Dead Dogs Walking .. to Safety?

    Keep in mind the mantra that ``There are no bad dogs, only bad owners'' when you read this.

    Animal shelters of Los Angeles and beyond are full of the canine equivalents of India's ''untouchables.'' These are strong and strong-minded dogs like pit bulls and some big breeds. Prospective pet seekers often tend to regard these breeds as unadoptable, whatever each dog's individual temperament. A lot of them will probably end up at the wrong end of a euthanasia needle.   

   The most ''hard-core'' and dog-aggressive of these are ``Death Row Dogs,'' and Downtown Dog Rescue is working to rehab them through a program outfit called Canine Communications. The stories of dogs like Spartacus and Clancy are moving, and all the more so considering that something -- someone -- made these dogs what they are.

   http://www.downtowndogrescue.org/deathrow.htm

The

   -- Patt Morrison

Comments

[Jennifer]

Thanks for this post.

Readers might also want to take a look at the dogs they have for adoption. The description of their Roscoe reminds me of my own American Bulldog/Pit Bull mix, Molly. She loves adults and children and other dogs. We went to the shelter looking to adopt the friendliest and sweetest dog we could find, and she was it. Don't overlook the bully breeds!

[Evangeline Samuel]

You are right/ It is the owner who sets the tone of the dog. I congratulate you on your program to rehabilitate these dogs.

[HulaGirl]

I volunteered at a "No Kill" shelter in Little Rock, Arkansas.
I
saw pit mixes and other big, "scary" breeds languishing in kennels for five years or more.

They were housed inside small concrete runs in a crowded, dark and smelly kennel, filled with the constant din of barking and howling.

These dogs will never find homes and I wondered how "humane" it was to keep them locked in horrid conditions for years. I don't have the answer - it sucks either way.

I became a total misanthrope after volunteering at that shelter. I agree: No bad dogs, only bad people.