Pit promotion has lofty goal

Adoption staff hopes meetings change attitudes

Walking into the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility could lead to finding a new family member.

During the month of April, the facility is hoping you will take a chance on its most overrepresented resident: a Pitbull.

The CVACF is dropping its prices to adopt Pitbull’s, as part of its annual “Pardon a Pit,” campaign, which runs through the end of the month.

The adoption fee has been lowered from $85 to $25, and includes a $20 gift card to Petco and a goodie bag.

CVACF Administrator Mandy Mills said the campaign provides an incentive to adopt a breed of dog which makes up the majority housed at the facility.

“We want to make sure that we have special promotions that might help get them adopted or find a family easier,” Mills said.

Chihuahuas and Pitbull’s are the most common breeds brought into the shelter, according to Mills, who said people have the wrong idea about the so-called bully breed.

“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about Pitbull’s, that they’re more aggressive than other animals, and that isn’t always the case,” she said. “It often is how they’re raised and how they’re trained.” The “misconceptions,” may stem from the reality that Pitbull’s are, on occasion, featured in the media for attacking their owners, family or community members, and other dogs.

Ashley Milo, a CVACF animal supervisor, said the media chooses to focus on Pitbull’s more than other, smaller dogs, and that there is no such thing as an “inherently bad dog.”

“Anything with a mouth can bite, it just gets a little bit more media,” she said. “ We want to help change that by making sure that when we adopt out the Pitbull’s here, they’re going to families that are ready to take on that energy and that time, and they’re going to help change that perception.”

Milo points to the fact that Pitbull’s, by nature, are an energetic breed which can become frustrated when not given proper exercise or attention.

Multiple walks a day are recommended, according to Milo, who said, if given proper  exercise and socialization, a Pitbull can be a very loving family pet for adults and children alike.

“The only concern we would have is that they’re big goofy dogs and they don’t always know how big they are and that they may knock over a child,” Milo said. “None of that is in malice, none of that is evil, it’s just a big goofy dog.”

Milo did recommend that children should never be left alone with a dog, whether it be a Pitbull or a different breed.

“Any dog can bite, so a child shouldn’t be left alone with any breed, they should always be monitored and especially small children should not be left alone with the dog at any point in time,” she said.

The facility has successfully adopted out many Pitbull’s over the years, through the campaign and otherwise, and, according to Milo, has opened the eyes of some who came in skeptical of the breed.

“We have had a few who have had spouses who were less than comfortable initially, and have turned right around and they’ve even come back for a second at this point, because they’ve realized how what loveable big goofballs these guys really are,” Milo said.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals agrees, releasing a statement on its website detailing its position on Pits that concludes with: “All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals. Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training and supervision they require, and judging them by their actions and not by their DNA or their physical appearance is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safe and happy lives together.”

1 COMMENT

  1. The Humane Society is wrong. Animal organizations, shelters, and rescuers save pit bulls at the expense of other animals and people. Don’t listen to their “advice.” They only care about pit bulls, not anyone else. There are thousands of news accounts of these constantly occurring attacks.

    Pit Bulls Are The Official Dog of Mayhem. Here we go again and again and again. If we can’t have cougars as pets, then we shouldn’t be able to have pit bull type-dogs.

    Sound and movement arouses the fight in pit bulls. This is why they are not safe around children who cry, play, run and shout. Pit Bull is a fighting breed not a suitable family pet.

    I agree all dogs can bite. The issue with pit bulls is the degree of damage they inflict, and their attacks being more likely to result in fatality.

    THE MEDICAL EXPERTS STATE TO KEEP CHILDREN AWAY FROM PIT BULLS!

    Dr. Golinko, who did the largest dog bite study to date, states pit bulls are a danger to children. Watch Short Video: https://www.facebook.com/thefifthestate/videos/10155854915749407/ and http://www.nationalpitbullvictimawareness.org/expert-opinions/

    PEOPLE WAKE-UP AND LISTEN TO THE MEDICAL EXPERTS NOT TO NAIVE PIT BULL OWNERS!

    13 Medical peer-reviewed studies that prove pit bull type-dogs are dangerous as pets. Level 1 trauma center dog bite studies from all geographical regions in the U.S. are reporting a higher prevalence of pit bull type dogs injuries than all other breeds of dogs. In many cases, the studies (2011 to 2018) also report that pit bull injuries have a higher severity of injury and require a greater number of operative interventions. https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-studies-level-1-trauma-table-2011-2018.php

    Does this sound like a normal and safe dog breed to have live in our neighborhoods? Pit Bull Rescue Central recommends ALL pit bull owners to have a “break stick”, a wedge-shaped piece of wood used to pry open a pit bull’s jaw during an attack. “Since pit bulls have a strong fighting background, we recommend that pet owners also have a breaking stick as a precaution.” http://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/09/break-sticks-tool-used-to-pry-open-pit.html

    Common Sense: Pit bulls have been bred for centuries for illegal blood sports. They are the #1 canine killer of people, pets and livestock of all dog breeds combined. They have a genetically inbred trait for unpredictable explosive aggression that cannot ever be trained out of them. Simple noises and movement can trigger the pit bull’s prey drive into a deadly attack. This is not a safe breed trait to have in a family pet. They were bred to be lethal and they are every day. We need breed safety laws to keep our communities safe.

    FOLLOW FOR ONE MONTH:
    People are slow learners but pit bulls are persistent teachers!
    https://www.facebook.com/NationalPitBullVictimAwareness/
    https://www.facebook.com/pitbullskilledmypet/
    https://www.facebook.com/dogsbite.org/