Bonnie, with Illinois Doberman Rescue, is SND Senior of the Week

This is Bonnie. She's the Special Needs Dobermans Senior of the Week!

(picture from her Illinois Doberman Rescue page)

Bonnie is a 7 year old cropped and docked red girl who's with Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus.  According to their page, she was surrendered to a shelter when her elderly owner died, and was adopted out. Unfortunately, she and the resident dog were not a good fit, and when her subsequent owners returned her to the shelter, the shelter contacted IDR+.

Happy Xanadu update!

I just saw the news on the Illinois Doberman Rescue Facebook page: Xanadu, who I posted about on March 2, has been adopted! Congratulations on your forever home, pretty girl. I hope you and your family have many happy years together!

(picture from IDR+ website)

Lily with Doberman Rescue Alliance Wisconsin needs sponsors!

Lily is a cropped and docked, black and rust Doberman with Doberman Rescue Alliance Wisconsin, inc. 

She was super skinny and in poor health when they took her in, but even now that she's safe and sound in a foster home, she can't walk! She can stand with assistance now, and has improved marginally, but they aren't really sure of the underlying cause, and feel an MRI for diagnostic purposes is the way to go.

(picture from DRAW web page)

Filo, with Doberman Rescue Unlimited

This is Filo. He was imported from Budapest, used as a stud dog, and then left at a shelter.  He's safe now, with Doberman Rescue Unlimited.

(picture from DRU web site)

Duchess, with Georgia Doberman Rescue

This is Duchess. She's a cropped and docked albino female who has been in rescue for over a year. She was originally with Southern Doberman Rescue, after somebody saw her for sale on Craigslist as a breeding female. They got her from that person, and then turned her into rescue to be spayed and rehomed. Then she made her way to Georgia Doberman Rescue.

(I got the picture from the Georgia Doberman Rescue Facebook page)

Bella with Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue

Bella is a blue girl in the care of at Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue. She needs an operation for an injury from being hit by a car before she'll be available for adoption.

Bella has a mild case of demodex mange which she's being treated for, and she's heartworm negative. She loves playing, but loves snuggling, and plays well with dogs of all sizes.

If you're interested in adopting Bella, you can fill out an application on the Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue web site.  Adoption fees are $250 for adult Dobermans, and senior dogs (7 and older) have an adoption fee of $150. GCDR dogs are adopted on contract, and you can email them any questions at GCDR AT bellsouth DOT net.

Some adoptable Dobers at Doberman Rescue Unlimited! Skye and Cedar

This is Skye. She's a natural eared, docked tailed, three year old fawn and rust girl at Doberman Rescue Unlimited.  Skye's original owner seemed to want her for breeding, but surrendered her to DRU after she had a litter of puppies and developed mastitis. Sky has had a lot of confidence building at DRU, but will need a supportive home which knows how to set her up to succeed!

Cedar is a 5 year old red and rust cropped and docked boy. He has played well with some female dogs, but according to DRU, he's particular about the dogs he will accept. He had a TPLO procedure done for a torn cruciate ligament in one of his legs, and receives medication for hypothyroidism. He also has the same "head bobbing" that Elka sometimes does. He's unsure about things like fireworks and thunderstorms, but a Thundershirt helps him out. 

If you're interested in one of these Doberman Rescue Unlimited dogs, you can read about their adoption procedure here. You can also see what other Dobermans they have for adoption here.

Hawk, a Special Needs Doberman in Ohio

This is Hawk.

(picture from Adopt a Pet.com)

Humpty Dumpty, with Illinois Doberman Rescue

Perhaps this is a "too soon" kind of joke, but Humpty Dumpty is a 4 1/2 year old cropped and docked black male Doberman with Illinois Doberman Rescue. He was hospitalized for a full month when they first got him, poor guy!

(image from IDR+ web site)

The Cropping and Docking topic rears its head again

Dogster.com had an article this week, written by Annie Phenix of "Ask the Trainer" columnship, on her stance of cropping and docking. She seems to be of the opinion that it causes behavioral, emotional, and social problems for dogs, which is an interesting topic, to be sure, though not one any actual scientific research has been done on (that I know of; the body of research I have at my fingertips could be considered limited. I'd love to read it if such studies have been done and published!)

However, she also opens the article with the obviously-meant-to-be-facetious comparison that she wanted her (grown) German Shepherd to "look more tough", so decided to dock and crop the (adult) dog. This is simply not done. A tail dock at an adult age is a full on amputation, and that dog will miss his or her tail. A tail dock done to a puppy is minimal, done at 3ish days before the bones have ossified, and with appropriate pain management and anesthetic. Ears must be cropped prior to 12 weeks, or you'll end up with a crop and flop, so might as well have gone natural anyway. I also found the article to be rather anthropomorphic, but as I attribute thoughts and feelings to Elka all the time, I don't really want to be a hypocrite. Just thought I'd mention.

Athena and Boss, in Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue has many Dobermans looking for homes. They are a 501(c)(3) non profit organization, and run on volunteers. They rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome Dobermans in need, and adopt all over the United States and Canada, if they can arrange to have a home visit done. If you adopt outside their immediate radius, you are responsible for arranging the ground transport of your new family member. They are always in need of fosters and volunteers, so if you're in southwest Ohio, and interested, they would appreciate it!

It's hard, when confronted with a list of adoptable dogs, to pick the ones to showcase. This week, though, I picked two dogs who are opposites: Athena, who is a young, all natural female Doberman and Boss, who is a mature cropped and docked male.

Athena is an exuberant little girl who needs some refreshment on her obedience training.

(picture from SWODR site)

She had a home, but she didn't get along with one of the older dogs in the household, so back she came. She needs a family that understands and can accommodate the exuberant, energetic nature that comes with young Dobermans.

(picture from SWODR site)

Exercise and patience! (an exercise in patience? Though that's all puppies!)


Boss was part of a two dog household, but when a divorce happened, only one dog could fit in the car so he was surrendered to a shelter (it's in his bio, I kid you not). They think he's around 5, and though he is cropped and docked, as you can see, his left ear is cropped and flopped. Makes him look kind of rakish!

(picture from SWODR site)

Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue does not know whether the dog Boss lived with was male or female, but it was a lab. He's been kissyface with dogs he's met over a fence, and kind of mouthy when tested on cats. 

(picture from SWODR site)

Boss has been neutered, and they're still sussing out his personality. He looks like a happy guy in the pictures, though!

If you're interested in adopting Boss or Athena, or any of Southwest Ohio Doberman Rescue's dogs, they list their requirements on this page (including adoption fees) and their adoption application is here. They also have a very nice section with information on the Doberman breed, and an FAQ page that has both info about Doberman rescue and also ten myths about rescuing a Doberman.

Duchess, Internet sensation, is no longer with her owners

A Doberman puppy in Ft. Lauderdale may be ending her day today in a far better situation than she started. Though she was returned to her owners, with animal control saying they saw no signs of abuse, the owners were subsequently arrested on non animal abuse charges and the puppies (Duchess and a dog whose name I have not seen) were taken into custody as well.

(picture linked from Examiner.com article)

Duchess was apparently been chained out back of her family's house for hours, barking, and the neighbors report that they did not see food and water out for her. She also had no shelter, and a neighbor is quoted as having seen the puppy try to dig a hole and crawl under a porch for shelter. For reference, it's been 90 in Ft. Lauderdale. When people approached the owners and said things to the effect of "hey, can we take your dog to the vet? Hey, she needs water and food", the owner said "It's just a dog" and told them to get off his property. (We already know how I feel about "just a dog" statements)

Police had visited the home once already, and took Duchess who animal control, who determined that she was in good health and released her to the owners. I'm not a medical professional, but when I saw the picture I linked above, I thought it was of a dead puppy. Not one who had a "tub of high quality food" inside for her. I don't know how you can look at that little girl and say there are "no signs of abuse", though apparently when a vet did see her, she wasn't gaining weight because she had hookworm (according to the NBC 6 video). They were displaying vaccination records, maybe somebody should've said "hey, we shouldn't see a dog's ribs, spine, and hips" and done a fecal.  Also according to the video, straight from the owner's mouth, though a house dog Duchess was chained out back because she had a "discipline problem with barking". She's 8 weeks old, for God's sake. She's a baby. Puppies bark; do you put a baby outside for crying?

(pictures from Dogster article)

No dog deserves to be chained outside. There's a high correlation between dogs who are chained/tied up outside and bites, in fact. Obviously, this hits me hard, because I know Elka doesn't want to be outside without us. I tried to get her to go outside and potty without me once during the winter; she'll stand in the middle of the yard and bark at the house. Dobermans want to be with their people. I'd risk making the assumption that most dogs do.

Duchess does look like a sweetie (though somebody needs to clean hear ears up; they were cropped, and clearly have gluey stuff from tape all over them in the NBC 6 video.) I hope she has a good and happy life, and those nasty hookworms are taken care of.

Jayde, a Dobergirl in need of Adoption or Foster in Texas

Jayde is in Texas. As the flyer says, she's currently in boarding, but foster or adoption is the goal! She has a beautiful crop (don't tell Elka!) and knows many commands. She sounds like a drivey girl, so definitely good for an experienced Doberman person, perhaps with an eye towards doing dog sports? If you're interested, or know somebody who can help, please don't hesitate to contact the email address on the flyer!

Limited Time: 4 Year Old Doberman in South Carolina

NAME:*Stella*

ANIMAL ID: 16457617

BREED: Doberman

SEX: Female

EST. AGE: 4 yrs

EST. WEIGHT: 50 lbs

HEALTH: Heartworm negative

TEMPERAMENT: Friendly

ADDITIONAL INFO: Has cropped ears

RESCUE PULL FEE: $49

UPDATE: space is limited!!!

Stella is in the Greenville, South Carolina Animal Shelter…Can you help her?

Some things you should know when working with us:

1.)** Not all animals listed on this email are available TODAY!* Please look at the “available date” under each animal picture to see when they can leave the shelter.

2.)* When you reply to confirm dogs or cats, please include in your email what rescue you work with.

3.)* Dogs are not heartworm tested until a rescue confirms them (unless otherwise noted).* If you CANNOT take a HW+ animal, please mention it when you confirm! Cats are not tested for felv-fiv until confirmed please state if you cannot take an FIV + or FELV+ cat.

4.) We CANNOT guarantee the health of an animal.* We focus on preventative health and do not have the resources to have every animal vet checked prior to placement.

5.)* Pull fees MUST be paid at the time of confirming the animal, and at the absolute latest, when the animal is picked up from our shelter.* We no longer invoice- sorry!

TRANSPORT MAY BE AVAILABLE TO YOUR AREA---JUST ASK US!

*

Please be patient with us.* We intake 20,000 animals/year and have only 2 staff dedicated to the rescue placement process.* We sift through 100+ emails/day.* We will respond to your inquiry, but it may be a brief exchange and may not be immediate.* Thank you for understanding!

*

If you can help, please email petrescue@greenvillecounty.org

Dictionary Doberman

Because I'm a nerd, I sometimes look at the dictionary for fun.

Because I'm a tremendous nerd, I sometimes look up Doberman in the dictionary.

This time around, I was so struck by the picture that I didn't even read the definition. I'm sure it said something like "breed that originated in Germany, developed by Karl Friedrich Louis Doberman."

The picture, though. No wonder Elka was accused of being a greyhound mix. The Doberman in the picture is rather...stout. It's hard to tell in the picture (sorry), but her tuckup is not all that pronounced. Her tail is a bit too short for my tastes, and she doesn't seem square.

I frequently wonder, in dictionaries and encyclopedias and dog breed books and dog training books, who are these dogs? That I've seen, there is rarely credit given. Wouldn't it be fantastic for dogs with Championships, working dog titles, or both, to be the Dobermans used in books of that sort? 

The Doberman: American and European

There's apparently a hot debate in the Doberman world, American Dobermans versus European Dobermans. It's a strange debate, muddled even further by this: there are American show line Dobermans, and American working line Dobermans. There are also European working line Dobermans and European show line Dobermans.

I also bring this up because on Monday, some lady thought I had a Greyhound mix and not a Doberman at all, because her historic Doberman wasn't "like that".

So. Uh. What?

The Doberman: Ear Cropping and Posting

In The Doberman: Do the Looks Make the Breed? I talked about cropping and docking. Today I thought I would take it a little bit further and talk about ear cropping and the aftercare, posting specifically.

Before I got Elka, I didn't really think much about how Doberman ears got that way. When I learned that it was a surgery at around 7-12 weeks, I wasn't too bothered by it, clearly. I wasn't even too phased by the notion of posting the ears (which is what you call it when you have them taped like that), though I should have given that more thought, I think. Imagine a 16 week puppy whose had the post pop out of place, whining as you fix her up again. It was a process, and we got off easy! Elka was cropped in July, and by the end of August, we were no longer taping her ears. Some people have to tape them for a year or more!

Tail Dock Ban in Scotland: recent article

On Thursday, I posted The Doberman: Do Looks Make the Breed?, and discussed the merits of tail docking at three days versus the complications, healing time, and trauma of an adult dog's tail having to be amputated due to injury.

On Doberman-Chat.com, somebody posted an article about the tail dock ban in Scotland. Granted, the article discusses working breeds in the context of spaniels, terriers, and retrievers as working breeds, but arguably (in conformation shows, anyway!) the Doberman is officially labelled as a "Working" breed, as opposed to a "Sporting" breed, which is what I would consider spaniels and retrievers to be.

Anyway, if interested, the article is here: The Tail Wags Dog Welfare (I know they speak English in Scotland, so I'm not sure what the deal is with the title phrasing). There is a picture of an undocked, injured tail, so be warned.

The Doberman: Do the Looks Make the Breed?

I haven't talked about ear cropping and tail docking much. It's a look that I'm a fan of for the Doberman; in my mind, floppy ears do not fit the breed. In my head, I quail at the thought of Elka with a tail; her hind end awareness is sketchy at best; if she had the Doberman tail, she would have destroyed us all by now. Because the breed was cropped and docked for so long there is not, to my knowledge, yet a standard for the Doberman tail, so in European shows, we tend to see quite  a lot of variation, mostly in how curly (or not) the tail tends to be.

So, is a Doberman with ears and tail less of a Doberman? No, I wouldn't say that at all. Temperament and personality are sure to still be intact. But for that signature look, changes are made.

A Bargain Doberman is Not a Good Deal

Because I like looking at pictures of puppies, I frequently poke around on Craigslist, or Want Ad Digest, sites like that. While there are many many adorable puppies on there, I would never purchase a puppy from such a venue. In fact, more than once, I sent somebody on Craigslist an email that their "Free to a Good Home" Doberman might be better served at Doberman Rescue Unlimited, or that the Doberman Assistance Network might give them some good advice.

A $650 puppy is a tempting prospect, I know. Dobermans are expensive. You can buy a computer for what you'd pay for a Doberman, cropped and docked and hopefully with health testing done. And sometimes you luck out with that $650 dog. And other times, you get what you pay for.

Example: Do you want your Doberman's ears to look like this? Though a painting, this was included in a puppy advertisement, and not representative of a "correct" crop.