Volunteering at the animal shelter

[firecat]

I finally got off my butt and went back to volunteering at Peninsula Humane Society. I've been updating their adoptable cat web pages but I really wanted to get back to working hands-on with dogs and cats—first I was working on my book and didn't have time, and then I was injured, and then I had anemia, and yada yada, but I'm feeling well enough now.

Today I worked with Mia, a young female Pit Bull:
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=12298214

She is really well behaved and smart. She's been at the shelter almost a year. :-(

She is hard to photograph well. But just look at that smile.

Comments

[clever-doberman.livejournal.com]

why has she been there for a full year?

how does she get along with other dogs, including other pits?


yep, that's a pit bull grin alright.

[firecat]

I don't know. Presumably because pit bulls are hard to place and PHS has extra requirements for potential adopters of pit bulls (breed experience, and a property inspection).

Her writeup says she gets along with "some male dogs." I was told not to let her interact with other dogs in the class. I was also told that she engages in staring contests with other dogs. But she didn't do that today. I even saw her start looking at another dog a few times and then turn away as if she was thinking "Oh yeah, I'm not supposed to do that here."

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

There's several counties in the DC area that don't allow pit bills in their county.

[firecat]

There are a lot of places where pit bulls aren't allowed, partly due to their being fought, and partly due to misunderstandings about their nature.

Unfortunately when animal control agents find pit bulls in those places, they have to be euthanized, even if they are well socialized.