Post by michele5611 on Jul 3, 2013 10:57:28 GMT -5
republicanherald.com/news/pit-bulls-reach-record-at-hillside-spca-1.1514981
There are more pit bulls spending their summer at the Hillside SPCA than the shelter has ever seen.
On Tuesday, 40 of the dogs were available for adoption, an increase over the 30 that were there in July 2012.
Barbara Um-lauf, manager of Hillside SPCA, attributed the large number of orphaned animals to irresponsible owners and the difficulty of finding new homes for a breed that scares people.
"So many people are bringing them in," Umlauf said. "This year and last year were the worst in 29 years and, unfortunately, because of people in the media, a lot of people are afraid of them so we have a lot of trouble getting them adopted. Pottsville is loaded with breeders of pit bulls. I'd say about 50 or 60. It is an absolute travesty. The ones that we get in here, the condition that we get them in, it makes me sick."
"We allow hobby breeders in Pottsville but they can only have one litter per year," said Thomas A. Palamar, Pottsville city administrator. "Three dogs went up to the shelter according to our records, one lab and two pit bulls. We are the largest geographical community in Schuylkill County. You're going to get more of anything coming from the largest place. It's not just in the City of Pottsville, it includes areas like Buck Run as well."
Umlauf believes the interest in pit bulls was boosted by publicity from Michael Vick and his dogs.
"They (the breeders and owners) want to look tough," Umlauf said.
Vick, a star NFL quarterback, and three of his associates were convicted on federal and state charges related to illegal dogfighting in 2007. Vick and his associates operated "Bad Newz Kennels," which housed and trained more than 50 pit bull dogs, staged dog fights, killed dogs and ran a high-stakes gambling ring. Vick served his sentence in a minimum-security federal prison camp.
The breeders in Pottsville would be considered hobby breeders, which are exempt from licensing. According to Licensing and Registration Under the Animal Welfare Act, hobby breeders are defined as "small-scale breeders with gross sales under $500 per year as long as these sales do not include wild or exotic animals, dogs or cats" or "If you own no more than three breeding female dogs or cats and sell the offspring into the pet channels only."
"If we find out that someone is breeding, or if someone lets us know of a rumor, we look into it or investigate it," Palamar said. "I don't think we have a breeding problem in Pottsville. Our problem is with irresponsible owners who don't spay or neuter their pets."
Some of the puppies that come from hobby breeders are being sold when they're only four weeks old and aren't being properly cared for. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to sell any puppy younger than eight weeks.
"They have them as puppies and then don't want them when they get older," Umlauf said. "They just want to make money on them. One man in Ashland breeds every six months. A dog's only supposed to be bred every two to four years by a professional."
Umlauf did not disclose the identity of the man.
Not every pit bull in the shelter was brought there because they were unwanted. A number were brought in after neighbors complained to authorities about abuse.
"Unfortunately, we have a lot of irresponsible owners," said Tina Roland, account specialist at Hillside.
"One owner in Pottsville slit his dog's throat when high on drugs," Umlauf said. "Then he tried to sew it back together himself. Some of the pit bulls we get have milk pouring out of them (lactating uncontrollably) and we don't know what's wrong with them when they come in. Schuylkill County is becoming a real problem."
Last year, 15 pit bull mix puppies were taken from a home in Frackville by the borough police and SPCA shelter workers. Their owner, Michael Williams, was charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and multiple counts of violating the state's dog law. One puppy did not survive after being removed from the home. All of the surviving puppies were adopted and are still with their owners.
The increase of pit bulls at Hillside creates a challenge for the workers and volunteers to try to find as many loving homes for the dogs as possible.
"Nine million cats and dogs were put to sleep last year in the whole country and that can be avoided," Umlauf said. "We've trying to get these animals into good homes."
There are more pit bulls spending their summer at the Hillside SPCA than the shelter has ever seen.
On Tuesday, 40 of the dogs were available for adoption, an increase over the 30 that were there in July 2012.
Barbara Um-lauf, manager of Hillside SPCA, attributed the large number of orphaned animals to irresponsible owners and the difficulty of finding new homes for a breed that scares people.
"So many people are bringing them in," Umlauf said. "This year and last year were the worst in 29 years and, unfortunately, because of people in the media, a lot of people are afraid of them so we have a lot of trouble getting them adopted. Pottsville is loaded with breeders of pit bulls. I'd say about 50 or 60. It is an absolute travesty. The ones that we get in here, the condition that we get them in, it makes me sick."
"We allow hobby breeders in Pottsville but they can only have one litter per year," said Thomas A. Palamar, Pottsville city administrator. "Three dogs went up to the shelter according to our records, one lab and two pit bulls. We are the largest geographical community in Schuylkill County. You're going to get more of anything coming from the largest place. It's not just in the City of Pottsville, it includes areas like Buck Run as well."
Umlauf believes the interest in pit bulls was boosted by publicity from Michael Vick and his dogs.
"They (the breeders and owners) want to look tough," Umlauf said.
Vick, a star NFL quarterback, and three of his associates were convicted on federal and state charges related to illegal dogfighting in 2007. Vick and his associates operated "Bad Newz Kennels," which housed and trained more than 50 pit bull dogs, staged dog fights, killed dogs and ran a high-stakes gambling ring. Vick served his sentence in a minimum-security federal prison camp.
The breeders in Pottsville would be considered hobby breeders, which are exempt from licensing. According to Licensing and Registration Under the Animal Welfare Act, hobby breeders are defined as "small-scale breeders with gross sales under $500 per year as long as these sales do not include wild or exotic animals, dogs or cats" or "If you own no more than three breeding female dogs or cats and sell the offspring into the pet channels only."
"If we find out that someone is breeding, or if someone lets us know of a rumor, we look into it or investigate it," Palamar said. "I don't think we have a breeding problem in Pottsville. Our problem is with irresponsible owners who don't spay or neuter their pets."
Some of the puppies that come from hobby breeders are being sold when they're only four weeks old and aren't being properly cared for. In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to sell any puppy younger than eight weeks.
"They have them as puppies and then don't want them when they get older," Umlauf said. "They just want to make money on them. One man in Ashland breeds every six months. A dog's only supposed to be bred every two to four years by a professional."
Umlauf did not disclose the identity of the man.
Not every pit bull in the shelter was brought there because they were unwanted. A number were brought in after neighbors complained to authorities about abuse.
"Unfortunately, we have a lot of irresponsible owners," said Tina Roland, account specialist at Hillside.
"One owner in Pottsville slit his dog's throat when high on drugs," Umlauf said. "Then he tried to sew it back together himself. Some of the pit bulls we get have milk pouring out of them (lactating uncontrollably) and we don't know what's wrong with them when they come in. Schuylkill County is becoming a real problem."
Last year, 15 pit bull mix puppies were taken from a home in Frackville by the borough police and SPCA shelter workers. Their owner, Michael Williams, was charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and multiple counts of violating the state's dog law. One puppy did not survive after being removed from the home. All of the surviving puppies were adopted and are still with their owners.
The increase of pit bulls at Hillside creates a challenge for the workers and volunteers to try to find as many loving homes for the dogs as possible.
"Nine million cats and dogs were put to sleep last year in the whole country and that can be avoided," Umlauf said. "We've trying to get these animals into good homes."
