Mind of Dogs: part 1 ("Inu no Kokoro")

The Dog I Adopted Was a Pit Bull 

"I was a dog in my past life."  When I tell people this, some politely smile and listen while others walk away with a strange face.  But I am 100% serious and I do believe I was a dog.  I have been in love with dogs as long as I can remember.  I have handled nearly a thousand dogs over the past several years and I have never been chased or bitten by them.  I love dogs more than anything else.  I would probably be more interested in playing with dogs than eating or guys...?  Anyway (laughs), I just love dogs!  Yet, even a person like me, who is crazy about dogs, didn’t think of becoming a dog professional until fairly recently.  I was once a student, studying cultural anthropology to become a 'human expert.'

Ten and a half years ago, I finally decided to have my own dog to make my dreams come true.  Since I was always thinking that 'If I get a dog, I'll give a second chance to a homeless dog,' I decided to visit a local shelter where I met Juliette.  She was the most unadoptable dog in the shelter at the time I visited.  She was a pit bull which has been labeled “vicious” by the media.  Her body was covered with bite wounds and she was nothing but skin and bones.  Besides, she was suffering from a disease called heartworm.  Because I didn’t have a preference in breed or anything particularly, the staff at the shelter must have thought 'She' s the one!'  They worked really hard to persuade me to adopt her and it became a major turning point in my life.

Our first year was just backbreaking… Everything was trial and error.  As soon as I adopted Juliette, I received a notice from my apartment building saying that we needed to move out because she was a pit bull!  Luckily, I was able to find a more pet (pit) friendly apartment complex nearby.  I made other changes, too.  Even though I came home exhausted after working many hours in Manhattan, I drove to a weekly obedience class with her for several weeks.  We also went to see a pit bull expert to get more in-depth advice.  I was desperately searching for information and assurance.  Since she was most likely abused before she came to the shelter, she got startled very easily by anything that was unfamiliar.  She was terribly scared of big built men or young children.  She kept acting defensively around them.

People often warned me to be careful since Juliette was a pit bull.  Others asked, "Did you get her for protection?"  On the third day after I brought her home, I prepared myself for the worst.  'If she suddenly becomes vicious and attacks me while I am sleeping, it's destiny. I dare her to do it.'  From that day on, I never felt scared of her.  I suppose it made a significant impact on our relationship by not getting fearful of my own dog and making it my mission to protect her.

October is "National-Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog-Month"

This month is "National-Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog-Month."  As mentioned earlier, I visited the shelter to find a dog and met Juliette.  There are also a few other ways to find the right dog.  According to statistics, the most common way of obtaining a dog is through family, friends or acquaintances.  Some find their dog at a pet shop or from a breeder.  Although the number of people who adopt a dog from a shelter has increased in recent years, there seems to be a long-lasting stigma toward shelters.  People used to call the shelter a “pound” and many people thought that they only housed dogs that had problems.  If you visited, you would have to deal with remorse and guilt. 

Three years ago when my mom visited from Japan, I took her to the shelter where I volunteer and showed her around.  At first, she was somewhat reluctant to step in because she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she was very surprised to see the dogs acting rather happy.  The dogs were very attached to the staff and volunteers.  Some of the volunteers were taking the dogs out for nice strolls.  The kennels were clean and each dog had a clean blanket on their bed.    By the time we left the shelter, my mom seemed quite content.

Yes.  It’s not easy to step into a shelter.  Actually, when I visited a local shelter for the first time, I wept in the car on the way home.  If you are an animal lover, it may be even harder.  You feel that you want to save them all.  It seems almost impossible to pick just one and can be emotionally overwhelming.  It’s very difficult to stay calm and objective when you are surrounded by so many homeless animals… It’s understandable…

But, there is a wonderful tool!  Have you heard about Petfinder.com (www.petfinder.com)?  This website was created in 1996 by a couple in New Jersey who thought that using the power of the Internet would be the next cool thing for homeless animals.  It’s like an online dating site for homeless animals and potential adopters!  This way, people can search for their future pet without becoming overly emotional. Today, more than 10,000 shelters and rescue groups in North America have registered at the site.  The site has always consisted of more than 200,000 animals available for adoption. 

If you are thinking about adopting a dog or you know someone who is thinking about getting one, please remember that October is "National-Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog-Month."  As part of the campaign, many shelters and rescue groups are organizing a variety of events in order to change the commonly held view towards shelter dogs and to have as many successful adoptions as possible.  So, why not consider visiting a local shelter or looking through Petfinder.com in October?

Well, I am very excited to announce that, as of October, I will be writing a series of articles on the relationships between dogs and humans.   The articles will be published in the biweekly Japanese magazine called “U.S. FrontLine (http://www.usfl.com/ee/)”.  This blog is the translated version of the published articles and I will be posting them as the article becomes available.  My goal is to bring you some advice on how dogs and humans can share a comfy life together.  I will be sure to include my personal stories with Juliette as well as "tails" of the shelter dogs. 

Until next time, be kind to Man’s Best Friends!

* comments/questions: info@doggieproject.com