"Leadership is an action not a position"

The subject of pit bulls and other "bully" breeds has always been fraught with agita as we have steadfastly fought against breed specific legislation and bias while focusing on the owner. Even so, there has been an acknowledgement that sometimes nurture loses to nature and that shelter personnel must responsibly make difficult decisions that allow for the adoption of these dogs while considering public safety issues as well. It neither fosters trust in the shelter i.e. to place a dangerous dog in a home, nor protects adoptable dogs of a certain breed from negative media hype and bias.

Sadly, the fear of these dogs results in adoptable ones not being chosen, euthanized, and banned completely from placement opportunities. I write now as two stories crossed my desk today. One, a twenty year old pit pull ban in Denver was about to be repealed and then vetoed at the eleventh hour, while reports of other bites, here in Los Angeles and elsewhere surfaced.

The inroads that were made in stressing reasonableness and responsibility have given way to the ignorant ideologue chants of place everything. They pressure shelter directors around the country to sanitize files, to use euphemistic words to mask aggressive behavior, and to tell well-meaning adopters that just a little love will cure all. The result is more bites, negative press, and lawsuits, which creates shelters full of wonderful dogs that the public is afraid to take home. Again, victimizing the dogs for the sins of those who should and are in a position to know better is cruel. Allowing these pets to languish in shelters creates an appearance that bully breeds are all that shelters offer - so the family turns to puppy mills, Instagram, Craig's' List peddlers, and other questionable sources for a healthy, reliable dog. This leads to warehousing of dogs, hoarding, and overcrowding - again - driving people away from the shelter.

This is not fair at all. Running an animal shelter means leading, managing, and protecting both the shelter pets from harm at the hands of the public as well as protecting the public from dangerous dogs at the shelter. It does not mean running away from difficult decisions.

"Leadership is an action not a position"  Donald Mcgannon


P.S. spcaLA never stopped placing pit bulls and other bully breeds despite the trend to do so, nor will we place a demonstrably unsafe dog into a home. Animal evaluation is not a perfect science - but- our supporters appreciate that we try.