On Friday I went to the Carson shelter to evaluate and maybe transport an “aggressive” dog named Simba for a rescue in northern Calif. Yes, out of fear, this dog showed its teeth in the kennel and would not come near you. She absolutely did not like the staff at all. We spent 30 minutes with her, giving her treats and just interacting with her to get her calmed down where we could get a slip lead on her. Once we were out past the kennels she settled down and we let her lay in the sun for a little while to get her composure back. Loading her in the van kennel was no problem, she knew what that was and hopped right in. From there I took her to Top Dog Boarding in the valley, but once there she did not want to leave the kennel, so we carried the kennel inside and off loaded her directly into a big kennel area and that’s where I left her to again settle down. I don’t know what’s behind all that behavior, but I know her future will be much brighter than her past. I also know that she is this way because of her past owner.

These two were definitely not close to being equal in size, but they more than made up for it in being just great dogs. I was asked to pull these two as this was their last day before being killed at the shelter at closing time. They were out of time. They both went with Barbara, a foster volunteer, who works with Stephani, who coordinates for a rescue. We all need to keep reminding ourselves that it is about the dogs, not us.