Bad to the Bone

I recently did a special in-depth sweeps story about dog behavior problems called "Bad to the Bone." This was an important topic to me because it was a dog behavior expert who helped me save my dog. She was a rescue from a breeder kennel, and she was very nervous and peed in her kennel every single day, but refused to walk on a leash. This expert explained to me that since Madeline spent so much time in a kennel that probably had no bottom (so her waste fell through the holes) so now she thinks the kennel is broken and not her. He helped train me how to walk her on a leash without her fighting me the whole time and said that I should walk her everyday before she goes in her kennel. Four years later and Maddie and I are still going on our daily walks, and it's very rewarding for me to know I gave her a better life.

Even when I was in tears about my own problem, I never wanted to take Maddie back to the shelter. "Boomerang" animals are a huge problem in shelters, and often once an animal is returned, it makes it very difficult to adopt again. Experts like the ones I spoke to in my story can help people work with their new pet, to make sure both owner and animal are happy with their new living arrangement. I know adopting a dog can often seem like a daunting challenge, but with some love and dedication and sometimes expert advice, you too can give a shelter animal a better home.

I'm not sure if the video embed is working, so I've also included links to the story on Fox4kc.com here:

Part 1 (click here to link to the story on Fox4kc.com)



Part 2 (click here to link to Part 2)