Extra bite lacks teeth
Irresponsible pet ownership certainly stretches beyond the two
breeds targeted by Hollister officials in a proposed ordinance, and
city leaders should recognize that when they address the
overpopulation of pit bulls and Chihuahuas.
Hollister council members this week delayed an approval for the
ordinance to require spaying and neutering of pit bulls and
Chihuahuas in light of numbers showing they are by far the most
common breeds surrendered and put to sleep at the local
shelter.
Extra bite lacks teeth
Irresponsible pet ownership certainly stretches beyond the two breeds targeted by Hollister officials in a proposed ordinance, and city leaders should recognize that when they address the overpopulation of pit bulls and Chihuahuas.
Hollister council members this week delayed an approval for the ordinance to require spaying and neutering of pit bulls and Chihuahuas in light of numbers showing they are by far the most common breeds surrendered and put to sleep at the local shelter.
It was a fortunate move considering the ordinance is a waste of time – where are the resources Hollister will commit to the new Pooch Patrol? – and it takes aim at two dogs that are particularly popular in the Hispanic community.
Shelter officials point to the fact that in 2008 and 2009, pit bulls constituted 91 percent of dogs determined to be dangerous based on municipal code criteria. Chihuahuas made up 23 percent of the dogs requiring animal control services, and for the first time in 20 years it has had to euthanize the breed of non-adopted stray or abandoned dogs.
Those numbers, though, tell only part of the story. Before taking such a misguided leap, the shelter and city officials should try to fix the problem through other tactics such as severely stiffening penalties for stray-dog bites and dogs on the loose, especially of the vicious variety, or by launching a volunteer-driven public awareness campaign about the problem’s severity, on how to act as a responsible pet owner, on how it can make this a safer community for everyone’s families, on how pit bulls and Chihuahuas are loving pets if cared for properly.
If they insist on going down the often economically daunting surgical route, at the least they should require the spaying and neutering for all dogs in Hollister. If such a high percentage of the dogs found at the shelter are pit bulls and Chihuahuas, why not try to reduce the risk of unnecessary euthanasia for the rest of the breeds?
With whatever changes are made, the city would need to make a proactive effort in getting the word out, which was hardly the case when the shelter switched to weekend hours before recently reversing the schedule – because too few people appeared to know about the switch.
They also should reverse a shelter policy that limits pit bull adoptions to nonprofit organizations. What sense does that make?
It seems the shelter’s own policy largely contributes to the problem by which it now finds itself so baffled. If the shelter staff lacks the training and expertise of pit bulls’ temperamental states, then the city should invest in getting those employees up to speed and ensuring that innocent dogs aren’t being put down senselessly.
If it is too expensive, then the shelter and city could seek out fundraising help from the community and local dog-rescue groups. Simply put, people here would step up to the cause.
Requiring spaying and neutering only makes things more complicated. The logical reason why residents avoid the procedures, unless they are breeders, is the accompanying cost.
The threat of an animal shelter employee staking out their yard, looking for the litter-able culprits, is hardly a threat at all.
It is impossible to enforce, so what is the likely outcome?
The city will merely open itself up for reasoned challenges from citizens. Maybe even legal action.
