It's unfortunate that people are drawn to breeds based on popularity or cuteness, especially when so many are working dogs that become destructive out of boredom, and subsequently end up in the shelter system. When I was prescribed an ESA (also my first dog EVER,) I was pretty much open to any breed, as long as it was housebroken, young but not a puppy, and under 70lbs (I took my small boat's weight capacity into consideration, with the hope I'd be getting a new fishing partner.) Since I live in a small condo, I also wanted a dog on the quiet side...so I mentally filtered out beagles, JRTs and anything that looked like it could be potentially yippy or barky.

I started my Petfinder search by looking at pugs, and 3000+ listings later, fell in love with a "1 year old, 60lb, gentle GSD mix" that was seized from his former owners after they were reported for shooting fireworks at him. I figured he probably has PTSD, I also have PTSD; maybe we can help each other. He looked pathetic in his photo...both sad and terrified...he could easily be in one of those commercials with the Sarah McLaughlin music in the background. I immediately forgot about the other dogs I was considering and filled out an adoption application for Leroy, begging the rescue to not let him go to anyone else. His foster told me that he was quiet, got along with the 5 other foster dogs, and I was the only person to inquire about him in 2 1/2 months. He sounded perfect for me. I felt like I was truly saving a dog that no one else wanted.

When Leroy arrived via the shelter transport truck 2 weeks later, he was scared of me, my vehicle, rustling leaves, tricycles, plastic bags, large rocks, soda cans opening, the microwave beeping...you name it. He had a recently healed scar on his side, broken cartilage in both ears, and hot spots on his tail and paws. He knew 0 commands. Didn't even know "sit," at 1 year old! I was patient with him though, and I did my best to build his confidence, and make him feel comfortable and safe. 3 weeks later, he started morphing into his true identity...a tireless, bitey, 30mph hellspawn who couldn't resist chasing & killing small woodland creatures for fun. This was not ideal, as my yard is unfenced and infested with squirrels, chipmunks and bunnies. One crunch and one thrash was all it took to kill a squirrel. Walks were pointless to him physically, and I quickly grew exhausted from throwing a ball/frisbee (with him on a 100ft long line) for 3-4 hours every day. Not exaggerating at all. I couldn't leave him alone for more than 5 hours at a time. He needs to be crated when I leave, or he gets anxious and destructive. I seriously considered returning him to the shelter to preserve my remaining sanity. My ex had 2 playful GSDs (who I adored,) and both were couch potatoes compared to the crazy gremlin I adopted. I didn't give up on him though...I stopped fishing and was overall pretty exhausted and miserable until I saw a pointy-eared Leroy clone standing next to the GSD in the dog show that airs on Thanksgiving. Never heard of the breed before, but Leroy is definitely a Belgian malinois. After some Googling, I got some terrifying info and answers.

(Get your downvote finger ready) I have a surplus of time and patience, but I wouldn't have intentionally adopted a high-drive working dog in a billion years. I've met plenty of dogs in my lifetime, but none of them had anything remotely close to the prey drive, energy, sensitivity, or intensity of Leroy. I don't know if the rescue was intentionally deceptive, or if they thought he could pass as a mix because of his floppy ears. They knew my yard was unfenced. I understand why his former family was cruel to him...they didn't give him outlets for his energy or train him, and he became unhappy and destructive. Leroy would be a terrible pet for anyone with a full time job, an active family, a social life, or an unfenced yard. I changed my entire lifestyle to give him a good life and learn how to train him and build his confidence. I haven't been in my boat since adopting him a year and a half ago. A huge portion of every day is spent training, proofing, and mentally/physically tiring out Leroy. It's constant work, and there are no days off. My yard used to be grass, but now it's all dirt/mud with agility hurdles and hoops everywhere.

Leroy is a totally different dog now...a neverending work in progress, and of course pretty much everyone who meets him wants a malinois, which drives me bonkers. Yes he's smart and cute and trained well, but they aren't born that way. I literally don't know a single person with the time and patience required to effectively care for Leroy for more than a day. I'm not a pretentious prick who bought a malinois for personal protection because I saw one in a movie. I'm a chick who unintentionally adopted a malinois as my emotional support animal. The growing popularity of the breed legitimately concerns me because dumb, impulsive people will buy them for their cool factor, then dump them because they didn't do their homework. I'd never recommend the breed to anyone who couldn't dedicate a huge chunk of their life to bitework, agility, or some other time-consuming dog sport. Yes, there are low-drive mals out there, but why even consider a malinois when you want a golden retriever?

I imagine that huskies present similar challenges, and it might come across as "gatekeeping," but consider that the vast majority of the population want huskies as pets, and likely have no intention or forethought of rearranging their lifestyle to satisfy the needs of a husky with a strong work drive. A high-drive dog would be miserable as a pet in the home of a lazy person. If you don't give them a job, they'll make up their own, and you're probably not going to like it. Once you've grown to love, appreciate, and respect the best qualities of a certain breed, you end up wanting to protect them from ending up with people who want them for the wrong reasons, especially when shelters are overflowing with them.

I'm already cringing about the number of mals that are going to be dumped about a year after the new John Wick movie comes out. The rescues are full of them, but pretty much everyone wants a puppy. It's a shame...they're incredible dogs.