Taming dogs with a mean streak

[n2doc]

Steve Markwell is a brave man. At his sanctuary in Washington, he takes in the worst of the worst that have been turned away by all other shelters -- pit bulls, guard dogs, face-biters and cat-killers.



Steve Markwell, founder of Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, Wash., plays with Abby who he found at a California truck stop, where animal control officers had spent two weeks unsuccessfully trying to catch her. Markwell made her one of his first rescues. (Kim Murphy / Los Angeles Times)

By Kim Murphy
December 10, 2009 | 1:23 p.m.

Reporting from Forks, Wash. - There have always been good dogs and bad dogs. The good dogs come when you call, romp happily with the children and stay off the sofa. The bad dogs chase after cars, trample the flower beds and pass wind under the coffee table.

Then there are the really bad dogs -- the cat killers, face biters and snarling, drooling wretches so mean even their owners want them shot. Those are Steve Markwell's kind of dogs.

"When people create these monsters, I think it's people's responsibility to take care of them. Not to just kill everything because it's inconvenient," said Markwell, who operates a sanctuary for canine ne'er-do-wells in the Olympic Peninsula rain forest.

"The fact that they have their quirks, the extra things you have to be cautious of, in some ways it's almost endearing. It's kind of like, the world hates you, but I don't," he said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-bad-dogs11-2009dec11,0,458776.story

[panader0]

1. "When people create these monsters....."

That's how it happens. Dogs are smart. They'll give what they get.

[XemaSab]

2. This is a great article

:D

[lib2DaBone]

3. How Come Pit Bulls Attack Babies? I know.. they are mis-understood...

I say we send a Pit Bull Puppy to every Replicorp member of Congress....Great idea....

[Butch350]

5. BullS**T!

You apparently know nodda about dogs period.

[Xicano]

19. Warning Graphic Images...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttn364R5vZE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE4e_YMMWEk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfj2x0Un4TI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiX45LBii7U

[LeftyMom]

22. When you don't know what you're talking about keep your fingers off the keys, thanks.

The several breeds that collectively get lumped in as pit bulls are not any more dangerous to humans than other medium-sized dogs raised in similar circumstances. They have no special physical or behavioral features beyond those found in any terrier. Their being dangerous is a perception created by their ubiquity and irresponsible media.

Small dogs, on the other hand, *are* disproportionately responsible for serious attacks on babies and toddlers. Presumably because they're easily intimidated by loud, noisy, less-than-gentle little beings a bit bigger than they are, and I'd guess because they're less likely to be properly supervised around kids because their size leads them to be perceived as safer.

[guitar man]

28. [phone]

I could not have said it any better myself. Not only "breeds" but also mixes and mutts get lumped in and labeled as "pitbulls". If it even remotely resembles a Staffie it can be mis-labeled....

[LeftyMom]

29. Any dog with a squarish head that's bigger than a bread box and smaller than a mastiff is a pit bull

People make that mistake with my family's boxer all the time. I've been walking her and had people cross the street and yell to "keep that pit bull away from me!" :eyes:

[guitar man]

31. exactly

they have no idea what they are looking at. I wonder how a lot of people would identify this dog?

[flvegan]

4. He sounds like one of the good ones.

Tip of the hat to Mr. Markwell and his sanctuary.

[mrbarber]

6. I know it's a joke, but the "passing the wind under the coffee table" quip is kinda mean.

One of my friends dogs is one of the sweetest, most good natured dogs I've ever known, but lord that old gal has some gas issues. She can clear a room.

[TwilightGardener]

8. LOL! I can relate. My weimaraner once farted so loud in his sleep he woke himself up.

Looked around the room in innocent, sleepy confusion--"What WAS that??" Yeah, he can clear a room too.

[intheflow]

10. My dog rarely has gas.

But whenever he does, he gets a startled look on his face, and whips around to sniff his butt like he's wondering, "Did THAT come from ME?!"
Then he looks at me like, "I don't smell anything. Do you smell anything?" All innocent-like. :rofl:

[HillWilliam]

30. Our babiest is half weimaraner

and a gas factory. A few spoonfuls of greek yogurt (live cultures, no alphabet-additives) every once in a while fixes it.

Before we started fixing up her gut, that little gal could blister paint off a wall, lemme tell ya. We'd wake up from nightmares of poison gas and being smothered, bile in our throats, our lungs searing and our eyes begging us not to open them. She'd wake herself up and then cry (are all weimaraners big crybabies??).

Honestly, before that one (and I've had quite a few dogs), I'd never heard a dog cut a ripper before. If it sounds like someone tearing a Turkish towel in two, RUN!!!!

Glad I remembered the yogurt trick. Works for humans, too.

[kskiska]

25. Chinese food will do that to 'em n/t

[gateley]

7. GREAT article -- thanks!! nt

[Bigmack]

9. Canus Lupus Familiaris is still Canus Lupus....

There is a wolf hiding in that Chihuahua. If this guys speaks fluent Canus Lupus, I guess it's fine.

My question is... there's thousands of very sweet, tractable dogs put down every day because nobody will take them. Why bang your head against a wall working with animals who will never be placeable?

Cold and hard, I know, but there's lot of work and love going into dogs that are closer to Lupus than to Familiaris.

[flvegan]

11. As someone that runs a rescue much like this one

it's because they deserve the same shot as the tiny black lab puppies at the no-kill joint up the road. People fucked them up, it's not their fault. And if one has the talent and ability to redeem these dogs, then wouldn't it be a shame to not use that?

I've got ex-fighters here and you'd never know it. It's good for the dog and it's good for the breed.

[intheflow]

12. How have I seen you on this board for years

and not know that you ran a dog rescue? :hug: I absolutely agree that any chance to redeem human karma on how we've treated animals cannot be a bad thing.

[flvegan]

16. Well, it's a huge board.

And sometimes (depending who you ask) I'm a jerk. Might be easy to overlook. Or I don't talk about it too much in GD. But yeah, I've got a dozen or so years in the rescue game. Still a newbie compared to some.

[Bigmack]

14. Question: Serious question....

Not trying to jerk your chain or bait you... but.... Don't dogs bred for fighting have a "trigger" that sets them off and makes them fight/attack? I know Labs fetch as a matter of genetics before they're trained on how or when to fetch. Throw the stick... and they fetch. My Cairn Terrier has a trigger... little rodents. He turns from lapdog to Killer of Mice in a millisecond. Nothing else pulls that trigger.
A greyhound's gotta run after that rabbit. That Bloodhound has to sniff.
I'm sure you see where I'm going.
Do Pits and others have that trigger, and you just avoid the situation? Or don't you agree with the trigger theory?

[flvegan]

17. That's a good question.

Do they have a trigger? When they're trained to fight, the trigger is the asshole making them fight. They don't fight because they inherently want to. They fight because they're trained to, and then told to. Then they do so because it pleases their master. This is why they don't stop fighting until told to and pulled apart, unlike how dogs in a pack fight for order.

Greyhounds are sighthounds and that's genetic. Molosser dogs aren't genetic in the fighting standard. They're just better at it because of their size and desire to please, and were therefore used in that regard.

I don't agree with the trigger theory. It's training. The Ovcharka/Volkodav is proof of that. You want to see an absolutely ruthless killer breed of dog when appropriately trained? Check them out. I'm thankful dogfighters here are too stupid to not have noticed them yet.

[roguevalley]

18. I don't agree with that. If you have a gladiator breed learn to recognize

the signs of dominance and stop it on the spot every time so they grow up not knowing they are dominant. It works. Cesar Milan has 45 dogs, most of them like this and they are great. You just have to know the breed, what sets them off, behavior cues and do the work.

[Bigmack]

24. But that's Cesar... he's a dog whisperer....

Very few people have the time, experience, or intelligence.

The "signs of dominance" are perhaps what I'm talking about when I say "trigger". I'm sure I could stop a Lab from retrieving if I used my dominance over him... but the urge to retrieve is still there from birth.

Most dog owners don't understand that dogs are still pack animals and need to know their place in the pack, let alone how to show dominance to a dog.

[roguevalley]

33. no, actually, that is not just Cesar. I have/had five dachshunds, who

can be abominable in a pack. they fought and ended up in surgery until I applied Cesar's rules. Instant change. I cannot emphasize that enough. Instant.

You would have to use the retriever side of the dog to keep it stable by having them fetch or do show stuff. What I am talking about is the clues that all dogs give that they are seeking dominance in the pack, usually because the clueless owner doesn't know that should be them. You don't bury a dog's breed nature. That is where problems come from. You use it correctly.

[Goldstein1984]

23. Canis lupus or Canis familiaris...

They are different species, with C. familiaris derived from C. lupus.

You are right, though, that different dogs have been bred for different purposes and have different qualities.

But I know a lot of pit bulls that are as gentle as kittens. I really think nurture can overcome nature.

My own dog, a 90-pound working-bred German shepherd named Bruno, saved me from a brown bear attack and was playing gently with our chihuahua ten minutes later while I changed underwear and told my wife about the encounter. He's gentle as a 90-pound kitten with our grandchildren, but would go from cuddle to kill in half a second if any of us were threatened. Still, with all that gentleness and instinct, a German shepherd can be vicious if raised by the wrong people.

Humans do far more harm to dogs than dogs do to humans. I've never encountered a bad dog without a bad human in tow.

I applaud this guy.

[Bigmack]

35. Ahhh... the part about "cuddle to kill..

... in half a second" is exactly what I'm talking about.

What happens if he perceives a stranger as a threat to one of the members of the pack? What if he's the only one who "sees the threat" and acts on it? Half a second... damned short time for you to react and stop him.

A friend had her face totally re-arranged by a neighbor's gentle, loving Great Dane that knew her well, and for years, too. Mamma was sick in bed, my friend peeked in and said "How you doin'. hon?" and got a kisser full of very protective GD. Mamma called him off, but it was about 3 surgeries before she looked reasonable.

I disagree with the idea that dogs don't have "triggers" from their genes as well as their training.

Also... canus lupus Familiaris is actually a Subspecies of Canus lupus, along with 37 other wolves, not a different species.

[Goldstein1984]

36. Cuddle to kill...

A well bred and well-trained dog will go from cuddle to kill when it's appropriate. He's been at my side for three years, and has proven to be an excellent judge of character.

Whether wolves and domestic dogs are split into two species or classified as two subspecies depends on whether the taxonomist doing the classifying is a "lumper" or a "splitter." I tend toward the splitter side of things. I'm an entomologist, though, not a mammologist. I'm not up to speed on the current taxonomic opinions regarding the Canidae. Wikipedia probably has whatever is currently in style.

[kimi]

13. Well, bless his heart

That kind of dedication is heart-warming.

[arcadian]

15. That's the problem with Forks...

Too many god damned vampires...

[LiberalAndProud]

21. Wait ... What?

Oh yeah. Interesting that this is next door to Twilight-town, huh?

[arcadian]

32. Yeah. and I mixed it in with Lost Boys quote

[Raine]

20. NICE

THANKS for the link! :hi:

[Coventina]

26. As someone who is working with ONE problem dog right now

my hat is doffed and I am bowing deeply to this man.

[Blue Owl]

27. Bravo Mr. Markwell

Keep up the great work...

[goldcanyonaz]

34. They have a website too!

http://www.olympicanimalsanctuary.org/