Well Meaning Rescuers are Damaging the Pit Bull Breed

I try very hard to avoid bashing the work that other rescue groups are doing. I know that I don’t want to be hung out to dry for my opinions about things, and the way we run Mended Hearts. There’s usually a lot more to the story than what appears on the surface, so some of our decisions may not make sense to the casual observer.

However, there’s one area where I and other Pit Bull rescuers cannot keep silent. It’s absolutely CRUCIAL given the recent damage to this breed’s reputation by careless owners that rescuers understand the correct temperament of a Pit Bull type dog. There are rescuers out there who are doing more harm than good by allowing Pit Bull type dogs with behaviors that belie an incorrect temperament to be placed for adoption.

Now, I realize that we can’t be certain of the breed of a rescue dog. There are breed standards that most Pit Bull rescuers are familiar with, but frankly, many breeds begin to look suspiciously like Pit Bulls as they continue to produce mixed breed offspring. However, would the average person say the dog is a Pit Bull – then it will probably be labeled as one. Annoying, but what do you do?

A correctly temperamented Pit Bull is very human friendly. As I like to tell people, there are no strangers to my dog Joe. Everyone is his best buddy upon introduction. Doubt me? I invite you over. He may pee on your shoes he’ll be so excited to meet you. He may lunge at you in his overzealous effort to rub himself against your legs, but he will never lunge at you in an aggressive manner.

A correctly temperamented Pit Bull has a high bite inhibition. I hardly ever see Pit Bull type dogs fail a ressource guarding assessment. Most are so eager to please ANY human, they will give up the resource with very little stimulation. I’ve had my hands on hundreds of Pit Bull type dogs in the last few years – poking them with needles and microchip implanters, clipping their nails, jamming dewormer down their throats – and I’ve never been bitten by one (I have been nailed by a chihuahua and a doxie).

Pit Bull advocates who have worked tirelessly to change the public perception of these amazing dogs are having their work undermined by well-meaning rescuers who just don’t get it. These “Pit Bull advocates” are further DAMAGING the breed’s reputation by putting incorrectly temperamented dogs up for adoption. Worse – they are putting people at risk of being hurt.

I know they love this breed. I do too. It absolutely kills me when I have to euthanize a Pit Bull because it shows a low bite inhibition or isn’t well socialized towards humans. Yes, it’s the fault of HUMANS that these dogs are incorrectly temperamented and display inappropriate behavior (come back tomorrow for a post about the difference). Humans failed them by breeding them poorly, and socializing them poorly, and now these dogs have to pay the ultimate price. Placing them on the adoption floor isn’t helping them. It’s creating a dangerous situation which can further damage the breed as a whole.

Bashing the Animal Welfare Alliance

I recently read a blog post that was a thinly veiled criticism of the Indianapolis Animal Welfare Alliance. Essentially the blog post suggested that IAWA was nothing more than a publicity stunt by the Humane Society of Indianapolis.

While it’s true that the IAWA has no physical outcomes since it’s inception (i.e. the desired spay/neuter center in Fountain Square), I’m fairly certain that wasn’t the only vision for the organization. Rather, IAWA was intended to create a community of collaboration between the various animal welfare groups within Indianapolis. The point was to highlight that all animal welfare organizations are essentially working towards the same common goal – to reduce the number of homeless pets in Indianapolis through means other than euthanasia.

The Alliance came together to agree on a set of common goals for the animals of Indianapolis, and each member organization looks for opportunities to achieve these goals through their own mission and efforts.

For example – this year, Indy Pit Crew hosted the “Adoption Carni-Bull”, aimed at increasing the number of Pit Bull type dogs adopted from the city shelter (IACC) and local rescue groups. The goal of the event was to engage the public in a fun way to dispel the myths about Pit Bull type dogs. There were dogs from all 3 local rescues who actively place Pit Bulls (Mended Hearts Indy, ARPO and Casa Del Toro) as well as from Indy Humane, IACC, and Morgan County Humane Society. The event drew a significant crowd and led to at least 2 adoptions. The event spawned from IACC’s recognition that it could not increase overall shelter adoptions without addressing a major issue – the low adoption rate of Pit Bull type dogs, a group that represents 30-40% of the shelter population. Adam Garrett, the volunteer coordinator at IACC, reached out to me, and the idea for the event was born. It was such a success that it’s planned to become an annual event.

The level of communication between IAWA members has increased substantially, leading to an overall win for the animals. Another example – an email plea was recently sent from an IAWA member regarding a litter of unweaned kittens at Nora Vet Clinic. Within an hour, Humane Society of Indianapolis responded that they had a lactating momma whose kittens were old enough to be weaned, and the cat was transported to the vet clinic. Collaboration and communication allowed these kittens to have the best possible chance at a long, healthy life.

True change takes time. With a city plagued by numerous facets to its homeless animal problem, there’s no one answer that will solve all of the city’s problems. The organizations I see bashing the alliance are groups that won’t even take a seat at the table. Instead, they want to sit on the sidelines and point fingers, while the rest of us are in the trenches, saving lives and doing the best we can with the resources we have, while trying to plan for a different future for the animals of Indianapolis.

Valuing Cats

I’ve written in the past that I refuse to “discount” adoption fees because I feel that it sends the wrong message about the value of animals.

I’ve had to eat my words a bit.

Mended Hearts Indy primarily rescues dogs but we often have a handful of cats available for adoption as well. Cats are a real challenge. The majority of the 10,000 animals a year that are euthanized in Indianapolis are cats – I’ve heard as much as 60%. Let’s face it – people just don’t value cats the same way they value dogs.

I spoke to a gentleman recently who was referred to me by a Twitter follower. We had just rescued a litter of 4 kittens. When I told him our adoption fee was $75, he sputtered “I don’t want to pay for a kitten. There are plenty of free ones.”

It’s true. According to Maddie’s Fund, 65% of people get their cats from “free to good home” ads, and another 20% are acquired as found strays.

The problem for Mended Hearts is that we’re a tiny, foster home based rescue. Our $75 adoption fee BARELY covers the cost of basic vetting (including spay/neuter) for the animal. For cats taken in as strays, our vet costs are closer to $150 since we do a heartworm test and a feline FIV/leukemia test.

We have lowered our cat adoption fees at our events to $35 and found homes for almost all of our kittens and adult cats. We’ve never been about the money (hardly!) but we do have to be somewhat fiscally responsible or else we will have to close our doors. That would be unfortunate for the animals we save.

We’ve had a few donors who have been willing to help us offset the cost of rescuing cats, and I can only hope that will continue, otherwise we may have to reconsider how many cats we can realistically rescue. That’s unfortunate because we’ve just gotten 2 new cat fosters, and I’d love to capitalize on their willingness to save more animals.

Cocktails for Caine

Cocktails for Caine is a fundraiser I am hosting on Jan 16 to raise money for the medical fund at Humane Society of Indianapolis.

Caine was an American Bulldog/Pit Bull Mix that was brought to the Humane Society of Indianapolis (HSI) after being left behind when his “owners” moved out of their home. Caine was left for two weeks to fend for himself…from the end of a chain. Caine had two fractured canines, and the staff at HSI was trying to raise enough money to cover a root canal that would have saved one of the teeth. Caine also suffered small seizures that they were also treating. Unfortunately, on November 23, Caine had a massive seizure and could not be saved.

At many shelters, a dog like Caine would be euthanized, because they simply don’t have the resources to fund a dog like Caine. In reality, HSI doesn’t either, that’s why they ask the public for directed donations to help these animals. The public in Indianapolis has been extremely generous in providing funds to care for animals that otherwise couldn’t be saved.

Because Caine’s surgery was so expensive, the folks at Indy Pit Crew decided to get involved trying to solicit donations.

Around this time, I had the opportunity to go wine tasting around the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. One of the wineries here, Chateau Morrisette, uses images of dogs on their labels and has an entire line of wines called Dogs for a Cause. A portion of the profits from Dogs for a Cause wines go to a particular cause.

I brought back 12 bottles of wine from my trip. As I was unpacking the box, I realized that I would never be able to drink it all myself. That thought evolved into hosting a mini wine-tasting at my house for my friends. Then I thought… maybe I should ask them to donate a little for Caine while they are here.

I mentioned the idea to one friend and another and it started getting a little out of hand. My house is only big enough to hold maybe 15 people.

My good friend Brigitte owns Barkalounge Doggy Daycare on the SE side of town. She readily agreed to host the party at Barkalounge!

Originally, my friend Heather and I had planned to pay for all the wine and food ourselves and give all the donations to HSI. Then another friend, who is the Skyy rep for IN and TN, offered to give us some liquor. I decided to ask Vine and Table if they would allow us to buy wine at cost. They took it further and offered to donate a case! Aaron gave SunKing Brewing a call and they agreed to donate some beer!

My sister Amy is an amazing artist and painted a picture of Caine for us to auction off. That got me thinking about a raffle… one by one I called these local businesses and they agreed without hesitation to provide items for the raffle. Comedy Sportz Indianapolis, Just Pop In, Three Dog Bakery, and Invoke Studio.

This little guy, Argyle, will be accompanying me as an ambassadog from HSI. He’s a perfect example of a dog that would be euthanized at a typical shelter. He’s got an awful case of mange. It’s treatable, but it take a while to heal and requires baths, medication and a stress free environment.

I’m super excited. I can’t wait to deliver that wad of cash to Humane Society of Indianapolis!