[Dailydrool] Bertha

[Opal-Deitering, Gaylene]

Esther, 

You are no fool, and an experienced basset lover, so I trust that you
know a bad placement when you see one.  If your parents can't handle
Bertha, then maybe they need to allow the rescue to place her with
someone more capable of helping her with her issues.  There is no shame
in doing your best and finding out that it just isn't good enough.  What
kind of life will Bertha have if she is living in a home that is
incapable of curbing her behavior issues, and possibly having them
exacerbated by someone who can't cope in an appropriate way?  What
happens if she must be crated all the time because she can't be trusted?
That is not a happy environment for anyone.

 

There are plenty of bassets out there who have needs that your parents
can meet.  While I don't believe that dogs are like shoes, and you can
try them on and discard them at will, I do believe that for the safety
and health of all involved, sometimes  one has to make the hard choices.
Just because one dog doesn't work for them, it doesn't mean that another
won't.  Each dog, like each person, has a different personality and a
different set of needs.  It sounds like Bertha is too high strung, and
needs more exercise than she gets, is too sensitive to fear causing
situations (ear and claw maintenance), and way too scent motivated for
your folks.  That is a placement issue, not a lack of care or love
issue.  Someone made a mistake, and now multiple lives are affected. No
rescue is perfect, and they are just doing their best when they place
hounds, but sometimes mistakes get made.  If the rescue is able to
better match your parents with a homeless hound, and Bertha gets matched
with a home more suitable for her, then everyone wins!

 

As for Bertha being damaged by the change of home, dogs don't
distinguish between "Foster" and "Permanent" homes.  These are simply
human terms.  To a dog, everything is permanent until it changes.  In
this case Bertha is unhappy, and the parents are unhappy, (sounds like
mom is scared of her), so help them and the rescue make the best
decision for everyone, including the homeless houndie that they MIGHT be
able to help if Bertha isn't working out.  I would rather see them
better matched with a hound that suits their lifestyle, then see
everyone miserable, or see them never again be considered for adopting a
hound.  

 

Gaylene Opal-Deitering

 

My passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a
reflection of it!

 

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