A Short History of Plenty of Pit Bulls

How we started....

Plenty of Pit Bulls got its start in 2010 with a small group of volunteers connected with our local public shelter, Alachua County Animal Services (ACAS) and private rescue organizations. We started looking for ways to increase the number of pit bulls rescued and adopted in our area.  We were very loosely organized, but we looked for ways to help by initiating pit bull specific events and programs at the shelter and elsewhere, providing information about pit bulls, and making it possible for rescues to pull pit bulls from the shelter euthanasia lists by recruiting foster homes and providing sponsorship.  We often paid the pull fee – back in those days, ACAS charged rescue groups the same as adopters to pull an adoptable dog – and back in those days, ACAS euthanized far, far more adoptable dogs than it does now. 

And where did that name come from?

“Plenty of Pit Bulls” is a riff on the term “plentiful pit bulls,” which was a program offering reduced adoption fees for pit bulls at the shelter.  The author of that immortal phrase is Hilary Hynes, the shelter’s education coordinator and one of our favorite people in the animal welfare and rescue world.

                 Hilary Hynes, standing with ACAS alum (and cruelty and heartworm survivor)
                  Teddy and his proud family after Teddy passed the Canine Good Citizen Test.

POPB resisted getting very organized for a couple of years.  With so many outstanding rescue groups in Gainesville already, we didn’t see a need to create a separate rescue group.  We figured our energies were best used in strengthening and expanding the capacity of the existing rescues. 

In early 2012, we decided to take the momentous (had we only known) step of registering as a Florida nonprofit corporation, to have legal status as a community organization.  The Florida incorporation made it possible for us to take the next step: pulling dogs directly from the shelter ourselves, rather than collaborating with other rescues. 

Our first pull was, ironically, not a pit bull at all, but a retriever-y looking black mutt whom we named Tucker.  He was placed on the ACAS euthanasia list in spring 2012 and when no other rescue took him, we decided to plunge in.  Beginner’s luck meant that he was adopted almost immediately by a fabulous young couple.  They changed his name to Gatsby, because he is so great.

Still, most of what we did was provide support for other rescues in the area, to make it possible for them to save dogs whom they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to take.  We collaborated with many groups, including the Alachua County Humane Society, Second Chance, Helping Hands, Puppy Hill Farm, and more.  And we continued to have strong ties to ACAS and the staff and volunteers there. 

That collaborative experience stood us well, and we continue to team up with other rescues and shelters whenever possible.  We think this is one of the things that makes POPB special.  We know it takes many pieces to save a dog, and sometimes the missing piece is something that we don’t have, but someone else does – or vice-versa.  Our collaborative radius has expanded, but our commitment to having a big tent remains the same.

While most of our dogs were still placed for adoption by other rescues, bit by bit we added dogs of “our own.”  Some of the early ones included the Ella the Pit Bull Princess and our first cruelty case dogs, Roxie and Opie (Opie was adopted through HHR).  We also started working with volunteers at other shelters.  Our first non-Alachua pulls were from Levy County, including one of everyone’s all-time favorites, Harper.

Because we grew into being a full-fledged rescue group slowly, we learned a lot by trial and error along the way.  We ended up doing a lot of things that we didn’t really intend to do when we started – like pull dogs on our own, work outside Alachua county, and apply for 501(c)(3) status.  We grew organically, expanding our scope because we saw gaps that we could fill and because we had volunteers who could make it happen. 

We were and still are all-volunteer.  Our early volunteers were all people who had been working with other shelters and rescues but had a special love for big-headed dogs.  As we solidified, we started to draw new volunteers who were attracted to working for a pit bull specific rescue. 

This growing corp of volunteers made it possible for us to help dogs from a growing number of shelters.  In January 2013, we pulled our first dog from Putnam County Animal Services, a severely emaciated, scarred, and heartworm positive red girl named Nova

 This was a very meaningful pull for us because Putnam County has a long history of discrimination against pit bulls.  They used to euthanize all dogs that their staff identified as pit bulls automatically, and then they changed their policy to allow “pit bulls” to be pulled by rescues.  They still do not permit them to be adopted directly by the public.  This is the kind of discrimination that kills dogs – not only by reducing their chances, but also by placing them in a separate category that makes them seem different from other dogs. 

We have a soft spot not only for pit bulls, but for dogs from cruelty cases.  Since Roxie and Opie, we have taken probably dozens of dogs from ACAS cruelty confiscations, including two of our favorites, Ronny and Izzy.   Ronny was adopted by his foster mom Hagar, a vet student, and Izzy found a fabulous home with a law student.

We could help dogs like Ronny and Izzy because of the relationship we have with the Veterinary Community Outreach Program (formerly Shelter Medicine) at the University of Florida.  There is no way that we (or most of the rescue groups in our area) could function without this program.  They spay and neuter our dogs and also provide care for a number of common health issues, including demodex and heartworm.  They also visit other area shelters, and sometimes they identify wonderful dogs that they would like to help.  We’ve gotten some of our favorite dogs this way – we call them “Isaza specials,” in honor of VCOP vet Dr Natalie Isaza.

                                          
As we grew, we realized that our lack of 503(c)(3) status was limiting our options in terms of adoption venues, grant opportunities, donations, and more.   In May 2013 we applied for 501(c)(3) status, and about 13 months later we got the approval letter from the IRS.  It felt like Plenty of Pit Bulls was finally all grown up.

Soon after we received the 501(c)(3) status, we began to work on our first national cruelty case.  367 dogs were seized from dog fighting rings in August 2013, in the second largest fight bust in US history.  The dogs were divided up between the ASPCA and HSUS to be cared for while the legal case.  POPB volunteers worked closely with the ASPCA to place as many dogs as possible from this case.  Our first #367 dog was Arabelle, who was released early (in October 2013) due to health problems.  She was adopted by her foster mom Sharon Nataline, a POPB founding board member, and lives the good life with a home full of geriatric chihuahuas and other big personalities.

                       
We ultimately were able to take in and place 17 of the #367 dogs, more than any other rescue in the country.  Most of those were adopted locally, but two crossed state lines to find very special homes – Finn in New Jersey and Ruby in Illinois. 

In May 2014, Orange County Animal Services took in several dozen several dogs from a fight bust in Apopka.  When the dogs were legally released in August of that year, we were able to take in several, including rock star Olivia, who is now an official Canine Good Citizen and a registered therapy dog.  

                    Olivia's mom Caroline is one of our many adopters who have gone from falling
                        in love with one particular pit bull to becoming whole-hearted and creative
                                             advocates for big-headed dogs everywhere.

One of the reasons we initially shied away from becoming a full-fledged rescue organization was that we were worried about not having time to do other activities, such as education, advocacy, and shelter support.  While there is never enough time or money to do all we would like, we’ve found that rescuing individual dogs can reinforce and strengthen those other activities, and vice-versa.  Dogs like Arabelle, Olivia, Ronny, and Ella are the best possible educators and marketing geniuses.  They change minds and open hearts just by being who they are –  affectionate, smart, outgoing, resilient, and somewhat goofy blockheads. 

And some of the volunteers who are first attracted to the opportunity of working with individual dogs in a hands-on way often become interested in helping spread the word about how wonderful these dogs are, how cruel breed discrimination is, and how fun and rewarding it is to work in a community of like-minded dog-lovers.

Dog fighting

Dog fighting happens.  It happens less often than some people fear, but far more often than many of us wish.  Dog fighting, like other “blood sports,” has been part of many different cultures around the world, for many centuries.  In his fascinating book Dogs: A Dictionary of Dog Breeds (2002), Desmond Morris lists 27 different breeds that were selected, bred, and used mainly for fighting, including not only most of the “pit bull” type dogs (American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, and American Bulldogs) but also Japanese Akitas, Chinese Shar Peis, and many mastiff type dogs from all over the world.

Morris writes, “Dog-fighting is a dark chapter in the history of man’s long relationship with the canine world, and there may be some who feel that those breeds that were exclusively developed for fighting should not be included in a modern reference work such as this one.  But the fact is that they were part of dog history and cannot be ignored (340).  More specifically, fighting is part of the history and also the present of the particular dogs that we know and love. 

Presently dog fighting harms tens of thousands of dogs, mainly pit bulls, every year in the US.  It happens all over the country, in rural, suburban, and urban areas, and with participants from many different socio-econ groups.  It certainly happens in north central Florida, and shelters and rescue groups regularly receive dogs who show signs of having participated in organized fighting.  (It’s important to note, however, that of the many dogs who show up at shelters badly injured, few were likely used as “bait” dogs.  Some were, of course, but there are many ways that dogs get hurt, including ordinary fights between “non professionals,” so we should be careful about leaping to conclusions about the history of any dog, especially those encountered as strays.)

Today local and national law enforcement authorities take dog fighting very seriously and often pursue it vigorously – both for the animal cruelty involved and because dog fighters are frequently involved in other crimes as well.  In the past couple of years, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies have worked with national animal welfare organizations (especially the ASPCA and Humane Society of the US) on several huge raids on dog fighting rings.  The largest, in Missouri in 2012, took in over 400 dogs, and the second largest, in several southern states in August 2013, took in 367. 

Not long ago, all dogs seized in raids were euthanized as soon as their legal role as evidence was finished.  Today, many are evaluated individually and treated as victims and not criminals.  This change in policy is due largely to the efforts of pit bull advocates involved in helping the dogs from Michael Vick’s fighting ring, including BAD RAP and Best Friends.  Individual evaluations and rehabilitation efforts have made it possible for many dogs from fighting backgrounds to become beloved family pets, therapy dogs, canine athletes, and more.

Pit bull rescue, and the rescue of dogs from fighting rings in particular, is the edge of animal rescue and welfare today.  Pit bull type dogs are discriminated against in part because of their perceived association with dog fighting and other criminal activities, and pit bull advocates need to address these associations head on and show – not just argue – that these dogs deserve a chance. 

Our own experiences with dogs from fighting backgrounds have been positive and often surprising.  Almost all have been extremely human-oriented, affectionate, and outgoing – which is not the surprising part, since in that regard, they are typical pit bulls.  What is surprising is how easily most have adjusted to life as family pets and also how well many of them get along with other animals, including dogs and also cats.

Work with dogs from fighting backgrounds reinforces the wisdom of treating ever dog as an individual.  Some dogs from fighting pasts are timid around new people or reactive with new dogs — but not any more than other dogs we meet.  The same is true of dogs that we’ve taken from cruelty cases and confiscations.  They all respond to trauma differently, and making generalizations is not accurate — and it doesn’t help us get to know the dogs or help them.  What defines a dog is not “all how they’re raised,” in other words, but a combination of nature, nurture, and ongoing care and management.

While vigorous law enforcement is crucial, the other key to ending dogfighting is education. The most effective educators, of course, are the dogs themselves.

It takes a community

This past week, we’ve been reminded again and again that the power of human solidarity is what makes it possible for us to help dogs in need.

First up, Caroline.  This beautiful young dog has been at Clay Co. Animal Services for a while, and when she developed skin allergies, a volunteer started fostering her.  The foster wanted to make sure that she would be adopted to a home that would continue to treat her health problems, so she looked for a private rescue that would be able to vet adoption applications carefully.  Another Clay volunteer put her in touch with us, and when we explained that we were both full and broke, she made an offer we couldn’t refuse: she would cover vet costs and foster until adoption.  We get dozens of requests to help nice dogs every month – sometimes it seems like dozens every week.  This time, one persons’ absolute commitment to a dog – and the shelter volunteer’s ability to put her in touch with us – made the difference. 

Speaking of absolute commitment, no one embodies it like Beth Reeb.  She has fostered for us before and is 100% solid, so when she talks, we listen.  Beth met Belle at Putnam Co. Animal Services (like Clay, a rural shelter with few resources and few adopters) and fell in love.  We told Beth that we are broke and full, and she asked what it would take to save Belle.  What it took was donations, a commitment to foster, and collaboration with a rescue group in Putnam Co., Their Lives, Our Voices, who can help with local vetting and adoption events.  Beth put it together and got Belle the next day.  Again, it takes a combination of a committed and generous individual (or two) and collaboration between organizations.

Dogs like Caroline and Belle – at high-kill rural shelters – don’t often have happy endings, even when they are as beautiful, young, friendly, and well-behaved as these two.  Another dog we’ve just been able to help had even lower odds.   Arabelle is one of the first dogs released from the second largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history, in which hundreds of dogs were confiscated in several southern states. We are honored to be collaborating with the ASPCA in this incredible case. She is older and has some minor health issues but she is a happy dog and we are delighted to be able to offer her comfort and love for as long as we have her.  Again, networking – in this case with a national animal welfare organization – and a committed foster made the difference.

Then there's Goose.  This little guy -- who probably should be a big guy -- came to our attention because of those same incredible Clay volunteers who never, never give up on the dogs they love. Because we love to work with Clay volunteers and because our Clay dogs have been amazing, we decided to meet him, with the thought that maybe in a few weeks, when we had room, we could take him into our program.  We knew he was heartworm positive, which meant that he would not need to worry about adoption for a couple of months.  So our most intrepid volunteer headed to the Animal Expo at Clay to meet him  today, only to find that he had been taken to No More Homeless Pets in Jacksonville because he had started coughing blood.  When she got there, she was told that he had been taken to a vet office for further tests.  (That's why we call him Goose -- because it took a wild goose chase to track him down!)  It turns out that he is suffering not only from heartworm but also pneumonia.  In addition, he is 10-15 lbs. underweight, his teeth appear to have been filed down, and he has some other dental problems as well.  However, in true pit bull fashion, he just wants to climb into your lap.  And of course, he's coming home with Lacey and will be getting round-the-clock vet care.  We're not sure how it will go, but if we have anything to say about it, he'll make it.

Last up (for this week) is a little brown dog without a name.  We received an email from a woman who was worried about her neighbor’s dog, who was emaciated, nursing puppies, and confined to a small, dirty pen.  We were in contact with her and working on communicating with Animal Services to see what could be done when the neighbor told us the adult dog was gone.  Within hours, we saw a post on Gainesville Pet Finder about an emaciated brown pit bull who had been found by a very kind and generous woman.  The finder took the dog to the vet and then posted her picture to see if someone was looking for her.  We put two and two together – or rather, put the neighbor and the finder together, and it turned out to be the same dog.  The dog is safe now and we are consulting with Animal Services to find how to keep the dog (and her pups, if possible) safe permanently.

Feral cats and dangerous dogs

Recently I ran across this image, which in one sense is just another entry in the “meme” trend, which began by imagining “how my parents see” various jobs. The feral cat meme is not as funny as some, but it points to some weighty issues in animal rescue.

Whoever put together the meme obviously knows the debates about feral cats. Most conservation groups do indeed consider the cats to be dangerous threats, just as homeowners often view them as pests and advocates see them as innocent victims of human neglect, no less deserving of care than other cats.


What most caught my eye was (no surprise) the image of how “your local animal shelter” sees feral cats: a pit bull. This image sparked some of the more interesting comments under the Facebook posting I saw.* Some commenters objected because they saw the dog’s image as an example of the prejudice that considers pit bulls bad dogs. Others, however, believed that the meme’s creators did not mean to condemn pit bulls but rather to show parallels in the stereotypes about feral cats and pit bull type dogs. I think that is a more accurate reading, or at least one that opens up the way to a more interesting conversation.

The conversation starts with comparisons between feral cats and pit bulls. What do these critters have in common?

One similarity, as one of the commenters put it, is that “they used the Pit Bull specifically because it is a misunderstood animal. This graphic is about a misunderstood animal after all.” Feral cats and pit bulls are misunderstood, at least in the eyes of their advocates, because they are seen as representatives of largely negative stereotypes, e.g. all feral cats are afraid of people, or all pit bulls are aggressive. Stereotypes cause harm because they erase individual differences and are often used to justify harmful treatment.

Another Facebook commenter pointed out a second similarity: “a lot of places don't really treat [pit bulls] like dogs and kind of assume they're damaged goods before they even know the full story. It's unfair, but I can see where the comparison of feral kitties to pit[s] comes in when you consider that a lot of people assume that they're ‘broken beyond repair’ before giving them a chance.” The notion that these dogs and cats are “broken beyond repair” is why many shelters and adoption groups automatically exclude them from the category of “adoptable animals.”


A third similarity is that both “feral cat” and “pit bull” are social constructs. In other words, the meaning attached to those terms is based not on objective criteria (such as DNA evidence or rigorous temperament evaluations) but on the perceptions, assumptions, and biases of the person or group assigning definitions. These definitions are not mere semantics. They are literally matters of life and death, because both feral cats and pit bulls are so often excluded from opportunities for rehabilitation and adoption that are given to animals defined in other ways.

Puppy mill survivors, for example, are often psychologically and physically damaged, both from inbreeding and, even more, from the horrific conditions that many are forced to live in. Many require a great deal of medical and behavioral treatment before they can live like “normal” pets. However, puppy mill survivors are seen, rightly, as victims deserving of sympathy and care; they are not routinely excluded from the “adoptables” section because of their label or their history – even though some of them have lasting damage that makes them less than ideal pets for most families.

Feral cats and pit bulls -- even those who have suffered greatly at the hands of humans - rarely receive these gifts. Things have gotten much better for pit bulls in the past few years, however, especially since the successful rehabilitation of almost all the dogs seized from Michael Vick's fighting operation. Now even dogs from fight busts sometimes -- though still not often enough -- get the chance to be evaluated and cared for as individuals.

(Georgia, rescued from a fight bust in Florida)

Because they are stereotypes and social constructs, the labels “feral” and “pit bull” are often applied without knowledge of a particular animal’s genetics, history, or temperament. Some cats picked up at feral colonies are former pets who have been living rough for a while and could easily, with a little time and patience, live happily as pets again. If they are identified as feral, however, at many shelters they will automatically be euthanized (or at best, neutered and returned to the dangers of a free-roaming life). Similarly, dogs identified as pit bulls are often defined as “vicious” or “dangerous,” at least by custom and often by law as well. Even when there is not a law prohibiting the adoption of pit bulls, a large number of public and private shelters and rescue groups voluntarily refuse to adopt them.

This means that most pit bulls who enter the shelter system are euthanized and that they do not count as deaths of “adoptable animals.” For example, in early versions of the agreement between the San Francisco SPCA and the city’s public animal control department to pursue “no kill” status, pit bulls and feral cats were the two groups excluded, en masse, from the category of “adoptable,” along with animals judged individually to be too sick, too aggressive, or too damaged to be rehabilitated. Under those terms, the city could kill 100% of the dogs called pit bulls and the cats called feral – a very large proportion of their overall intake – and still call itself “no kill.” This policy (which is no longer in force in San Francisco, at least for pit bulls) is repeated at many “animal welfare” groups. Some groups do adopt out pit bulls but have special requirements, such as a fence, the absence of other pets in the home, or previous experience with “bully” breeds. These policies are often well-intentioned but perpetuate the notion that pit bulls are radically different from other dogs and need special handling. Obviously, this deters many potential adopters. The result of all these obstacles to pit bull adoptions is that fewer of these dogs are living in our communities as neutered, well cared-for companions – thus perpetuating the vicious cycle that identifies them as anything but the pets of “nice” people.


Finally, the animals labelled "pit bull" and "feral cat" have in common their relationship to animal rescue more broadly. These animals are at the edge of rescue, literally and figuratively. Their advocates are often people who are willing to go where mainstream animal welfare groups fear to tread. Not only are the animals themselves thought to be risky, but both feral cats and pit bulls are often associated with or thought to inhabit social worlds far from “nice” middle-class communities. Edges can be dangerous, but they are also the key to the expansion that is necessary for genuine social change. Feral cats and dangerous dogs push us out of our physical and metaphorical comfort zones, demanding that we reconsider our own assumptions, our relationships to both animals and other people, and our capacity for effective action where it is most needed.


_________________________________________________________________
*http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=299204683467106&set=a.167394789981430.45853.110911218963121&type=1; posted by Vox Felina on Feb. 17, 2012.