Post by suziriot on Nov 29, 2011 11:35:11 GMT -5
Chicago Tribune has a story on how hard it is for animal shelters to decide which dogs live and die. They focus specifically on the Anti-Cruelty Society, which is the biggest shelter around here. I'm linking to the complete article, but this is the part that really really pisses me off:
In one session, the dog was petted and handled, then distracted with a white plastic hand on a stick while she attempted to eat. In another, she was introduced to a series of dogs to address Yokie's potential for aggressiveness.
Unfortunately, Yokie didn't fare well. "She would do a rather extreme aggressive display, growling and lunging at the dogs she was introduced to," Brown wrote. "She also demonstrated an extreme level of stress … and (was) unable to settle herself when left alone."
And so, in late October, Yokie was deemed unsuitable for an adoption and put to death, in a decision that saddened her evaluators.
"We thought Yokie was very sweet, loving and people-centric, but she's also a full-grown pit bull who decided that she didn't like dogs," Brown said. "We're working to change the perspective on pit bulls, and Yokie wasn't a good ambassador for her breed.
Unbelievable. I shouldn't be surprised, but SERIOUSLY?! I get that in a crowded shelter you have to make hard decisions. We have to make hard decisions about which dogs we're going to bring into rescue. But saying that the dog is not a good ambassador for the breed because she's dog aggressive is so freaking IGNORANT! The dog had to die because she didn't fit THEIR perspective on what a pit bull should be? This is where pinking gets us. We're killing off dogs that are true to breed temperament because they're not fluffy enough. So. Angry.
Here's a link to the story www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-animal-behavior-specialists-20111129,0,1691443.story
In one session, the dog was petted and handled, then distracted with a white plastic hand on a stick while she attempted to eat. In another, she was introduced to a series of dogs to address Yokie's potential for aggressiveness.
Unfortunately, Yokie didn't fare well. "She would do a rather extreme aggressive display, growling and lunging at the dogs she was introduced to," Brown wrote. "She also demonstrated an extreme level of stress … and (was) unable to settle herself when left alone."
And so, in late October, Yokie was deemed unsuitable for an adoption and put to death, in a decision that saddened her evaluators.
"We thought Yokie was very sweet, loving and people-centric, but she's also a full-grown pit bull who decided that she didn't like dogs," Brown said. "We're working to change the perspective on pit bulls, and Yokie wasn't a good ambassador for her breed.
Unbelievable. I shouldn't be surprised, but SERIOUSLY?! I get that in a crowded shelter you have to make hard decisions. We have to make hard decisions about which dogs we're going to bring into rescue. But saying that the dog is not a good ambassador for the breed because she's dog aggressive is so freaking IGNORANT! The dog had to die because she didn't fit THEIR perspective on what a pit bull should be? This is where pinking gets us. We're killing off dogs that are true to breed temperament because they're not fluffy enough. So. Angry.
Here's a link to the story www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-animal-behavior-specialists-20111129,0,1691443.story
! Terrible. Poor Yokie. 
I look forward to learning much here