The items and issues I discuss are here because they have happened or because we try to prevent them from happening.  The opinions presented here are my impressions and personal opinions based on my experience and do not reflect the official position of any rescue organization.

 What is “rescue”? Animal rescue organizations exist to save and shelter animals of a particular breed or all breeds and, by and large are staffed by volunteers.  Some groups attain ‘not for profit status” to help offset operating costs. In the vast majority of cases, volunteers take the costs out of pocket.  The reasons that individuals participate in a specific breed rescue or an all breed rescue, are as numerous as are the volunteers.  In all cases, membership stems from a love of an animal or the breed. Most volunteers are regular people trying to help in whatever way they can.  Most volunteers are not medical experts, vets, or professional dog trainers.  Most volunteers are not animal behaviorists or professional handlers. All volunteers are willing to share their time and experience with you and all are willing to refer you to experts or professionals who may be able to better serve your situation. The individuals in rescue with whom I have had the good fortune to come in contact are basically people who care about dogs, who try to help out where, when and however they can.  They balance jobs, family, soccer, school plays and all the things that take up ones days and nights, just like you, and then they throw in a 100 mile drive to do a home visit with a potential adopter on a Saturday or Sunday.  They’ll sit and talk through a behavior problem into the wee hours of the night or listen to the tearful reason for surrendering a dog while their dinner grows cold.

Some volunteers have more expertise than others about behavior, training, diet etc….but to a person they do everything their time, abilities and hearts allow. 

Please, be patient if your application or email is not answered in 24 hours.  It may take a week or more depending on the organization and the work load at the moment. Realize up front that a primary function of a rescue organization is to take the time to match the best dog to your family, and your family to the best dog.  That is not something that carries a deadline. Rest assured, there will always be dogs available as there are always more dogs than foster homes, more surrenders than adoptions and “kill” shelters calling with deadlines that seem impossible to meet.  These folks try as hard as they can to do everything that needs to be done to care for as many animals as possible.

Please be considerate of the time you are asking of the volunteers.  Be ready to discuss your decision to adopt a rescue dog and don’t get offended when you are asked to explain your level of dedication and to what degree you are willing to work with these animals.  Rescue dogs are not for everyone and  Chessies can carry their own, unique challenges in addition to rescue issues.

The dogs.  The dogs in rescue organizations arrive from many sources; owner surrender, shelter calls, good samaritans calling with picked up strays.  Rescue groups all have some type of acceptance criteria for dogs.  Some groups will take a dog with a known bite history, others will not.  You should always ask about the bite history of any dog in which you are interested.  If the history is unknown, this needs to weigh on your decision.  The dogs are screened as carefully as possible.  A harsh reality that must be faced and accepted is that some owners lie about a dogs’ background in order to surrender the dog into rescue. If a dog is pulled from a shelter or brought in as a stray, rescue may have no idea of a dogs’ background or past behavior.

The volunteers who foster these dogs do their very best to do a thorough evaluation of a dogs behavior.  They “test” the dogs’ behavior in public places, with children, cats, other dogs.  They try and determine if the dog is food aggressive, toy aggressive, dog aggressive, protective, possessive, and territorial and a host of other issues are checked.

Dogs often do not exhibit their true behavior until they settle in and get comfortable. For this reason, dogs with unknown backgrounds are usually fostered a minimum of 4-6 weeks.  This time frame allows volunteers to do the most thorough evaluation of a dog before making the dog available for placement. The processes for dog evaluation have worked well for a very long time and the volunteers do their very best to determine the character and personality of every dog in their care, however we are still dealing with animals and they can be unpredictable.  It is still your responsibility to observe and be wary of any strange or new dog in your home until you are comfortable that you understand the dog and its personality. A dog, rescue or not, should never be left alone with young children. A more apt statement is that young children should never be left alone with a dog. 

Expectations.  If you are looking for that perfect combination of Rin-Tin-Tin, Lassie and Einstein…..Don’t get a rescue dog.  True, you can train most any dog to become that perfect dog, but that is not the purpose of rescue organizations nor does the rescue volunteer already strapped for time and resources have time for intense obedience and specialty training.  If you have that  initial expectation, you are setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment.

 If you want a rescue dog because you have heard all dogs in rescue are “ fully trained and housebroken with no puppy issues”, you have been mis-informed.   What is true is that housebreaking is usually a priority in most cases as many foster homes keep the fostered dogs in their own homes. But it is possible you will get a dog that is not accustomed to being inside and that dog may need to be house trained if you want the dog in your home. 

Some of the dogs have been abused and do not yet know how to be a dog or even understand what is expected of them.  Many need nurturing and guidance. Rescuers try and instill basic commands to facilitate evaluation and handling of the dogs.  Few have time to go beyond the basics.

If you’re looking to rescue so you can bypass all the “puppy stuff” and take home an “off the shelf pet”, Don’t get a rescue dog.  Many dogs in rescue come with an unpleasant past.  Separation anxiety, fear aggression, and being “hand shy” are very common in abused dogs.  These issues can be trained and loved out over time in most cases.

In severe cases the dog needs to be placed in an environment that will keep humans and the dog safe.  For example, a dog severely abused by men (or women) may never gain the confidence to be around that kind of human again.  Sadly, there are very severe cases where the dogs are not salvageable.

The “right” Chessie adopters are people who are willing to be firm, consistent and humane in their handling of the dog.  CBRs are large, powerful animals. CBRs are headstrong and stubborn and can be difficult to control.  Chessies are bred to be protective, strong, intelligent and extremely durable. They have an incredible threshold for pain and will often continue to work, even if seriously injured. Their high intelligence requires that you give them a job to keep their minds and bodies busy.  If you do not, they are quite capable of keeping themselves occupied, much to the chagrin of many owners.  A few $20.00 “indestructible” chew toys are usually preferable to expensive tables and shoes.

There are many humane devices and tools (if used properly) on the market to assist in controlling these wonderful dogs.  Ask yourself questions such as …how will I restrain 90# of dog when he/she tries to head across a busy street after a squirrel or the neighbors poodle?  What will I do if my dog growls when I place my hand near its food bowl, or I attempt to take back that meaty bone I just gave it? How will I boundary train my pet?    What if the dog growls at me or my child....at a neighbor?

There are many schools of thought/opinion on training methods.  They range from full on aversion training to "positive re-inforcement only" with the proponents of each side viciously divided about the oppositions methods with an almost religious fervor.  We strongly recommend basic obedience for any rescue dog to help establish the bond and positional relationship between the dog and the new home.  In my opinion and experience, sending a Chessie to basic obedience training is like sending Einstein to kindergarten.  The dog will go because you make it, but it’s not going to get much out of it.  The dogs need to be challenged.  Most rescuers can recommend professional trainers in your area to help with behavior issues or for advanced training.

Rescue dogs take work! In many cases these dogs need to be re-conditioned to accept love and control. This process can take weeks or months depending on the dogs history.

We worked with a professional trainer to learn how to handle Chestnut. I took training courses and studied (and continue to study) canine behavior  because of Chestnut to gain the knowledge and techniques to allow me to better understand and handle these incredible animals. I do a great deal of work with Chessie owners who are considering surrendering their dogs because “the dog is out of control”.   My greatest joy is helping to educate the family on the dogs behavior, help them realize they are not 'nuts', and share handling techniques, there by keep a dog with its family.  My greatest reward is when the family calls and describes this wonderful, loyal companion that they didn’t know they had. Same dog, just different handling and often, positive results in 48 hours or less.

Conclusion: If I haven’t scared you off yet……..GOOD!!    Every CBR with which I’ve come in contact, in and out of rescue, is an incredible animal. In many cases, surrendered dogs are just misunderstood.   Their humans tried to use human reasoning on a dog and became frustrated when the dog did not respond. 

There are some perfectly “normal” Chessies in Chessie Rescue. Many dogs come into rescue with no issues and no “bad baggage” at all.  Loving owners pass away, deploy or transfer to a location that will not accept dogs.  That said, bringing home a rescue dog is still NOT like bringing home a puppy.  Every rescue dog has been uprooted and needs time to adjust.  Time for old human bonding to break and fade and time for the bonds to grow in it’s new home. Dogs go through mourning, grief and depression much as do humans. Some will test their new homes to see where they stand in the pack position. Many dogs do understand basic obedience commands and leash manners and many are housebroken.

There are in fact many dogs that you could take home, and have an instant pet…..for a little while.  Chessies, in general, require constant vigilance for any signs of dominant behavior.  They need to have their training and pack position re-enforced.  Chessies, male and female, like to be "alpha".  The reality is that most Chessies don’t care what pack position they have.   They just need to know what it is.  If they are unsure of pack position, they go for alpha every time and that’s when the trouble begins.

We have come to realize over our time and work with CBRs and Chessie rescue that we will never have another kind of dog.  The depth of character and intelligence in these animals is unmatched.  The devotion and loyalty a rescue dog returns to its new home is beyond description. 

Rescue dogs do take time and energy, but there are few experiences in life as rewarding as keeping a Chessie at home, or placing a Chessie in to a new loving home.

Many dogs end up in shelters and in rescue because not enough thought went into the pet purchase to begin with. The committment to the dog just was not there. Realize too that the life span of many dogs exceeds the length of most marriages today.  Are you ready for REAL committment?

We hope we’ve given you enough things to think upon to better make a decision on a rescue Chessie. If we’ve created questions or comments, please contact us at 703-869-4969 or at longecw@verizon.net.

We look forward to working with you!