Sunday Conversation

Sunday was one of the first decent weather days of the coming spring here in Kansas City, so we took the opportunity to burn off some excess energy from the dogs with a long walk.

One of the things I love about living in an urban neighborhood and owning "pit bulls" is that I get to have conversations with people that normally wouldn't just stop us for conversations.  It's pretty fun.

So on Sunday, a young man stopped us to ask about our dogs.  He thought they were beautiful dogs (they are) and really nice.  He asked if we were breeding puppies.  We informed him that there were so many of these dogs dying in our local shelter that we got them spayed and neutered.  He said that he wants to get a dog like ours (and of course, who wouldn't?).

But the conversation left me thinking.  This guy is, some day, going to get himself a pit bull.  As a black male in his early 20s that lives in an urban area, I'm thinking his odds of passing the application process for a 'pit bull' rescue are quite slim.  The KCMO animal shelter doesn't adopt out 'pit bulls".  Therefore, when this guy gets a dog, he'll get one from someone who bred the dog for some puppies...and will then end up with an unneutered 'pit bull'.   With which, he'll likely have some puppies of his own (because he'll want to recoup some of his money for buying the dog in the first place, plus, we all think we have the best dogs imaginable and it would be irresponsible NOT to breed them, right?).   And the cycle will continue...

So here's the problem -- and I don't have a solution for it.

It's pretty clear that BSL Mandatory Spay/neuter (which KCMO has) isnt' going to keep this guy from getting a dog from somewhere.  If there is demand for something, someone is going to be willing to supply it.  So this guy is going to get a dog.  Ideally, we'd love it for this guy to adopt a dog from somewhere -- the dog will be spayed/neutered and it's saving a dog from almost certain death in the shelter versus creating demand for back-yard bred dogs. 

I know that rescues want to be very responsible for who they adopt to and I respect why they screen people. But at the end of the day, people who want dogs are going to get dogs.  And I am 100% certain many of these "less than perfect" people would be good dog owners.  In fact, a good many of the people we meet on our walks care greatly about their dogs -- and you can tell it by the way they talk about them.

I've always maintained that if we could meet the demand for pit bull and other types of dogs in the inner cities and other 'high risk" areas with rescue dogs, we could solve a lot of problems.  We would be supplying spayed and neutered dogs, and creating opportunities for education.  However, the Animal Welfare world hasn't figured out how to deal with this.  Rescues are inundated rescuing and making time for education is difficult.  But in the meantime there is a demand for dogs in the urban core that can only be met by backyard breeders.  If there is money to be made from breeding dogs, people will find a way to make that money, regardless of whether it is legal to have an unaltered dog or not.  You can't curb demand by going after the supply.  It's one of the reasons our war on drugs is a huge waste of time and money not successful.

So does anyone have a solution that has worked?  Has anyone figured out a successful adoption/screening/education program for people that most rescues consider higher-risk?  I would love the feedback...because I think this is a problem that we badly need to find solutions for.

Comments

[Donna]

Hey B - Your post outlines *exactly* why urban shelters need to offer pit bulls for adoption. They need to compete with the BYB competition by offering healthy, spayed/neutered, temperament tested dogs. Granted, it's really hard to give a dog to a young 20-something urban guy when we know his next landlord is probably going to ban his dog, but the alternatives are killing us.

Here's my latest lesson: Sassy little red-nosed dog-reactive darling in our local shelter - ADORABLE girl - would be dead in a minute most shelters but this one (Berkeley Animal Care Services) makes her available and sends her to our classes to help her get some better manners.

She's courted by a nice guy who fits the stereotype. The shelter adopts the dog to him, and - happy news - he starts coming to our classes now (free for him and lots of support so he'll keep coming back). I'll be darned - they're a fantastic pair. She respects him and vice versa and within 2 classes, the dog is no longer leash reactive and they're both staring each other in the eye and doing leash drills like lifelong friends. Very nice connection - great bond happening. I had to remind myself that he *chose* to go to a shelter and find his best friend there rather than to his cousin the BYB, and thank goodness the shelter is kind enough to give him the time of day and public-savvy enough to screen him out as a good home. (Home checks, Landlord approval required)

Will they last together for eternity? I don't know. But, like you and I both know, the alternatives are killing us.

[Caveat]

I love the idea of free training - not only for training purposes but because novice owners get to hang out with other dog owners, learn about what's normal and what's a concern, etc, get to know some people in the same boat.

When an area foolishly decides to hop on the banned wagon, several things happen which erode safety around dogs.

Just one of them is that when you shut down the dedicated, ethical breeders who really know their dogs, are concerned about health, temperament, stability, etc, you leave a nice void which is always filled by the BYBs who don't know enough, even if they cared, to breed good dogs and place them in responsible homes.

Dogs, especially mongrel dogs which most of these so-called 'pit bulls' are, should be assessed individually for temperament, not prejudged because of their looks. The same goes for prospective owners.

And no $%#@ plastic hands!

[eej5]

Brent... thinking out loud here. What if we worked with MABBR to provide free (and required) training to their adopters. They could set it up so that the "perfect" adopters could some how test out - with either great references from past training courses or vets or something.

Then the less-than-perfect candidates could take home their dogs but the adoption would not become final until the training (which would include education on a host of things) was completed...

I'm thinking a new resurrection of PBU. Of course, we would have to have it more often, find a better location, and get some funding.

erin

[spotted dog farm]

what a worthwhile project! we've been discussing this lately, because the free programs here have had such a "social services" ring to them. i think we need some kind of marketing campaign that appeals to our audience. the education needs to be something that people can relate to (and not feel dictated to or talked down to). let's come up with something and go national!

[krislars]

Pet Connection does free trainings for adoptors/adoptees of their program. And their approach to adoption is very innovative (and open) in terms of 'rules' and fees. It was refreshing to hear about their program, but that was some time ago I discussed all this with Melody. Like Donna said, Melody had the same thought process...if they have the wherewithal to come to a shelter to adopt, they are already on their way to being a caring & responsible dog owner.

I think it partly boils down to trusting that people generally have good intentions and aspirations...true, rescues and shelters have seen a lot of bad in people...but just as we trust that dogs can be rehabilitated, we need to trust that every person that approaches or walks into a rescue/shelter is also looking for the opportunity to be 'the best dog owner they can be' and are looking for a life long companion. I think the motivations of someone coming to adopt vs. buy should be motivation enough for the adoptor to be trusted.

[IndyElmer]

Has there been any further discussion about this issue away from the comment boards? Does anyone know of any particularly good programs that are working in other cities?

Although I work mostly with "pit bulls", I'm interested in something for ALL dog owners and dog adopters. I'm trying to come up with ideas for educational programs that can lead to fewer bites & generally much more responsible dog ownership in Indianapolis.