In the first few weeks and months of having Bella, quite a
few comments were made on her ‘Rescue Dog’ status. She is a ‘Rescue Dog’ so the
allusions were taken as quite harmless and true. However, eight months on and
the ‘She’s a rescue dog isn’t she?’ comments are starting to niggle; the smug
smile and the tone of voice are making some of the ‘friendly’ comments sound
quite snobbish! Sorry, but it’s true!
Yes, my dog is a Rescue Dog; we found her at the Blue Cross
having been taken in with a broken leg, but we love her and she loves us and
she’s part of our family. She may look
‘aggressive’ to you when you and your pedigree Spaniel / Jack Russel / Labrador
meet us on walks, but just because she’s part Staffie doesn’t make her an
aggressive dog. She’s excited! She wants to play with your dog and if you have
a miniature breed, she doesn’t discriminate. She is strong, it’s the Staffie in
her, and combined with the long history and dignity of a Japanese Shiba Inu she
is also strong-willed. Having only discovered her mixed heritage earlier this
year we now know how to handle her and hopefully train her while out walking.
It’s an ongoing project.
Bella is impeccable indoors: she doesn’t jump on the
furniture - like some dogs do, she did it once, was disciplined and never did
it again; she doesn’t chew our human things - like some dogs do (e.g.
slippers), she did it once, was disciplined and never did it again; she doesn’t
need to be shouted at or cajoled to go out of a room - like some dogs, simply
point to the door and she’ll go. She knows that just because the door is open,
it doesn’t mean she can go out; she waits for us to step out or in first and
follows – unlike some dogs. Only on the first night in the house did she ever
mess inside. She doesn’t bark at dogs or people unnecessarily – like some dogs
do.
She’s nervous of people, it’s a characteristic of her breed,
not the fact that she’s a Rescue Dog. She’s excitable, she’s a hunting dog,
nothing to do with the fact that she’s a Rescue Dog.
“You never know a Rescue dog’s history” you say, feeling
smug that you got yours from an expensive breeder and have pedigree papers
proving that his mother was Queen Patty and his father was Sir Pan. Bella was
given a second chance by someone who knew they couldn’t give her the life she
deserved. We’ve given her a loving family and friends, she doesn’t need to look
back to the past!
So please don’t put our Bella in your ‘class system’ of
dogs; discrimination is dead!
