The Truth about PIT BULLS. NOT What You May Think!

PIT BULL AWARENESS DAY!! 🐾 ❤️
Three days ago, we celebrated these loving, loyal, kind, and compassionate dogs. There is so much misinformation about them out there, and they are so unfairly and cruelly maligned. They and their humans have their lives upended by unfairly discriminative breed-specific legislation and refusal of insurance companies to write policies for the humans, even when their breed isn’t actually known.
It’s important to know that Pit Bulls are NOT a breed; they are a type of dog with certain physical characteristics: muscular, stocky builds with deep chests and large, square heads. “Pit Bulls” in today’s society and media actually encompass a number of breeds or combination of breeds, including:
– American Staffordshire Terrier
– American Pit Bull Terrier
– American Bully
– Staffordshire Bull Terrier
– American Bulldog
BUT–The American Pit Bull Terrier is the only breed with the words “pit” and “bull” actually in its name, and the only breed that is most commonly, correctly, and historically called a “Pit Bull”.
So many absurd and outright false characteristics have been attributed to “Pit Bulls” such as locking jaws, that they’re inherently aggressive, or it’s not safe to get a “Pittie” from a shelter. It’s mostly pure nonsense. Pit Bull breeds have been extensively temperament tested, and they score on average in the top 23% of all dogs. Not only do they have an excellent temperament, they are also successful as service dogs, therapy dogs, K9 police dogs, and as family pets; in other words, good canine citizens! They are notably affectionate to humans and most other animals if properly socialized.
At the top of this post is my sweet boy Popeye, whom I rescued in 2020 right before lockdown. You can see what a “vicious beast” he is. He died last February of Megaesophagus, but he gave me three years of unconditional love and loyalty, constantly by my side. 💔 🐾 🌈

ASPCA: Marketing Juggernaut or Animal Welfare Organization?

I try to assume the best about all animal welfare organizations…until I don’t. I have found over the last 10 years that most of them do some good, and many do a lot of good. And others, such as the now-defunct NJSPCA–an absurd group of mostly obese wanna-be cops who couldn’t make the grade in real life, do no good, except for themselves.

But I never counted the ASPCA, the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in that disgraceful group.  And I still don’t. It definitely does some real good. And yet I am chagrined to see the just-released results of a CBS News investigation that shines a light on the “A’s” (as many call it) spending, specifically the percentage of donations that goes to actually help animals, and where the rest goes. According to CBS, “The ASPCA says the vast majority of donor dollars go directly toward its mission, but a CBS News investigation found there are questions about whether the money is going where donors expect.”

How is that? Well, the investigation continues, “Since 2008, the ASPCA has raised more than $2 billion for animal welfare. In that time, it has spent $146 million, or about 7% of the total money raised, in grants to local animal welfare groups. But during that same time period it spent nearly three times that, at least $421 million, on fundraising. Over $150 million of that went to Eagle-Com Inc, a Canadian media production company, to produce and place ASPCA’s ads.  I can only wonder how many tens of thousands of animals could have been saved, treated, loved and adopted out with $421 million dollars.

Certainly, you’ve seen the ads, unless you literally never watch television. They are heartbreaking, showing covering, shivering, and terrified animals, while a mournful Sarah McLaughlin tune, “In the Arms of an Angel,” plays in the background. Heartbreaking to me, and very effective tugs on the heartstrings of all but the coldest humans imaginable.

Now, obviously, any group funded by donations has to fundraise, and it’s not cheap or easy. But as someone who’s donated a couple times to the A, I became increasingly annoyed that once they had my address, they bombed my mailbox frequently with unwanted and unnecessary “gifts”–calendars I would never use, return address labels I didn’t want, “membership cards” with nowhere to present them, or just slick and glossy appeals for more money, which I would have happily given, except for the fact that I was mad as hell that they were using my original donations on such nonsense.

Moreover, the investigation points out, they give very little of those millions to the local SPCA organizations that do much of the heavy lifting, rescuing animals from abusive and hoarding situations, as well as providing veterinary care and adoption services. Unfortunately for those local organizations, much of the public wrongfully assumes that they’re local chapters of the larger ASPCA. Wrong. They have no affiliation whatsoever, and as the investigation points out, “CBS News spoke to more than two dozen local SPCA’s across the country. A few had received grants worth a few thousand dollars from the ASPCA, which they had applied for. Most, like in Nassau County and Houston, had gotten nothing.”

Finally, and I’m going to pick on him because it’s deserved, the CEO of the ASPCA earned more than $840,000 last year. I choked on that. Granted, it’s just one and the top exec, but for a non-profit organization that ostensibly exists to help homeless and abused animals, that kind of money is far beyond reasonable or remotely justifiable.

So…you can donate to the ASPCA, and again, they do some good works. But better yet, look for a local SPCA, or find a deserving rescue group or shelter, and put your money where it will do the most good.  And you can start with my shelter, Sammy’s Hope in Sayreville, NJ, or Island Animal Alliance, which rescues homeless dogs (“Satos”) from Puerto Rico.

You can find the CBS News clip here.

 

Unsung Heroes at St. Frances Animal Center in Georgetown, South Carolina!

A friend of mine, and the most dedicated animal advocate I’ve ever known, runs this wonderful animal shelter in South Carolina, so I want to give the place a plug!

Saint Frances Animal Center (SFAC) is Georgetown County, SC’s only open-admission animal shelter. Taking in 1,500 homeless cats and dogs each year, they focus on making sure every animal who has been lost, abandoned, abused, or neglected has a happy ending to their story. Saint Frances Animal Center cares for, treats, and rehabilitates every animal that comes there, to help ensure they go on to find loving homes.
In addition, SFAC runs a low-cost veterinary clinic that provides full-service, affordable veterinary care and spay/neuter surgeries for families. They believe the love and joy that pets bring to our lives should not be limited by a family’s income. Before adopting them out, SFAC ensures that all pets are neutered, vaccinated, and healthy, regardless of a family’s financial challenges.
I hope you’ll keep this shelter in mind, and help them out whenever you can! HERE’S THE LINK TO DONATE!

Help Island Animal Alliance Rescue Pups from Puerto Rico

Mostly behind the scenes and without a scintilla of fanfare,  the Island Animal Alliance continues quietly rescuing pups from Puerto Rico, still storm-ravaged by Hurricane Maria. Let’s remember that Puerto Rico is an American territory, and its people American citizens. You can see the organizer of the IAA, Niki Dawson, doing a transport of pups all the way to New Jersey from (Miami?).  She and her team have worked tirelessly there for months!

If you care about homeless, sick and abandoned animals, and inclined to help this worthy group continue its work, visit their GoFundMe page and make whatever donation you can.  Thanks!

NJ Could Use HSUS’s Humane State Program!

HSUS has, by all accounts, a very thoughtful and effective communications program, Humane Statethat trains law enforcement, including prosecutors, judges, officers, and others, along with the shelter/rescue community to combat animal crimes and strengthen the shelters.  It’s really a road show that they’ve taken to several states and Puerto Rico.

Seems to me that New Jersey badly needs this kind of program.

Frustratingly, HSUS has no contact information for this program or for general requests, but its phone numbers are:

202-452-1100, or 866-720-2676, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m ET

Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET