Читать книгу Pit Bulls For Dummies - D. Caroline Coile - Страница 24

The mid-1980s saw the birth of the no-kill shelter movement, in which the goal was to end euthanasia of any adoptable pet. To be labeled a no-kill shelter, a shelter must only euthanize terminally ill or obviously dangerous pets, and these euthanizations can make up no more than 90 percent of their shelter population. No-kill shelters may be eligible for funding and grants that other shelters are not, and they tend to receive far more support from the public.

Unfortunately, in an effort to keep that 90 percent adoption rate, some no-kill shelters resorted to refusing to accept less adoptable dogs (such as Pit Bulls), hiding the breed of some dogs (such as Pit Bulls) to make them more adoptable, not disclosing behavioral problems such as aggression, or transferring “problem dogs” to other shelters, which may then, in turn, transfer them again and again.

These practices have resulted in a great increase in attacks by dogs adopted from shelters. Between 1858 and 2010, only five fatalities were attributed to adopted shelter dogs (two of those from wolf hybrids). Since 2010, shelter dogs have killed 45 people; of those, 32 were killed by Pit Bulls. Shelters are now being sued for irresponsibly adopting out some dogs in which they failed to disclose a history of aggression.

The increased public pressure to adopt rather than shop, along with neutering and spaying, has had the desirable effect of greatly reducing shelter dog populations, to the point that many shelters in some parts of the country now import shelter dogs (either from other parts of the United States or foreign countries). But despite the efforts of Pit Bull advocacy groups, Pit Bulls tend to be the last dogs to be adopted. Some shelters have only Pit Bulls left. Overpopulation is still a real thing when it comes to Pit Bulls. Nobody wants to euthanize healthy dogs, but some government-run shelters now won’t adopt out any Pit Bulls because of liability issues.

Other shelters have resorted to “empty the cages” days, in which dogs, including Pit Bulls, are offered at heavy discounts or for free. For-profit rescue groups often turn down Pit Bulls because they can’t charge the high adoption fees they can charge for other dogs, especially small ones. But giving away dogs is not the way to match people and dogs. And sadly, too many people get a free or cheap dog on a whim, and give the dog up just as easily. The Pit Bull overpopulation continues to be a problem without a solution in sight.