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Post by mastiffsj on Jan 15, 2008 20:40:20 GMT -5
I'd like to hear others opinion/thoughts on Pit Bulls living in snctuary type environments. I've been thinking about that a lot lately with the 22 dogs that went to Best Friends, and there are several rescues that are actually sanctuaries with Pit Bulls.
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 16, 2008 14:30:21 GMT -5
This is an excellent question. In general I am opposed to the "warehousing" of animals. I think there are worse things than death. There are three sanctuaries that I am thinking of that although I have never visited them in person, they have good reputations and I feel if they are housing Pit Bulls, it is with good knowledge and adequate facilities meant to care for all aspects of the dogs' needs.
Is it wrong to keep a dog alive if it means staying in a "sanctuary" vs a home? I guess you'd have to take each dog as an individual.
I will tell you that I am definitely opposed to the long-term kenneling of dogs in general. I know of dogs that stay kenneled for years - sure they come out here and there for exercise, attention and basic care, but the majority of their days are spent on concrete. All in the hopes that someday they will be adopted. Meanwhile the months and years tick by. But how long is too long, and how long can you sacrifice a dog's current well being for his ultimate wellbeing?
I don't think there are any easy answers here. There are long-term kenneling/no kill situations where right away I'd say NO, I'd rather see that dog dead than have to spend another day here; other situations aren't so cut and dried.
For dogs with NO option of ever being adopted, I hope that sanctuary is pretty fancy.
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Post by valliesong on Jan 27, 2008 22:39:10 GMT -5
What concerns me about Best Friends is I thought the dogs were in group living situations. That would just be a disaster for these dogs, if that's indeed the case. Does anyone know more?
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 29, 2008 10:40:30 GMT -5
What concerns me about Best Friends is I thought the dogs were in group living situations. That would just be a disaster for these dogs, if that's indeed the case. Does anyone know more? I'd be absolutely , and if that's the case, I wonder about the rest of these dogs and where they went to. I know two of the other groups and feel confident about them, but I another group that now has dogs has me a little concerned. Suddenly I began to feel nervous about how these dogs were getting handed out.
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Post by emilys on Jan 29, 2008 15:35:45 GMT -5
you can see the set up at the National Geographic site: news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080128-vick-video-vin.htmlAnd at www.bestfriends.org/vickdogs/It looks like the dogs have individual, separated outdoor kennels with igloo houses. It was snowing when they did they videos; the dogs don't look cold, but I assume they don't stay outside too long. There are other shots showing some dogs inside in individual rooms. I don't see too many toys though... some reports have indicated these dogs never had toys and don't know what they are. The less shut-down of them have discovered the joys of squeakies! As sanctuaries go, Best Friends seems to be the cream of the crop. Whether they are truly psycholgically prepared to "get into" pit bulls is another question (their record during Katrina was not great: it seems they freak out when confronted with typical pit bull dog aggression, and before their Dangerous Dogs summit, they were promoting the notion that there ARE "dangerous breeds" which they have subsequently denied). I think the hands-on BF trainers have completely fallen for the people-loving nature of pit bulls, but the organization has a AR "all dogs must love each other" ideology which gives them headaches..
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Post by mastiffsj on Jan 29, 2008 21:06:59 GMT -5
Diane Jessup wrote a very informative (IMO) on Vick's dogs and their placement- www.lawdogsusa.org/Vick.htmlYou can access a pdf file that will show the allocated funds and who received them towards the care of the dogs they took...I find it extremely interesting that Best Friends received 20,000 for EVERY dog they took...that would be a total of $440,000 for 22 dogs. I personally cringe at the thought of Pits living their lives out at sanctuaries, the same with no-kill shelters. I strongly believe there is a difference in letting a dog live and giving a QUALITY life, but that's just me.
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Post by emilys on Jan 29, 2008 21:29:20 GMT -5
Diane Jessup wrote a very informative (IMO) on Vick's dogs and their placement- www.lawdogsusa.org/Vick.htmlYou can access a pdf file that will show the allocated funds and who received them towards the care of the dogs they took...I find it extremely interesting that Best Friends received 20,000 for EVERY dog they took...that would be a total of $440,000 for 22 dogs. I personally cringe at the thought of Pits living their lives out at sanctuaries, the same with no-kill shelters. I strongly believe there is a difference in letting a dog live and giving a QUALITY life, but that's just me. well, I find it MORE interesting that several "volunteer" organizations got $5,000 for each dogs.
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Post by valliesong on Jan 30, 2008 17:32:58 GMT -5
I can't get the other websites to load, and although I'm not personally fond of Diane Jessup (long story), I agree whole-heartedly with her article. I was hoping these dogs would have gone to small, experienced, pit bull-specific rescues - not shelters or large all-breed conglomerates.
And pit bulls living outdoors in SNOW?! They don't have the coats for that. Frostbite and freezing to death are real possibilities here. In my opinion, the dogs would quite possibly be better off euthanized than living in that type of situation. Poor lonely, cold pups.
What happened to the dogs going to BadRap and other reputable rescues? I hadn't heard of this insurance policy requirement before today.
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Post by mastiffsj on Jan 30, 2008 18:48:40 GMT -5
From my understanding Bad Rap did indeed get some of the dogs, and you can see some videos on their site of them. The whole situation just makes me sick, (I am glad he was punished although not nearly as severely as he should have been) but the thought of some of the dogs being in the hands of people not experienced enough to handle them greatly concerns me. Don't get me wrong, I am glad they have a chance at life but are they all going to have the chance at the life they deserve? I am personally not found of Diane Jessup either after she stated that there should be no Pit Bull breeding at the time, and then went out and purchased a pup rom a breeder, and I am personally not fond at all of Best Friends. I know of one very high profile case involving a Pit Bull where they did NOT stand by their word. I do think Diane Jessup has a pretty informative site, not that I agree with everything there and I am thankful for the good Best Friends has done for the animals, I just don't feel it was all done for the right reasons. But then again, being involved in rescue you learn how many are really not in it for the right reasons unfortunately.
I wish there were a way the groups would have to account for the money received and spent, but I guess since they aren't the public's dogs, the public will never have access to that information. It does make me uncomfortable the amount of money given out, I was just trying to make a point that Best Friends didn't take any of the $5,000 or $10,000 dogs.
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