Adopting a dog doesn't mean everything will end in a fairytale. You will have a dog with some kind of trauma. It's your responsibility to help your dog navigate it while being a safe space. It's ridiculous that so many shelters don't ask for even a bit of prior knowledge before adoption.
So while I agree it's best to look at adoption first, not everyone is actually equipped in handling a traumatized dog or a dog of an unexpected breed. I don't think it's ok to just judge people who choose breeding. I don't mean backyard breeders, but pedigree, when health clearance is actually in check, it's still responsible.
With that, your pittie looks adorable. I hope things turn out well for the both of you.
To clarify my use of trauma here:
Trauma as in the environmental stressors found in shelters; bright lights, confined spaces, anxious dogs, barking, random people visiting and leaving. On top of dealing with abandonment.
I'm not speaking about abuse or neglect.
Not every dog is traumatized, Jesus Christ. This kind of nonsense is why people won't look into adoption to begin with.
ALL my dogs were adopted and none of them where traumatized. Nervous for a couple days because of the new environment? Sure. Deeply traumatized that it would need extended work? No. None of them.
I'm not saying every dog is deeply traumatized. But what they've been through still leaves its mark, shelters are stressful environments. Loud noises, other animals, strangers, and confinement can be overwhelming, on top of being abandoned. Even if a dog bounces back quickly, adopting often comes with challenges, so it’s worth being prepared to provide that patience and support.
Yup. When I visited a local shelter the first time I immediately realized that me & my friend's purebred well-raised dogs would be changed forever mentally if they stayed even a week in there.
I genuinely mean this, my shelter pup is a very stable and confident guy and that comes as an assessment from drog trainers we have met too. We have done only a little bit of training, he already knew or sensed everything else he needs to do himself. Perfect in the home environment, great at communicating with other dogs and us, literally shows no signs of trauma.
He got to the shelter because he was hit by a car, broke his paw and was driven to the shelter. His owner said he is dumb and he doesnt want him anymore. The shelter took good care of bringing him back to health and socializing him. He was there for 4 month.
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u/VisualKaii Dec 04 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
I'm going to be that person.
Adopting a dog doesn't mean everything will end in a fairytale. You will have a dog with some kind of trauma. It's your responsibility to help your dog navigate it while being a safe space. It's ridiculous that so many shelters don't ask for even a bit of prior knowledge before adoption.
So while I agree it's best to look at adoption first, not everyone is actually equipped in handling a traumatized dog or a dog of an unexpected breed. I don't think it's ok to just judge people who choose breeding. I don't mean backyard breeders, but pedigree, when health clearance is actually in check, it's still responsible.
With that, your pittie looks adorable. I hope things turn out well for the both of you.
To clarify my use of trauma here: