Do Pound Dogs Really Care?
I believe that a rescue dog has special love for the family that adopts them. I've been working at the Dog Pound for almost twenty years, and I've heard plenty of times that rescue dogs act as if they know they were save and they act thankful. I've seen it first hand myself. I wonder if this is really true or if we're just guilty of pretending that dogs have human emotions.
Believe it or not, dogs actually have far fewer emotions than humans. They can love, fear, show jealousy and even shame. My dog Sheena is very jealous of Q-tip whenever I pet him and not her. And my other dog Judy always looks ashamed whenever she has an "accident" in the house. Sometimes I wonder if I spend so much time with my dogs because they are so much easier to read than humans. I can just look at them and know what they're thinking, or at least I think I can. I own dogs of few words.
One emotion I do see at the Dog Pound is depression. I can only imagine where these dogs come from, what kind of owners they've had, and the horrors they've faced. Another common emotion at the Pound is fear. Sometimes these animals are so scared they won't eat or drink for days when they first get to the Pound. Some won't let me pet them for weeks. Eventually they come around, with time and patience.
I can also tell what kind of owners the dogs had had by the type of people that visit the Pound. Some dogs shy away from men or children, while some respond well to senior citizens. I must admit that most dogs are fine with women. That is a fact of most rescue dogs. Most abused dogs are done so by men, and it's very easily read in their faces.
My favorite dog emotion is happiness. When a new owner first acquires a dog at the Pound, I always laugh when they get in the car. The dogs are always so happy, they can't sit still, and usually end up in their new owners' lap. Is it gratitude? I can't say for sure, but it certainly seems like it.
The best part of my job as an Animal Control Officer is adopting dogs and cats to new owners at the Pound. The new owners feel pride and joy that they've saved an animal, the animal is happy and grateful, and the Animal Control Officer is all of the above, plus a little sad. But the little bit of sadness is the best price to pay; it's what it's all about.
-Joe ARF
