High Euthanasia Rates For Area Pit Bulls

Dozens of pit bulls are coming in the door at in Wildomar, but not many are walking out with adoptive families.

According to Willa Bagwell, director of Animal Friends of the Valleys/Southwest Communities Animal Shelter, from Jan. 1 through Jan. 20, 48 pit bulls came into the shelter: two were dead on arrival; four were euthanized due to sickness or injury; four were euthanized for shelter space.

But a large number of them, 23, were euthanized because they were deemed “unplaceable” -- they were either too aggressive or their previous owners requested euthanasia, Bagwell said.

“Pit bulls are very hard to adopt out,” she continued. “There is a lot out there about bites – we see pit bulls come in because of what people see in the media and because homeowners insurance often prevents people from having them. You don’t hear about bites from other breeds, but pit bulls seem to make the news.”

Micaela Myers, who serves as public relations director in a volunteer capacity for Pit Bull Rescue San Diego, agrees that negative media attention makes placement an uphill battle.

“Pit bulls got their bad rap in the 1980s, when the media began covering more dog-fighting stories and spreading myths that pit bulls had locking jaws, felt no pain and would fight to the death,” she said. “This sensationalism drew the wrong type of people to own, breed and train pit bulls for the wrong reasons.”

Myers said that whatever breed is popular as a guard dog at any given point in history will have a bad rap.

“In the past German Shepherds, Dobermans, Great Danes, and back in the 1800s, Bloodhounds, all had bad reputations due to people employing them as guard dogs,” she said.

Training a dog to guard or fight is problematic, Myers admits.

“Pit bull type dogs naturally tend to be very human-oriented and loving toward people. When a dog of any type bites, there is usually human error to blame -- i.e., the dog was tied up or abused, trained as a guard dog, or running loose in a pack,” she said. “Dogs and their behavior are human creations. It’s time humans take responsibility for their role in dog behavior and stop blaming the breed.” 

Bagwell agrees.

“Pit bulls are usually very good with people,” she said. “They are sweethearts; very loyal. The problem comes when they are raised improperly.”

But Bagwell admits that the shelter takes extra precautions when adopting out pit bulls.

“We interview the families to make sure there's a good fit. We go a step above with the pits,” she said. “We usually don’t adopt them out to families with young children or other animals.”

She said the shelter also verifies that dogs go to homes with secure fencing, and she said that ongoing home checks are protocol.

“We just want to ensure a safe environment for people and the dogs,” she said.

On Monday, Wildomar resident Sandy Waters was out running errands in Lake Elsinore with her 2-year-old white pit bull, Sweetie. A service dog, Sweetie appears to be the antithesis of the pit bull media stereotype. Showing no signs of aggression, Sweetie accompanies her owner everywhere.

Waters suffers from nervous disorders and says she needs a service animal when out in public.

“She helps me deal with people. Normally, I get very nervous," Waters explained. "But she is a big sweetheart and everyone loves her, which helps me.

"She was a rescue puppy and I trained her. I’ve never had a more loyal dog," Waters continued. "My mom freaked out when I got her. ‘Those dogs are dangerous,’ she said.”

Waters said that her mother has had a change of heart after spending time with Sweetie.

“Now she just loves her,” she said. “Sweetie has forever changed her opinion about pit bulls.”