Anecdotal Pit Bull #24 - #30

Been awhile since I did one of these, but I assure you its not because I haven't been running into any "pit bull types". While anti-breed people like to say "pit bulls" are relatively rare (and then only owned by thugs, of course). They're certainly not rare around here. We see at least four or five (non-repeating) BSL-eligible dogs per week, usually more. I just don't get a chance to photograph many of them. Plus I've been busier than usual the last couple months.

Below you'll see the usual; these are normal, beloved, family pets that would be targeted by BSL should it ever come to my area. Each and every one represents a potential drain on the city budget and local law enforcement if such asinine legislation were passed.

We don't even have the budget for animal control here, and we're the second-largest city in the region. As it stands, police can't even respond to all the dog-at-large complaints (one of the top calls the city police receives, btw). I'm told by my friend at the department that they usually ask the caller if they feel comfortable catching the dog themselves and bringing it to the station or directly to the shelter (a private shelter that has a contract with the city to hold strays). They already have to prioritize their time.

I'm not sure where BSL-advocates think that cities like mine would find the resources to go around confiscating dogs that have done nothing wrong while still continuing to enforce the dangerous-animal laws they do already. I'm serious. I really would like to know exactly what pro-BSL people think it would look like on a day-to-day basis if police had to enforce BSL. I mean, its not like anyone is going to call in complaints about dogs that aren't doing anything wrong. Oh, sure, if a new BSL ordinance was advertised enough, there would probably be some pit-bull haters in the community who would be more than happy to report their neighbors. But then again, if it were advertised widely, then owners of the persecuted "breeds" would have a heads up to hide their pets.

So, IN ADDITION to the calls they ALREADY don't have time for, would the police also have to also go door-to-door, like they do in some places that passed BSL? Would they stake an officer out at the three vet clinics in town? Or just require us to make daily breed-sighting reports? Would they pull people over while they're driving? All of the above?




#24 in my series is Holly, my current foster dog. She is not a pit bull, but she could easily be targeted by BSL. She likely has some boxer in her recent ancestery, but other than that she's a certified mutt. But she has short hair and a somewhat blocky head and the coloration from her boxer genes; from the right angle, she definitely looks "pitty-ish". In fact she looks quite a bit like this dog. Certainly enough for a vindictive AC officer to haul her away if she lived in the wrong city.



#25 is the dog from this earlier post. He's one of many dogs owned by a local rancher. He's friendly and mellow and gets along with the other dogs. He's unneutered. Maybe he's a boxer mix, maybe "pit bull". I keep forgetting to ask the owner.




#26 is a 3 year old unneutered male. Owned by a family with children. We hospitilized him, I think for pancreantitis. He was scared of everything, but never aggressive.




#27 is a "mastiff mix" according to his owner, and that seems likely. However, he would likely be targeted as a "pit bull type" by BSL. We hospitalized him, I don't remember what for. Caring for him was not a memorable experience.




#28 is a "lab/pit mix" according to the owner. Another hospitalized case that I don't remember very well (I need to keep better notes). I obviously felt confident enough to walk him to the potty yard without a muzzle and an armed guard, so there's that.



#29 is a young female dog, maybe 2 years old, who was found wandering the countryside. A kind person took her in, and when her original owners couldn't be found, decided to keep her. We were treating her for a vaginal prolapse and spaying her. She was very submissive and friendly.




#30 is a husky/pit mix. He went missing and came home that afternoon riddled with buckshot. The police were never called, so we may never know why someone felt compelled to shoot him from short range - once from the front, and once from the back presumably as he was running away. It's possible he acted aggressively. But it's also very possible he wandered into the yard of someone who just doesn't like dogs, or "pit bulls". He was perfectly friendly while at the clinic. Even while in considerable pain, he was never aggressive.