KC DOG BLOG

2011 Year in Review

It's been one heck of a year. There has been so much progress that has been made over the past year - -in moving toward No Kill, and in moving forward at eliminating BSL.  I think you'll be amazed at some of the key events throughout the year at just exacly how far we've come -- and how quickly. 

Congrats to everyone for all of their extremely hard work, dedication, and love for the animals that has led to the progress. Much more work to do pop a cork and celebrate the year that was.  This is definitely not an all-inclusive list as mostly it has been pulled from my blog archives.  Feel free to post other signicant news stories and events throughout the year in the comments section below.

January

In Ohio, HB 14 was re-introduced to repeal breed specific legislation in the state. Ohio is the only state in the nation with a breed-specific policy...and this reintroduction of a bill to repeal that started our year.  The bill eventually passed the House of Representatives, and is currently on the Senate floor in Ohio.

Early in the year, the Vick dogs continued to make a huge impact in changing public perception -- as they appeared on the PBS Special Need to Know.

February

Cities like Aurora, CO and Denver, CO continued to struggle with their breed specific laws as they struggled to deal with the American's with Disabilities Act's requirement that local governments must allow for service dogs -- regardless of breed. Aurora's city leaders even mislead people about dog bite numbers in order to try to convince them the ban was the right thing to do.

March

Several more communities began celebrating their no kill success stories. Austin, TX celebrated it's first no kill month with a 92% save rate, and Alleghany County, MD celebrated 3 months with a 94% save rate. Two other cities, Sangamon County (IL) and Lynchburg, VA announced their own success.

Kansas City, MO decided to terminate the shelter contract with their current shelter management after allogations of abusive situtiations at the shelter (the former management was absolved of all complaints) -- and ended up taking the next 5 months seeking a new vendor. I had no idea at the time how much my life would change with this news.

The Oklahoma Supreme court failed to take up an appeal by the city of Midwest City, Ok -- basically causing Midwest city to have to get rid of its breed ban. A lower court had ruled that the law violated the state law prohibiting breed bans -- but Midwest City appealed the law and has spent taxpayer funds for four years trying to keep their ban only to be ultimately denied.

Several Connecticut cities made the move to No Kill -- and have been very successful in doing so.

April

After many complications with the ADA, Aurora, CO repealed its ban on 7 breeds of dogs - -however they inexplicably kept it for 3 breeds of dogs. 

In November 2010, Missouri voters pass Prop B -- a bill that put major limitations on puppy mills in the state. In a whirlwind Senate/House/Governor agreement, the state assembly made dramatic changes to the law. Most of the local organizations were supportive of the changes, but the national orgs were (and continue to be) upset by the changes. But in the process of making the changes, the state added some much-needed enforcement measures that were very much needed -- including adding $1 million to the budget for more enforcement, in spite of $50 million in budget shortfalls state wide following several natural disasters.

May

The city of Denver changed their law regarding service dogs in response to pending lawsuits following the Department of Justice ruling on service dogs for the ADA.

On May 22, a massive tornado wiped out a huge stretch of the community of Joplin. Thousands of families lost their homes, pets, loved ones, etc. Animal welfare groups from across the nation went to Joplin to help the animal welfare community there to do their best to reunite pets with their families and to find new homes for ones that couldn't be reunited.

June

Cleveland, OH repealed their breed-specific law that had been on the books since 1999 and changed the law to be a behavior-based law. Cumberland, BC followed suite and repealed their law requiring certain breeds of dogs to be muzzled. 

This has been an ongoing story for the year, but the complete failure of the city of Memphis to provide even adequate animal sheltering for its homeless animals was a huge story for the year. Allegations of employees stealing dogs, using dogs for dog fighting, animal cruelty, high kill rates, etc were all exposed by advocates leading to hopefully some positive change in the city of Memphis

A month after the disasterous tornado in Joplin, the Joplin Humane Society with the help of many organizations held an adopt-a-thon for all pets that couldn't be reunited with their owners. Over the adoption weekend, 745 pets were adopted -- all completely vetted and with no adoption fee -- and lines of people waited to get inside the adoption facility to meet their new pet.

July

In Monroe, MI, four dogs that were taken from an abuse situation received a behavior evaluation and were sentenced to death by a behaviorist -- in spite of video of the testing showing the dogs to be friendly. The video evidence ended up saving the day and local organizations were allowed to save all four dogs.

August

The No Kill Advocacy Center held its annual no kill conference in Washington DC -- with 300 people who attended to hear about the success stories of some of the most successful shelter operations in the country.

A new academic paper was published about behvioral challenges that come when dogs are removed from their litters too young.

In August, a tragic incident caused a huge amount irrational hysteria -- and the entire country was looking at breed-specific restrictions.

September

After months of an RFP process, the city of Kansas City, MO decided on a new vendor to run the Kansas City, MO animal shelter.  The group was a new group that I am lucky to be a part of that was formed solely to run the city shelter.

A year after the city of Topeka repealed its ban on particular breeds of dogs, the city saw a 24% decrease in euthanasia.

October

The US Department of Justice issued a new publication entitled "The problem of dog-related incidents and encounters" -- a manual that is designed to educate law enforcement officers about canine behavior and hopefully prevent their injury in the field, and unnecessary deaths by dogs.

A bill that would repeal the United Kingdom's 20 year old breed ban was passed by the House of Lords -- and now awaits hearing at the House of Commons.

Morgan, UT repealed its 15 year old breed ban, and Moses Lake, WA repealed its fairly recent breed ban following a civil rights lawsuit.

November

In a move that clearly drew a line in the sand, the ASPCA called No Kill an "Extremist Agenda".

A stray dog named Ace wandered up to a hardware store in Detroit and the store owner took Ace to the city shelter -- not realizing that the Detroit Animal Shelter had a policy that they kill all pit bulls that are not reclaimed by their owner. In spite of many rescue groups that stepped forward offering to help Ace, and a court injunction that was supposed to prevent his death, he was killed by the shelter anyway -- highlighting a policy that is shared by many shelters and is a reason for a lot of unnecessary killing in this country.

A bill in Ontario was introduced and will move forward in Ontario to repeal the its Provencial breed ban that has been in effect since 2005. The bill has been sponsored by members of all 3 political parties, which is a huge plus in a very difficult political climate.

December

A judge ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act trumps local laws when it comes to allowing dogs of all breeds to become service dogs.  So in spite of a local breed ban, service dogs are to be permitted.  The case involved a dog named Snickers who was taken from his owner under a localized breed ban.  The owner is a retired Vietnam Veteran and Chicago police officer.

What were your top stories from the year?  Please feel free to post in the comments.

Judge rules that Snickers can home - the ADA trumps the local law & again why BSL is dumb

Last week, I noted a story about James Sak, and his dog Snickers. You can find more details here, but the jist of the story is that Sak is a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War and a retired Chicago police officer.  Sak suffered a stroke, and has had some disabling after-effects of the stroke.  To help him cope with the effects, a physical therapist recommended a service dog for Sak.

In November, Sak, his wife Peggy, and his dog, Snickers, moved to Aurelia, IA to care for Peggy's eldery mother.

About a month into their stay, city authorities confiscated Snickers, because they said owning him was a violation of the community's breed ban -- that bans pit bulls, like Snickers. And even though the city was aware of a recent Department of Justice clarification that SPECIFICALLY mentions that breed bans do not trump the American's with Disabilities Act's allowances for service dogs, the city stuck to it's guns.

And, in what comes as a surprise to almost no one (except, apparently local officials in Aurelia), US District Judge Mark Bennett ruled that the city was in violation of the ADA, and Snickers could return home.

Yay.

Bennett noted that the city hadn't shown sufficiently shown that Aurelia would suffer "sustainable harm" by Snickers if he was allowed to return home, but that Sak would suffer "sustainable harm" without Snickers.

While this is great news for Snickers and Saks, it also highlights yet another problem with Breed Bans.

The idea behind breed banning is simple: the idea is that there is something genetically "different" with different types of dogs that make them unsafe to be in communities. However, dogs like Snickers, Leo, and thousands of others continue to show that most of these dogs are not only not "naturally aggressive", but actually very beneficial in their therapy and service work.

Once the realization is made (and it HAS to be made at some point when cities have to allow sweet, gentle pit bulls as service dogs), then they HAVE to acknowledge that not all dogs of a particular breed are aggressive.

One that realization is grasped, then the idea of a ban on all dogs of a certain breed is by its very definition an over-inclusive form of legislation --  and thus, not only unconstitutional, but irrational. Especially when a different and more effective form of legislation exists that focuses on the actual behavior of each dog -- and only impacts dogs (and owners that show themselves to be an actual threat to society.

But for now, thankfully Snickers is heading home. And although the city says it may appeal to the state supreme court (because, apparently money grows on trees in Aurelia), I fully expect this court decision to stand -- further bringing to light the irrational nature of breed bans.

 

Preparing for takeover and a small Christmas miracle

Our group, the KC Pet Project, is gearing up to take full control of the Kansas City, MO Animal Shelter beginning January 1.  It's weird essentially starting a new shelter organization with 20 new employees to inherit a completely full animal shelter that currently has about 250 animals in it.

But that's what we're preparing to do.

In 2010, the shelter impounded 7,250 dogs and cats. Of those, about 40% were killed.  While this certainly isn't as bad as it is in many places, it is still plenty of killing, and way better than it has historically been in Kansas City. In 2009, the city made the decision to hire a private contractor to run the shelter as opposed to the city running it. That happened, and the shelter almost immediately went from one that killed 60% of the animals impounded to one that killed roughly 40%.  Still high. But better.

Our goal is to lower that still.  While getting to no kill is the ultimate goal, it may take us some time.  The Kansas City shelter remains one of only a couple of open admission shelters in the metropolitan area, and some of the live-saving infastructure still needs to be built (we are blessed to have a very strong low cost spay neuter program operated by Spay/Neuter Kansas City which has helped lower impounds over the past several years).  Also, about 20% of the dogs impounded at the shelter are 'pit bull' type dogs -- and with many of our surrounding suburbs having breed bans, they are more difficult to find homes for. 

But we're going to be creative and find a way.

One significant thing that is helping is embracing the many very strong rescue groups and volunteers in this community. While they haven't always been embraced, we are embracing them.

For the past month, KC Pet Project has employed our Executive Director at the shelter to work with the city staff to help in a smooth transition.  The shelter we inherited was above capacity. Our kennels are the two-sided kennels with the guillotine doors separating the two sides so dogs can be moved from side to side to ease in cleaning. Most of the kennels at the shelter are doubled down so there are dogs on both sides. 

While there are a lot of reasons this isn't optimal, it does give us the ability to hold animals longer in order to give them a chance at findng homes. Unfortunately, it also gives us very little wiggle room for increased capacity. 

Last Thursday night, Animal Control dropped off 30 more dogs at our shelter. We were officially beyond our maximum capacity.  But instead of doing the "easy" thing, which would be to kill for space, we sent out a plea. We put the list of dogs that were on our "short list" and sent an email to rescues and our volunteers for help. While our volunteer base is relatively small, they are outstanding, and they responded.

Within 24 hours, we were able to secure several foster homes for our long-timers, get several dogs adopted, and get several others sent to local rescue groups. 

We have a large transport coming up tomorrow, which will free up some space for us at the shelter. We also have a huge New Years Day Adoption Event planned (yes, a huge adoption event on the first with an almost entirely new staff -- should be exciting) which should help more.  It will at least give us a little breathing room for a few days.  So for now, crisis averted.

While I'm not going to completely change the focus of this blog -- I will, from time to time, post updates on our transition at the shelter. My hope is that giving real examples of our successes and failures can help others who also wish to transition their local shelters into No Kill Shelters also. 

So here is a key learning from our small Christmas miracle:

In the No Kill Advocacy Center's Companion Animal Protection Act, there is a clause that requires shelters to give 24 hours notice before any adoptable animal was killed. This isn't a pain in the butt -- this is a huge opportunity. When we officially hit our "above capacity" situation, we provided all rescues and volunteers 24 hours to pull from our shelter.  They responded by pulling enough animals to keep any from having to be killed.  And that's pretty darn cool.

We may not always get bailed out -- but we're going to try. And isn't giving animals one last chance at adoption worth it?

 

More evidence why BSL is just failed policy

Last week, 65 year old James Sak, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and retired Chicago police officer, was forced to relinquish his service dog after the Town Council in Aurelia, IA, voted to prohibit the dog from living with him because the dog was a 'pit bull' and banned from the city limits.

Sak and his wife Peggy had just moved to Aurelia in November to live closer to Peggy's 87 year old mother because her health was failing.

Sak's dog, Snickers, of course came with them. Snickers is a service dog certified with the National Service Animal Registry. In 2008, Sak suffered a stroke that left him permanently disabled and unable to use the right side of his body and left him confined to a wheel chair. Sak sent 2 years working with a physical therapist to improve his functional capacities -- which included his getting Snickers who was specifically trained to help hiim with his disability (including helping him walk).

However, a small group of residents (really, what type of jerks are THESE people?) circulated a petition calling for Sak's service dog to be removed under the city's breed ban -- even though the dog has no history of aggression or nuissance complaints. And in an amazingly stupid move, the council agreed to do it.

Because he had no other options, Sak has been forced to pusue legal action agains the city of Aurelia -- in what is being called a "landmark case" for the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Eighteen months ago, the Department of Justice released its "Final Rule" on the Americans w/ Disabilities Act. The DOJ clarified that breed restrictions were not welcome under the ADA. You can read the entire section on breeds here, but here are a few highlights:

The Department does not believe that it is either appropriate or consistent with the ADA to defer to local laws that prohibit certain breeds of dogs based on local concerns that these breeds may have a history of unprovoked aggression or attacks. Such deference would have the effect of limiting the rights of persons with disabilities under the ADA....

Breed restrictions differ significantly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have no breed restrictions. Others have restrictions that, while well-meaning, have the unintended effect of screening out the very breeds of dogs that have successfully served as service animals for decades without the history of the type of unprovoked aggression or attacks that would pose a threat....

State and local government entities have the ability to determine, on a case by case basis, whether a particular service animal can be excluded based on that particular animal's actual behavior or history -- not based on fears or generalizations about how an animal or breed might behave.

In spite of this, George Wittgraf, an attorneyrepresenting the city of Aurelia, stands by the city's law noting the city is "simply exercising its authority to protect and preserve the rights and property of its residents -- whether or not that's trumped by" federal law. 

Um, good luck with that.  I'm no lawyer, but this seems like a slam dunk case for Sak and Snickers.

Meanwhile, the whole case continues to being a flashing neon sign highlighting the ridiculousness of breed-specific laws. The law in his case is clearly targeting a dog and its owner that are not a problem, and a dog that is not aggressive. While the city spends the time targeting Mr. Sak, and the money to defend their "right" to do so, they are pulling resources away from dealing with aggressive animals in the community - -ie, animals that have actually acted aggressively.

Meanwhile, they have helped create an uneducated small group of ignorant people who think that its a dog's breed that makes it aggressive, regardless of the behavior of the dog.  And in the process, taken aim at a new resident of the community who spent his entire life serving and protecting other people.

It's idiotic.  And when you see false hysteria created in a situation like this it even further highlights that breed specific legislation isn't a fact-based idea -- it's one based on the powerful emotion of fear.  Let's get back to the facts shall we?  And focus on behavior, not breeds.

Special tip-of-the-hat to Animal Farm Foundation for their ability to help Mr. Sak -- and for providing a wealth of information about the case.

 

 

Updated: Licked to death by a pit bull - some positive press magazine style

I stumbled across this article today -- in a magazine I honestly had never heard of until recently.  In the December/January issue of "Garden and Gun" Magazine (yes, that's the real title, more on it in a second) has an editorial entitled "Licked to Death by a Pit Bull".

I think it's a story that many readers of this blog will identify with -- as the author tells her story about meeting a friend's pit bull.  Her reaction was somewhat typical, though open-minded.  When the time came for her to get another dog, she adopted a pit bull of her own that she named NOLA.

She then briefly discusses some of the history around pit bulls and the reactions she received from others about her dog.  And some conclusions:

"In a hundred years, the pit bull has gone from national hero to unpredictable monster, and the dogs are still the same. We’re the ones who have changed. Despite the variances in their size and shape and traditional uses, all breeds of the domesticated dog trace their genes back to one species: Canis lupus familiaris. The strongest element in their DNA is that they want to be with us, that they want to do what we ask of them. That is both the blessing and the burden of their loyalty."

And then ends with her own, new, stereotype of people who own pit bulls:

"So I will end with this:
I now make certain assumptions about people who own pit bulls, too. I assume they are independent thinkers, they have transcended a long-standing prejudice, and, more important, they know a damn good dog when they see one."

I have to say I enjoyed reading the article, and the magazine, as both came as a surprise. It's also refreshing to see an outsider's perspective on pit bull ownership - -and it's great to see this in a magazine like Garden and Gun.  Garden and Gun is a fairly new publication (started in 2007) and has a circulation of about 250,000 (most of it in the Southeast).  It also targets a very upscale outdoorsman audience -- that has an estimated $1.5 million in net worth.  The magazine has also won quite a few editorial awards (including making Advertising Age's 2011 Hot List which is a major nod).

It's great to see more and more people exposed to the good that 'pit bulls' bring to the world -- from a perspective of someone who once had the same perceptions that many reading the article also have. 

Because, indeed, the author's story is similar to my own story - -and I suspect many who read this blog.  And I think that more people would have the same story of love and respect for these types of dogs if they approached the idea of pit bulls with an open mind and open heart.

So please go check out the story to let them know that positive articles drive web traffic too.

Update:  I'm bringing this up from the comments -- but apparently the writer of the article, Bronwen Dickey saw several comments on Andrew Sullivan's blog, and posted a very lengthy response on her own blog.

I really like many of her comments -- but this segment really struck me because it really mirrors my own experience:

But, as often happens when you’re a writer casting about for stories, I had several experiences that challenged what I previously thought I “knew” about dogs, so I started researching the topic and couldn’t easily pull myself away from it. I discovered many things, but what I found most sobering was the huge, gaping chasm between the empirical data on canine aggression and the widely-held, all-but-unchallenged view that pit bulls and bully breeds are, by nature of their DNA, “dangerous.”

That chasm, filled with bad science and freaky logic, isn’t doing anyone any good. It just keeps people afraid. And in places like Denver and Miami, it is used to deprive people of their property, thus marginalizing big segments of those communities and wasting public funds on enforcement programs thathaven’t yielded any of the intended results.

Bad science should not be used as the basis for legislation.....

Dogs are such a common fixture in our lives that we hardly ever challenge our beliefs about them or think about them scientifically. They are incredibly complex animals (much more complex than I ever realized), their behavior is shaped by an almost infinite matrix of circumstances, our behavior toward them is equally complex, and any attempt to apply sweeping generalizations to various groups of them is usually an exercise in futility.

When I first started the conversation about adopting my first dog as an adult, I began looking into "pit bulls'.  I had my belief about them, but never gave much thought to where that belief came from. But the actual research that was available at the time (and there is much more even now) was hugely different than the belief I held in my mind. When personal experience through dog interactions confirmed the data, I became a fan, and adopted one. Then two.

And I'm still in that huge chasm -- hoping to continue to find more and more data and research to help others find their way across. 

Leaving a legacy of second chances

Over the weekend, I was saddened to hear the news that Leo had died of natural causes. 

Leo is one of 51 dogs rescued from Mike Vick's dog fighting operation.  Unlike almost all bust dogs before him, and because of the work of many advocates around the country, Leo was given a second chance. While other bust dogs have for decades been systematically killed and deemed "unable to be rehabbed", the dogs from Vick's operation were given a chance for an evaluation.

Nearly all passed their evaluations.

Leo was one of about 20 that were sent to various rescue groups for rehab.  And his successful rehabilitation is truly an inspirational success story.

Leo quickly adapted to his new, good surroundings, and became a therapy dog. For the past few years he has been visiting schools, and cancer patients, serving as a therapy dog. In the process, he touched a lot of lives.  And in the process, he changed a lot of them too.

It was through the successful rehabilitation of Leo and several others, that a lot has changed for bust dogs over the past 3 years.  HSUS, who should have been advocating for the dogs for years, had recommended they be killed without an evaluation. However, after seeing the successful rehabilitation, finally changed their tune.  They've helped change the narrative about 'pit bull' type dogs in this country -- and the role environment plays in their behavior.

So, today, it is sad to write about dog that's life ended too soon -- but it's a happy story. One of rehabilitation, second chances, and making the most of them. It's about a dog with a tough life that managed through it to improve the lives of others. It's about a dedicated trainer and rescuer who worked to help make it happen (thanks Martina).  And it's about leaving a legacy that really has made a positive impact. 

RIP.

Click Here  for a video of Leo in Action

Click here for a blog post about Leo from Our Pack, the group that rehabbed Leo.

Weekly Roundup -- Week ending 12/18/11

Ok, I admit I've stunk at putting together the roundups of late. We've been pretty busy with most weekends being spent out at the shelter.  I'm going to try to be better. 

So for this week's roundup I'm going to go back and grab some of the older stories that I've missed by being out of pocket a lot more lately.  Some other stuff I'm going to hold so I can discuss it more in-depth this week. As always, feel free to add your links and comments in the comments section.

Cities/States and Laws

Tupelo, MS is now looking at a new law that may potentially target 'pit bulls', Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers. Looks like baggy pants may be outlawed too.

Add the Metro Services Animal Control in Nashville, TN to the list of places that has a policy against adopting out 'pit bulls' -- helping lead to very high kill rates.

Wentzville, MO seems to be moving forward with the repeal of their breed-specific law.

Rushville, NE stepped back 30 years by banning 'pit bulls' from their community because they have been having problems with stray dogs coming into their community from a nearby Indian Reservation.

A BSL Alert for Slater, MO.

Donnellson, IA is considering changing their animal control laws and moving from breed restrictions to a breed ban.

Pierce County, WA's dangerous dog ordinance was ruled unconstitutional by a state court because it violates due process. I'm very excited by the number of state courts that are beginning to take due process in dangerous dog laws seriously.

The state Senate hearing for HB 14 -- a bill that would repeal Ohio's state-wide breed specific law -- was heard this week. Among the testimony in support of the repeal was Dr. Linda Lord, who was testifying on behalf of the 2400 veterinarians and 300 student members of the Ohio Vet Medical Association.  Experts almost unanimously agree that breed-specific laws are failed thinking.

A great story out Australia noting that the latest edition of the Medial Journal of Australia says that breed-specific legislation is not an effective way to minimize dog attacks. Many legislators in Australia are considering banning certain types of dogs after a fatal dog attack earlier this year in spite of there being zero support from canine experts on the continent.

Dog Bits/Attacks

Major dog bites/attacks are rare given the 78 million dogs in this country-- but when they happen, you can almost be assured that it is the actions of the people surrounding the animals that led to the attack.

A Kelso (WA) woman was severely attacked by two German Shepherds.  The owner of the dogs has been fined more than $1300 since October for allowing her dogs to roam at large and for failing to license her pets.

A Sierra Vista (AZ) woman was attacked when three dogs escaped from a fenced yard and attacked her and the dog she was walking.  Two of the dogs, both Boxers, were shot at the scene. The third dog was defined as a "pit bull" puppy.

A Santa Rosa (CA) man was attacked by his neighbor's "Pit bull".  The dog broke loose from it's chain (see yesterday's commentary on Chained dogs) and attacked the man. The dog had a history of aggression and the owner a history of illegal drug use.

A 21 year old Seattle man climbed over a 10 foot tall fence to get into a back yard.  The man was trespassing and is believed to have been looking to burgle two cars that were behind the fence. The man ended up getting attacked by four "pit bulls" that were in the area (this was a tough part of town, and the dogs were likely used as guard dogs).  The owner of the dogs called off the dogs and then put the victim in a hand truck, wheeled him out to the curb, and called the police. However, one has to wonder why when the Associated Press covered the story, they just told the part about the man being attacked, and not the fact that the man was trespassing and likely a thief.  It sure made a huge difference in the types of comments left on both articles.

While not in the US, so it doesn't count in US fatality numbers, this story out of the Czech Republic discusses a 60 year old woman who was killed by up to 25 Rottweilers that she was keeping on her property.  The dogs were described by authorities as "abused and starving".

Kansas City Area News

The Bonner Springs city council has reached an agreement with the Bonner Animal Rescue to help decrease the city's euthanasia rates and decrease the costs of animal control for the city.

Jackson County, MO has finalized its 2012 budget -- and a lot of funding for local low cost spay/neuter services was a part of the cuts.

The KC Pet Project, a new group that will be taking over the KCMO animal shelter on Jan 1, 2012 and is co-managing the shelter in the interim, held a major adoptioin special last week which helped more than 70 animals find homes.

Police in Salina, KS are dealing with an issue where a 69 year old man apparently was having "sexual contact" with his neighbor's dog.

Thanks to KCMO fire fighters, a family's pet 'pit bull' was rescued from the basement of a burning home. 

No Kill

There are many folks in Columbia, MO that are pushing for New Leadership at the Central Missouri Humane Society to become No Kill.  The CMHS has had a live release rate below 50% for more than a decade (although they have been gtting better over the past 3 years) -- and this chart has all the numbers.

A not-for-profit group in Michigan, the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, is tracking the shelter statistics of shelters across the state -- noting that some large shelters are reporting nearly 81% save rates while others, including the Michigan Humane Society (which has the biggest budget in the state) has only a 30% save rate and is killing 17,000 animals a year among its 3 facilities.

Six pit bulls seized froma cruelty case in Baltimore are working through a transition to become adoptable -- a great story about rehabilitation and caring people in the Baltimore area.

After a change in shelter management in Valparaiso, IN, the community is apparently rallying around the shelter in order to help it achieve no kill.

Miscellaneous

A story about Staten Island police officers' propensity to shoot people's pets for fear of aggression.

Dogs Naturally Magazine has a very interesting article on the Bordetella Vaccine -- calling it a fraud. My own vet recommends against it, but unfortunately my boarding facility requires it.  Some very serious discussions need to be taking place about the efficacy of vaccines so we can discourage the over-vaccination of pets.

An interesting infographic on the cities that spend the most on their pets -- #1: Scottsdale, AZ.

Vaxin, Inc won a $1 million research grant for a new animal contraceptive vaccine which could change the face of spay/neuter in this country.

Blogs

When the heart gets ahead of the mind -- Pets Alive has my favorite blog post of the week about rescues that get in over their heads, or deny adopters as they wait for 'perfect homes' while animals die in shelters because they can't find good homes.  If you read one link today, make it this one.

Transparency in Animal Sheltering - PAWS Chicago has a great article talking about transparency in animal sheltering and a newly proposed law that would require shelters to be open with their kill rates in order to force them to be better stewards for the animals.

Does this puppy make me look fat?  -- according to a pretty cool info graphic by Dog Spelled Forward, about 75% of dogs and cats are overweight and 20-25% are obese. This obviously leads to a lot of health issues including earlier death.  The Chicago Tribune had a similar story on this topic.

Animal Shelter Adoptions: How to Increase Community Investment - Dancing Dog Blog talks about a great program that focuses on kennel enrichment for dogs in shelters and how it helps make them more adoptable.

Canine Stress: Calming Solutions that Work - Dancing Dog Blog discusses the power of Music in calming stressed animals.

"A lack of collaboration' (it's still YOUR fault we killed) -- Saving Pets (AU) discusses the notion that criticzing groups who are flat out doing it wrong is often called a "Lack of collaboration" instead of owning their responsibility to save as many animals as possible...including being progressive in their attitudes toward sheltering.

Can the Bulldog be saved?  -- For the Pit Bulls discusses how deformed and unnatural the English Bulldog has become and questions whether a breed that can no longer reproduce naturally can be saved.

Forbes Magazine calls out ASPCA, PETA -- Winograd has the deets from an article 15 Key insights from 2011 from 15 Key Thinkers and Writers.   #8 focused on the failure of two leading animal rights organizations.

What is true euthanasia -- Winograd takes a look at euthanasia and what it really means to have to make the decision to end an animals life.

The No Kill Movement: We are the 71 percent -- Dogged Blog notes that national statistics note that 71% of Americans believe that shelters should only be allowed to euthanize animals when they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be adopted -- while 25% believe kiling should be allowed for populatoin control.

A pit bull's reality - Lucky Dog discusses the plight of 'pit bulls' in shelters and hopes to do her part to correct the situation.

No Kill: Everybody's Doing it -- YesBiscuit! notes the large number of individual people who have created their own minature no kill shelters and wonders why large, taxpayer funded shelters cannot seem to do the same thing.

Angels?  or Agendas?  -- Wisconsin Watchdog takes a look at PETA and their "better off dead" montra.

Bad. Or Bored.  A new group called "Fire Cracker Dog" has a great post about training high-energy dogs and how it is important to not just physically wear them out, but also to work their brain.

On Dog Aggression - -from John Sibley

A Youtube video I love that shows a news anchor getting 'viciously' loved by a 'pit bull' on air.

With Friends like this -- who needs enemies? -- Wisconsin Watchdog comments about inaccurate information that is leading to more animal deaths, not less. 

Video showing connection between chaining and dog aggression

Below, is a video featuring a representative from a humane society in Washington who was called out to deal with an aggressive dog on its chain.

The video shows the dog being VERY territorial and lunging at the humane society person. 

Eventually, the dog is contained -- and the video then shows the rapid transformation of the dog going from biting/lunging to cuddling in less than 24 hours --- based almost entirely on how he was contained.

The video then gives statistics on chaining and dog bites and how chained dogs are more likely to be involved in bite incidents than unchained dogs.

The video is an interesting look at tethering as a sole form of containment for dogs and while I am not opposed to the idea of tethering dogs, the idea of tethering dogs as their sole or primary form of containment is very problematic. It also is very telling as to why you cannot judge the actions of dogs without judging the actions of the people surrounding them that created their circumstances.

h/t: Seattle Dog Spot

 

Why would a shelter/rescue discourage adoptions?

Shelters and rescues exist primarily for two reasons -- to be a safe haven for homeless pets until they find their forever home and to help these pets find their homes.

And yet, every year around this time, I find it amazing at how many shelters and rescues are actively out DISCOURAGING adoptions -- which is exactly the opposite of what their goal should be.

Earlier this week, a fairly new blog called "PetMoz" wrote an article entitled "Please think twice before putting that puppy or kitten under the tree" that included seven "Reasons not to give puppies or kittens as holiday gifts."

Meanwhile, Marji had a blog posting this week that featured another bad advertisement with the headline "What are YOU returning this holiday season?  Sweaters don't die when returned. Dogs are not gifts" -- featuring, of course, a dog in a jail cell.

Dogtime ran a story: "Holiday puppies: A nightmare after Christmas?"

The Humane Society in Grand Junction, CO is also telling people to resist the urge to adopt a pet as a Christmas present.

AllVoices.com calls puppies "one of the gifst you should never give a person, especially at Christmas."

Twitter and Facebook continue to be littered with similar messages - -that actively discouraging adoptions.  It's painful to witness -- as these shelters are discouraging adoption while animals remain in shelters waiting to be adopted.

Anyone else see a disconnect?

Yes, it's true that sometimes people make bad decisions about giving pets as gifts for the holidays to people who don't neccessarily want, or need, a pet.

And yet, the holidays can be an awesome time for families to adopt. Most people have a lot of time off during the holidays to spend working the new puppy into the family home.  And puppies can make great gifts for the entire family -- as long as everyone is at the table to help in the decision-making and selection process.

Last weekend at our shelter, a family came in looking for a pet for the holidays. All five members of the family were there: mother, father, and three kids.  The youngest daughter kept saying to her mother "Puppy,  Christmas?  Puppy Christmas?"  It was sweet, and the familly was there picking out the dog together -- with the parents fully understanding the long-term commitment of adoption as some volunteers helped pair them up with a dog that would fit their family lifestyle.  Why would we disourage this? 

There are plenty of ways to responsibly adopt around the holidays -- and this is something we should ENCOURAGE, not discourage. So encourage people to adopt responsibly during the holidays. Encourage them to bring the entire family to your shelter to meet a new family member. Help them find a pet that fits their lifestyle. Help them to understand the lifetime commitment.  And help them have a great holiday with their new pet. 

This should be a joyous time, and people LOVE the idea of doing good around the holidays, and giving back to the community. What could make someone feel better than adopting a dog or cat from their local shelter for the holidays.

Embrace it. It's an awesome opportunity to adopt out pets. Don't discourage adoptions with doom and gloom messaging. It's counter-productive, and illogical for a group responsible for adopting out pets to do.

Merry Christmas -- and Happy Adoptions. 

Ohio BSL Repeal Bill -- Hearing tomorrow, 12/13

From Jodi at Bless the Bullies, the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 14 tomorrow, 12/13, at 3:15 i nthe North Hearing Room on the 2nd Floor of the Senate Building in Columbus.

This will be the second time that the bill has been heard by the Senate after passing the House earlier this year.

There will be three friendly amendments proposed which I've heard are good (still trying to get some clarification). I think one of the amendments is going to shore up a due process issue that a lot of people have been concerned about.  I'm not sure about the others.

If you can make it to the Senate tomorrow, please show up and show your support. If the amendments pass, this will have to go back to the House of Representatives.