Tuesday, October 20, 2009

12 Seized Pitbulls Killed in NY

Authorities in Buffalo NY seized 25 Pitbulls this month in an alleged dogfighting ring bust. The Buffalo City Animal Shelter has now killed 12 of the dogs. Of the remaining dogs, there is a litter of 8 pups.

I did not find any information on whether the dogs received evaluations by qualified individuals prior to being killed. Even if the dogs were individually evaluated, too little time has elapsed for any behavior modification/training, which may have been recommended based upon the tests, to take effect. And setting aside those issues, I am guessing none of the owners have had their day in court yet. Therefore these dogs remain the legal property of the accused unless they have signed them over for authorities to dispose of at their discretion. Lots of questions, no answers, and another pile of dead Pitbulls. Just when it seemed like the tide was turning for seized dogs.

Every dog deserves a fair evaluation.

4 comments:

Sarah Ahiers said...

Maybe it was for health reasons? I only suggest this because i find it odd that they would only euthanize some of the dogs if they were doing so based on the fact that they were "fighting dogs". If that were they case, wouldn't they euthanize all of them? I dunno.

YesBiscuit! said...

The article cites aggressiveness as the reason for the killings.

Pai said...

Whenever a shelter mentions 'aggressiveness' as a reason for euthanizing impounded Pits, we should look into whether they subscribe to Sue Sternberg's definition of 'dog aggression' or not. If they do, then I wouldn't put much trust in the quality of their 'assessments' of dog temperament.

Scout and Freyja said...

Our shelter does an ASPCA approved evaluation; however, not until the animal has been there for about a week because animals do not give a good indication of their true temperament when initially seized.

Possibly this issues deserves more investigation...