The media and politicians, dog catchers and pound contractors all have a vested interest in making us fear a kind of evil super dog they call the ‘Pit Bull’. They tell us they’re not like other dogs – that they are far stronger, more aggressive, more unpredictable – than regular dogs. Selective reporting and misreporting of dog attacks claimed to involve Pit Bulls reinforce the myths.

The Australian newspaper depicts the 'Pit Bull' using the most terrifying stock image they could find.

The Side We’re Seldom Shown

A search for ‘pit bull’ on YouTube brings up plenty of videos of family pets playing happily with their owners, families and other dogs. These images would weaken the folk devil that’s been created and great efforts are made to make these dogs look mean.

Meet George

The following photos are being given to Victorian Council staff as part of the govt’s ‘Approved Standard‘ to help them identify whether your dog has some “Pit Bull” in it. We don’t know anything about this dog so we’ll call him George.

George was chosen by the Victorian Govt to feature in their 'approved standard' for identifying American Pit Bull Terriers.

It’s most likely George was killed after the taking of this photo. Given he was chosen as an example of an ‘American Pit Bull Terrier” it’s quite likely that his only offence was his appearance.

Dressing Up Dogs on Death Row

If you look carefully you’l see a big black studded collar was placed over his head after his slip lead was put on. It looks like a purely cosmetic addition to make him look mean. Who would do such a thing? (Our only clues are bricks and maple leaves.)

Photo from Victorian Govt's "Breed Standard" for "Pit Bulls"

Graeme Smith Can’t Stop Talking About Pit Bulls

The Lost Dogs Home’s CEO campaigns tirelessly against what he calls ‘Pit Bull Terrier Types’. They impound seized ‘Pit Bulls’. Could they be responsible for the pictures above? (bricks?)

Graeme Smith calls for dog owners to surrender.

Want Extra Collars With That?

In this piece we’re shown several ‘Pit Bulls’ in pens at The Lost Dogs Home with one collar on and then a dog being paraded with no less than three collars, including a studded one. Why do they dress them up like Mr T?

Lost Dogs Home parade 'Pit Bull' with 3 collars on

“They Dressed Me Up Like This”

Once an industry of dog seizers and killers have been assembled, so in Nils Christie’s terms, an industry is formed which has a vested in creating the preconditions for its own employment.

“Then they came for the dogs” Professor Simon Hallsworth, Director of the Centre for Social and Evaluation Research at London Metropolitan University

With just under two weeks till the opening of  ‘dog season’ in Victoria, Councils are preparing to start knocking on doors and seizing family pets.

The State Government is encouraging the public to dob in their neighbours pets via a dedicated ‘Dob in a Dangerous Dog’ hotline.

Q. My neighbour has a pit bull terrier that does not appear to be
registered or kept according to the law. What can I do?

A. Call the Local Council or the Government hotline (1300 101 080). An
Authorised Officer will inspect the premises and review the breed of the dog.
If it is of a restricted breed then an official declaration process and
restriction of the dog will be initiated.

Restricted Breed Dogs FAQ - Bureau of Animal Welfare - Department of Primary Industries, Victoria

DPI Advice to Councils is Incorrect

Council staff are not qualified to identify the breed components of dogs from unknown parentage. The identification “standard” issued by the State Government comes without explanation of how it is to be used. It will lead to mistakes and declarations of dogs who do not have any Pit Bull in them because there is no scientific basis behind it. New laws grant Councils power to kill dogs based on their appearance under certain (but not all) circumstances.

The DPI’s own website states:

Current owners may keep their restricted breed dogs as long as the dogs were:

1. in Victoria prior to 1 September 2010, AND
2. registered (as any breed) with the local council prior to 30 September 2011.

Things You Should Know About Restricted Breed Dogs – Victoria DPI Website

The DPI have provided advice to Councils on the process for declaring a Restricted Breed Dog. It wrongly gives the impression that unless the owner makes an application to VCAT to appeal the declaration their dog will be killed. As we saw above, that is not always the case. Owners who meet the conditions can accept the declaration and may be allowed to keep their dog subject to restrictions.

Restricted Breed Process Flow Chart distributed to Councils by Victorian DPI

We’re talking about the seizure and destruction of family pets. Dog owners will have their lives turned upside down by what’s about to occur. It’s crucial that Council staff and dog owners are given clear and accurate information.

Update: Melbourne City Council has dumped the Lost Dogs Home in favour of RSPCA Burwood. Community concerns over LDH’s high kill rate does make a difference.

Melbourne City Council is asking for public feedback on it’s Domestic Animal Management Plan. Part of the requirement under the Act is for them to address how they will reduce high rates of euthanasia for pets.

Submissions can be sent to animalmanagement@melbourne.vic.gov.au

here’s our submission… feel free to borrow from it!

5.2 Impounding of dogs and cats

Melbourne City Council has a live release rate of 50% for impounded animals. For every animal that goes home, either to their family or to a loving new one, one dies by lethal injection.

Industry best practice is a greater than 90% live release rate for animals entering a pound facility. The reason it’s not 100% is that animals with life threatening illness or injury that cannot be treated should be euthanased. Unfortunately there will also be some dogs who are too aggressive to be rehomed.

The primary means of breed identification for non-pedigreed dogs and mixed-breed dogs is a visual glance and a guess. The dog may be compared with the breed standard for a breed; again, this is based on visual assessment. It is entirely subjective.

http://stopbsl.com/bsloverview/impossibleid/

Domestic Animals Amendment (Restricted Breeds) Bill 2011 Passed

I’ve just returned home from Victorian Parliament where a new Bill has been rushed through both Houses without being included in the Notice papers.

The Domestic Animals Amendment (Restricted Breeds) Bill empowers the Minister to approve “standards” by which an Authorised Officer can declare your dog a Restricted Breed Dog.

One year ago tomorrow the Domestic Animals Act was updated to enable “a standard prescribed by regulations” to be used. What’s changed now is that the definition of what constitutes a ‘Pit Bull Terrier’ is at the whim of the Executive with no ability for the Parliament to reject changes.

As Greens Minister Greg Barber put it, the Minister could draw a stick figure of a dog, approve it and therefore enable rangers to seize and kill and dog that fits that description that was not in Victoria prior to 1 Sep 2010.

The opposition, while not opposing the Bill, pointed out that the Governor in Council could have provided an exemption from the requirement to produce a regulatory impact statement. This could have epedited the process without removing Parliamentary oversight.

“an approved standard”

The Minister was asked how we could trust that such a ‘standard’ would not result in innocent dogs being wrongly identified as ‘pit bull crosses’. If the standard is too broad it would end up including dogs with no ‘pit bull’ in them that share similar physical characteristics. This would have serious consequences given Councils would be required to kill many of these dogs.

Parliament was told that the approved standard would be reliable because it was created by a working group that consisted of:

* one ‘all breeds’ judge
* one Authorised Officer
* one Australian Veterinary Association Official

The Minister went on to say that,

“Following the 2010 legislative amendment the working party consisted of a veterinarian who previously participated in the then minister’s restricted dog breed panel and was on the executive of the Australian Veterinary Association.”

spoken by Hon. P. R. HALL - Hansard

He seemed very proud to be able to claim that not only was there a dog catcher and someone out of ‘best in show’, they had someone with relevant qualifications.

What’s Motivating This Vet?

The Australian Veterinary Association (along with RSPCA Vic) opposes Breed Discrimination. Why would an AVA Official assist in creating this ‘standard’? Is it the same AVA Official who presided over the Restricted Breed Review Panel that led to Ouzie being killed by Manningham Council? How can the AVA allow this?

Patricia Stewart presided over the Review Panel that led to Ouzie being killed.

In June 2011 I was contacted by the ABC to give comment for a story about the Cat Protection Society of Victoria. I agreed and they sent a reporter and camera operator out to to my place on the same day. About a month later I received an email to say the story would go to air on Friday 12 Aug.

Surprised to See RSPCA Vic Alongside LDH & CPS

I expected the story to be focused on claims the CPS had been misrepresenting its statistics to the public. The story ended up focusing largely on claims that the No Kill movement were “waging a cyber war” against the RSPCA, Lost Dogs Home and Cat Protection Society of Victoria. I was surprised to hear RSPCA Vic being lumped in with LDH and CPS when they are leagues apart.

Animal Advocates are Working With RSPCA Vic

The story incorrectly stated that animal advocates have been attacking RSPCA Victoria. The exact opposite is true for the simple reason that they are working steadily toward reducing their kill rates.

• Their annual reports (including statistics) have been available on their website for many years now
• Their foster care program saved over 600 lives in 2010
• They respond promptly to all (reasonable) questions on their Facebook page
• They emptied their catteries last year with an innovative ‘adoption fee waived’ promotion
• Their ‘Twilight Adoption’ extended hours make it easier for people to adopt
• They are open all day on weekends

"I see the No Kill activists as leading the way and that's the same with any social change."

Lost Dogs Home Are In The Doghouse

The Lost Dogs Home does not have many friends in animal welfare.

• They reported a live release rate of just 14.2% for cats in 2010 (compared to 40% at RSPCA)
• They won’t tell us how many animals were fostered in 2010
• Their annual reports (including statistics) were not made available to the public till 2010
• They remove reasonable questions from their Facebook page and ban people who ask them
• They close at lunchtime on Sundays and public holidays

"They are cyber bullies because they're on the Internet trying to create controversy."

My Comments Were Not Directed At RSPCA Vic

I was interviewed about CPS, not RSPCA Vic. I have assisted them over the last couple of years and just last week attended their annual Seminar. I have no idea who told the producer that “the No Kill movement” were attacking RSPCA. Could it have been one of the other two shelters mentioned? It wouldn’t be the first time they let a reporter say something incorrect.

"The problem with allowing these people to be the public face of animal welfare is that they're holding back change and they're keeping us stuck in a 20th century kill model."

Stay Tuned For More On Cat Protection Society

There’s a lot more to this story. Out of the 166,000 viewers on Friday night, many will know someone who has worked there and may be able to shed more light on what goes on there. Expect to hear more over coming months.

Cat Trappers are on the Rise

I can’t help but wonder how many of these pets have been caught and taken to the pound by cat trappers.

While some believe they are helping the cats there are others who see cats as a pest that do not belong in our communities.

Most Councils freely loan out traps to any resident who asks for one.

When Council receives a request, a trap is delivered to a specific place.

Trapped cats are collected by Council officers and impounded at The Lost Dogs’ Home.

The traps catch cats humanely and are the same type as those used by animal welfare agencies such as the RSPCA and The Lost Dogs’ Home.

If cats are registered and/or microchipped, they are returned to their owners.

The Lost Dogs’ Home holds unidentifiable cats for eight days and assesses them to see whether they can be adopted out.

Yarra City Council Website

What isn’t made clear is that The Lost Dogs’ Home killed almost 90% of the cats they received in 2010. For the vast majority of impounded cats, being trapped is a virtual death sentence.

The Lost Dogs' Home killed 9 out of 10 cats in 2010

Pound Contractors to Benefit from Increased Impounds

For the holders of Melbourne’s Council pound contracts, an increase in impounds means more business. Some have been lobbying for changes that would increase the number of cats trapped.

• the “Who’s For Cats” program has led to an increase in impounds
• the introduction of cat curfews could lead to fines for trapped cats

How can we improve this situation?

Notify Owners: If owners go to the trouble of posting notices on power poles, why shouldn’t those trapping cats also be required to do that same? Why not require Councils to post the details of trapped cats (including time, date and address of trapping) on the nearest power pole to where the cat was trapped?They could also be required to post a photo of the cat within a certain timeframe to their website and the website of their pound contractor.

Regulate Trapping: Being trapped can be highly stressful and poses serious welfare risks to cats:

• lacerations on face and body from smashing into cages
• risks from exposure to the elements
• contraction of disease if the trap has not been properly cleaned
• contraction of disease if mixed with other cats
• poor handling
• being left in hot cars
• In the case of pets being trapped, it is also causes great distress to owners.

Perhaps cat trapping should restricted to trained and authorised animal welfare personnel?

Science To The Rescue!

A few years ago a research paper entitled “What Happens To Shelter Dogs” was published that compared the outcomes for animals from three Melbourne shelters. These were:

• The Lost Dogs’ Home, North Melbourne [City Shelter]
• RSPCA, Burwood [Suburban Shelter]
• Animal Aid, Coldstream [Rural Shelter]

Could They Be Killing Dogs To Reduce Costs?

In 2010, only four out of every ten unclaimed dogs were offered for adoption at The Lost Dogs’ Home. How do they choose the unlucky ones? In Victoria, pounds and shelters are required by law to ensure all animals are desexed before sale. Desexing a male dog is generally less costly in both time and resources than desexing a female. Of course, picking out dogs who were are already desexed would offer the biggest saving.

Study Shows LDH Killing Females at a Higher Rate

At the city shelter, bitches were euthanized almost twice as frequently
as at the other shelters, χ2(6, N = 8,883) = 693.72, p < .0001, although
males were euthanized at about 1.5 times the frequency of other shelters,
χ2(6, N = 11,846) = 816.02, p < .0001.

Study Shows LDH Killing Sexually Entire Animals at a Higher Rate

Sexually entire animals formed approximately 66% of animals euthanized at
the rural and suburban shelters but a highly significant 91.7% of
those euthanized at the city, χ2(2, N = 6,539) = 594.72, p < .0001.

Do The Lost Dogs Home Still Selectively Kill Dogs Based on Sex, Size and Sexual Entirety?

We’re repeatedly told that LDH only kill dogs who are untreatably sick or injured or are too aggressive to be rehomed. It’s farcical to suggest that 60% of unclaimed dogs fall into these categories and there is no evidence provided to support their claims.

On the contrary, these dogs are hidden from public view from the moment they are impounded until the day they are sent off in body bags. The Lost Dogs Home has refused calls for them to post pictures of impounded dogs on the internet. This common practice make it easier for owners to locate the pup but would lift the veil of secrecy around their “processing” of unclaimed dogs.

The Question Lost Dogs Home Wouldn’t Answer

I’d been corresponding with LDH for around six months until one day in March, 2011 when I posed the following question:

In the year to 30 June 2010,

• how many dogs and how many cats were surrendered by owners to LDH?
• how many of the dogs received, reclaimed, rehomed or destroyed were sexually entire on entry?

The Lost Dogs Home killed 13,594 cats and dogs in 2009-2010

 

The Lost Dogs Home killed 6 out of 10 unclaimed dogs in 2009-2010

The Lost Dogs Home killed 9 out of 10 unclaimed cats in 2009-2010

Other Shelters are Achieving Better Results for Unclaimed Pets

Meanwhile other shelters have achieved dramatic reductions in kill rates for cats and dogs. AWL Queensland has been very successful increasing adoptions over the past five years.

AWL Queenland Shows What’s Possible

Why Does The Lost Dogs Home Continue To Kill In The Face Of Alternatives?

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