On FaceBook, I follow two breed-specific rescue groups: The Malinois Rescue Ranch, and the Malinois & Dutch Shepherd Rescue, Re-home and Adoption. Now, some people may take offense to the fact that there are breed-specific rescues, but there's something about these two (and others that rescue the same breed(s)) that divide them from the rest. The offended parties might say something along these lines:
"I don't think it's fair that breed-specific rescue groups discriminate against other dog breeds. They all deserve to be saved."
Now, let's review that statement. Firstly, all dogs do deserve to be saved and deserve to have a home and a loving family. There's no question about it. However, for those of you who know, have worked, and understand just what the Belgian malinois and Dutch shepherd are you realize just how important these breed-specific rescues play in helping these breeds as a whole. The Belgian malinois is a high-driven dog that loves to bite. Correction. They are bred to bite. Don't misunderstand me, these dogs don't necessarily bite out of malice or with ill-intent (though if in the wrong hands, they certainly can learn to bite with something similar to that motive). Malinois bite because it's genuinely fun for them. Since dogs are related to the wolf, they have this instinct that drives them to hunt, and well...biting is often involved in hunting prey. When you see a dog chase a ball, tug, toy, they are playing not in the sense that we would understand it; but rather, they are chasing down and catching prey. What many people don't know, or are at least ill-informed of, is that the Belgian malinois is a lot of dog. Some people will describe them as being "German Shepherds on crack," and even I find that to be an understatement. These are dogs that will easily run you over if you don't know what you're doing--and it's very easy to make that mistake even if you've owned dogs your entire life. This type of dog is one that won't hesitate to give you a taste of your own medicine if they feel they've been wrongly punished/corrected. Even some of the best professional malinois-owners have been bitten by their own malinois.
The Dutch shepherd is very similar to the malinois; however, they are more likely to not be as trigger happy with the biting. I've heard the Dutch shepherd described as "having the drive of a malinois but the mind of a German Shepherd," meaning that the Dutch shepherd is just as crazy and high energy as the malinois, but is less likely to "bite first and ask questions later." A malinois would probably follow a ball off a cliff, but a Dutch shepherd would stop at the edge. Of course, most Dutch shepherds nowadays are cross-bred with the malinois (as seen in KNPV lines), so it's best to be on the safe side and keep your guard up. They are just as crazy, driven, and bitey as their fawn-colored counterparts--as I have experienced with my own dutchie (a nickname we call our Dutch shepherds).
Now, back to the original question: Is it wrong for there to be a breed-specific rescues? In my opinion, of course not! And let me tell you why.
Not everyone is informed about breeds like these two, nor are they equipped with right tools to handle one. So many times do I see people posting about a malinois or a dutch shepherd at a local shelter needing to be saved because it is on the list to be euthanized--for reasons like being reactive in a kennel, biting, etc. The malinois and Dutch shepherd are dogs that can be super reactive when there is a lot of pressure put on them. The evaluation tests that most of these local shelters conduct is done at their building and in the kennel. This is not very fair to reactive breeds like these two, nor do they give an accurate behavior test. So, to put down a dog because they may "seem and act" aggressive--but under the direction of someone who is not familiar with the breed, is simply unfair and wrong. So, to echo some of my anti-breed-specific-rescue viewers, all dogs are meant to be saved. And all dogs deserve a chance at a second life. Even the "aggressive" ones--I'm sorry, let me rephrase that, "the dogs that are seemingly aggressive, but are evaluated by people who label them as good dog/bad dog." Don't get me wrong here, there are definitely dogs out there that NEED to be put down. For some dogs, aggression is in their DNA. That means that no matter how much training you put into that dog, you will never be able to "cure" their aggression; only control and maintain it. Just because you take that dog to a professional trainer, and that dog doesn't show any aggression, doesn't mean that the dog can't/won't display aggression ever again. Working dogs like the Belgian malinois, Dutch shepherd, and working-line German Shepherds are prone to genetic-aggression because there are so many people out there who just don't breed right (i.e. breeding for a "guard dog--if I ever hear someone say "guard dog" they're most likely an amateur who doesn't really know dogs). There is no excuse for not knowing about a breed. So many shelters misidentify dogs as being malinois because they've seen one--every fawn-colored dog that has relatively pointed ears and a black face is suddenly a malinois. And every brindled-colored dog that has relatively pointed ears and a somewhat narrow muzzle is a dutch. Clearly, someone has seen what a malinois and Dutch shepherd are--but they don't take the time to get to know the breed? Sorry, that's still no excuse. Because that label not only affects the life of that dog, but also the life of the family that it's adopted into.
At the end of the day, these breed-specific rescue groups are needed because they're run by people who know the breed. They know the ins and outs, the quirks, etc. They're people who've not only owned dogs their entire life, but they've owned that breed. And the best thing about groups like the Malinois Rescue Ranch and the Malinois & Dutch Shepherd Rescue, Rehome and Adoption, is that they take in "aggressive" cases and dogs that have a bite history! You want to know why they'd do something crazy like that? Because they know that breed. They know how to handle cases like that, and they know how to manage those behaviors. And in most cases, they're the ones who save dogs because they're the dogs that get put down first. Many people think it's the old dogs, and while that may be true in some cases, the ones who are "aggressive" precede them.
And one last thing before I end this post. Breed-specific rescues are a great way for people who've never owned a specific breed but are interested in getting one. In fact, many people who are interested in getting a malinois, but have had no experience owning one, are often recommended to adopt one from a malinois rescue group. The chances of getting the malinois that would fit them are much better than having to start from ground zero with a maligator puppy and risk having a dog that is too much for them--and then inevitably having to get rid of that dog. I see a lot of those posts as well: "I have to rehome my malinois because he's too much for our family to handle."
All I'm gonna say is, when I get a dog, it's for keeps. Dogs, or any pet for that matter, are not an accessory or toy. You don't get to just get rid of them or dump them somewhere just because they don't your lifestyle or whatever reason (moving seems to also be a popular one). But that's just me. Larka, my white shepherd mix, was adopted once before I got to her--and she's not the only rescue dog who has had that story.
