The ASPCA is attempting to help conquer a dog's sense of being afraid. The Associated Press first reported on March 13 that a lot of dogs have such fear that euthanasia is the only option.
Now the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ will attempt to put those 'fears' to rest.
The two year project funded by the ASPCA will provide a six to eight week treatment to dogs from shelters and animal seizure cases. These dogs are sometimes in such dire straits regarding their fear of anything and anyone that they are not able to be adopted. Dogs seized from puppy mills and hoarders will be the primary patients.
Some dogs involved in court cases that have been held for a long period of time will also be the first patients as well.
The facility is a new experiment and no one actually knows how well the dogs will fare. Ten people including two behavior experts from St. Hubert's will be the staff and volunteers will assist with feeding and cleaning.
Once dogs graduate from this new facility treatment, they will return to a shelter for a new home and the ASPCA will continue to assist dog owners if needed.
Over a half million dollars were spent building the new facility and the ASPCA will fund all aspects including medical treatment.
The first dogs will hopefully arrive this week from the Pacific Northwest.
The dogs arriving will be the last of 213 Alaskan malamutes seized from a Montana breeder who was convicted in December, 2012 of 91 counts of animal cruelty. The dogs were kept for 16 months during the trial.
The dogs have been at a humane society in Helena, MT where some of them have found homes.
Some dogs will not succeed in overcoming their fears and euthanasia will only be considered as a last resort.
There will be an allotment of 400 dogs in this study and if all goes well, who knows? This may be a solution for many fearful dogs including fighting dogs and cats.
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