A case for Milo
Aug. 7th, 2003 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
violachicThis story is several weeks old now, but ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
foxmagic's post today reminded me of it, so I figured, since he has the perfect segue, I'll tell it now. First, go read his post about the miracle puppy. Then, come back here. Don't forget to come back here, 'k? He's fascinating, but I still have a story to tell. Ready? GO!
Welcome back. Moving on....
My father volunteers at a no-kill animal shelter in one of the nearby suburbs. It is called A.D.O.P.T., or Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment. He goes in several days a week to walk dogs, and keep them company. About a month ago, a new dog was brought to his attention. It was Milo, a Basenji mix, anywhere from ten to eighteen months old, just like the dog in Brian's article. The thing most people unfamiliar with Basenjis need to know but don't, is that they are a very temperamental breed. They've only been domesticated since the 1930's, so they are still very primitive (not my words), extremely intelligent, and quite independent. However, Milo seemed to have more problems than just this working against him.
He was picked up by animal control when he was probably about (by my math, anyway) five or six months old. He languished there for almost three months, until his 90-day expiration date loomed very closely. At said animal control, there is a sympathetic employee who will call the A.D.O.P.T. shelter to try to place animals who are about to face the needle or the gas chambers. Milo arrived at the shelter, and they immediately noticed two things: 1)He didn't like women- he wouldn't come near them except to bark and snarl (being only a Basenji mix, he does have a very intact bark box- the breed itself, while capable of all sorts of interesting noises, does not bark), and obviously was extremely threatened by just having a woman in the room 2)He had a severe case of "kennel cough", which is similar to upper-respiratory infections that humans get.
This shelter is a great thing, but being almost completely volunteer-run has limited space and resources. They try to "foster" out animals whenever possible, so there will be an empty cage when one comes in facing imminent death. For a couple months now, Dad has pondered fostering a dog, but wasn't sure he wanted the added responsibility, especially since the dog would most likely need to be crated during the day when no one was home (most of the animals at the shelter are strays, or removed from homes due to abuse/neglect situations, and therefore can be high maintenence animals until they are thoroughly trained), and didn't think that was fair to an animal. However, his feelings about Milo were different. Our family has experience with Basenji's- we had one when I was very little, and one again seven or eight years ago until he chewed the house to shreds (that dog was taken to the very same shelter and immediately adopted by a family who had someone home at all hours of the day, and as far as we know, is living happily ever after). Because he knows something about the Basenji temperament, and because it is summer and he has some time home, Dad thought he might consider fostering Milo, with the understanding that if it worked out, Milo would become a permanent part of the family.
Except....
A few days before he left on vacation, I went over to the shelter with dad to interview Milo, and so the staff could meet me. They always meet every member of a household before adopting or fostering out an animal, to screen as thoroughly as possible for abusive behaviors towards animals. And, after hearing about Milo's... uh.. issues... I wanted to see first hand how he and I got along. The problems began even before we got there, however. The day before, he had bitten the child of a volunteer- someone who had met Milo before, and worked with him. And even though the kid himself said that he probably snuck up on the dog and surprised him, they must take every bite seriously. We were informed of this as we walked in, but Dad didn't think it would cause us problems, since he had established a rapor with Milo over the last several weeks, even though Milo had been in isolation due to his kennel cough. Knowing that Milo is sketchy around women, and knowing that Milo doesn't like being surprised, we decided that Dad would go in first, get him calmed down, and then I'd sneak in the back and sit in the corner till Milo was ready to come over and meet me. Even before I walked into the room, Milo was agitated, because there was another dog in the room who wouldn't freaking stop barking. Dad sat on the floor with him and played for a minute, while I watched from the window. When Milo seemed calmer, I went in. As soon as I walked in, the other dog went berserk. I don't think Milo even saw me before he started freaking out. In the process of trying to calm him down and get him back in the cage, he bit my dad twice on the hand.
Experiment one, failure.
After we got the bite taken care of- which didn't rattle Dad much, as he knew better than to simply blame the dog- we tried bringing him into the hallway, away from the little yapping thing. And here he displayed his stance against women vehemently, barking like crazy towards me and one of the volunteer ladies. Hope was sinking. Another volunteer (a man) took Milo into the exercise yard to get him away from other animals and people, and calm him down. When he came back in, I stayed away, and you could tell that he was slinking up to my dad to apologize. From afar, I witnessed the most beautiful animal be so very endearing. What was the difference? What was it that made him so afraid of women? Why did he bite?
We made the decision that day that we wouldn't be bringing Milo home with us for fostering. It simply wasn't smart for us or the dog. In the meantime, we have news that he bit someone else- again, someone who moved too fast around him, or snuck up on him or something else of the sort.
Maybe you're trying to figure out what my point is by telling this story. I think my point is, my heart goes out to Milo and other animals like him. He's barely a year old, and he's been on the street, obviously mistreated and neglected, and here he is, an absolutely gorgeous animal who probably will be put down (the shelter does reserve the right to euthanize animals if they are dangerous or on the brink of death), because he is considered unadoptable. I don't question poor Milo, I question the people who allowed him to get into this condition. I can't even begin to guess at how he's lived his life so far, but he has every evidence of being a street dog, one could even almost call him feral. And not only was he allowed to get into this condition, but no one seems to want to try to do something for him. In my humble and admittedly uneducated opinion, I think the best home for Milo is one that has an enormous backyard, with a dog run and dog house, and a very patient, loving, understanding person (male, of course) who could just give him time, and move slowly around him and feed him and when Milo is ready, give him some cuddles (I've seen him cuddle, he is too darn cute!).
The thing is, the same culture that creates dogs like Milo is the same culture that does the same thing to children. We mistreat, abuse, neglect and otherwise damage children- even children who are born into "privilege"- to the point where they have no choice but to grow up the same way Milo is headed. Except we don't euthanize badly behaved children- we just lock them away and knock them around some more until they are horrendously behaved adults.
I didnt really mean to turn this into a soap-box, but I guess its just natural progression that it ended up there. I feel horrible about what will probably happen to Milo unless someone can come up with a brilliant idea for him. I feel equally horrible about what happens to kids unless someone comes up with a brilliant idea for them. I'm a non-violent person, as many of my friends are aware. But for several years I've had the opinion that anyone who damages a child should be taken out back and shot between the eyes. Maybe I'll have to widen that to include animals.
Anyone want a dog, who has lots of time, patience and space, with no women living in the house?
Save a life. Go adopt from your local animal shelter. And if you aren't looking to adopt and you have some extra cash, consider a donation. Milo deserves to live.
foxmagic's post today reminded me of it, so I figured, since he has the perfect segue, I'll tell it now. First, go read his post about the miracle puppy. Then, come back here. Don't forget to come back here, 'k? He's fascinating, but I still have a story to tell. Ready? GO!Welcome back. Moving on....
My father volunteers at a no-kill animal shelter in one of the nearby suburbs. It is called A.D.O.P.T., or Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment. He goes in several days a week to walk dogs, and keep them company. About a month ago, a new dog was brought to his attention. It was Milo, a Basenji mix, anywhere from ten to eighteen months old, just like the dog in Brian's article. The thing most people unfamiliar with Basenjis need to know but don't, is that they are a very temperamental breed. They've only been domesticated since the 1930's, so they are still very primitive (not my words), extremely intelligent, and quite independent. However, Milo seemed to have more problems than just this working against him.
He was picked up by animal control when he was probably about (by my math, anyway) five or six months old. He languished there for almost three months, until his 90-day expiration date loomed very closely. At said animal control, there is a sympathetic employee who will call the A.D.O.P.T. shelter to try to place animals who are about to face the needle or the gas chambers. Milo arrived at the shelter, and they immediately noticed two things: 1)He didn't like women- he wouldn't come near them except to bark and snarl (being only a Basenji mix, he does have a very intact bark box- the breed itself, while capable of all sorts of interesting noises, does not bark), and obviously was extremely threatened by just having a woman in the room 2)He had a severe case of "kennel cough", which is similar to upper-respiratory infections that humans get.
This shelter is a great thing, but being almost completely volunteer-run has limited space and resources. They try to "foster" out animals whenever possible, so there will be an empty cage when one comes in facing imminent death. For a couple months now, Dad has pondered fostering a dog, but wasn't sure he wanted the added responsibility, especially since the dog would most likely need to be crated during the day when no one was home (most of the animals at the shelter are strays, or removed from homes due to abuse/neglect situations, and therefore can be high maintenence animals until they are thoroughly trained), and didn't think that was fair to an animal. However, his feelings about Milo were different. Our family has experience with Basenji's- we had one when I was very little, and one again seven or eight years ago until he chewed the house to shreds (that dog was taken to the very same shelter and immediately adopted by a family who had someone home at all hours of the day, and as far as we know, is living happily ever after). Because he knows something about the Basenji temperament, and because it is summer and he has some time home, Dad thought he might consider fostering Milo, with the understanding that if it worked out, Milo would become a permanent part of the family.
Except....
A few days before he left on vacation, I went over to the shelter with dad to interview Milo, and so the staff could meet me. They always meet every member of a household before adopting or fostering out an animal, to screen as thoroughly as possible for abusive behaviors towards animals. And, after hearing about Milo's... uh.. issues... I wanted to see first hand how he and I got along. The problems began even before we got there, however. The day before, he had bitten the child of a volunteer- someone who had met Milo before, and worked with him. And even though the kid himself said that he probably snuck up on the dog and surprised him, they must take every bite seriously. We were informed of this as we walked in, but Dad didn't think it would cause us problems, since he had established a rapor with Milo over the last several weeks, even though Milo had been in isolation due to his kennel cough. Knowing that Milo is sketchy around women, and knowing that Milo doesn't like being surprised, we decided that Dad would go in first, get him calmed down, and then I'd sneak in the back and sit in the corner till Milo was ready to come over and meet me. Even before I walked into the room, Milo was agitated, because there was another dog in the room who wouldn't freaking stop barking. Dad sat on the floor with him and played for a minute, while I watched from the window. When Milo seemed calmer, I went in. As soon as I walked in, the other dog went berserk. I don't think Milo even saw me before he started freaking out. In the process of trying to calm him down and get him back in the cage, he bit my dad twice on the hand.
Experiment one, failure.
After we got the bite taken care of- which didn't rattle Dad much, as he knew better than to simply blame the dog- we tried bringing him into the hallway, away from the little yapping thing. And here he displayed his stance against women vehemently, barking like crazy towards me and one of the volunteer ladies. Hope was sinking. Another volunteer (a man) took Milo into the exercise yard to get him away from other animals and people, and calm him down. When he came back in, I stayed away, and you could tell that he was slinking up to my dad to apologize. From afar, I witnessed the most beautiful animal be so very endearing. What was the difference? What was it that made him so afraid of women? Why did he bite?
We made the decision that day that we wouldn't be bringing Milo home with us for fostering. It simply wasn't smart for us or the dog. In the meantime, we have news that he bit someone else- again, someone who moved too fast around him, or snuck up on him or something else of the sort.
Maybe you're trying to figure out what my point is by telling this story. I think my point is, my heart goes out to Milo and other animals like him. He's barely a year old, and he's been on the street, obviously mistreated and neglected, and here he is, an absolutely gorgeous animal who probably will be put down (the shelter does reserve the right to euthanize animals if they are dangerous or on the brink of death), because he is considered unadoptable. I don't question poor Milo, I question the people who allowed him to get into this condition. I can't even begin to guess at how he's lived his life so far, but he has every evidence of being a street dog, one could even almost call him feral. And not only was he allowed to get into this condition, but no one seems to want to try to do something for him. In my humble and admittedly uneducated opinion, I think the best home for Milo is one that has an enormous backyard, with a dog run and dog house, and a very patient, loving, understanding person (male, of course) who could just give him time, and move slowly around him and feed him and when Milo is ready, give him some cuddles (I've seen him cuddle, he is too darn cute!).
The thing is, the same culture that creates dogs like Milo is the same culture that does the same thing to children. We mistreat, abuse, neglect and otherwise damage children- even children who are born into "privilege"- to the point where they have no choice but to grow up the same way Milo is headed. Except we don't euthanize badly behaved children- we just lock them away and knock them around some more until they are horrendously behaved adults.
I didnt really mean to turn this into a soap-box, but I guess its just natural progression that it ended up there. I feel horrible about what will probably happen to Milo unless someone can come up with a brilliant idea for him. I feel equally horrible about what happens to kids unless someone comes up with a brilliant idea for them. I'm a non-violent person, as many of my friends are aware. But for several years I've had the opinion that anyone who damages a child should be taken out back and shot between the eyes. Maybe I'll have to widen that to include animals.
Anyone want a dog, who has lots of time, patience and space, with no women living in the house?
Save a life. Go adopt from your local animal shelter. And if you aren't looking to adopt and you have some extra cash, consider a donation. Milo deserves to live.
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