What's happening with animal shelters?

LittlePinto · Dec 21, 2015

Back in the 90s it wasn't uncommon to see a fair variety of breeds represented in animal shelters. Retrievers, Setters, Pointers, Hounds--many mixes, but a handful of purebreds. Heck, my family's first purebred Brittany came from a shelter. And between them, of course, you had the solid Heinz 57, the All-American Mutt.

Now, the shelter population is almost all fighting breeds and their mixes.

Are any of you observing this trend in your own areas? Why do you think it's happening?

cornflake · Dec 21, 2015

LittlePinto said:
Back in the 90s it wasn't uncommon to see a fair variety of breeds represented in animal shelters. Retrievers, Setters, Pointers, Hounds--many mixes, but a handful of purebreds. Heck, my family's first purebred Brittany came from a shelter. And between them, of course, you had the solid Heinz 57, the All-American Mutt.

Now, the shelter population is almost all fighting breeds and their mixes.

Are any of you observing this trend in your own areas? Why do you think it's happening?

Part is that there are more adoptions. There are still a horrifying number of animals in shelters and euthanized each year - hundreds of thousands of animals, but there are more adoptions as well. Part is geographic - in the south, there are many more dogs like retrievers, setters, and the like, and more shelter animals in general. They do get shipped up north and west to get adopted, because they get adopted in those areas more readily. Part is that there are also more breed-specific rescues about, who will take unwanted retrievers or etc., and who will pull them from shelters.

Add that up, then put in that it's harder to adopt out pit bulls, mixes of them and similar type dogs (partially because people are afraid of them and partially because many municipalities, buildings, landlords of all types, ban them), and, well...

Roxxsmom · Dec 21, 2015

LittlePinto said:
Back in the 90s it wasn't uncommon to see a fair variety of breeds represented in animal shelters. Retrievers, Setters, Pointers, Hounds--many mixes, but a handful of purebreds. Heck, my family's first purebred Brittany came from a shelter. And between them, of course, you had the solid Heinz 57, the All-American Mutt.

Now, the shelter population is almost all fighting breeds and their mixes.

Are any of you observing this trend in your own areas? Why do you think it's happening?

Yep. I've noticed it more and more with each dog I adopted, and I've had to go further afield, because our local Sacramento shelters were almost all short-coated, muscular dogs with whip-thin tails, huge heads and squashy muzzles (many with battle cropped ears), or chihuahuas, or much older dogs or dogs with special needs (like has to be an only dog or can't live with cats).

With my most recently adopted dog, even the rural shelters in the area were pretty much all bullies and chihuahuas all the time.

I prefer herding dogs both aesthetically and in terms of personality (and they tend to get along better with other herding dogs too--herders and bullies don't tend to play well together), so I was willing to look for a while until the right dog came along. I watched the local shelters like a hawk, and both times a young, sound dog that looked like a herding mix came up, someone else was in the process of adopting it by the time I got there. I finally got a very nice dog at a rescue group in Modesto, run by a lady who adores cattle dogs and their mixes (my most recent adoptee is a cattle dog/border collie mix) and pulls them from local shelters when they come in.

I think there are some reasons for this recent preponderance of bullies.

1. Private rescues, many of which specialize in certain breeds or mixes. There are a lot of them around now. Our local border collie, Aussie Shepherd, German shepherd, Lab, and golden retriever rescues, for instance, are very active and quickly pull dogs of those breeds from shelters, often before they even go up for adoption officially.

2. The spay neuter thing is working to some extent. Responsible pet owners know they shouldn't let their dogs have even "just one litter" nowadays and that breeding isn't likely to be a profitable endeavor, even if their dog is a purebred. Plus, shelters and rescues generally neuter animals before they send them to their new homes.

Mistakes still happen, especially in rural areas where people are more likely to let dogs roam or have intact ranch dogs, but they're rarer.

3. But the bully breeds (and chihuahuas here for some reason) seem to be especially popular with people who are less inclined to neuter or spay their dogs, either for economic reasons or personal philosophy. Or maybe the current popularity of these breeds means that some of the people who own them assume there's money to be made from breeding them?

That's my take on things, anyway.

LittlePinto · Dec 21, 2015

cornflake said:
Part is that there are more adoptions. There are still a horrifying number of animals in shelters and euthanized each year - hundreds of thousands of animals, but there are more adoptions as well. Part is geographic - in the south, there are many more dogs like retrievers, setters, and the like, and more shelter animals in general. They do get shipped up north and west to get adopted, because they get adopted in those areas more readily. Part is that there are also more breed-specific rescues about, who will take unwanted retrievers or etc., and who will pull them from shelters.

Add that up, then put in that it's harder to adopt out pit bulls, mixes of them and similar type dogs (partially because people are afraid of them and partially because many municipalities, buildings, landlords of all types, ban them), and, well...

I think that's a good point. Even the non-breed specific rescues move quickly to pull dogs that aren't pit bull type. I suspect it's because they're more adoptable and, if you're a somewhat questionable rescue, you can usually charge a higher adoption fee. My area has so many pit bull type dogs and their mixes that the non-breed specific rescues are overwhelmed with them as well. It's just odd to see certain breeds represented well out of proportion with their general popularity. If anything, I'd expect to see nothing but Labs and there are a lot of Labs, just not that many.

Roxxsmom said:
3. But the bully breeds (and chihuahuas for some reason) seem to be especially popular with people who are less inclined to neuter or spay their dogs, either for economic reasons or personal philosophy. Or maybe the current popularity of these breeds means that some of the people who own them assume there's money to be made from breeding them?

That's my take on things, anyway.

I agree with your whole post, but I think there's something to be said for this. I wouldn't be surprised if shelters are receiving not just the results of unintended litters, but also the castoffs that failed to sell on Craigslist.

There's another possibility as well, at least for my area. We've recently gone to no-kill, so it's possible that I'm just seeing more pit bull/fighting breed type dogs. They could have just been euthanized in the past for the reasons cornflake mentioned.

Roxxsmom · Dec 21, 2015

It's not just the presence of breed rescues, though. There are bully breed rescues in our area too, and some that aren't breed specific also feature pitt type dogs sometimes.

It's that there really do seem to be more of these kinds of dogs coming into shelters right now. And we're just seeing the ones that make it to the adoption kennels, not the ones that flunk temperament tests or have health issues. Sadly, I think there's something about a certain type of pet owner who still thinks keeping intact dogs, or that deliberate backyard breeding and selling the pups in the local paper or on craig's list is a good idea. A disproportionate number of them seem to own bully breed dogs these days.

I had a student a few years ago who had a "red nosed" pit bull (not an official breed that will be found in any registry), and he said he bred her ever year. Because (and I quote) the red noses are rare, and they're the best guard dogs. A "red nose" dog is simply genetically brown/liver via the action of the recessive "b" allele at the "B" locus changes the color of their eumelanin from black to brown everywhere on the dog's body (even their eyes are a lighter, amber color), though the color has different names in different breeds (liver, chocolate, brown, red etc). There are plenty of the poor things in our local shelter. Their coat is a reddish brown or liver color, and their skin and nose leather is a reddish brown (there's a different genetic variety of "red," which has black nose leather, as seen with Irish Setters).

Since we had a Mendelian genetics unit in my class, I tried to explain how the color occurs, but he remained convinced that "red nosed" pit bulls were rare and special and must be bred at all costs.

Sigh.

Pony. · Dec 21, 2015

I spent almost 15 years working in animal shelters as a CPDT, mainly in rehabbing dogs but also the occassional cat. I got out about 4 or 5 years ago for the simple reason that the shelter I was working for changed focus. They were all about the dollar. I had to turn away people who genuinely needed our help and tell them we were full. Then, in the same day, when some rich snob walks in with a 500$ check to cover the intake we suddenly have room.

I understand the shelter needs money to operate, I know how the business side works. I had to turn away perfectly adoptable dogs in favor of illtempered dogs people just didn't want any longer based on how much of an intake fee the owner could pay. It just didn't sit right with me, I couldn't do it any more.

Roxxsmom · Dec 21, 2015

It's my humble (and extremely unpopular) opinion that the "business model" is destroying our public sector. Schools, colleges, animal shelters, even national and state parks, have to find ways to pay their way, if not turn a profit, since taxpayers have put them on a starvation diet.

"You wouldn't run a business like that," has become the ever-popular refrain. Well no, you wouldn't. Because it's not a business. Public institutions and services are there to do the things that aren't profitable (and probably shouldn't be profitable in an ethical world).

We do have a county supervisor who's been responsive here, and has restored at least some funding a couple times when our local shelter was on the brink of insolvency and people wrote letters to the county supervisors about it. But there's no question the city and county shelters have come to rely more and more on private donors.

But some of the issue is definitely a thing with pet owners in the community. For some reason, bully breeds are incredibly popular right now, especially with people who aren't the most responsible pet owners in the world.

Even so, the number of dogs euthanized at shelters has been dropping. Cats have a harder time, since they're harder to control and so darned fertile, and they can live and breed here (for a while at least) as ferals.

frimble3 · Dec 22, 2015

Roxxsmom said:
With my most recently adopted dog, even the rural shelters in the area were pretty much all bullies and chihuahuas all the time.
(snip)
3. But the bully breeds (and chihuahuas here for some reason) seem to be especially popular with people who are less inclined to neuter or spay their dogs, either for economic reasons or personal philosophy. Or maybe the current popularity of these breeds means that some of the people who own them assume there's money to be made from breeding them?

Hey, I'm happy that Chihuahuas are ending up in shelters. Right after the 'Legally Blonde' movies came out, they became really popular in places with a lot of well-off young women, who were taken with the movie. You'd see them carrying the little beasts around in their purses, little pet carriers, etc. I think some of those dogs never actually had their feet touch the ground. So, big bucks in backyard breeding and puppy mills. But a lot of the owners thought they were getting a toy rather than an animal, and I suspect had no idea of a dog's needs, or that they were actual living entities. I'd occasionally see a well-dressed young woman tentatively walking one in the patch of grass near an apartment company, but generally, carried - like a cellphone or a purse. Certainly I'd bet most of the little guys never saw a vet, let alone had a pricey procedure like spaying or neutering done.
And then, a year or so after the last movie came out, most of them vanished. Just 'poof' the fad was over and the little yappers were gone. I had dark suspicions that the dog owners went on vacations and just left the little guys in their apartments, sort of assuming that they would tend to their own needs, or that some Hollywood dog-handler would turn up and take care of all that 'behind the scenes' stuff. Owners came back, the dog had 'mysteriously' starved to death, but being small and easy to dispose of, it was no big deal to slide the remains into the recycling bin.
So, glad to hear that some, at least, made it to shelter. Although, as the original demand was artificially high, there were probably few takers for older 'used' Chihuahuas.

dolores haze · Dec 22, 2015

In my (NE) area the rural (kill) shelter has mostly pit bulls, the (no kill) town shelter has smaller dogs (we adopted a doxie and a beagle from there.) My friend works with a shelter in the south to bring up smaller dogs to the area. I originally was looking for a Border Collie (my first dog -- it's been over thirty years, and damn but I still miss him.) I was referred to a specialist border collie place and the adoptions fees were astronomical and the background check was ridiculous. I don't think they actually wanted any of those dogs adopted. At the rural shelter the fees were minimal with a basic background check. The town shelter had medium fees, had to pay for spaying/neutering, and a reasonable background check that required personal references.

Tazlima · Dec 22, 2015

cornflake said:
partially because many municipalities, buildings, landlords of all types, ban them), and, well...

I think this factor has a far greater impact than people realize. We lost a dog recently (RIP, Cookie) and my other two are no spring chickens. Sometime in the next few years, when the house starts to feel empty, I imagine we'll be looking to adopt again. I've worked with lots of pit bulls, and they're wonderful, sweet dogs. I'm even lucky enough to live in a city where they aren't banned (although unlucky enough to live somewhere that dog fighting is a serious problem). If I met the right pit or pit mix, I'd adopt it in a hot second.

Only I won't, because my homeowner's insurance would either cancel or raise the premiums through the roof, and I can completely avoid this issue by choosing a different dog. As much as I like pits, my pet's breed isn't currently the hill I'm willing to die on.

LittlePinto · Dec 22, 2015

Roxxsmom said:
I had a student a few years ago who had a "red nosed" pit bull (not an official breed that will be found in any registry), and he said he bred her ever year. Because (and I quote) the red noses are rare, and they're the best guard dogs. A "red nose" dog is simply genetically brown/liver via the action of the recessive "b" allele at the "B" locus changes the color of their eumelanin from black to brown everywhere on the dog's body (even their eyes are a lighter, amber color), though the color has different names in different breeds (liver, chocolate, brown, red etc). There are plenty of the poor things in our local shelter. Their coat is a reddish brown or liver color, and their skin and nose leather is a reddish brown (there's a different genetic variety of "red," which has black nose leather, as seen with Irish Setters).

This person makes a great argument for mandatory spay/neuter.

Pony. said:
I spent almost 15 years working in animal shelters as a CPDT, mainly in rehabbing dogs but also the occassional cat. I got out about 4 or 5 years ago for the simple reason that the shelter I was working for changed focus. They were all about the dollar. I had to turn away people who genuinely needed our help and tell them we were full. Then, in the same day, when some rich snob walks in with a 500$ check to cover the intake we suddenly have room.

I understand the shelter needs money to operate, I know how the business side works. I had to turn away perfectly adoptable dogs in favor of illtempered dogs people just didn't want any longer based on how much of an intake fee the owner could pay. It just didn't sit right with me, I couldn't do it any more.

I think a big part of the problem isn't just the funding issues Roxxsmom pointed out, but also that a lot of shelters and rescues don't have a good sense of how to accomplish their goals of rescuing as many dogs as possible. That's one reason why I left the field some years ago. The folks I was working with just didn't understand the concept of triage so they'd spend ten grand on a dog that was hit by a car and partially paralyzed--a dog that would be almost impossible to adopt out due to the specialized and expensive care it needed--then moan and weep about not having the resources to save a perfectly adoptable young dog or three.

dolores haze said:
In my (NE) area the rural (kill) shelter has mostly pit bulls, the (no kill) town shelter has smaller dogs (we adopted a doxie and a beagle from there.) My friend works with a shelter in the south to bring up smaller dogs to the area. I originally was looking for a Border Collie (my first dog -- it's been over thirty years, and damn but I still miss him.) I was referred to a specialist border collie place and the adoptions fees were astronomical and the background check was ridiculous. I don't think they actually wanted any of those dogs adopted. At the rural shelter the fees were minimal with a basic background check. The town shelter had medium fees, had to pay for spaying/neutering, and a reasonable background check that required personal references.

Sometimes they don't. I've run into rescues like that. No adopter can ever be good enough for them so they just keep the dogs in perpetual foster. At least it's better than the ones who warehouse their dogs in boarding kennels for years on end. Or the ones who claim their adoption fees are to offset the cost of vet care and fostering, but they hand over a dog that has had only minimal vet care and not even learned basic house manners with the foster.

Quite frankly, the unregulated nature of rescues is becoming such a nightmare that I no longer recommend a rescue as the first stop to the majority of people who ask me about getting a dog. (There are only a couple of local rescues that I'll recommend because I know the people who run and foster for them, so I'm confident that they do good work.) Unless one is very careful it's too easy to get a nightmare of an animal--both health-wise and behavior-wise--from some sort of fly-by-night operation.

veinglory · Dec 22, 2015

The towards bull and terrier mixes is because neutering and responsible ownership has decreased the availability of many other breeds, This if you want to rescue, in some areas, these are the ones available. The tendency for certain groups that are less responsible to pick certain kinds of status breeds means puppies and strays of this type remain available.

And the variety of rescues out there, most under some kind of regulation, means you have to do you research just as you would with a breeder or retailer.

Roxxsmom · Dec 22, 2015

Yeah, the guy who thought his dog was special because she was a "red nose" was definitely an example of a young man who was about status. The bullies do have that "tough" image, even though many of them are big babies, and the stereotypical owner of such dogs around here is a young man with baggy jeans, lots of bling, and a sports logo jacket. The dogs will tend to have their balls attached and their ears cropped down to nubbins. Some are probably used for fighting (informally, at least), but many are just urban accessories, not unlike the purse dogs you see some young women waving around.

I get that young people like to find ways of expressing themselves and fitting into their chosen group, but animals have complex needs and aren't just fashion.

There are no breed bans in our area. Really, the things are stupid, as it can be hard to define what a "pit bull" or "bully breed" even is. Actually, I'd guess the shelters in states or counties with breed bans might not have any dogs that resemble the restricted breeds in their adoption kennels, because they'd be required by law to euthanize them, not place them. I don't know how many local landlords have restrictions by breed instead of, say, weight.

It's a shame about the BC rescue in your area. I've heard the horror stories about some rescue groups like that, though the private rescues I've worked with are different. They do charge a fair amount for adoption, though it's really not much when you look at the cost of vaccines, spaying/neutering, and transportation, training (they do behavior consults on some dogs before placing them for adoption and spend time working with and training them if needed), and medical bills. They charge the most for puppies and give discounts on older dogs.

With the BC one I used to volunteer with, we screened to make sure the folks knew what they were getting into with the breed, had never surrendered a dog because of a move or someone having allergies (because they'd likely do the same thing again), didn't let them ride in the back of open pickups, and were a good match for the particular dog (sometimes a family with kids would fall in love with a dog that wasn't suitable for kids, for instance), and wouldn't be the kinds of owners who just left the dogs outside all day or wouldn't meet its needs for activity.

But we didn't refuse people as an excuse for holding onto dogs indefinitely, and we placed a ton of dogs. Now and again a fosterer would want to keep a dog (it's called foster failure), and if that happened, they'd adopt it themselves.

You'd be amazed at the people who walk into rescues, though. I volunteered for a cat rescue for a while, and one of the stipulations was that the cats be indoor only. We had people argue with us about that point (some people are quite passionate in their belief that cats should be outdoor pets), and we always directed them to the local shelter, which had plenty of outdoor cats for adoption. We had a lady once who walked in and loudly announced that she needed a new cat because her neighbor had "taken the old one out," and she was soooo pissed.

cornflake · Dec 22, 2015

The stories from people working in shelters and rescuses about the nincompoops who come in with ridiculousness (both surrendering and trying to adopt) never ceases to astound. I presume it's the genesis of some rescues' onerous rules (which I agree can get way out of hand).

I have heard of landlords who are breed-specific, either in place of or in addition to weight/number requirements, because, as Taz mentioned above, there are an increasing number of insurers who either won't write a policy if there's a dog of certain breeds on the premises or will jack premiums to crazy rates. It's a question for a bunch now, like whether you own a pool or trampoline.

Roxxsmom · Dec 22, 2015

None of my dogs has been of a breed or mix that appears on those lists save one, my dear departed Roxy. She was almost certainly a chow mix (probably chow/border collie). Chows and their mixes have a grim rep for being stoic, then turning around and biting someone in the face with little advanced warning. Vets love that, let me tell you, and they're on some restricted lists.

But Roxy was as mild and gentle as they come. She really was a dog who wouldn't hurt the proverbial fly, and our vets loved her. She never bit or snapped at anyone in her entire life. But being a "chow mix" would have gotten her on some **** lists. Fortunately, our homeowner's insurance company doesn't care about breed, only bite history. Still, Roxy was always a "mixed breed" or "a border collie mix" on any document that asked for that information. One nice thing about mutts is that you can just say they're a mixed breed and you don't know for sure what they are. In fact, some mixed breed dogs end up looking like breeds that aren't even present at all.

But the vast majority of the time, vicious dogs are created by poor socialization and/or poor genetics. No breed is *meant* to be vicious. Still, some have shyness as a part of their breed standard ("reserved with strangers" is often a code word for that) and that can lead to aggression if the dog is poorly socialized.

The admonition to keep pups close to home until they've completed all their shots has saved many from parvo and distemper, but sadly it's caused many other dogs to die from poor socialization that leads to them becoming shy and snappy.

Dogs are at their most receptive to normalizing to new experiences and people between ages 8-14 weeks, while they're getting their first and second round of shots. Many vets are backing off on the advice to avoid all contact with the outside world until later, as dogs really need to be exposed to skateboards, bikes, kids, cats, strange sounds, novel surfaces, people wearing uniforms, and those scary men with hats and beards as early as possible, especially if there is any genetic tendency towards shyness (or being "reserved" as some breed standards state).

But common sense is still essential. Young pups, and even adolescent dogs (16 week dogs are in their "fear period," and traumatic experiences at that time can have a huge and lasting impact), don't belong at uncontrolled places like dog parks, yet I see people bringing them sometimes. The list of things that can go wrong there is endless.

Albedo · Dec 22, 2015

LittlePinto said:
This person makes a great argument for mandatory spay/neuter.

Yeah, of the owner.

Vets should really offer a two-for-one deal.

MaryMumsy · Dec 22, 2015

My friend has two pibbles (what we call them) and a dalmatian. The dalmatian is the one you don't want to turn your back on. If questioned about the pibbles, we say they are American Staffordshire terriers.

MM

Twick · Dec 30, 2015

I think any breed of dog can be handled safely, *if* the owner knows what they're doing.

The big problem with pit bulls is that they're the go-to breed for people who get an ego boost from having an aggressive dog. That sort of owner is going to be disastrous when dealing with a large, strong dog with a bite capable of doing massive damage. At least the Chihuahuas can't easily go for your throat.

The stories I hear of people having to jump through flaming hoops to adopt an animal scare me. When my current pet passes, I'd like to get another one, preferably an adoption. But the stories I hear of some of the shelters' requirements make me think it would be much easier to get one from a "free to good home" Kijiji ad.

What's happening with animal shelters?

LittlePinto

Perpetually confused

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

LittlePinto

Perpetually confused

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

Pony.

Aspiring supervillain

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

dolores haze

international guttersnipe

Tazlima

LittlePinto

Perpetually confused

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

Albedo

Alex

MaryMumsy

the original blond bombshell

Twick