It is
with a sad heart that I give this
update. The shelter that was
housing Lady made the decision to
put her down. It was nothing that
Lady did. Rather, the decision
came when people in the shelter
failed to understand this dog and
her breed characteristics &
qualities. Surprisingly, it was
not the pitbull part of Ladybug
that caused the trouble. As
stated below, she had passed the
temperament tests with flying
colors and had no dog aggression
issues whatsoever. What caused
this girl's fate was her classic
Cane Corso behavior. After
bonding with one particular staff
member, and settling into her
kennel space, LadyBug began to
demonstrate 'vigilance' when
people walked by. This behavior
was misunderstood by the shelter
staff who apparently were
unfamiliar with guarding breeds.
Likewise, there were some
inexperienced staff who would
sometimes 'stare' at the dog for
extended periods. As most corso
or dominant dog owners know, this
can be perceived by the dog as an
act of aggression or a direct
challenge, and can make the dog
quite uncomfortable and even
defensive. How ironic that the
very qualities we Cane Corso
owners prize in our breed
(vigilance and the naturally
protective guardian personality)
are what ultimately brought this
beautiful girl to her demise. I
can only hope that what happened
to this innocent animal can serve
as a wake-up call for more
training and education in the
shelter setting, and for the
public at large. Maybe then
Lady's death can have some
meaning.
IN
MEMORY OF
LADYBUG
If you are interested in
opening your heart and your home
to a dog in need of rescue, here
is someone you should check
out!
Her name is Lady and she is a
Cane Corso / Pit Bull cross. She
is currently safe in a Portland
shelter - at least for now.
However, because of her breeding,
she is not in the general
population, and no one can view
her or even knows she is there.
Literally, this means that there
is NO CHANCE for adoption through
the facility that is housing her.
And that is a real shame, because
Lady is just that! A real
lady!
Lady is about 1 1/2 years old,
and about 85lbs., microchipped,
and is being spayed this week.
She is quite beautiful, a sleek
black with slight gold brindling,
complimented by a large white
blaze down her chest and white
toes. She is a very healthy girl,
well muscled and quite
striking.
What's best about Lady is her
temperament. In fact, she is such
a sweet girl that the shelter
staff are calling her "LadyBug".
She has passed all her
temperament tests, and has shown
absolutely no dog aggression
whatsoever. At our evaluation,
she was friendly but aloof.
Having bonded with one of the
shelter staff, she looked to him
for everything, indicating that
she is very willing to bond to a
new family. She seems to be
comfortable with children, and
she particularly liked Bradley,
my 11 year old. More recently,
the shelter staff introduced her
to Alex, a 5 year old, who she
really liked right away.
LadyBug (her name for now) is
potty trained. She is well
behaved but has not had obedience
training, and this will be
important for her. She is treat
focused, with a gentle mouth.
LadyBug displays the classic
Cane Corso personality - stable,
quiet, protective of family (in
this case, the shelter staff),
and aloof of strangers.
Although she does display the
aloofness you would expect in a
Corso, she is also friendly. At
our visit, it only took her a few
minutes before warming up and
wanting to play. I was quite
impressed with her overall
demeanor. This is a very nice
girl.
If you could give this
beautiful young girl a chance at
a loving home, please call us or
email us right away! We're happy
to give you more information or
get you hooked up for a meet
& greet!
UPDATE ON LADY -
Lady has been introduced to cats
this week,. She showed no
interest in chasing them and
passed the shelter cat test
perfectly.
