Picking a pooch: Dogs, people don’t always match

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, February 25, 2006

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Terry Besler sees it all the time: dogs and owners who just don’t match up.

“A lot of times, people come to my classes because they want to give the dog one last chance,” she said.

Besler teaches Happy Tails Dog Training classes in Rapid City. Her classes include puppy kindergarten, basics commands and agility classes.

Besler says that many of the issues people have with their dogs can be traced to a bad match between family and dog.

Often, it’s the high energy dog that has been adopted into a family without the time or inclination to provide enough exercise or stimulation.

That’s one of the reasons breeds such as border collies are found in abundance at the pound. “You don’t want to get a border collie if you work 16 hours a day,” Besler said. “They’re a dog that needs mental stimulation and lots of it. If they don’t get it, they will think of something to stimulate themselves on their own.”

When it comes to choosing a pet, too many people make impulse buys, Rapid City veterinarian Christine Teets said.

They see a cute puppy and take it home without much knowledge of the breed and its needs. This accounts for at least some of the 2,643 dogs left at the Humane Society of the Black Hills last year, 565 of which were eventually euthanized.

Mary Scull, president of the Humane Society of the Black Hills, said there are various reasons that people leave their dogs at the Humane Society. Sometimes, the family is moving and can’t take the animal along. Occasionally, an elderly family member has died, and a dog is left behind.

Unfortunately, however, many of the dogs were simply poorly matched with an owner. “Spontaneous buying, lack of information about the breed, lack of resources and commitment to training. … There’s a lot of bad choices that can get made,” Scull said.

The number of abandoned dogs each year angers Teets, who says that better choices in the beginning make for better outcome in the end.

“People need to look at things with their eyes open,” she said. “We have a big life commitment here for 10-plus years for most dogs.”

So how does a family start the process of looking for a dog?

First, they should make sure they have the money, time and attitude for dog ownership, Teets said.

People should calculate the expense of veterinary care. A dog will need shots and should also be spayed or neutered. It costs about $200 to get a puppy fully immunized, plus annual boosters, Teets said.

Spaying a female costs anywhere from $100 to $250, and neutering a male from $75 to $150, Teets said.

“There’s no such thing as a free puppy,” she said.

Training a dog is another expense. Most dogs need some type of training, and those classes can range in price.

Time should be taken into consideration, as well. Is the family gone for all but a couple of hours a day? If so, a dog might be a bad choice.

“If you have a solid question about whether you have time for a dog, you probably don’t,” Besler said. “Dogs are companion animals. They need to be with people.”

If a family evaluates these things and believes that they have the time and finances to take care of a dog, what’s next?

Teets and Besler recommend careful and thoughtful research.

Besler suggests getting a book at the library outlining the various breeds. Find breeds that match with the family and then, “go deeper.” Use the Internet to find out more about the breed, she said. Check out the American Kennel Club Web site and others.

From there, talk to breeders, Besler said. “Breeders are the ones who are going to tell you if there are negatives ... a reputable breeder will,” she said.

Teets says a reputable breeder also will be able to tell you what potential health problems could arise in certain breeds, such as hip, thyroid or eye problems. “Know the breed and know what the concerns are in the breed,” she said.

Teets says breeders should always provide certification that the dogs have been checked for hip problems. “The reputable breeders wouldn’t not do that,” she said.

A reputable breeder also will have a dog’s temperament tested, she said.

Besler also recommends meeting the parents of the puppy.

As for people looking to take a dog from the Humane Society or from an advertisement in the newspaper, Teets recommends getting as much information as possible about the dog’s breed, lineage and health past. “Sometimes, those can be pieces of information that can be very valuable,” she said.

Always check the dog. Make sure it isn’t sneezing. Look for signs of illness, Teets said.

Scull said that by summer, the Human Society will implement a new program called Meet Your Match. Through the national program, volunteers at the Humane Society will be trained at matching specific people and families to the appropriate breeds and dogs.

She hopes the program will prevent some of those bad pairings made between dogs and owners.

Besler and Teets encourage people to pack up their emotions and take a level-headed approach to dog ownership.

“The most important issue is that when people take on a pet, they need to have really thought it through,” Teets said “It’s a life commitment. It’s not for the summer. You get a dog for the life of the dog.”

Allergies and dogs can mix

If you have allergies to dogs, stick to an outdoor dog.

It’s that simple, Rapid City allergist Gerti Janss said.

“Any indoor dog will cause symptoms,” she said.

Along with researching breeds, temperament and canine health, potential dog owners also need to consider their own allergies.

Fifteen percent to 30 percent of people with allergies have allergic reactions to cats and dogs, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

People with allergies have a supersensitive immune system that reacts to harmless proteins in pets’ dander, saliva and urine. The proteins are called allergens. Pet hair itself is not an allergen, but it collects the dander that is.

“It’s very important if you have an allergic person that you not have an indoor dog,” Janss said.

If, however, a family already has a dog before discovering that a member of the family has allergies, there are things they can do.

The dog must be kept out of the allergic person’s bedroom, Janss said. Filters should be spread across the room’s air vents. Ventilate the room to the outside whenever possible. Cover pillows, mattresses and box springs with mite proof coverings. A person also can run an air purifier in the room.

“By doing that, you can decrease animal dander 95 percent,” Janss said. “But the important thing is to keep him (the dog) out of the bedroom.”

Not all breeds are suited for all families

It took the Kerks 15 years to get a dog, but it was worth the wait. Olive, the Portuguese Water Dog, arrived in 2002, and the family is head-over-heels in love with her.

“It turned out really well for us,” dad Carter Kerk of Rapid City said.

Unfortunately, too often dog ownership doesn’t turn out that well, and the pup ends up at the pound seeking a new home. In the end, many of those dogs must be euthanized.

That sad fact is exactly why dog trainer Terry Besler likes to point to the Kerks as the perfect example of dog ownership. “They did it the most ideal way I’ve ever seen in my life,” Besler said.

Carter jokes that he and his wife, Colleen, argued about getting a dog for 15 years. A farm kid, Colleen wasn’t sure about having a dog in the house. A city kid, Carter saw no problem with it.

Colleen thought a small dog suited the family best. Carter wanted a bigger dog he could take for hikes and jogs.

“What we needed was half vet and half marriage counselor to get through this,” Carter said.

When he mentioned the dilemma to a friend, the friend suggested they visit with veterinarian Christine Teets of All Cats ‘N’ Dogs Hospital in Rapid City.

The family made an appointment with Teets. In her office, they sat in a circle, each talking about what they wanted in a dog. Colleen wanted one that wouldn’t shed, everyone wanted an affectionate pooch, and Carter still longed for an active dog to take on hikes.

When the Kerk’s son Steven saw a photo of a water dog on Teet’s office wall, he asked about the breed.

“Dr. Teets thought that might be perfect,” Carter said. “It seemed like a good dog, very good around the house, around the kids ... but a good, strong breed.”

From there, they visited with another family who owned the breed. They met the dogs and interviewed the family at length about the positives and negatives of the breed.

Next, they researched breeders, eventually finding one in Iowa.

The breeders were cautious, as breeders should be, Teets said. They interviewed the Kerks, talking with them extensively before agreeing to sell them a dog.

“It’s like adopting a child with this breed,” Carter said.

Next, the family attended a puppy kindergarten class together, long before they even got Olive.

“The training’s not for the dog; it’s for the people,” Carter said. Eventually, the purchase was made.

Because the breed is somewhat rare, the dogs are not cheap. But that’s OK with the Kerks. Carter says that by investing in a reputable, good breeder in the beginning, they are less likely to have hefty vet bills because health problems.

Although the Kerks couldn’t be happier with Olive, Carter is adamant that the breed is not for everyone.

“They do challenge you a little bit,” he said of the breed. “They need enough exercise.”

The situation turned out well for them, but that’s because the water dog breed suits the family, Carter said. The breed wouldn’t suit a less active family.

That’s exactly the point, Besler said. A dog is a long-term commitment and must be suited to the family.

“You need to ask, what’s your lifestyle? Do you have time for a dog,” Besler said. “If not, then get a goldfish.”

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com