When muzzles are awesome

This is Julie, one of my pups. She is a happy, playful, snuggly little girl. She looks into my eyes eager to know what we are doing next and ready to follow my guidance. She loves life, wags during most of her waking moments, and is the part-mountain-goat extra-agile trouble-maker I mentioned in an earlier post. Julie is a treasure!

However, my girl is also a rescue pup. She comes from an unknown situation (in the kill shelter from which she was pulled she was marked as a "stray"). Julie was at the very least under-socialized and neglected and her behavior tells me she may very well have been mistreated by people. Julie startles easily, she is scared of strangers (especially men), and her response is to growl and lunge at them in self-defense. We are working on all of this but progress takes time and lots and lots of positive experiences. In the meantime, though, Julie needs to interact with strangers in some less than comfortable situations. Like at the vet's.

We go to a wonderful, skilled, caring, and very professional vet. She has helped us through a variety of routine and potentially life-threatening circumstances. And yet, however much time our vet spends calming Julie down and giving her awesome treats, my pup does not want to be touched by the doctor and will attempt to bite. I sincerely get it. My sweet girl in a scary situation, among smells that likely remind her of the shelter, with a stranger trying to lay hands on her. Julie likely has a powerful memory of strangers' hands being a source of pain. So during the hands-on part of the exam, we use a soft muzzle. I put it on Julie myself and then hold my pup in my arms so she is gently cradled but secure from doing the nice doctor harm. The muzzle comes off when the hands-on part is done, Julie receives lots of treats to make up for the experience, and she gets to have proper vet care. All is well. Were we not using the muzzle, I am not even sure how the exam would have to go but I am willing to bet it would be much more traumatic for all of us involved.

I know that some of the dogs we post on AAI's page have pictures in which they are wearing a regular or make-shift muzzle as they are first taken to the vet. Over time, people have expressed concern about that. I'd like to encourage everyone to consider the circumstances under which rescue efforts often take place. The dog is already homeless and has likely suffered at the hands of humans on the streets and therefore might not trust them much at all (and rightfully so). The pup is injured, scared, and in pain. Even the most docile pets often become aggressive in such situations, it's simply survival instinct. And the rescuers are needing to touch/ carry/ transport this scared injured animal for whom they are just strangers. If I was in pain and giant creatures looking exactly like the ones that just hurt me were putting their hands on me and taking me somewhere... I'd probably bite too!

So next time you see a muzzle being used, I encourage you to examine the circumstances and not assume that the pup is being mistreated. It may very well be that the pup, just like my Julie, is very loved and cared for, and the muzzle is the safest way to actually provide them with the treatment they need. In the hands of caring, gentle individuals, muzzles can be awesome.