The Sad Reality...

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. These animals end up at shelters for multiple reasons: stray or feral, owner-surrender for euthanasia, too expensive, no longer a cute puppy, "too old." too expensive, owner doesn't have time and many others. The reality is, not everyone sees pets as a lifelong commitment. In addition, many low income households will use dogs as breeding machines for them to make money by selling the puppies and for fighting/prize-winning purposes.

What You Need to Know About Shelter Dogs...

Molly is a shelter dog that I adopted in Boston but was originally from Virginia. Many southern shelters ship dogs north where they have fewer stray dogs.

Molly is a shelter dog that I adopted in Boston but was originally from Virginia. Many southern shelters ship dogs north where they have fewer stray dogs.

  1. Black dog syndrome.  This term refers to the low adoption and high euthanasia rate of black dogs in shelters. Black dogs are often the last to be adopted from shelters simply due to their perceived "generic-ness."

  2. Breed Aggression.  Pit bulls are no more dangerous than Golden Retrievers, Beagles, or other popular “family” dogs.  In a recent testing done by The American Canine Temperament Testing Society (ATT), pit bulls achieved a passing rate of 83.9%, passing 4th from the highest of 122 breeds. That’s better than Beagles, passing at 78.2 and Golden Retrievers passing at 83.2%. The average passing rate for ALL breeds is 77%.

  3. Truth About Pit Bulls.  The term “pit bull” can refer to just a couple of breeds or to as many as five—the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the American Bulldog. 

  4. Neutering Your Dog.  Neutering won’t affect your dog’s working abilities, friendliness, playfulness or personality. However, hormones like testosterone are reduced by neutering, which can reduce behaviors associated with them, including urine marking, roaming, aggression, social problems, and inappropriate mounting.

  5. Transitioning a Shelter Dog.  The first few days in your home are special and critical for a pet. Your new dog will be confused about where he is and what to expect from you. People often say they don’t see their dog’s true personality until several weeks after adoption. So only allowing a dog less than a few weeks in his/her new home is an unacceptable amount of time for them to settle.

Success @ Wake County Animal Center...

Gus is a Bull Dog/Pit Bull mix from WCAC that I originally fostered when he was sick with a URI. With a face like that, it didn't take long for me to fall in love and officially adopt him. Now I use him to educate non-believers on how loving and won…

Gus is a Bull Dog/Pit Bull mix from WCAC that I originally fostered when he was sick with a URI. With a face like that, it didn't take long for me to fall in love and officially adopt him. Now I use him to educate non-believers on how loving and wonderful Pit Bulls actually are.

Some of the successes I've seen since starting my work with Wake County Animal Center include:

  1. The recent expansion of the shelter to improve intake numbers, decrease euthanasia rates and better contain URIs among the animals
  2. Reduced the overall euthanasia rate by 22% 
  3. Opened a fenced-in play area for dogs to be better socialized and more adoptable
  4. Treatment for mildly sick animals (URIs) who would have otherwise been euthanized
  5. Weekly volunteer-run adoption and fundraising events
  6. Regular dog walks at Shelly Lake for long timer dogs in the shelter to help them gain exposure
  7. A nationally recognized art commentary: https://www.facebook.com/LandfillDogs