A Shelter Rescue With a Happy Ending and a Caution

Two Shelter Rescue Dogs Face a Hidden Risk in Their Happy Forever Home!

These two delightful shelter rescue dachshund puppies could not be happier!  Although they are shy at first, they soon respond to the love showered on them by their new “parents”.  They have toys and beds and walks and hugs.  They can run and play and find a soft place to nap when they need a rest.

But these kind and loving owners are unintentionally putting their shelter rescue dogs at serious risk with the hidden danger in one of the toys you see featured in the video.

Can you spot the toy and do you know why it is potentially harmful to dogs?

If you said it is the laser pointer toy you are absolutely correct.  On the surface, the dogs seem to be having lots of fun.  Dogs are predators by nature and take great pleasure in chasing movement. This especially true of hound breeds like the dachshund who are bred to hunt.

But what if the prey they are chasing is just an illusion and impossible to catch?  They never experience the closure of catching the toy and playing with it.  Compare this to a game like fetch where the chase results in catching a real toy.  Whether or not he retrieves the toy back to his owner, the dog enjoys the mental closure of catching what he is chasing.

Dogs love games and so do people.  Every time we play games with our dogs, we are teaching them how to relate to us.  But if the game leaves the person out of the loop and sends the dog after an impossible dot of light darting randomly across surfaces, we are setting the dog up for failure.

Be advised! Animal behavior experts warn that the use of a laser pointer pet toy can be damaging to a dog or cat.