Fur Angels Animal Sanctuary of Aurora, Illinois is unlike any other rescue in the area; they take in dogs that no one wants, among them, pit bulls. Fur Angels is a no-kill shelter that works on training and then placing the dogs in proper homes. Each dog is given a fair chance despite their circumstances. When perusing their site it is noticeable that a majority of their adoptable dogs are of the pit bull breed, something you do not often see in the suburbs because of the misconceptions of the breed.
Some shelters and doggie daycares turn away bully breeds because of the misconception they are aggressive and unadoptable. When in fact there are many things that contribute to a dogs aggression, most of them can be prevented by their human counterpart. Humans mold breeds of dogs by selecting their behavioral and physical traits during the breeding process. Over breeding is a huge issue among the pit bull population. Unchecked breeding practices have led to countless pit bulls roaming the streets and in shelters. Due to the over breeding, approximately 2 million pit bulls are euthanized yearly. According to Jana Deolivera, a volunteer at the Baltimore shelter called BARCS, there are 15,000 pit bulls on Petfinder.com at any given time and for every 1 that finds a home, 600 are euthanized. Jana reports that almost every time she walks a dog from the shelter it is a pit bull. Those aren’t very fair odds for a dog that is being judged off of something a human has taught him to do.
Pit bulls make great family dogs when placed in the right hands. They, like all dogs, require obedience training and do better if they are involved in some sort of activity. Lack of socialization can cause any dog to become unpredictable and dangerous, especially pit bulls, as they are extremely loyal and love to be around people. Fear is one of the number one reasons dogs attack. Owners who do not socialize their dog do not know their dogs temperament which can cause further safety risks. Some owners don’t allow the dog inside the home and often chain them outside. A chained dog is denied any kind of stimulation that would prevent it from becoming frustrated, therefore making it a risk to the public.
Owners who choose not to alter their dogs add to the level of aggression in their pit bull. An unaltered dog reacts to hormonal urges and is much more likely to attack than a dog that has been spayed or neutered. According to Abcnews.com, since 1999, 95% of dog attacks involved unaltered dogs. Hormones lead the dog to try and establish dominance more often than usual with other dogs. By having the dog neutured you are reducing the testosterone levels, which reduces tension and sexual frustration in male dogs. Altering a female dog does not seem to effect aggression but does reduce possible health problems.
Laws against breeds should be more geared towards their human counterparts. Laws banning the breed lead to a false sense of security and don’t work because it does nothing in regards to the human training them.
Check out Fur Angels and BARC at the Links Below:
http://www.furangelsas.com/pages/dogs.html
http://www.baltimoreanimalshelter.org/
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