In this blog post, Canine Behavior Specialist Nicole Wilde discusses whether or not every dog that is rescued can be successfully rehabilitated. Her answer, and one that I agree with, is no.
Aggression cannot always be fixed. It can sometimes be managed, but management is not failsafe and has it’s own risks. It is important to also understand how much these dogs with severe behavioral issues may be suffering.
Sadly, some rescues and shelters seem to feel that every dog can be rehabilitated and as a result rehome dangerous dogs. And yes, I have seen this happen in Maine, often with out-of-state rescues. Never adopt a dog without seeing it first and never adopt a dog unless you have the rescue/shelters return policies in writing.
For Nicole’s blog post in its entirety go to – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-wilde/can-every-dog-be-rehabili_b_10052516.html