Pit Bulls (and other animals in dire need of adoption)
After looking at reports, articles and Q&A I’ve read on various animal welfare websites (mostly HSUS, PETA, Best Friends, and ASPCA) it seems that an overwhelming majority of the dogs who were rescued after Hurricane Katrina are Pit Bulls.
In my opinion, not only should any dogs that had been used in dog fights not be reunited with their original “owners” (and most likely won’t be) but according to audio reports by an animal rescuer, the Pit Bulls that her team rescued were licking their faces with gratitude. Therefore, I believe that many animals people might overlook would be friendly and grateful for a decent place to live, in a normal setting.
All Katrina animal victims deserve loving homes after the trauma they’ve lived through. And other sheltered animals around the country should not have to “move down the list” (or be euthanized), waiting for adoption because of the sudden influx and sudden interest in the Katrina victims. This should be cause for general consciousness raising and widespread action to adopt.
I checked the US Pop Clock tonight, and our population is at 297,299,901. How many households would that be? And of those, how many people could give a loving home to one or two shelter animals? Can we use the tragedies of Katrina to become a “No More Homeless Pets” nation?
And would breeders be willing to self-impose a moratorium, so the shelters can deal with finding homes for their overflow of animals?
And while I’m at it, dog fighting is illegal in all 50 states, and is a felony in most. How about making dog fighting a felony in every state?! Find out if it is still only a misdemeanor in your state. If it is, contact your state officials to see what they can do to change the law.
Consider this part of our patriotic duty.
Added 10/8/05:
Here’s an article that touches on my concerns, and the viability of adopting many of the Katrina Pit Bull orphans:
“Already Victims of Katrina, Pit Bulls Must Also Contend with Bans and Breed Bias”