My name is Pita. I am a rescue dog. That means that someone loved me enough to give me a loving home. My Dad and Mom found out a little bit about me. I was let to run loose. I might have been abandoned because they heard that the idiots who had me before moved away. They were mean to me, I am still terrified of spray bottles. But you can read more about me by going Here.

What I would like to talk to you about is adopting a shelter pet. A lot of people think that dogs are sent to shelters because there is something wrong with them. That's not usually the case. Sue Sternberg, president of Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption, a privately run shelter in rural Accord, New York, says that her shelter receives more dogs because of overpopulation and owners ignorance and financial problems than behavioral problems.

When there are behavioral problems, it is usually due to the lack of housetraining or even basic training. A dog that does not get enough exercise can be destructive because they are bored. These problems are not the dog's fault. The person who brought them home did not know what they were doing or didn't put any effort into training them. What else is a dog to do when left alone all day with nothing to do and all that energy built up? And when I have to go, I have to GO. If you don't train me to go outside, I am going to go somewhere and that usually means inside.

Thinking that a shelter dog is damaged or abused and will need time to heal and therefore shouldn't be trained right away is also a mistake. You should start off your relationship with your new pet the same as you would with any others. Dogs live for "now." They don't carry around emotional baggage like we do. If there are emotional scars from abuse, they will eventually show up and you can deal with them. As I said earlier, I am still terrified of spray bottles. I can't tell mom or dad why, I don't even really remember, I just know that when mom uses a spray bottle anywhere around me, I get scared. She has tried to get me over this, and most of the time I don't even notice anymore but I still have my moments.

Start training right away, being patient as you would with any pet. Mom and Dad use a clicker. It tells me when I do something right so I don't have to guess. They are still training me, I am still learning new things. They started teaching me signs for each thing as well as a word. Now I can do everything they want by looking at their signs. That came in handy when I temporarily lost my hearing when I had ear troubles. I got it back thank goodness but if I hadn't, I would still be able to tell what they wanted.

Just like children, dogs deserve to have clear limits and positive training from the beginning. Rules and routines should be established before the new dog arrives. Dogs do best with consistent rules, confident owners and training that's positive and fun. The more good behaviors your dog learns, the less inclined it will be to engage in bad behaviors. Try to catch your dog being good-as often as possible and reward that behavior. You'll soon find your dog offering more and more good behavior.

Don't underestimate your shelter pet. What they need most is someone to teach them proper behavior. If you aren't willing to spend the time then you don't need a pet from anywhere.

A NOTE FROM MOM - I can't begin to tell how good I feel whenever I look at my little Pita and know what I saved her from. It's a feeling that goes so deep. When you rescue a dog, you feel like you rescued yourself. I can't help thinking of the people who had this baby before and how much I want something done to them like what they did to her. But I have to let that go and just feel good that she isn't with them anymore. She is with US and is OUR little Pita girl.