how to reduce that stress by providing comfortable bedding and toys, play groups, walks, and more.
What's more, the National Training Center teaches shelters how to reach out to the community and offer preventive services. Behavior issues—such as inappropriate chewing and house soiling—are now the major reasons why people give up their pets. Shelters now proactively assist pet owners in resolving these common, if annoying, issues by offering pet behavioral counseling and telephone helplines. Such services can help prevent dogs like Domino from losing their home in the first place.
While not all animal shelters across the United States are in a position to implement such progressive programs as Pets for Life, many still offer important services to animals and people alike. They control free-roaming dogs, rescue injured animals, return lost pets to their owners, and adopt animals into new, loving homes.
But for an animal shelter to provide the community and its animals with these life-saving programs and services, they need the support of local citizens. After all, all shelter programs—including Pets for Life—require a significant amount of staff time, funding, and community support to make them work. That's where the National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week helps.
The HSUS is asking citizens to take a closer look at the valuable role their local animal shelter plays in enhancing the quality of life in their community. We're encouraging everyone to support their local animal shelter. Please follow the links below to learn more about our Pets for Life campaign and learn how you can help your local animal shelter help needy animals.
