Is it common to get back-story on shelter dogs?

Loki...all these people either have crystal balls and are able to tell you everything a dog has gone through in his life, or, more likely, they are "making up" crap as they go along because it is easier to pull the heartstrings on the next martyr who will feel so bad for the "poor, abused, neglected dog" that they will devote their entire lives talking care of it. I have no idea how these stories are being invented or how a grown up with even half a brain believes some of them. It is amazing that when you ask the pound/shelter people about the dog, they have no idea of its previous history, but, they are QUICK to tell you about all the horrible abuse the animal suffered. Hope I helped!

It depends on how the dog came into rescue. If the dog were removed by an ACO due to neglect, there might be a record of complaints & findings. That part about the "signs of being teased or abused " though--unless there was actual evidence, shelters seem quick to jump to that conclusion rather than see that a timid dog is more often a product of poor genetics & no socialization.

Most of the rescues I've dealt with have been owner-surrenders, so we do get some backstory, and can infer some of the rest from the dog's behavior. You can also read a lot between the lines of what the owners tell you. In the case of the dog in question, probably the owners said something to the effect that they'd purchased him from a breeder, perhaps because he didn't turn out as a stud dog or whatever. The rescue would infer that it was a BYB either by looking at the dog or by the owner's description. Then the owner may have described where the dog was kept, or more likely the rescue saw it when they went to pick him up. You get experienced at listening to what the people are saying, and translating that to what they REALLY mean.

Sounds way too detailed to be taken my a regular pound worker. I think you are correct that this story has been embellished by the rescue. From dogs I have pulled directly for the pound only TWO of them had any notes on the intake sheet. 1. Turned in because the dog was too playful 2. Turned in because the people were moving My Akita that I got from a rescue had a brief history with him. Purchased for a teenage kid who wanted a dog, teenage kid went to College, parents gave dog away to friend. Friend let dog lay in side yard where fly strike caused him to lose the tips of both ears, and those people brought dog into the rescue. As you think, I believe the people at the rescue made up a story to go with dogs behavior. The abuse story is almost always bogus, usually it is just a dog with a weak temperament and no socilization.

It's possible, but its also possible that the state shelter gave the current shelter some information that they had and the current shelter filled it in from there. Unless the dog was surrendered by an owner, or somehow taken from the owner, there's really no way that the shelter could know the dog's history, and while some shelters are good ones, I wouldn't put it past other shelters to make something up, especially if the story involves some kind of abuse.

It is common when the dog is surrendered. It is uncommon when it's a stray. There are a lot of dogs who's history are known because the one who knows their history surrenders the dog to the shelter. As for the dog in your question....It is possible that they made up the dogs history but it is also possible that the history is true.

I do breed specific rescue - but for cats. Same principle though. The shelters we work with give us as much information that they have. I have even gotten cats with vet records, if people have surrendered them with them. Many shelters require that the owner fill out a form describing the animal, and those are given to us. I've actually found - in my experience - that they are pretty truthful, because most people really do want their animals to find a good home. Many people can't be bothered though, and the cat is surrendered as a "stray". If an animal is seized due to a cruelty case, the living conditions, etc. are documented in the shelter records. This particular description sounds like the rescue group is making speculation based on what they have observed. That's different than making up a story. The rescue group may know (from the shelter) the background details. Most of them are pretty honest, and if they have enough experience, they are able to fill in many of the unknown details based on that experience.

Most times when I pull one form a shelter we do not get any history and if we do most times it is a lie. They are upset after being kenneled in a shelter environment and so we put them in foster care and give them time to re adjust then I go in and make evaluations and work with the dog on any basics it lacks and manners and such. We work to see how they do with kids, cats, other dogs and such then write up an evaluation and what type home we feel the dog needs. I do think that at times people have invented stories about why the dog behaves that way. I have learned that people lie about all sorts of thing. Most do not matter but they lie any way. And when it involves giving up a dog they lie. Maybe to make themselves feel better about giving up.

LOL Sounds like a made up and speculative story to me. What is common in the rescue community is to embellish and yes, sometimes make up stories to make people want to adopt a particular dog. While usually pretty harmless, sometimes it can backfire on the shelter if the dog actually acts out on one of the "issues" in its supposed backround. We very seldom get any backround info at all with the shelter dogs we pull. Most of the time it is only "owner dumped" and that is what we get. If the shelter does an eval, we usually throw that out the window, as an eval on a stressed and scared animal is not helpful to us and usually not accurate, either. When our group gets owner turn-ins, we can also get incorrect info. Many times the owner makes up things to justify and eliminate their guilt for giving up their dogs, so we can't even use that info. A shelter has very little to go on to write bios, as they cannot observe the animal in a home environment, and many dogs do not do very well in shelters, so the behaviors are magnified. I once adopted a dog from a shelter, and watched the guy do the eval on her. His conclusion was the dog was dog friendly and very calm and obedient/submissive. She bit three people in the first few weeks I had her, and turned out to be fear aggressive, which caused us to hire a behaviorist and to start learning a whole new way to train dogs. I wonder how many times that has happened? I also recently pulled a dog from a rural Missouri shelter. The director told me the dog was aggressive and fearful to men, and would bite. 24 hours after we got him in the house, he was running around with the pack, and kissing both myself and my husband. He has turned out to be a very sweet guy, and his bio is not going to mention anything that the shelter said to me about him. If shelters were completely blunt about a dog's issues at the shelter, many of them would not even have a chance, but I don't think it is right to make up complete fabrications. ETA: Accurate bio that does not mention the idiot parents who gave us this dog because their 8 year old daughter would not take 100% of the responsibility of caring for the dog: ***** was born 2-14-2009.. Natural ears, cropped tail. Current with all her vaccinations,spayed and micro chipped. ***** needs a home with no children under 5yrs old as she is very youngl and a child could easily hurt her. We are looking for a home that is willing to work with ***** as her owners never worked on potty training with her, she is very smart and we have made some progress with her doing her business out side but will occassional forget, so home that has patience and is willing to work with her as she is still a puppy and with time and committment with her she will learn on where she needs to go. ***** is a beautiful girl and is looking for a family that will be patient with her as everything is new to her, a new home new surroundings takes awhile for her to adjust and get familar with everything and everyone. A home that has a lot of goings on would not be a good fit for *****. Since she is young and can be vocal when crated she would not do well in a apratment ,condo or town house as she would distrub the neighbors . We are looking for a home that has a fenced in yard ,is in *****, has the patience to work with a young dog on potty along with some basic dog training, does not have a busy home, no very small children we will consider children over 4 yrs old, children that have been taught to respect animals, not gone for long periods of time. These are all a must for *****. If you think you have the perfect home for ***** please contact me for more information on ***** Made up bio-I happen to know that this dog was not ill, just returned by the adopter because of behavior issues the foster parent did not make them aware of: To those of you who have read ***** bio previously, ***** had pneumonia when his bio was first written. Now that he is well, his personality has changed and his bio has been updated to reflect those changes. *****: Approximately 1-2 yr old black & tan male, neutered, docked tail and cropped ears. 14", 15 lb. Rescued from shelter. Here's *****............ What a lovable boy he is! ***** was turned in as a stray at a shelter and no one came looking for him. He came into rescue with pneumonia and spent a couple days in intensive care, but with some oxygen and a few meds, he was nursed back to health. ***** doesn't act as if he has been abused, but he doesn't act as if he has been loved either. ***** loves to snuggle and lie next to someone and have his belly scratched. He also loves to sleep in bed with a family member, and sleeps very well through the night. "*****" has experienced some separation anxiety and cries when it's crate time, so he would not do well with someone who lives in an apartment, condo, duplex, etc., because it could be disturbing to neighbors. ***** is also protective of his food and chewys, so it would not be wise to allow him treats, such as rawhides that might take him a while to eat. Milkbone and other small treats are fine. He doesn't seem to be protective of toys.....just food. Due to his protective nature, ***** will need to be placed in an adult home or a home with kids 13 and older. Ideally ***** would do best in a home with no other dogs. I have four other minpins at my house and he does fine with three of them, but does not get along with my one minpin who has an alpha personality, like his. However, he loves to play...play....play.....with most dogs, but once play time is over, he is ready to be "King of the Castle" again. So it would be nice for ***** to be a single dog, but have a playmate/neighbor dog/cousin dog/etc., to play with from time to time. It is important to keep him socialized with other dogs. ***** has a lot of good qualities and although he has an alpha personality with other alpha dogs, he is very lovable towards humans. He loves to be kissed on the neck and I can feel him press his face against my lips for more kisses! ***** is very deserving of a wonderful home and it will be a win-win situation for both him and the right home. If you think you would be a good home for *****, please email his foster mom below and let her know what kind of home you can provide.