A year ago, the city of Topeka repealed it's long-standing ban on pit bull type dogs in the city.
In the past year, Helping Hands Humane Society has seen a 24% drop in the number of dogs it kills in the shelter as a result of the change.
According to those at the Humane Society, most dogs that are now killed there are euthanized due to health or temperament - -and very few are killed because of lack of space. While the previous breed ban did not allow them to adopt out 'pit bulls' at all, they also had to give up 5-10 pens a day that were holding 'pit bulls' that had been confiscated from owners for being in violation of the law and were awaiting court hearings. Now, those cages are available for dogs of all breeds.
The change has clearly been a positive one for decreasing shelter killing, and is great news for the dogs in Topeka. It shows how one small change can have a dramatic affect on shelter intake and killing.
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