You’ve Got to Fight for Your Right – To Own a Pit Bull
By: Tabatha Pelletier
One of the pit bulls at Humane Society of Harrisburg
Photo courtesy of Tabatha Pelletier
It only takes a few seconds of walking through an animal shelter to want to make a difference. That’s exactly how I felt after having the opportunity to sit down with Humane Society of Harrisburg’s humane educator and pit bull advocate Alyssa Davis.
Walking through the corridors I was surprised to notice a number of empty cages and lack of animals in the shelter. Currently, Humane Society of Harrisburg only houses between 16-20 dogs, and out of that number only between seven and ten are pit bulls. While the ratio is currently fairly small, it hasn’t always been that way. At least not from what Davis recalls in her first days working at the humane society four years prior.
“I remember looking up the numbers and 80% of our dogs were Pit bulls, now the numbers are around 50% and they are adopted pretty much as easily as any other dog,” Davis said.
While the numbers are increasing, and pit bulls are receiving more positive attention there is still the issue of pit bulls outnumbering other shelter breeds. The biggest reason pit bull breeds end up in shelters involves a lack of education. Pit bulls spend years in shelters because of the general breed misrepresentation brought on by the media and false information.
American pit bull foundation president Sara Enos took to americanpitbullfoundation.com to speak up about statistics involved with the pit bull misrepresentation. “When pit bulls are routinely misidentified, it is more than plausible to see how their numbers are high on reports even though they are rated very high by the American Temperament Test Society as friendly dogs,” Enos said.
This saying is especially true with dog bites, and pit bull assumptions. A North Carolina animal hospital technician was bitten by a pit bull back in 2005. At least, that is what the report would read according to americanpitbullfoundation.com. But those who were involved know that the dog was unconscious. The hand of the technician was in the dogs mouth at the same time it happened to have a seizure resulting in a bite. These truths are not what are portrayed to the public; therefore, all anyone knows is that it was just another pit bull attack.
Examples like this one are why places such as Humane Society of Harrisburg end up with pit bulls that don’t find a home. People assume that if the dog is in a shelter, they are vicious and bad news. At least, for Humane Society of Harrisburg it is quite the opposite. These available pit bulls are perfectly ready and seeking a forever home.
“Most of the animals we receive were very well taken care of, trained, and loved but things can happen on the owner’s part to make them end up here. Very rarely have we seen dogs that appear to have been in dog fights,” said Davis.
Along with consistently advocating pit bulls in a positive aspect, the Humane Society also holds a special annual event to raise awareness. Pittie Party is the title given to the society’s free community-based event in October that celebrates adoption and breed equality. Anyone can get involved and help raise awareness by attending these types of events and educating themselves and others. Pit bulls can’t speak up for themselves but it only takes one person to make a difference.
If you are interested in adopting a pit bull you can contact the society at (717) 564-3320 or log onto the website http://www.humanesocietyhbg.org for more information.