Where the Logic and Truth? (Reply)

(Picture left: Loving "Nia" with caregiver. No one knows how many rescued, affectionate Pitbulls are currently languishing in boarding kennels, sanctuaries or no kill shelters, but the numbers have to be staggering. We cannot "rescue" or even adopt our way out of the pitbull or cat overpopulation problems. Until shelters are more honest about the killings they must do on a daily basis and the public is willing to accept some responsiblity for animal care and responsibility, the carnage will never end. THAT is reality.)

audrey fisher has left a new comment on your post "The Real Problem -- (Reply)":
i agree with a lot of what you are saying in this post. however, i hope you will reconsider some of the statements you made, statements that i also used to accept as obvious truths - that shelters HAVE to euthanize, that the problem is the PUBLIC, that there aren't enough HOMES.......

Reply: There is a little blame for everyone and the whole blame to no one.

I don't hold either the shelters or the public entirely responsible or blameless for the disgrace of killing millions of animals a year. The truth, as usual is in the middle.

The author you cite, Nathan Winograd makes many excellent points that there is little legitimate argument against. But, sometimes one wonders if he fully understands the entire harsh realities of this issue?

When I say "harsh realities" I refer to the fact that we now have millions of pitbulls being bred and dumped by certain segments of the public into the shelter system every year. It doesn't matter how loving the dogs or how hard one tries to promote and advertise them. The FACT is that this breed of dog is now banned in many buildings, housing complexes, communities and even some cities. Even were that not the case, Pitbulls are not meant for everyone.

Can one realistically and comfortably try to promote a Pitbull to some senior citizen with limited mobility or someone with small pets at home? Perhaps those pitbulls who have been raised with cats or other animals in a previous home might be OK to send to an adopter with other pets, but usually the shelters don't have that information on the dogs. Considering the sheer strength of Pitties, sending one (with limited or scanty information) to a home with other smaller or weaker pets can be disastrous.

The bottom line is that we have far, far more of these dogs coming into municipal shelters than what we have responsible homes for. That is not fabrication or exaggeration. It is truth. Certainly, more than 80% of the dogs arriving at New York City municipal shelters are pits or pit mixes. Probably more than 90% of the cruelty cases coming to the ASPCA are the same.

As said in recent weeks, one suspects the real reason the ASPCA killed Oreo was more due to her BREED than anything else. With so many nice Pitties dying for lack of homes, why go to great lengths to try and save a Pitbull with issues? My biggest "problem" with the ASPCA for killing Oreo (when they had life-affirming option) is that they blamed it on the DOG. The ASPCA should have blamed Oreo's needless death partly on all the cretins breeding, abusing and abandoning this breed of dog, (instead of the hapless and tragic animal herself) and partly, their own decision. By holding Oreo responsible for her own execution, the ASPCA thus ABSOLVED the public and themselves for any culpability and that is both disgusting and inexcusable.

Reality is that Oreo's death was 50% due to those who bred and abused her and 50% the choices of the ASPCA.

Likewise, I personally see the deaths of millions of shelter animals as 50% the result of public irresponsibility and 50% the result of shelter deception, lies and obstruction of truth.

For ANY shelter system in a large city such as New York, Los Angelos, Chicago or others dealing with the Pitbull and cat overpopulation problems to claim "We are on the road to no kill" is an outright lie right up there with "Don't worry, baby, I'll pull out just in time."

Outrageous and incomprehensible.

And as long as shelters continue to hide, sugarcoat and obfuscate the truth, we can never expect the public to change or to accept ANY responsibility for the never-ending carnage.

There will forever be "Euth Lists" containing pictures and names of dozens of animals going down daily in our local shelters.

Euth lists that are forbidden to be shared with the public -- even though it is the public that CREATES the problem in the first place.

Where is the logic and truth in that? -- PCA

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