This is a fantasy on so many levels. Next time you are out shopping, think about your local adoptive animal shelter or Humane Society. Pick up an extra ten pack of paper towels and drop 'em off. Say hi to the animals; volunteer. Consider adopting.
The Doberman Pinscher is an elegant, muscular and very powerful dog with a well proportioned chest, a short back and a lean, muscular neck. Its hard, short-haired, close-fitting coat comes in black, black & tan, blue-gray, red, fawn and white. Its teeth are strong and close in a scissors bite. Eyes are dark with a lively, intelligent expression. Its legs are perfectly straight. The Doberman's gait must be elastic, elegant, and cover a lot of ground.
Bred for a century to be an outstanding guard dog, the Doberman Pinscher is intense and energetic with tremendous strength and stamina. Versatile and highly intelligent Dobes are very easy to train. They are determined, fearless and assertive, but not vicious. They are noble, loyal and affectionate with the family and like to be physically close to the family members. Devoted and watchful, this is a very people oriented breed.
The Doberman needs an owner who is willing and able to discipline the dog without being afraid of him. All family members should learn to handle the dog properly, as Dobermans can be pushy if allowed to have their own way too much. The Doberman is naturally protective and does not need additional "protection" training to be a fine guard dog. He should be thoroughly socialized when young to prevent over-protectiveness. Mental stimulation is important for a truly well-adjusted and happy Dobe.
The Doberman must be consistently and thoroughly trained to be a good pet. Training should be through positive reinforcement. Dobes can be good family dogs if of good temperament, well trained and raised with children from early puppyhood. They are at their best with experienced owners. Female Dobes are a little more stubborn to train than the male. The Doberman has been bred to work with man, and he needs this interaction often. They must be with the family and not abandoned to the backyard.
***
"Mary, go ahead and schedule Shadow to be put down as soon as I get back from lunch."
"He's such a handsome dog! A perfect specimen of the breed, albeit a bit larger than the show dog standard. Do we have any history on him?"
"He's just a year old. We know that from neighbors and also were able to track him back to a breeder. The Animal Abuse Investigator was called out by the neighbors. The dog spent much of his young life tied up with a six foot rope to a stake in the ground in a small backyard often without food or water—until they just moved away and abandoned him. There's no report that he's ever bitten anyone but he comes across as extremely vicious. The investigator chose to dart him. Thirty inches and close to 100 pounds of snarling Dobie is enough to set anyone back on his heels. I think we all hoped he'd come around but to date no one has even been able to get close to him. He seems remarkably healthy considering how poorly he was treated---not that I've gotten close enough to do a thorough exam."
"I always hate this part of the job. It's one thing when the dog is terribly sick, deformed or horribly injured but..."
"Mary, this is a non profit animal shelter. We take in dogs from the dog wardens, abuse reports and surrenders. In short order we try to make them safe, adoptable pets. We're always short on kennels and we never employ euthanasia for space. There aren't really any bad dogs---just bad dog owners. Properly cared for, Dobermans are among the most gentle, sweet, loyal dogs on the planet. Abused, neglected, untrained and denied human family involvement and they go sour. They are exceptionally strong and to most people---scary. I don't like it any more than you do."
"No one has been able to get close to him; our former contract dog trainer wouldn't even look at him."
"Speaking of dog trainers, we have a new one coming in. I thought he was coming tomorrow but he contacted me last night and said he had a work conflict and it had to be today. Margie seems fine with Jack Russell Terriers and Beagles but she never seemed interested---nor competent---to handle the bigger dogs. I got a call from a former vet school classmate of mine about a guy he had worked with who recently moved to our area. My classmate raves about him. I'd really like to be here to meet him but duty calls and one of my duties is shaking down the Rotarians for money to keep this shelter open. He's coming in at noon---be a doll and show him around?"
"No problem. I've got a couple of calls to make so I'll be here over lunch."
***
"Welcome to the shelter. How can I help you? I'm Jan the---what is my title again? Administrative supervisor? Chief cook and bottle washer? Something like that."
"Pleased to meet you Jan. I'm a dog trainer. Well, it's not what I do for a living, but your vet---Dr. Mason---went to school with a friend of mine and, ah, I'm new to the area and Dr. Mason and I have been exchanging emails and I promised to come by today. I'm sorry. Eric. Eric Wilder."
"Dr. Mason left a note, Mr. Wilder. Our vet tech---Mary---was going to show you around. Unfortunately she is on the phone with a very generous board member and sponsor who can be somewhat long winded. Then another sponsor needs to be called back. I need to watch the phones until my daughter gets back from lunch. The dog and cat adoption areas are through that door to your right. The clinic and pre-adoption area is to your left. If you don't mind starting out on your own, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
"Not a problem---please call me Eric."
The cacophony of barks and howls always commenced as soon as the dogs nearest the viewing window detected a new visitor. To Jan's surprise, it stopped almost instantly. Fifteen minutes later, she caught up with Eric Wilder as he was completing his rounds of the twenty-six individual kennels. All of the dogs were sitting or lying quietly at the front of their kennels. To her surprise she noted that Eric did not appear to have any treats in his hands.
"Did you get a chance to see the cats?"
"Jan, I'm not much of a cat person, in fact most cats make me sneeze and I forgot to take an antihistamine."
"What sort of training technique do you use, Eric? We've always tended toward positive reinforcement rather than punishment or negative stimuli here. No choke collars, shock units or prongs and whatnot."
"I suppose I've used a variety of techniques over the years, although I'm not much for fads. Positive, food based training is certainly appropriate in the shelter environment. It's pretty easy to train handlers and volunteers and get some engagement from the pups fairly quickly. One of my dogs will do anything you want her to do on a three chain Martingale but in her case the forty dollar German surgical grade stainless is really her 'bling' and she gets very annoyed when she isn't wearing it. Then again she is only leashed because the law requires it. She listens very well. I have another that hates regular collars and is a perfect gentleman on a neck/nose collar. Dogs are fascinating. Some like the female I mentioned are easy to communicate with. Others, less so."
"The Dog Whisperer?"
"A little too faddish for me. Good marketing, though---he sells a lot of books. He doesn't do much with puppies and I think 'whisperer' is just marketing hype since I don't think he really can talk to dogs."
"Can you talk to dogs, Eric?" Jan asked feeling almost foolish doing so.
"Some of them---but not all of them. It's not really talking. I know this probably sounds a little crazy but it's more mental telepathy; Barbara Woodhouse spoke of it often. Sadly, it only seems to work with a small percentage of them and it's more images than complete thoughts. Dogs certainly communicate with each other but even that communication is very limited among most canines. Most dogs have very simple minds. Then again, a small handful are astoundingly bright."
"Well you certainly seem to have calmed this group down---any talkers here?"
"The big slobbering Rotty on the other side is quite the talker. Right now he's pretty much the anointed leader in here. Once you engage him the other dogs follow his lead. There is probably nothing he couldn't do---be trained to do, I mean. My complements to your staff and volunteers. The kennels are spotless and all the pups have clear water and fresh food. All of these dogs have good traits and personalities and should have no problem finding a happy home."
"Well, over in pre-adoption we have dogs that aren't ready for the public. Some are recovering from surgery or illness but a few are just not ready for prime time."
"Well, I guess that latter group is what I'm here for. Lead the way, Jan."
In fact all but one of the dogs in pre-adoption that day were there recovering from surgery or illness. Only one was there because he was not considered safe. In fact, the determination had been made that Shadow would never be safe in human company.
