In Memory Of.......

My beautiful Annabelle whose eyes will haunt me the rest of my life.

Remember the line from the old Bob Seeger song "Sometimes at night I see their faces, I feel the traces they've left on my soul"? That is the emotion this week preceding Memorial Day has produced in me. Maybe this sorrow for the Pits lost began with the frustration of legislative failures or maybe it is just the time of year for reflection of all things past. Whatever the reason, I have been spending a great deal of time pondering how to move forward.

A few of the faces that have been haunting me include Annabelle and Lucy lost from the Cape Girardeau shelter, Jed and Amos lost from the Caruthersville shelter, Fay and Phoenix lost from the Mutts-N-Stuff rescue in St. Charles. All of these dogs had paid their dues for being born Pit Bull, yet they still paid the ultimate price for human ignorance and irresponsibility. They are by no means the only dogs I have ever lost. I estimate that for every dog I save, I lose 599 others. Statistics back me up on those numbers. If I was not able to use the pain of loss to keep me steady in my purpose, I would have crumbled a long time ago.

For my beautiful Annabelle, life was nothing more than a series of birthing events and pain. When we first met, I was in the shelter to evaluate and try to move another dog into foster care. Annabelle stopped me dead in my tracks. The first thing I noticed was her ears had been chopped off, probably with scissors, to within a half inch of her head. She had been bred repeatedly resulting in her having that sway back look of a dog that produced huge litters and large puppies. The sagging look of her underbelly bore testament to this theory. She had been turned out on the streets most likely because one of her offspring was producing more desirable cash crops. The look in her eyes was defeated and forlorn. She melted me on the spot.

I spent several days just walking her and allowing her to lay in the sunshine. We exchanged affection and had many of those intelligent conversations one has with dogs. She was a wonderful dog that no one had ever bothered to get to know. To the people that threw her away, she was nothing but a source of pocket change. That was their loss. Annabelle was a most amazing dog. Just a few days of being a cherished pet brought her out of the despair she showed due to her circumstances. She had the softest eyes, which are what haunts me to this day.

I lost Annabelle because of advanced heartworms. Her age and physical condition made it impractical to try to treat her. She was a large dog with chopped off ears and the unattractive body of a dog "pupped" too many times. Her chances for a home were slim to none. The fact that I have to look at these dogs in this manner angers me as much as the reasons that bring them to the shelters and rescues in the first place.

Lucy was a young sweetheart of a Pit Bull. She was still too young to start her puppy production duties, which made her much more adoptable. Her down fall came in the form of a ten dog seizure that took up all available foster homes and potential adopters. She was a sweet natured girl whose only crime was being a product of apathy and over production.

Jed and Amos were confiscated from the lowest of the dog fighting scum. These dogs were likely less than two years old but appeared ancient. They had never know any kind of quality care. They were fed only what it took to keep them alive to fight everyday of their lives. They were fighting for the price of a hit of crack. They were confiscated with a handful of other dogs but their need was overshadowed by the record breaking dog fight bust that all but crippled the rescue network. These dogs were lost for the same reason too many other Pit Bulls are lost. There simply is no place to put them.

The same bust that sealed the fate of Jed and Amos was the reason the suffering of Fay and Phoenix finally ended. Fay had been fought hard resulting in the loss of most of her lips. Phoenix was blind but still considered a "sporting" dog. Both of these dogs have since been lost but their stories will serve to improve the lives of so many other Pit Bulls in need.

Part of the reason for my melancholy mood this week is because of my encounters with two individuals, owning related dogs, that have no clue what they are doing when they breed their dogs. Sure, they produce a couple of decent animals. I know because I see them when they end up in the shelter. In their minds, because they brag about their exorbitant prices, they are doing their part to preserve the breed. I tried to make a point last week about what it takes to produce a quality dog. These people are nothing more than backyard breeders in my eyes. There are no health certifications being done and the bloodlines they promote are questionable. At least the 1,227 people that petitioned to have the foundation bloodline's registry revoked felt the bloodline was corrupt.

One of these individuals actually thought he would bully me into seeing how valuable his yard dog is and the other thinks I will turn my attention from the dogs on death row to help him move the puppies he cannot sell. The same puppies I will eventually have to face in the shelter. For the record, any puppies from these breeders, that end up in the shelter, will not knowingly get any of my attention so long as there is even one other Pit Bull in need. This may sound harsh but it was not my actions that put their dogs at risk. It was not my greed or ego that wanted to "get my dogs out there". Make no mistake, the purebreds die right along side the mixed breeds. You do not feel any responsibility to these dogs, neither do I.

A review of the statistics goes something like this:

There are approximately 3,000,000 (three million) Pit Bulls living in the United States. Of the approximately 4,000,000 (four million)animals entering the shelter/rescue system, 1,000,000 (one million)are Pit Bulls. Of this number 1 in 600 will be successfully re-homed or saved. In Los Angeles California alone it is estimated 200 (two hundred) Pit Bulls are put to death EVERY SINGLE DAY. Because the shelters are being so over run by the surplus Pit Bulls, they are the first to be pulled and euthanized. These numbers include family pets, puppies, young and old dogs, healthy and sick dogs and pregnant females. I do not make these numbers up. It is a simple fact to check. I do feel these numbers are conservative. If we had an accurate, effective way of tracking the death rates by breed, I think the numbers would be much higher.

These numbers are what irresponsible, blind breeding means to me. When I have conversations with the people contributing to these statistics, it is all I can do not to snap. An open season on stupid would be great but forcing you people to euthanize your own animals would be much more educational. You should have to feel the life drain from the animals you put at risk. You should have to hold the needle or load the gas chamber container and see the look of bewilderment in the eyes of these dogs. Then you should have to hold the lifeless body and contemplate the waste.

For this Memorial Day, I see the faces and I do feel the traces on my soul. These dogs will not have died in vain so long as the dedicated, true lovers of this breed continue to learn and share their experiences and fight to save these dogs.

To the rescuers of all animals, during this time of remembering what has passed, know that you are not alone. We may have different agendas but we still share a common bond. This is a time to remember why we do this and why it is important. God bless you all!