I fall into the "stupid human" category.

Back in my younger days my wife trained to be an Animal Health Technician. They worked with strays, and at the end of the school year they had an event to find the animals homes.

The animals not adopted out at the end of the day typically went home with a student, since the other option was sending them back to the shelter.

That's how I got my first and only dog. He and his sister had been strays, and he was apparently the problem child of group.

I found myself reading a lot about dogs, and trying to apply that information. But book learning doesn't always translate into working knowledge, and while dogs aren't people, they're certainly individuals - one size fits all does not fit all.

Among his (many) bad habits were getting loose and nipping at heels. We were in the process of building a run for him so we could continue getting our mail - he had been getting out and going after the mail carrier - when he managed to escape yet again.

Not his fault, of course. If there was a way out, he was going to find it.

But this time, he headed for the local park, and got hit by a car. My very pregnant wife found him in the street, and had to load him into the car and take him to the vet, where he was put down because of his injuries.

All of which is to say: Kudos to you. Not an easy job, and not everyone can do it. Even one rescue makes a difference.

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?