Short version: I couldn't recommend more strongly that adopters look elsewhere after CBR's handling of a bite incident involving a dog we adopted from them. After we informed them that our dog had hurt our 2-year-old son, their response was callous, shaming, and revealed dangerous patterns about how they disclose the behavioral histories of their dogs. This org has a problematic reputation in the dog rescue community. Prospective adopters should research it before engaging.
Long Version: We adopted a GSD/bully mix from CBR in late 2020. Things were going quite well with training and acclimating her to our home. We were vigilant about exercise and training, as mental and physical stimulation is important for herding breeds. Unfortunately, after many months without incident, our dog showed a sudden and distressing level of aggression toward our 2-year-old son.
We are not novice dog owners. We understand that the triggers between children and dogs can be subtle. In this case, however, our son was playing with his mother on the other side of the room when our dog charged and bit him on the face. Fortunately, the bite didn't require stitches, but had it been an inch higher or lower he might have lost an eye.
Our dog continued to show aggression toward our child over the next couple days. We were forced to separate them and muzzle our dog, which was heartbreaking. After consulting our vet, family, and friends who volunteer for pitbull rescue organizations, we realized we couldn't risk further injury; we would have to rehome our pup.
I'm a lifelong dog lover, and never in a million years did I think I'd be in a position to surrender one. But in this case, if our dog had maimed our child, we wouldn't have forgiven ourselves - nor should we have.
When we reached out to CBR to let them know of our decision, to say they were callous would be an understatement. They denied that the bite could've happened as we said; their view was that "dogs don't bite unprovoked", which in itself showed a stunning lack of understanding of the way dog genetics and early experiences can shape behaviors.
They also suggested that we were obligated to keep the dog in our home "per [our] contract." We let them know our decision was final as we could not risk our son's safety. But, despite their inappropriate response to what was becoming a dangerous situation for our family, we wanted to be thoughtful partners in the rehoming process and were available to discuss on the phone.
Of course, they never took us up on our multiple offers to discuss the details of the bite incident on the phone, nor hear about our overall experience with our dog (which had been mostly wonderful). They sent a cursory survey that we were happy to fill out. And, after an odd degree of reluctance, they agreed to let our dog stay with our trainer until she found a permanent home.
This is where it gets ugly.
Hours after I'd dropped our dog off with the trainer, CBR wrote a public shaming post about us on their Instagram account. It was a punitive and deeply mean-spirited act that, to this day, I do not understand. Worse, the post was riddled with manipulations of the truth and outright lies.
To highlight the main ones:
- They described the incident as a "nip", which is a dangerous misrepresentation. I would later learn that this is their m.o. Bite incidents are swept under the rug and future owners pay the price, including one gruesome situation involving a foster that prospective adopters should Google.
- In an effort to saddle us with blame for the bite, CBR said the dog "had been with the same family throughout puppyhood". In fact, we were her fourth home. Including two previous fosters and her place of birth, where she and her littermates were found under a car in such bad condition that several died. Those are early-puppyhood experiences that can shape future future behaviors. Needless to say, CBR didn't share this history with us - we later learned it from a foster.
- Their stated reason for writing the IG post was "accountability and transparency." That would be easier to believe if they hadn't *liked* multiple posts that insulted us, literally calling us "stupid" for our decision to rehome. We screenshotted these likes for posterity in case there's any question.
I want to be clear about one thing: we do not blame CBR in any way for the bite incident. Dogs can be unpredictable. Especially those with difficult histories. But CBR's lack of integrity - and understanding of dogs - in dealing with our situation is a massive red flag for any org that claims to be an advocate for bully breeds.
There were warning signs throughout the adoption process. Unfortunately, we didn't heed them. Instead of taking my word for it, I suggest you talk to bully fosters and other rescue organizations about CBR's history. If we'd done this due diligence on the front end, it would have saved us some pain. read more
