Please check the rescue message board for notices about dogs needing new homes, and rescue contacts. For Ontario rescue only, contact Sunny Reuter at 905-884-7924 or reuter@primus.ca

AKBASH DOGS INTERNATIONAL RESCUE POLICY

Akbash Dogs International has a rescue policy which requires that any Akbash Dogs given up for rescue must be spayed or neutered prior to placement. Fostered dogs are evaluated for temperament, type and amount of previous training and any obvious health problems. Such dogs will be placed in permanent homes in consultation with our rescue coordinator, and possibly other members of the ADI board.

The ADI rescue coordinator represents the ADI board of directors, and has the authority to make arrangements for evaluation and placement of dogs into foster care or adoption into permanent homes. The rescue coordinator or any member of the board may also arrange to have an ADI member inspect and evaluate dogs in their local areas. In some cases, there is a question of identifying the breed of the dog in question prior to evaluation.

Akbash Dogs International Rescue Program

Akbash Dogs International is committed to caring for each and every Akbash Dog. As a non-profit, all-volunteer organization, we are doing our best to provide a good home for all of our dogs. Ideally, we will avoid having Akbash Dogs entering public humane society shelters. When an Akbash Dog needs a new home, the main responsibility should be with the current owners. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their dog, and are in the best situation to find a new home for their dog. Akbash Dogs International has this web site and an extensive network of breeders who can help. The second source of help should be the dog’s breeder. For those situations where the owners and breeders are unwilling or unable to relocate a dog, Akbash Dogs International steps in with this rescue service. However it should be pointed out that ADI member breeders are expected to help their buyers re-home their dogs and that virtually all dogs in ADI rescue come from breeders who are not ADI members and therefore do not subscribe to our code of ethics.

Please read on for more information if you are interested in our rescue program.

What Are Rescue Dogs Like?

‘Rescue’ is usually an overstatement. Think of this as more of a re-homing program. We’ve found that most of the dogs entering our rescue service are fine. The problem has been with the people, not the dog—the original owners are often not given enough or correct information about the breed to begin with. Many dogs are simply not adequately socialized and trained, some may have acquired a bad habit or may be better suited for another lifestyle, but they are usually nice dogs. Many can be rehabilitated to become excellent livestock guardians or companions in different situations with different owners.

Occasionally a well-trained, well-behaved Akbash Dog will end up in rescue (eg. owners move or become ill or die), but most of these dogs have a behavioral problem the original owner is not able to deal with. These problems include escaping and wandering, excessive barking, dog aggression, fence-line aggression (often due to barrier frustration), food aggression, dominance issues with owner, killing livestock.

Most of the time, rescue dogs are the same as any other. After the dog has settled into your environment, no one will ever know his background except you. One advantage of rescue dogs is that they have been thoroughly considered by experienced people. If the dog is not suitable for re-homing, he won’t be in our program, or he will be made available with many restrictions and caveats.

Since the majority of rescue dogs are failed companions, they are usually untried as livestock guardians. Many of them do have an aptitude for this type of work and can become good stock dogs when placed with people who have a good understanding of canine behavior, and the time and patience to work with the dog over an extended period of time. Also, such dogs will likely always crave some human companionship. Thus most of these dogs do best if placed into companion type semi-rural or rural homes or as backyard livestock guardian/companion combination homes where they will have plenty of human contact.

The best approach, if you are thinking about adopting a dog, is to consider your own needs, set limits to the range of behaviors that you could accept in a dog, then make those known to our rescue coordinator. From then on, it’s a matter of finding the right match. You may also wish to read about the diversity of personalities in Akbash Dogs. In particular, read Yuri’s Story and Is the Akbash Dog Ideal for You? Then here are a few questions to consider:

• Do you live in a semi-rural or rural area?

•Do you have a large yard?

•Is the yard well-fenced ie. four feet or taller and built so a dog cannot dig or climb out?

•Will the dog be exposed to a lot of frustrating animal and human traffic outside the yard?

•Do you have neighbors who might be disturbed by barking during the day or night?

•Do you have time to socialize and train a dog?

•Can you be a fair and consistent pack leader?

•Do you understand how to use subordination exercises?

•Do you have other dogs, and if so are they the same or opposite sex, intact or altered? Same sex dogs often do not get along, and most Akbash Dogs tend to dominate a pack.

How Does ADI Find New Homes for Dogs?

ADI turns to this web site, you the reader, and our regular membership for leads on good new homes.

ADI does the re-homing in the only way we know that works. Its slow, inefficient, and thorough. We need as much information as possible. We try to learn about the dog, the environment that didn’t work out in the first place, and about the potential new homes available. In this way, we are more likely to find good matches. Doing this requires openness, honesty and patience on the part of the dog’s former owners and possible new owners. When we cannot obtain enough information from e-mail or phone chats, we may try to locate an ADI member who lives in the region, who can evaluate the dog for us.

Should an Akbash Dog appear to be a liability, we would not accept the dog, nor recommend it for re-homing. We do not take chances with the safety of new owners. Anyone accepting a 100+ pound dog into their lives has to be willing to accept certain risks and responsibilities. However, we won’t make matters worse by knowingly sending a likely or probable biter. Our job in the rescue movement is to facilitate the exchange of as much information as possible, so that everyone knows what is happening, what the dog is like, and what to expect. If we are provided with false information, we may pass on bad information. But we do our best to avoid this situation, relying on good, old-fashioned common sense and a lot of talking.

The ideal way to match dogs with new owners would be to have a professionally trained, full-time person with an unlimited expense account, to handle rescues. Or better yet, one of these in each region or part of the world. The reality is that we are a small, all-volunteer group with little money set aside for rescue. We have to find old and new owners who are willing to pay the costs for shipping and any veterinary or other bills that may arise. If this sounds potentially tough, it is. One way to make the job easier is this web site. Please continue reading, to determine if you could help us.

Another service which ADI provides is to prevent rescue situations in the first place. Many an owner has been driven to wanting to get rid of a dog by countless nights of non-stop barking. Nuisance barking, like many other annoying habits, can be corrected. ADI is an excellent source of ideas, knowledge and experience with Akbash Dogs. If an Akbash Dog can be trained to work in his current setting to everyone’s satisfaction, we have one more success story and one less rescue to perform.

Am I Qualified to Take a Rescue Dog?

Rescue dogs usually come as adults. This is not an adoption agency as in the human variety. Most of our adopted dogs are over 18 months of age. If taking on an adult Akbash Dog is possible for you, if you have the skills and environment to offer the dog, then you are qualified. For more details, please read our questionnaire, in which we detail the traits sought in a rescuer.

A couple more thoughts about rescue dogs. They are not intended to be money savers, or easy sources of breeding stock. The costs associated with shipping an adult dog usually compensate for not having to pay for the dog. With few exceptions, ADI insists that adopted dogs be neutered. In this way, we seek to control the gene pool of Akbash Dogs, and to regulate their sales and distribution through our breeders, who work within our stringent code of ethics.

How Can I Help ADI With Rescue of Akbash Dogs?

There are several options, and all of them would be appreciated. First, you could fill out the form, send it to the rescue chair, and take a dog in need of re-homing. If this isn’t an option, perhaps you could temporarily take in dogs from your region that may suddenly need a new home. Or, you could volunteer to visit a dog in a pound or wherever, to help us get a sense of his personality. Finally, you could donate money to ADI specifically for rescue work. In worst case scenarios, dogs come to our attention with medical needs, immediate housing needs, and with little or no background information. In these cases, our volunteers may, at personal expense, drive long distances or pay for veterinary care for dogs they know little about. In these situations, an emergency fund is appreciated.

Our ADI Questionnaire For Adopters

If we are to successfully match new owners with dogs, we need to know a lot about both parties. This form asks many questions of possible adopters. The ideal way to complete the form is to save it to your hard drive, fill it in with a word processor, then send it as an attachment file to our rescue coordinator at: pwolter@cox.net. If this is not possible, please print it, complete the form, and mail it to the rescue chair at: Pat Wolter, 18835 N. 28th St., Phoenix, AZ 85050, USA