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FINDING YOUR PIT BULL A NEW HOME HugABull strongly recommends to people considering giving up their pit bull to think of all the options available before doing that. Ideally the best place for your dog to stay is with you, and we are here to help those owners that are willing to make some changes so that keeping your dog becomes an option. HugABull offers guidance, training advice and support to those owners who are willing to work to keep their pit bull. For those that are not, please read through this information page on all the things to consider if you're going to give up your pit bull. **** HugABull does not accept owner surrender dogs. ****
Lowest Adoption Rate/Automatic Euthanasia Pit Bulls have the LOWEST adoption rates of any breed of dog in the shelter system. A good portion of BC shelters still have an "automatic euthanasia" policy for pit bulls, although it is never advertised or admitted to. That means your dog may never even get the chance to come up for adoption whatsoever, and while they may accept your dog as a surrender, you have essentially sentenced your dog to a death sentence. Even if your dog is wonderful, simply the stigmas attached to these breeds may prevent its adoption. Slowest Adoption Rate Even for those lucky dogs that do go up for adoption, not only do they have the lowest adoption rates, they tend to also have the slowest adoption rates. So that means your once best friend may spend months and months languishing in a steel kennel and a cold floor, if they ever do get a lucky break at getting adopted. Pit Bulls Do Not Kennel Well Pit Bulls are extremely human oriented dogs. They are notorious for not being able to survive shelter life. Being stuck in a kennel for 24 hours a day, with limited human contact, usually does one of two things to these breeds. They either "shut down" where they do not come up to be pet anymore as prospective adopters pass, and may lay for hours on their blanket (if they even get a blanket) somewhat tuning out the world and becoming extremely depressed. Or they go "kennel crazy" - barking, jumping up on the sides of the kennel, tail chasing, circling the run for hours at a time as their anxiety builds and stresses them to their maximum levels. Either way, this doesn't present an attractive package to passersby who may be considering adopting their next dog. Who's going to Adopt Your Dog? Once you surrender your dog to a shelter, there are NO guarantees as to what kind of home it will get next, if it even does get a home. It is blind misguided faith that leads dog owners to think just because that particular shelter may get lots of people coming in looking at dogs, that their dog will be picked up the next day and live happily ever after playing ball for the rest of its days with its new family. The truth is most dogs surrendered to the shelter system, spend at least the next two weeks being terrified, stressed and wondering where their owners went. Some shelters do a good job at screening; some do very little and may be happy to "get rid of" a pit bull to whomever wants it for whatever reason - even if that means living on a chain guarding a warehouse for the rest of its life. Who's Going to Want Your Dog? When people come into a shelter, they want the friendliest, well mannered, healthiest, cutest, best behaved dogs there. If your dog is anything outside of that, you can bank on the fact its time there will be long and hard. Then you have to factor in the "pit bull" stigma - even if your pit bull is the friendliest, well mannered, healthiest, cutest and best behaved dog in the whole shelter, people will pass it by due to general prejudice. On the other hand, a 15 pound lap dog who may be a fear biter, have allergies and doesn't know one obedience command can have people lining up to adopt it. The nicest pit bulls in the system often spend months waiting for someone to give them a break and adopt them. No Such Thing as NO KILL The phrase "no kill" is being passed around in society as common knowledge when it comes to animal shelters. What do exist in BC are some "low kill" rate shelters - about 2 in the entire province! Low kill shelters are far and few between here in BC. The reality is that there are too many dogs in the shelter system, and not enough people to adopt them. Adding to this problem is a guaranteed role of the dice with your dog's life.
You! HugABull strongly encourages any owner thinking of giving up their pit bull to reconsider. Most owner surrender cases come down to two problems: the owner or the dog. Sometimes getting a little professional help and understanding can make a stressful situation become workable again. Sometimes making a few small changes can make a world of difference. Obviously if you've read the above notes, you realize a shelter is not a nice place for a pit bull. Placing the dog on your own is always an option, and if you are convinced you are not able to work through keeping your dog, HugABull does offer support services to those caring owners who want to find their dogs a new home. The most successful placements come to those owners who are willing to follow the rescue service's advice, and who are willing to do the fair share of the adoption work.
As BC's only bull breed specific education and advocacy group, there is a long line of dogs waiting to get into our program and an even longer line of people who need support services. If you do nothing, nothing will happen for your dog's happiness. In a nutshell, here are the things that we recommend an owner do if they need to rehome their pit bull: 1. BUY YOUR DOG SOME TIME: If you are willing to keep your dog until a suitable home becomes available, you will save your dog a ton of undue stress by shuffling them around. While most private rescue groups do not have foster home space available, they will be much more willing to work with a dog owner who can hold on to their own dog during the placement period than one who isn't. 2. EXHAUST ALL YOUR KNOWN OPTIONS: Talk to all your friends, family, colleagues, co-workers, vet, groomer, dog trainer or anyone who "may know someone" willing to adopt your dog who can provide a responsible, caring home. Networking extensively is often the key to finding your dog a good home. If your dog comes from a breeder, first and foremost, contact that breeder. A responsible breeder should take back any dog that they created. 3. MAKE YOUR DOG MORE ADOPTABLE: If you were a stranger, looking at your dog for the first time, what would you think of it? Honestly, a lot of people don't want "used" dogs, especially those with health or behavioral problems. Take your dog to a vet and get all their records updated including shots, flea care, deworming etc. If your dog is not spayed/neutered, get that done as well. A dog that is perceived as healthy and well cared for is more attractive to a potential adopter. Generally people, who are seeking to adopt a dog that is not neutered or is not spayed, do not have the dog's best interests in mind..... By spaying or neutering your dog, you have automatically eliminated dog fighters or puppy millers who may want your dog for the wrong purpose. Make an "honest" list. All dogs have pros and cons. What are your dog's strengths and weaknesses? What kind of home would your dog fit best in? Yes, we all see those ads "dog needs farm and room to run" or "dog makes a good guard dog." Well, there aren't enough ranches for rambunctious dogs and anyone advertising their dog as a guard dog is going to attract a certain type of home - not a good one. Be honest about your dog to potential adopters - making your dog out to be something it's not, will land it straight into another shelter or worse, being euthanized. The most successful adoptions come from honesty, and from both parties knowing what they're getting. 4. MARKETING YOUR DOG: Great people do want to adopt pit bulls, but how are they going to find your dog? Ironically, marketing a dog adoption has a lot of basic concepts to it that could apply to most anything:
+++WARNING - do not advertise your dog as being "free". FREE dogs attract all the wrong kinds of homes and you will spend a lot of time answering calls from people who shouldn't own a pet rock, let alone a dog. A lot of FREE dogs spend their lives on chains as guard dogs, or dogs who are left starving or dogs who are just viewed as disposable. If you are uncomfortable charging for a dog that may not have cost you anything, asking for a reasonable adoption fee for you to donate to a local animal charity or rescue group is a suitable option. If someone is not willing to pay anything for the dog, they are generally not going to be willing to pay for any vet care, food or additional supplies needed later on down the road either. +++
While you may find your phone isn't ringing off the hook quite yet, when it does start, knowing what questions to ask makes the world of difference in placement, and will save you a world of time and talking! Engage people to talk freely (the best information comes from not questions being asked necessarily). Feel free to use our adoption application on our site as a reference guide for good questions to ask people. Questions you should ask right off the bat are:
Doing the for real "meet and greet" Okay, so you think you've found someone who sounds nice. Have them come over to meet your dog. One of the biggest indicators in compatibility is how they approach and interact with your dog (do they pet it, act a bit standoffish, tell them to "get down, sit down" constantly? Does one person seem to be into the dog, and the other not?). Do they ask you questions, or are they just trying to hand you some money and go. If they have another dog, have the dogs meet on "neutral ground" - a nearby park for example, not the owners' home. If they have children, get them to bring them along. One of the biggest problems with kids and dogs is if the kids have not been taught how to properly interact with a dog (no, pulling his ears is not acceptable). Some parents think their kids should be able to maul and harass a dog and that's normal - it's not. A healthy pet relationship comes from mutual respect of the children and of the dog. Watch if the parents show the kids how to pet the dog, or just ignore them and let them manhandle the dog without even being introduced. Trust your instincts - what vibe is the person giving you? Go with your gut feeling and trust your judgment - if there is something "not quite right", hold out and wait for someone else. Your judgment is usually right in the end. Tell them you'd like to do a home check. Anyone who has ANY issue with this should be a red flag right away! An honest person should have no issues with meeting you in their home to let you know your dog will be comfortable there.
While it's always an emotional time letting go, it is necessary to have paperwork signed that releases you of ownership of your dog. Also, it allows the new owners to have full care and responsibility of their new addition, and releases you from any liability or care concerns there may be in the future. Make sure the new adopters sign it, along with yourself, and provide them with a copy for their records and yours. Ideally,
if you've got to this point, you've done a very good job. If keeping
your dog isn't an option, at least by taking the time and effort and
love to find your dog a good home, you've guaranteed it a good shot
at happiness! |
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