Rescuing the rescued
August 29, 2012 7:15 AM   Subscribe

This post was deleted for the following reason: This animal abuse thread is going the way of all the other animal abuse threads. "This is a terrible thing that happened" posts aren't grat for MeFi anyhow and turning them into yet another "pits are bad, no they aren't, you are bad" thread just isn't any good at all. -- jessamyn



 
Fucking people.
posted by Kitteh at 7:17 AM on August 29, 2012 [13 favorites]


There is absolutely no way I am clicking on any of those links, but I agree with teh kitteh.
posted by The Bellman at 7:23 AM on August 29, 2012 [7 favorites]


I'd prefer the death penalty for people who harm animals, but jesus christ, at the very least life fucking imprisonment for this evil swine.
posted by gsh at 7:26 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


I think what we have and continue to put pit bulls through is hideous and criminal. So many of them are just condemned to a lifetime of misery at the hands of their owners, at the hands of underfunded shelters (who are, honestly, often a godsend and are trying their best) who can't seem to get people to adopt pits because of their reputation, at the hands of the state when they need to be put down because their idiot owners didn't raise them right. And now this. Those poor dogs. I don't know what the solution is; god knows they've been a Tough Guy fashion accessory longer than purse-chihuahuas. I just feel so bad for those dogs, who can be as good and loving as any other dog.
posted by griphus at 7:30 AM on August 29, 2012 [4 favorites]


Aren't these dogs renowned for their agression if not properly trained? Wasn't it likely these traits which caused the ex-owners to dump the animals in the refuge?

Who would be insane enough to rehome one of these animals after a recent history of abuse like this?
posted by epo at 7:32 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


at the very least life fucking imprisonment for this evil swine.

A nice crate would do. I understand that crazy dog hoarders have a den instinct.
posted by pracowity at 7:34 AM on August 29, 2012 [4 favorites]


One of my former roommates had a pit/basenji mix named Jazzy who was basically the best dog ever. Because of her mix, she looked sort of like a slightly smaller golden retriever that was entirely made of muscle.

She always, ALWAYS wanted to go out for runs. One time, I took her out on my bike, running her alongside me on bike trails - I went full-out for over an hour because I wanted to tire her out, and when we got home I was covered in sweat and exhausted. Five minutes after I was out of the shower she came up to me and gave me doggy kisses and then looked pointedly at the door - RUN AGAIN NOW RUN RUN PLEASE?

Other than her deeply held belief that she could take on a train in a fight - even after scars showed that this had not worked numerous times - which meant you had to hold her down whenever a train came by, she was a great dog.
posted by mightygodking at 7:36 AM on August 29, 2012 [8 favorites]


Most pit bulls don't hurt anyone. They're just adopted by people without the wherewithal to train them and then given up because the dog doesn't magically act well-trained without the actual effort put into training.
posted by griphus at 7:36 AM on August 29, 2012


I expect to see more stories like this here in Maryland. Due to a court ruling in July (partly amended to exclude mixed breeds), landlords are now liable for pit bull attacks without regard for the dog's history. With other breeds the landlord is only liable if they knew the dog was dangerous. Consequently, landlords are being advised by their insurance companies to banish pit bulls. Some have now begun doing just that, including one Baltimore development with 1500 residents, half of whom live with a pit bull. Homeowners insurance can't be far behind in refusing to insure pit bull owners.

Many Maryland pit bull owners are going to have to choose between their home and their pet, and when they do they can only hope their beloved dog doesn't end up in a place like this.
posted by postel's law at 7:37 AM on August 29, 2012


Yeah. Everything I've read about these dogs, well trained or not, makes me wonder who would want to adopt one. American Pits as a breed are illegal in the UK.

That said, cruelty like this makes me think that eye-for-eye punishment would be a good thing.
posted by veedubya at 7:40 AM on August 29, 2012


And any dog, any dog at all, can be aggressive and destructive if not trained. They're sort of the dog equivalent of a Hummer. A responsible person can own a Hummer and not be a jackass on the road, but it just so happens that they're quite often purchased by jackasses.
posted by griphus at 7:40 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


epo: "Aren't these dogs renowned for their agression if not properly trained? Wasn't it likely these traits which caused the ex-owners to dump the animals in the refuge?

Who would be insane enough to rehome one of these animals after a recent history of abuse like this?
"

More likely, they were given up because of various breed-specific policies. Need a new apartment? Good luck finding one that will accept pit bulls. Want homeowners insurance? I hope you're prepared for a huge rate hike. Can't afford to keep the dog? Well, "everybody" knows that all pit bulls are inherently dangerous.

As for rehoming pitbulls after they've been abused... 47 of Vick's fighting dogs were rehomed. Including Jonny Justice, who was a therapy dog. For children. Until people who think that all pit bulls are inherently vicious forced the library program to stop completely.
posted by specialagentwebb at 7:42 AM on August 29, 2012 [2 favorites]


Pits are sweet and loveable and wonderful. It's the masters that are the problem.
posted by absalom at 7:42 AM on August 29, 2012


Yeah. Everything I've read about these dogs, well trained or not, makes me wonder who would want to adopt one. American Pits as a breed are illegal in the UK.

They are illegal in Canada, too. And if you bring one into Ontario, it will be put down.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 7:47 AM on August 29, 2012


I'd prefer the death penalty for people who harm animals, but jesus christ, at the very least life fucking imprisonment for this evil swine.

I'm not an animal person at all, but I'm not seeing the evil here at all.

No shortage of the stupid, or the inadequate though -- from the people who bred the dogs in the first place, to the people who dumped them in this refuge without checking where they were going, to the woman who ran the place, to the state that allows people to run a facility like this without regular inspections.

But evil? Really?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:47 AM on August 29, 2012


Pit bull hysteria is capital-R ridiculous. For over 100 years, Americans knew pitbulls for what they did best. Babysitting..

According to the AVMA:
Given that pit bull-type dogs are not implicated in controlled studies, and the potential role of prevalence and management factors, it is difficult to support the targeting of this breed as a basis for dog bite prevention. If breeds are to be targeted a cluster of large breeds would be implicated including the German shepherd and shepherd crosses and other breeds that vary by location.
posted by namewithoutwords at 7:52 AM on August 29, 2012 [5 favorites]


Here are a few pictures of my brother's half-pit-half-mutt mix, Sadie. One, two, three.

He found her on the side of the road when she was a tiny, tiny puppy, walking alongside her full pit mama. The mom was emaciated and covered in burrs. He tried to coax both of them into the car to take them to the vet, but only the puppy would come. He tried to give the puppy away (his apartment didn't allow dogs), but no one would take her. So he kept her. (He went back for the next few days to look for the mom, but couldn't find her.)

She is just the sweetest thing. That is all.
posted by phunniemee at 7:53 AM on August 29, 2012 [5 favorites]


half-pit-half-mutt

I should say presumed mutt. We don't know what her dad was.
posted by phunniemee at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


38 dogs died of asphyxiation from the heat, in filthy crates. That's beyond "stupid" or "inadequate."
posted by griphus at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2012 [3 favorites]


ANGRY
posted by samofidelis at 7:55 AM on August 29, 2012


There is absolutely no way I am clicking on any of those links, but I agree with teh kitteh.

Last couple links are actually heartwarming - a lot of very sweet dogs being loved and cared for the way they deserve.
posted by capricorn at 7:55 AM on August 29, 2012


Can we please not let this devolve into a debate about whether or not Pit Bulls are are more dangerous than other breeds? We've had that debate a bunch of times already.

I really think that only experienced dog owners should ever get a dog from a shelter. Anyone else should get their dogs from a ethical breeder. If everyone did that (and breeders were as selective as they should be about who gets their dogs) we'd have no more need for shelters.

Some of the dogs probably had behavior issues that the owners didn't know how to deal with and those issues might have been made worse by being kept in that hell-hole. However, with proper training and care ANY dog can be turned around and be a great companion.
posted by VTX at 7:58 AM on August 29, 2012


I wish there could be more political fervour against breed specific legislation. But I never really understood how BSL laws even get going. Soooo annoying to have people tell me my sweet dog Lola is going to "turn" and murder me in 4 years.

Fuck you, you don't know

1. Dogs in general
2. Animals in general
3. my dog
4. Me enough

But it seems like a similar attitude to shitty people who smugly tell me how I will burn in hell. Riiiight, well I hope you creepy glee in imagining me eaten by my dog or burning in hell helps you get through the day.
posted by Napierzaza at 8:00 AM on August 29, 2012


I'm told pit bulls are bred for aggression - against other animals. But they're also bred for complete, devoted obedience toward humans. I'm assuming that's part of what makes a good fighting animal, but it means they also make good companion animals for homes without ther pets.

I can't find a really good cite offhand, but here's one example.
posted by capricorn at 8:00 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


Golden retrievers don't snap and attack children without provocation

Yeah, the scars on my cousin's face that she got as a child would suggest otherwise.
posted by elizardbits at 8:02 AM on August 29, 2012 [5 favorites]


Mod note: Don't call each other jerks. Don't thread sit.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:05 AM on August 29, 2012


I haven't read the articles, I'm kind of scared to do so. But I have a question. Why would she do this? She's not getting paid to take in these dogs, is she? Because if she takes them in for free, then why bother with this? It's telling people you're going to do some fair amount of work, and then going to a lot of time and effort and trouble to do a very different kind of work, for apparently no profit or anything. Is she just crazy?
posted by nushustu at 8:06 AM on August 29, 2012


Golden retrievers don't snap and attack children without provocation

And, despite the fact that they were bred to fetch things, many of them still need to be taught to fetch. Just because a dog was bred for a specific trait doesn't mean that trait will naturally come to the surface. Training and socialization can enhance some aspects and depress others no matter what the dog was bred to do.
posted by VTX at 8:07 AM on August 29, 2012


Is she just crazy?

She's an animal hoarder. It comes from the love of the animals, but yes, it's a mentally disordered behavior/way of thinking.
posted by capricorn at 8:08 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


They are illegal in Canada, too.

Not all of Canada. Ontario has a breed ban, and I believe Winnipeg does as well. Out here in Alberta, our current dog is one we adopted from the Alberta Pit Bull Rescue group - a pup who was captured in Ontario and was given over to the rescue group rather than euthanized.

And we're really happy that we got him - he's a loving, happy, fun dog who enjoys cuddling with us or the kids. I think he's more of a Staffordshire terrier than full pit bull, but he's been a wonderful addition to the house.
posted by never used baby shoes at 8:09 AM on August 29, 2012


Golden retrievers don't snap and attack children without provocation

This is just silly. Have you ever spent any time around dogs? Because lots of dogs of all sorts of breeds will do this. It's not great, obviously, but it does happen. I have a tiny little border terrier puppy, sweet as can be, and he nipped my boyfriend's nose last week. No reason. And don't even get me started on cats and their claws of razor fury.

If you want to 100% assure yourself that nothing in your home will ever snap and attack you without provocation, you should probably not allow any animals, of any species or breed, any strange people, or even toddlers into your house.
posted by phunniemee at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2012 [6 favorites]


I would really recommend that everybody coming into this thread should read at least the third article linked in this post, even if you read nothing else.

Why would she do this? She's not getting paid to take in these dogs, is she?

She was, but not very much. Not enough to keep the place running properly. It seems like she kept doing it because she didn't know how to turn away an animal in need. She was irresponsible and negligent, but I don't know if she was cruel. I wonder if she was in this thread right now she'd be going to the mat to defend the dogs she believed she "saved".
posted by fight or flight at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2012


Aiden McGrew, 2-months old, was killed by the family dog while his mother was away and his father was sleeping. The recently adopted dog, described as a golden retriever-mix, pulled the infant from the chair and severed the baby's leg during the attack. Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nesbit ruled the death a homicide and that neglect led to the boy's death by "animal eating."
Just so we're clear that there is no magical perfect dog breed that never hurts or kills a human. I love pit bulls, myself. But then again, I love all dogs.
posted by Coatlicue at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


Born and raised on a reservation, lots and lots of poverty, lots and lots and lots of stray dogs wandering around. As a kid I was warned that strays were unpredictable, covered with fleas, and possibly even rabid. I learned to chase these starving, cowardly mongrels away immediately. I remember at least twice becoming aware of looming loose groups of 3-4 dogs moseying towards me and while I could chase off single dogs, these kinda-packs were a stalemate at best - I'm sure my body English probably reflected the straight-up 'prey' warning klaxons in my head.

Anyways, as a kid these were always smaller, starving, 500-breed plain brown dog. It's been 30 years since Young Me left the rez. On a recent trip back to the reservation I still saw many, many stray dogs but with a big difference - a clear prevalence of pitbulls, German shepherds, etc - the usual 'tough breeds' all showing up. These dogs were much bigger than the ones I remember as a kid, which is completely different from the usual experience if you think about it.

I assume these alpha strays had pushed out the mangy stragglers I knew as a kid.

I've got no solid facts, but I'd be nervous facing down a single one of these mistreated tough-dog strays, much less the forthcoming born-wild pups. No one ever talks about this aspect of pits/shepherds, but this change represents a clear worsening of the situation if you live in an area with a significant stray population.
posted by unixrat at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2012 [2 favorites]


In high school we had an otherwise very sweet pit mix who was a facial biter. We'd been lifelong, responsible dog owners, but within two months of owning her, she first bit a friend of mine who came by and knelt down to pet her, and then me--when I was sleeping with her in bed. I still have scars.

These conversations about how only horrible owners have pits who bite are really hard for me. We spent a year trying to train her with the help of the no-kill shelter where we adopted her, but we were in really, really over our head--she continued to snap, snarl, and lunge at people's faces. The shelter, of course, didn't tell us that she had known aggression problems until after we adopted her.

Ironically, after surrendering her to the shelter after a very painful year of training and heartbreak, we adopted another pit mix who is the best dog we ever had. She's fifteen now and totally a couch cuddler. The only faces she bites are the faces of her toys (whose eyes she carefully plucks out, every time. It's weird.)

I don't know that this is a black and white issue at all.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:13 AM on August 29, 2012


Getting off the breed debate:

Why do so many people hate euthanasia? It seems to me that killing a dog humanely is much, much better than forcing it to live in these kinds of conditions -- and if you really cared about animal welfare, you would favour euthanasia (along with spaying and neutering to minimize the number of dogs and cats).
posted by jb at 8:15 AM on August 29, 2012 [6 favorites]


When I bought my house and was signing insurance papers, the agent asked me if I had a dog. I replied" I plan on getting one soon". He then proceeded to run down the list of dogs "allowed" under my policy: no more than 1 Rottweiler, German Shepherd or Doberman and no Pitbulls or Chows (when I asked why no Chows - "They like to bite kids"). It really bummed me out later when I was at the shelter, because there were a lot of young Pitbull puppies who were having a hard time finding homes.
posted by Asbestos McPinto at 8:16 AM on August 29, 2012


What I don't understand is, why are some people so completely attached to Pit Bulls? I mean, maybe you had a good one, but if the statistics say they're dangerous or your insurer throws a fit, why is it such a big deal to get a different breed? I like Corgis and had one growing up, but knowing what I do about the bred, I probably wouldn't get one if I had a small child. And that's not even a dog big enough to be really dangerous!

If dogs are dogs are dogs and it's all training, why is it such a big deal to pick something different? You could just as easily train up a golden retriever or basenji or a greyhound or whatever to be equally awesome, and it wouldn't have the ruinous jaw-strength of a pit bull and it wouldn't intimidate everyone.
posted by Mitrovarr at 8:17 AM on August 29, 2012


Why do so many people hate euthanasia? It seems to me that killing a dog humanely is much, much better than forcing it to live in these kinds of conditions -- and if you really cared about animal welfare, you would favour euthanasia (along with spaying and neutering to minimize the number of dogs and cats).

Word. After our aforementioned experience, we stopped adopting from the overcrowded, irresponsible no-kill shelter in our town. The place we adopted pitmix#2 from was a tiny kill shelter that only had animals available for adoption who had been carefully screened and deemed suitable for living with families. The necessity of euthanasia for some healthy animals makes me sad, but with over population, breeding problems, and abuse, it is definitely a necessity.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:21 AM on August 29, 2012


...and it wouldn't have the ruinous jaw-strength of a pit bull and it wouldn't intimidate everyone.

The intimidation factor is why a lot of people want pits. Those also happen to be the people who care the worst for them.
posted by griphus at 8:23 AM on August 29, 2012


Of course, this is why I like cats. They are ALL VICIOUS and would kill you as soon as look at you - but they are too tiny to do the damage.
posted by jb at 8:23 AM on August 29, 2012 [1 favorite]


What I don't understand is, why are some people so completely attached to Pit Bulls? I mean, maybe you had a good one, but if the statistics say they're dangerous or your insurer throws a fit, why is it such a big deal to get a different breed

Because most cities' shelters have a ton of pitties looking for homes. Or, more accurately, they have a ton of mutts, where "mutt" in practice usually means "pit bull mix." Identifiable non-pit breeds come more from breeders; every pit owner I know - and that's nearly every dog owner I know - got theirs by going to a shelter and looking for someone who desperately needed a loving home.
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:24 AM on August 29, 2012


Just so we're clear that there is no magical perfect dog breed that never hurts or kills a human. I love pit bulls, myself. But then again, I love all dogs.

Agreed - however, ~70% of the fatalities on that page you linked were caused by pitbulls.

Labs and retrievers do more total bites, I'm sure - but there are so many more of those around. Pitbulls are much less common and responsible for far more of the deaths than any other breed.

It's an unfortunate reality.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:26 AM on August 29, 2012


Can we please not let this devolve into a debate about whether or not Pit Bulls are are more dangerous than other breeds?

If people would stop asserting that they aren't any more dangerous when they clearly are, we can stop having the debate.
posted by grouse at 8:26 AM on August 29, 2012 [3 favorites]


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