Post by michele5611 on Feb 10, 2011 9:43:59 GMT -5
Maricopa County, AZ - Over 14,000 Pit bulls entered animal shelters in Maricopa County last year. Of that number, nearly 70 percent were euthanized.
The problem is multi-faceted. Irresponsible owners are failing to alter their dogs. Others are purposefully breeding the dogs with high hopes of earning easy money from the sale of puppies.
And still others buy a puppy, fail to train and/or socialize him, and wind up dumping the young adult at a shelter when he grows into an out of control dog.
Add these problems to the ongoing stigma that the Pit bull carries - the persona of the vicious, blood-hungry killer dog, and you wind up with many dogs never having an opportunity to find an adoptive family.
According to an AZCentral news report released today, the assistant county manager for community collaboration and director of the Maricopa County animal care and control unit - he has seen nothing like this with any other breed before.
What a profound and difficult statement to take in. Never before has any other breed suffered like this. Not only are the wrong people obtaining these dogs in the first place, but they are breeding the dogs, selling the puppies to other irresponsible owners and perpetuating an already horrible problem.
Most potential adopters that enter the Maricopa County animal shelters aren't looking for a Pit bull or Pit bull mix - yet, these very dogs make up over 30 percent of the shelter population.
Rescues that attempt to save the dogs wind up with "saved" dogs that have no adopters. The "saved" dogs sit for extended periods of time because there are few people actually looking to adopt them. While they sit in rescue - no other dogs can be saved....it's a vicious cycle.
It's a huge problem that affects other regions of the nation.
More needs to be done to educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering. More needs to be done to educate dog owners about responsible ownership, including socialization and training.
Unfortunately, this problem is so vast at this point in time that there is no easy fix - and definitely no "quick" fixes.
In the meantime, the dogs continue to be killed while much of the general public continues to behave in an irresponsible, "disposable" manner.
The Pit bull crisis pains the good dog owners that know how wonderful the breed can be. It creates heartache for the innocent dogs that can not be saved and anger over what has happened to a breed of dog once hailed as a hero for the nation's military.
Helping to reduce the stigma that surrounds the Pit bull is one place to start. Getting into the community to educate the dog owners is another.
If you are a Pit bull owner, or simply a dog owner that is disturbed by what is happening, please reach out to a rescue organization in your area. Find out how you can help - volunteer and become part of the solution.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Arizona drowning in un-wanted Pit Bulls - National Dogs | Examiner.com www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/arizona-drowning-un-wanted-pit-bulls#ixzz1DZEWMPqi
It's not only Arizona... NM and TX are also really bad. There is a serious lack of rescue resources. Wonder what Winograd and friends have to say about this?
