No animal should have to live in a dangerous, abusive, or unhealthy situation; sadly, a shocking number do every day of their lives. Whether the abuse and neglect is deliberate and prolonged, or unintentional due to ignorance or financial difficulties, the fact is, it is ILLEGAL, not to mention unconscionable.

Abuse can leave life-long scars on a dog, both physically and emotionally. Some abused dogs are never able to emotionally recover from their abuse, becoming too aggressive or mistrustful of humans to be rehabilitated and adopted out. Thankfully, many abused dogs are able to make a significant recovery with enough love, attention, socialization, and reassurance. Many of the Michael Vick pit bulls, for example, have gone on to be adopted and become Canine Good Citizens® and even therapy dogs!

The Humane Society of the United States and ASPCA suggest the following ways to tell if an animal might be being abused or neglected:
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It takes a special kind of person to allow themselves to love something deeply while knowing that they will have to let it go. That’s exactly what a dog foster parent does each time they release one of their foster dogs to its new forever home. Their sadness, however, is tempered by the knowledge that the dog has a wonderful life ahead of it, with all the joys and treats and affection a dog should have, and the knowledge that without them, it wouldn’t be possible.
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Curling up with a canine companion is definitely one of life’s purest and most simple pleasures. How many times have you wished you could bottle that wonderful feeling of comfort and peace that comes from petting a dog so you could open it up and have that feeling again when things get rough? That’s the basic premise behind therapy dogs: dogs that are trained to be well-behaved and provide comfort and affection to those in need of it.
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We all know that dogs are capable of learning and performing some pretty amazing and impressive tricks. What some people aren’t as familiar with are the services dogs are capable of learning and executing and the lives they save and enrich in doing so. Service dogs make a daily difference for those living with physical, neurological, and psychological disabilities. They allow people to live as normal a life as possible, and to do many of the things that their disabilities might prohibit them from doing without assistance. They work tirelessly, devotedly, lovingly, and all they ask in return is affection. They are canine heroes, and we are excited to highlight them in this week’s Dog Tails post.
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