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Because pet shops and irresponsible breeders will sell an
Alaskan Malamute to anyone bearing cash or credit card,
Malamutes sometimes end up with people who should never own
any dog at all, certainly not a Malamute. Ethical breeders
take back the dogs they breed, but other breeders, including
backyard breeders and a few show kennels, refuse to take
responsibility for dogs they have bred. In short, some rescue
dogs have survived the difficult journey from puppy mills to
pet shops to homes in which they were not loved. Others were
bred by people who fail to take lifetime responsibility for
their puppies.
Some dogs that come through rescue are turned in by owners
who realize that a Malamute, or any dog, was a bad mistake.
Many of these dogs have simply been chained in backyards,
given food and water, but deprived of attention and affection.
Some have proven too big and strong for their owners. Owners
who are moving, getting divorced, or making other major life
changes are sometimes unable or unwilling to include the dogs
in their changed lives.
A healthy, friendly, well-behaved Malamute occasionally
appears on the back steps of a kind person who takes in the
dog, tries and fails to find the owner, and calls us. Dogs
rescued from animal shelters have either been turned in by
owners or picked up by dog wardens. A typical story is of a
healthy, friendly young Malamute found wandering in a
schoolyard or turned loose on a highway. The dog has no tags
and no identifying tattoo; no one responds to ads about him;
no one places a lost dog ad for him.
Some rescue dogs show no signs whatsoever of abuse. In
others, the signs are unmistakable. A hand-shy or rear-shy dog
expects to be hit and shies away from an outstretched hand.
Some of these dogs cringe at the slightest word of correction.
One of the pleasures of rescuing such a dog is the privilege
of teaching the lesson that, from now on, human hands and
voices mean kindness and love.
To read more information about the Alaskan Malamute Rescue
of Ohio (AMRO / www.amRescueOhio.com), click here.
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