Dave’s Story

Helping to save dogs has become a major part of my life over the last 10+ years.

Prior to that time, I had dogs in my life as pets, but I never really learned much about them other than that they made great companions. This changed during 2009 and 2010 when my job as a technology consultant put me on the road for long periods of time. I spent many nights in hotel rooms where I would watch TV to take my mind off the challenge of helping my clients, and I stumbled upon a show called “The Dog Whisperer” with Cesar Milan. This show opened my eyes to what could be done to help dogs learn the rules of human society and to help people understand their dogs.

I know now that Cesar Milan is not the most respected person in the dog training field and that many of his practices are controversial and are considered by some to be inhumane. But what I saw watching Cesar address and improve the behavior of dogs and owners whose lives were miserable, was a revelation that I could not ignore.

When our beloved, The Mighty Thor, Dog Of Thunder, succumbed to a fast moving lymphoma I could not bear to fill the void he left in any way other than as a volunteer at an animal shelter.

Quickly I became aware of how many lovely animals were being subjected to shelter life or euthanasia. Quickly I learned how often dogs were being surrendered because of behavior problems that were easily addressed.
Quickly I learned how many dogs made their way to the shelter because of very challenging but still addressable behaviors.

A little education for the owners, a small amount of training for the dog, maybe regular training sessions for the dog and owner together could save so many dogs.

In my next post, I’ll describe some of the things I’ve learned while enriching the lives of dogs at the shelter and in my home using simple techniques that anyone can do, and that many should do with their dogs if they want to have Happy Dogs In Happy Homes.

Your friend, Dave Caffo…

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