My friend adopted a Hound Mix from a last chance rescue last weekend. She is about 18 months old and very submissive. It turns out that this poor thing must have been used for target practice or something.

The vet found a piece or buckshot in her belly and removed it. Then during an xray about 100 bb's (or what looks like bb's) just below her skin. They don't seem to bother her so the vet felt it was OK to leave them.

She was very withdrawn and would immediately go into a down submissive position when approached. That confirms for me that she was definitely abused.

She is great with other animals and seems to love the attention from people. She has not let out a wimper, bark, nothing in 5 days.

Any thoughts?

Well considering it's only been 5 days...i wouldn't be expecting too much from this dog at this point.

It hasn't even grown accustomed to it's surrounding's or new environment yet and generally a dog that is unsure isn't really going to be kickin up a fuss about much of anything.

plus, you never know what went on with the dog before rescue.
could've been it got whacked or worse shot with a bb gun when it would make noise.

People really really tend to rush things with rescues. Tell your friend to concentrate on bonding and helping this new dog get used to whats happening with it's life right now.

Ummmm. So every submissive, withdrawn dog is abused? I hate when people assume this sort of thing. One, it is as likely wrong. Two, it isn't productive for the dog. The only thing it might help is the person if they want to fulfill some saviour complex.

I bred Border Collies in the 80s....working farm dogs, nothing special. Since many BC are submissive, or put on a good show of it whether they are biddable or not, I heard the constant rhetoric...."that dog was abused or it wouldn't be like that" which was obvious BS. The dog was soft or submissive or biddable or whatever but none of them were abused.

Back to your friends hound.
Sounds possible she got buckshot or birdshot. For whatever reason, abuse or to get her out of a bunch of livestock or whatever. So she is carrying around shot.....move on.

On the note of dogs being shot. I have met two in recent years that ran deer and came home gut shot. Both were hyper young dogs(different owners and instances) with little self control and limited training. When they recovered from the surgery from their wounds they were decidedly more mellow and thoughtful dogs. Whether from the being shot or the surgery and confined care afterward, or maybe from the more exclusive and productive attention their owners gave them....who knows.

Withdrawn and quiet hound....count your blessings. In 5 days she isn't showing you her true temperament or behaviours, she is trying to adapt and take in her new surroundings. In a month or so when the honeymoon is over...then see what she is like.

Meantime, I would establish a routine, a nothing in life is free lifestyle to give her some security and establish some trust.

I agree with Wendy and Sonya. Tell your friend to give it more time. It can take awhile for the rescue to get acclimated with his new surroundings/living situation. Our rescue has been with us for almost 3 months and hasn't barked once. He makes whiny noises sometimes and howled one night, but that's it. The most important thing is to remember to be patient. It will pay off in the long run.

When we got our dog he never barked and he was never abused. He came directly from a breeder. He is also extremely shy and in his case it's simply genetic fearfulness and faulty personality.

He started barking after my husband came back from hospital and I had to take him back to the ER the same day for readmission. When I got home that night he was looking for him and barking at me like"where is he? where did you take him?"

Since then he has developed an awful barking habit that we have tried to break for years because he cannot wear a bark collar.

As other people said, tell your friend to count his blessings, at least until they last.

Alec,

If you look under General Health in the forum list there are couple threads about dogs with buck shots.

Good luck!

Sonya..I did not say or even imply that EVERY submissive or withdrawn dog is the victim of abuse. I am saying that (perhaps I should not have used the word definitely) in my experience THIS dog was used for target practice. If you saw the xray and the manor in which this dog reacts when approached you might agree.

You also implied that I might be fulfilling a savior complex. Stressed much??

 Quote: alec garrison

Sonya..I did not say or even imply that EVERY submissive or withdrawn dog is the victim of abuse. I am saying that (perhaps I should not have used the word definitely) in my experience THIS dog was used for target practice. If you saw the xray and the manor in which this dog reacts when approached you might agree.

You also implied that I might be fulfilling a savior complex. Stressed much??

Alec, I didn't mean to imply YOU were fulfilling a savior complex and I apologize for aggrevating you, it was not my intention....you would be the you that RESCUED this ABUSED dog. And the point that you did say definitely did bother me. My point was people who SAVE and RESCUE dogs and then go through this long implication process fabricating a history for a dog seems to me to be about the person not the dog. Then the history of the dog is the reason the dog is allowed to continue in horrid and often dangerous behaviour rather than be trained and brought into line.

I board and groom (and yes, have fostered and rehomed more than my share of dogs over the years)_ and I really do hate people saying they rescue dogs. I have dogs come in to board or groom that bite, are out of control and darn right dangerous and I get a long story about the saving of this poor thing. It is a vile horrid animal that is stressed every minute and dangerous to humanity. How was this a help? Why would you want that in your life? It has to be about the people. So, in that sense I guess I acted on that "stress".

I do stand by how I would deal with this dog. Let it settle and NILIF. Security, Trust and structure should be the concern, not the past or whether it makes noise.

 Quote: sonya gilmore

I really do hate people saying they rescue dogs.

Gettin' way O.T. here, but I have no problem with that.

Our training club rescues dogs, including dogs seized in raids. (Think MV dogs.)

I consider the Save-a-Sato dog whose owner has posted here for socializing and training help to be a rescue. He was a PR dump dog.

Maybe it's just semantics. I have also said here that "I adopt pre-owned dogs."

Hey Simon,

good to hear from you!!! How are things?