ALI'S STORY
By Eleanor Scheidemann, The Dog Lady
Through my work with rescue organizations I started taking un-adoptable dogs into my care in order to change their behaviors and make them adoptable. I had great confidence and had many successes until Ali came to me.
Ali was a beautiful adolescent yellow Labrador Retriever; one of the prettiest I had ever seen. She had been in foster homes and was aggressive around food and toys. Her play with other dogs was ruff and sometimes resulted in aggression. I began working with her on the food and toy aggression and was making progress when it happened that we were at the park with friends children. Ali was separated from the children by a fence. She enjoyed the attention of the adults that approached her but each time a child would approach she became aggressive and clearly (if loose) would hurt them.
I discussed this with the rescue organization that owned her and we agreed that it would be irresponsible to endanger any child by ever allowing Ali to be adopted out. The rescue worker offered to pick her up and do the ugly deed of having her destroyed. I felt that if I were going to work in the arena of dog rescue then I had to face the reality of finding a way to balance the dual role of helping dogs while meeting my responsibility of community safety. I refused to take the easy way out.
I had had to have sick and injured dogs but to sleep before and was quite confident in my ability to deal with the situation.
I and one of my helpers took Ali to the vet. The required forms were signed and I was sent outside to wait for an available attendant to come and get the dog. Feeling like we should make Ali’s last moments pleasant we all played and rolled around on the grass. We petted and hugged her and as we did I began to understand just how much she trusted us. The feelings of guilt and remorse began to overwhelm me. Why wasn't I a better dog trainer? Why couldn’t I save her? Could anyone have prevented this soft, beautiful creature with eyes that could melt your heart from ending up being discarded and destroyed? I cried and begged for her forgiveness, again and again and again. I knew in my mind that Ali could not be allowed to hurt anyone. But, I knew in my heart that this was wrong. I did my duty and gave Ali to the attendant.
I continued to work with at risk dogs but could not get over Ali.
What I had done haunted me. I wanted answers but who was I to question the system. I wanted to save the dogs yet I was working within a system that also expected me to kill them; that’s who I was. Well if I was expected to clean up the mess that someone else had made then I had the right to do something about it. No, I had the responsibility to do something about it.
That is now what I and those who have joined me are doing; taking responsibility. If the best kind of learning is experiential, then my experience has taught me that things have to change.
We are now a small but strong group of dedicated people committed to seeing this through. Our goal is a center where people are educated and animals are given the help they need to change. These centers, once started, can be replicated in different states, counties and cities. We will not stop until we succeed.
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