Californian Trip Researching Pit Bulls part 2

Trip Mission Statement:

TO RESEARCH AND DISCUSS THE ROLE OF PIT BULLS TERRIERS AS A LEGAL BREED IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA, AND TO DRAW COMPARISONS WITH THE POINT OF SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUE OF DANGEROUS DOGS IN MODERN DAY BRITAIN.

Friday 22^nd Feb 2013

Fonda takes me to a Sea Lion Sanctuary in Laguna Canyon, which is next door to a Rescue Shelter for dogs, cats and small pets. We decide to pop in and speak to them about pit bulls.

In the foyer is a poster of adoptable dogs. They are ALL 'cute' type dogs, spaniels and toy dogs, maybe a collie or labrador. This confuses me a little.

I speak to a lady at the desk. I introduce myself, and ask her about the lack of bullie breeds and specifically pit bulls on the board. She says, “we don't adopt out pit bulls.” I ask why and she says they don't rehome dangerous dogs. She says they only have adoptable dogs at that shelter. I ask her, “so what happens, if someone brings you a pit bull? Do you turn them away, or-” the lady says (writing from my memory here) “All dogs that come into the shelter undergo a temperament test. But pit bulls never pass so we don't bother for them.” I am blunt and ask “So, you deem them automatically dangerous and put them to sleep without a chance for rehoming?” she says something along the lines of pit bulls being dangerous dogs, she doesn't want to take the risk of the dog “breaking out and killing all the other dogs” that they're not worth the hassle, can never be rehomed and essentially, thought they were bad dogs. I ask her, “have you never known of a well behaved pit bull? Ever?” and she says “I've worked here for thirty years and we've never seen a good pit bull.”

I bite my tongue and don't ask her how she knows that if they don't even test the dog's temperament before killing them...

She goes all wise and says “Oh yes, in the early days, I was keen to see good in them but they're no good, they're dangerous, vicious animals.”

There is a girl who works there, standing behind her and she says “I have a pit bull.” I am quite shocked, as this institution was so hostile towards them, and the older lady looks a bit stumped too. I ask her how the dog is, she replies, “She's fine. No problems, I really love her. She's a great dog.”

I am a little intimidated in this situation and don't want to cause an argument so resist asking the older lady if she would happily kill her colleagues dog, and if not, why kill others...

The older lady says “You can try some other shelters. They might take pit bulls.” And hands me a leaflet with a list of Orange County animal shelters. We leave quite promptly. Not a great start.