When I was looking for a year in the shelters for a small terrier before I got Tibbe, I left each one with such a heavy heart that finally I couldn't go back after over twelve months of looking. I signed up for several small dogs but was always second on the list to a rescue organization or occasionally, an individual. Others they wouldn't let me have due to severe aggression or other un-adoptable reason. The bully types were never adoptable to anyone but their former owners, sadly. Looking at their beautiful faces would just cut your heart out, knowing they likely wouldn't be reclaimed.
Years back, I used to go get some of the worst off dogs that were set for euthanasia and bring them home, vet them, nurse them back to health and fitness, rehab them. Back then they were mostly big, powerful dogs that others had given up on. It was the most satisfying thing in the world to bring home a sick, starving, soon-to-die dog and help him restart his life and work with any behavioral issues! Our country should be so ashamed of its throw-away innocents!
__________________  Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |