Twain on the lower animals

I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me.

FYI on San Mateo SPCA

Despite my initial misgiving on the San Mateo SPCA.  They really do well by their animals.  Sure the shelter is the latest and greatest.  But they take in dog that the "no kill" shelters won't.  Also despite being in theory a "kill shelter" they haven't put down a dog in years.  I recently read they adopted out Barb the pitbull in their newsletter.  Nothing online, but there is an old post about her here.  If you are in the bay area it's worth a look.  They have quite a selection of dogs.  Just be aware they will happily show dogs like Indy who other shelter might not take and certainly would keep out of sight.

The Dog

My wife to be comes back with a set paperwork I've seen before. Jack the howler's other kennel-mate Indy.  It turns out he has been hiding away from Jack near the flap to the outside. (If I lived with Jack I'd hide too.)  Prodded on by my girlfriend I say "Sure let's meet him." All the interview rooms are full. So Larkin (a volunteer) takes us to a fenced area between 2 kennel buildings. This bad place for him it's fenced, but open on all sides with people, and dogs constantly wandering around. Indy makes a poor showing. He is aloof, and extremely nervous.  Every sound causes him to start, and look around wildly.  (In retrospect the reasons for this are obvious.)  I try a few dog biscuits, and he wants nothing to do with me. I throw a tennis ball no dice. Larkin wisely decides to give us some time. She is gone a long time. (It's the weekend, and Christmas is a week away.)

I evaluate the dog. He is "7" which is getting close to elderly for a dog his size.  (In a shelter 8 is elderly and can be a death sentence in crowded shelters.) He is highly stressed. He isn't affectionate. He doesn't appear very trainable. Reading his file he was originally from a shelter in Merced (3 hours east), and was taken in by a rescue group before he could be put down. That was a year prior.   (A closer look later at his paper work much later indicates he has been "7" for over a year. ) What happen next is anyone's guess, but he and Lucy, who appeared to be related in some way, were turned in a couple of months ago to the SPCA. Indy was in bad shape back then. He'd been constantly gnawing and/or licking a patch of skin the size of my hand right above his tail.  This has gone on long enough that it needed antibiotics when he came to the shelter. His white fur still bore obvious redish saliva stains.   His initial eval notes indicated he was behaviorally even worse when he came into the shelter in terms of submissive behavior.  He'd been tucking his back end down so much the evaluator had thought he might have had hip issues.

On the other hand there were many thing in his favor. He had the right type of floppy ears for Brenna. (Really her only stated preference other than it being a nice dog.) He was in good shape. (Thinner than I like, but not unhealthy.) I was raised with dogs, and real or imagined I think I have a gift with them. I've read, and watched enough about behavioral problems to be cocky. After all compared to the mauler. Bringing a shy dog out of his shell shouldn't be that much harder. Besides everything I've read indicates that behavior at the shelter vs 2 months later is massive. Why not take him.  Worst case we can return him... (I know myself well enough to know I'm kidding myself about being able to return a dog.) Plus I've got a good feeling about him, and I can sense that there is a good dog waiting for the right owner.

This is the dog. It sinks in. In as little as 2 years he'll die of old age. Maybe with lot's of care he'll live another 7 years or more.  Maybe.  I take a minute to mourn my new dog's impending death. After wiping the tears away I sit down, and try to lure my dog over. It doesn't work. Some time then Larkin returns and seems resigned that Indy and I haven't bonded, and the poor dog will likely be here for months.  (Heck they have a pit that was going on 2 years at that point.)  I'm kinda teary, and sad.  Indy is avoiding me on the other side of the area.

I immediately tell her "We'll take him".  She does a bit of a double take.  We go back to a room with Indy, and we fill out the paperwork.  Indy seems much happier in the room, and allows us to freely pet him.  By pet him I mean he sits down next to us facing away from us.  There is period of confusion when they say he is bonded to Lucy.  Looking back I wonder if they were hoping we'd take both, they were just confused, or if they were bonded but figured this was Indy's best shot.

At the front desk we wait, and pay his fees including a mandatory training deposit. The ladies remark we must like project dogs.  Most likely thinking we zeroed in on the mauler, and Indy.  I suspect Indy was on the mental list of dogs they didn't think were adoptable.  I resist telling them I don't like project dogs I'm just picky, and Indy is the best dog they have for me.  If they had a better dog I'd take him, but their selection sucks right now.

The Mauler

We continue to the Silicon Valley HS. My worst fears are confirmed. They seem to think I should have made an appointment. I love dogs, but looking at the paperwork it's like I'm adopting a kid. I take a look through the shelter it's small, and the selection is very poor. The only dog on my list still there is Danica a "King Charles". She doesn't look much like I'd expect her breed to, but I'm game. A quick inquiry reveals she is on hold. It seem appears you can have an appointment, and reserve a dog.  The shelter folks seem to think this is my fault despite none of this being apparent from their listings, and it being counter to standard procedures at the rest of the shelters in the area. But they are happy to let us meet her, and claim 2nd rights.  Assuming the people who have her on hold decide they don't want her.  She's ours??? Brenna also wants to "interview" a larger dog, but it's a barker and a good 30 pounds outside my size desires.

 I elect to just leave. As the last thing I need is to bond with another dog, and lose out again.  The next place is a 30 minute a drive, and I'm pretty sure we aren't getting a dog. We pull into the crowded lot, and get out of the car. A howl greets us, and continues to welcome us as we cross the lot to the San Mateo SPCA. I remark to my wife to be jokingly  "We are sooo getting that dog". (Not imagining how close I am to the truth.) The shelter is a large older building. It smells a bit, and the dogs are often 3 to a kennel.  My gut reaction is I don't like this initially don't like it. But the staff is friendly, and I warm to the place. The kennels are narrow, but long with an inside, and outside part. (In retrospect the crowding is due obviously do their desire not to put down adoptable dogs.) I look around no labs. The only dog left on my list is a bansiji who's behavior and the notes on the evaluator's sheet confirms she needs lots of exercise despite her age.

We find the howler. He is named Jack, and is kenneled with another dog. Jack spends the entire time we are there running back, and forth only stopping to howl. The paper work on his door indicates the other dog is Lucy.  Cute, and friendly Dalmatian/ Australian cattledog, but she is 10 years old. She's got a heart murmur. (I'd take her but I want a dog not a patient.) Another dog's paper work is there, but he isn't in evidence. I figure he is in one of those adoption rooms. We tell Jack he isn't doing himself good with the howling, and move on.

Everything else is small and shivery, requires more exercise then we can give, is a pitbull, is the size of a pony, or displays major behavioral issues. (Trust me at this point I'm not being picky.) We go to another section and find a lab at the end of the line all by himself. He is bouncy, and extremely happy to see us. By happy I mean he is sticking his nose through the bars, licking us, whining...  Just completely desperate for attention. We look for paperwork. None!! That is a bad sign maybe someone else is looking at him.

We go up to the front desk and ask the girls there. "Oh Max!" They pull out his paperwork, hand it to us, and carefully explain. He is off by himself because he mauls other dogs. Really badly too. I digest this. The back patio is well enclosed. We don't have a dog, and I can live without ever owning a cat. We don't have kids, and don't plan to in the near term. Heck I've watched enough "It's me or the dog" to understand the basics of socializing an aggressive dog. My response is "This may not be an issue as we don't have dogs, or kids. Can we meet him? I'd like to see if I think I can work with him." I'm already thinking of what sort of head harness I'll need.

They blink, not expecting this sort of reaction, and consult a bit. They can't allow us in with him without with out the behaviorist present, and he isn't in today. I can leave a number and talk to him during the week. I'm pretty down about this, but I leave my number and tell my girlfriend we should go. She tells me to sit down, because she wants take one more look. (She is determined to bring a dog home today rather than deal with the aftermath.) She is gone for quite some time. I just sit feel sorry for myself, and try to brace myself for what entirely unsuitable dog she'll bring back. (She is a former poverty lawyer among other things, doesn't give up easily, and has a soft spot for hard luck cases.) I'm preping myself to put my foot down.   I'll try again during my week off, look at the shelters down south and maybe come back about the mauler.

Indy faces the pack of doom

Well not really they were quite friendly which I can't say about the Chihuahua convention next door.

No I'm serious it was some sort of crazed  Chihuahua lover convention.

Twain on Dogs

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

Allie's dog makes mine look like a super genuis (sort of)

After reading Allie's post I decided to retest Indy.  I'd tested him a year ago after we had had him for just 6-7 months.  He had barely managed to place just above the bottom rank due to generous scoring.

Hyperbole and a Half: Dog


Now I know Indy has made major improvements so I did this test to check his progress.
 http://www.abc.net.au/animals/dog_test/default.htm

Indy scored dead in the middle.  Acing some tests, but completely failing the towel, and smile tests.  Then I got to thinking how fair were these tests.  I don't smile a lot, and why should Indy decide to come to me just because I smiled.  Also some of the tests seem to favor a dog with persistence, and drive rather than intelligence.  Lastly some are subjective.  Calling out refrigerator in the same voice you call the dog might result in the dog coming if you use a variety of names to call them.  Like wise with Indy you call his name he won't come.  He'll look  at you to see what you want, but unless you say come, slap your side, or look like you have food he won't come.  Why?  We call his name to get his attention.  It's not a command.

So I tried another set of tests, but with one major difference.  I went out of my way to make it a game, and cheer him on.  I was careful to not give him clues.
http://pets1st.ca/articles/00025adoggieiqtest.asp

The results were very different.  For example in the 1st towel test I simply placed a towel on Indy's head.  He never tried to get out of it.  It was as if he decided that if I wanted him to have a towel on his head that was his lot in life.  On the other hand in the second test I started playing with him, threw a towel over his head, and then verbally encouraged him to escape.  He had the towel off in under 5 seconds every time.  Like wise with a little encouragement he knocked the cup right over and got the treat.

It's obvious that used dogs like Allie and mine are at a great disadvantage in these tests.  Their shy personalities, and long periods of time in kernel with little interaction with their environment don't equip them well for these IQ tests.  Also if your dog is use to getting treats for tricks, playing with treat balls or the like then these are easier tests.  As a dog who isn't use to having to puzzle out how to get a treat may not even try.

Of course being me I've added Indy's 3 worst tests to his play routine.  So if anyone test him they'll think he is a genius.  He really loves the treat under a cup test.  At this point he is simply picking up the cup, running around happily, and then dropping it to get the treat.  Of course being Indy he'll be so excited he'll run off with the cup, and forget the treats. The multiple cup test is currently a wash.  He tends to go after the one he saw the treat put in, but always knocks all of them over just to be sure.