12/10/2024
Very well written❤️🐾
Our experience with Noble County Humane
By Dean Krause
After our Golden retriever died at the age of 14, I was really lost. The central part
of my everyday was gone. My axis mundi was gone.
Still grief stricken after a few months, I began to explore the idea of adopting
another Golden Retriever. I’d been quite lucky for over 20 years. Two different
dogs came to me through friends and relatives. I hadn’t been actively looking for
another dog. But here they were. Lovely dogs given to me. Neither dog required
much training and were a delight to all that came in contact with them. Now
however, this breed of dog was in fashion, somewhat scarce, and people were
making money off that notion. I believe some breeders are posing as having
rescue pets. Technically that’s true. But they continue to supply more pets that
need adopting. The idea is sickening. These are living, feeling beings treated as
products.
I’d had quite a few mixed breed dogs before and had always considered myself
lucky when it came to my pets. Having had two purebred dogs was merely luck of
the draw. A wonderful pet experience isn’t dependent on breed. I generally like
dogs 40 lbs or larger as they tend to be calmer and quieter than smaller dogs.
I used the internet to test the waters. I began to search dogs in my area. I found a
few that attracted me, listed at the Noble County Humane Society in Kendallville.
Less than 30 minutes from where I lived. My wife and I decided to go meet them.
One in particular I couldn’t stop thinking about. Atlas. He was listed as boxer Pitbull mix.
I’d never been particularly attracted to pit bulls. What exactly determines whether
a dog is Pitbull? There seems to be a diverse array of physical appearances
connected with the label. And then there is all the media hype of aggressiveness
and so, forth that goes with that label. What if that label is a big disservice to the
dog?
When we arrived, we discovered an old-fashioned facility. Noble County Humane
is run entirely on the good-hearted donations of people and companies. All in the
staff we met were kind, patient, people interested in the welfare of their animals.
We were led into a room to see what dogs were available. This long room was
sparsely lit, with concrete floor and chain link cages to make cleaning easier. The
dogs barked. The sound level was deafening. My initial response was to leave as
soon as possible because the sound level challenged that which I had experienced
at rock concerts years ago. I mentally overrode my instincts.
All but two dogs barked the entire time. I recognized these two dogs from the
website as they were attractive to me on some feeling sense. A delightful little
Pitbull-mix named Leo sat quietly and calmly near his cage door. Another dog, a
large wirehaired pointer stood on his hind legs with a stuffed toy in his mouth,
not barking, and friendly in his demeanor. Another possibility I’d seen on the
website. I saw a sweet appearing dog named Lilac on the website, whose gaze in
her photo I cannot shake, but she was barking her head off. A shame really, as in a
home she might bark only minimally.
I didn’t see Atlas and asked if he was still in the facility. Conversation in the main
holding area was impossible with the noise level. The young woman helping us,
Kaitlin took us to the next building to see Atlas. The second building was nearly as
noisy but with fewer dogs. Atlas stood quietly on his hind legs at the cage door,
excited and wagging his tail.
We asked to meet him. Kaitlin led us to an open-air room with roof and chain-link
walls, to wait while she brought him in. There were more kennels, mostly empty.
We later learned this was an area staff moved the dogs to when they cleaned the
primary kennels. Kaitlin brought Atlas in. He was calm and friendly and we
immediately felt less uneasy. He had some leash manners. Kaitlin proved herself
to be very knowledgeable and friendly. It was apparent she had a passion for
helping the animals, and trained dogs when she had time. Eventually she let Atlas
run free inside the area to burn off extra energy. The dogs are generally walked
every day but probably don’t get as much freedom to run as they might need.
During our conversations, we learned that Atlas had been at the facility for about
6 months and no visitors had asked to meet him in that time, until us. I struggled
to not burst into tears. Here was this wonderful healthy dog and nobody wanted
to meet him! What a horrible thought. It was likely that many of the dogs were in
the same predicament.
Fortunately, Noble County Humane Society is a no kill facility. This sounds good
(and is), but if pets aren’t adopted, they have no room for new intakes. No room
at the inn. What happens to those animals that can’t find a place to stay? All of
these animals need you to adopt them, and some time to relax from confinement
and show you their true character.
After much deliberation at home, we decided we would foster Atlas for 2 weeks
before adopting. Sort of a test drive. I had misgivings regarding his energy level,
size, and strength juxtaposed with our own advanced age and being accustomed
to a relatively slow-moving elderly dog.
Once home, Atlas proved to be very affectionate and cuddly. He did well with our
cats, who were not thrilled about him. He still tries to play with them, which they
do not want to do. The younger cat will walk with us outdoors as he did with our
previous dog. He knows how to handle Atlas. My older cat is wary but
comfortable being around him as long as Atlas doesn’t try to play with her.
However, she has modified her behavior markedly and no longer sleeps with us on
the bed. Atlas has displaced her there.
Every few days, Atlas would relax to a deeper level. Considering the poor dog was
penned up in the noisy facility for 6 months he did incredibly well in our home.
His energy and exuberance can be a handful at times, but he learns quickly and is
very affectionate. He is also a young dog and will calm with age.
I found a nearby town with a fenced dog park he can run in. This should help him
be a bit calmer when home.
Introducing new dogs to Atlas can be challenging, but meeting new humans works
well so long as it is done in a controlled fashion with some minor instructions to
the human. None of the dog meet and greets erupted in fights but a couple of
them were tense situations. Some dogs just aren’t going to get along. One of
those is probably going to be okay given some time and patience. The other dog is
likely to remain discordant; that dog doesn’t seem to like other dogs. In the
facility Atlas was said to have shown no aggression to humans or dogs. He is
protective of the car when inside, or maybe fearful of unfamiliar people that
approach.
He has proven himself to be a sweet dog, and with training, time, and maturity
will require less work.
I urge anyone reading this to consider adopting an animal from Noble County
Humane Society in Kendallville. The animals and humans there will deeply
appreciate it
