12/21/2025
Imagine if you couldn't go to the bathroom or eat your breakfast unless you performed a set of jumping jacks for another person.
Sounds a bit arbitrary and unethical doesnt it?
Welfare isn't about forcing them to "obey."
Its about understanding the true drivers of behavior.
Its about understanding their experience, and finding ways to support shelter dogs through this challenging phase in their life.
Helping them find peace, joy, and safety, and comfort.
Shelter life is already hard enough. I know of very little humans who could cope well in these environments, let alone animals who don't understand what is happening to them.
This isn't to say that we throw learning out the window,
It is simply to help us reflect and consider how much we are asking of them instead of meeting them where they are.
