Friday, May 18, 2012

Bulldogs for Bullies

Last night Where's Your Sit? was proud to be a part of the Bulldogs for Bullies fundraiser for Alberta Bulldog Rescue. 



Jade Robertson sits on the Board of Directors for the rescue as the Vice President and takes an active role in event planning, behaviour assessments and training for all of the bulldogs currently in care and after they have been adopted. 

The fundraiser came at a crucial time for the rescue because we have two very sick bulldogs in care currently. Goose, an English Bulldog needs a surgery to remove a tumour and Angel, a little Frenchie is suffering from issues with her pancreas. 



Rescue takes a lot of time and can be exceptionally difficult at times but it's well worth while. It's really important for dogs in rescue to be provided with training and a behaviour assessment. I strongly discourage families from adopting when this has not been provided. 

Behaviour assessments are important because they help fit the dog into the right foster home as well as the right adoptive home for him/her to improve and work on key issues. I check dogs for concerns with handling, strangers, collar grabs, resource guarding (food and toys) and meeting dogs. When a dog has a "red flag" or a concern we know that this particular dog needs to work on that before being adopted. Just like a vet should check whether the dog is healthy or not and medical concerns should be addressesd before being adopted. 


Alberta Bulldog Rescue also enrolls our foster dogs in training classes and when necessary private training. We work on an assortment of skills including:
  • Focus around distractions
  • Basic obedience skills including sit, down, stand, leave it, stay, walking on leash and recall
  • Confidence Boosting around strangers, dogs, new things
  • Socialization and playing appropriately with other dogs
  • House and crate training

These skills are crucial to an adoptive dog staying in his/her new home. 


Bulldogs for Bullies was a huge success and I strongly encourage everyone to check out Alberta Bulldog Rescue if they are considering a bulldog or would like to volunteer their time.

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