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ANIMAL WATCH - Los Angeles Animal Services and many animal shelters across the U.S. are increasingly losing the public’s confidence and wasting valuable tax dollars on legal settlements, as they fail to place safety above the “save” rate set nationally by Best Friends’ Animal Society. This makes adoption of homeless animals a competition, ignoring the basic principles of behavior assessment and common sense before exposing potential adopters to especially Pit Bulls. Rottweilers and other fighting/guarding breeds which have already given signals they are not “socially oriented.” In other words, “they are likely to bite.”
Some dogs are not shy about making their disdain for humans known, but potential adopters want to believe the dog will be different with them, if they just give it a good home. This is NOT the dog you should take home for your kids or as a companion for a beloved pet or any other reason, no matter how passionately someone appeals to you to “save” it. Noted training specialist Sue Sternberg, who specialized in assessing the behavior of shelter dogs stated that the key to the ability to make a good pet is a dog’s sociability—it’s desire to be near humans, please its owner, and be a contributing part of a family.
LOS ANGELES FAMILY TRUSTED THE SHELTER
A dog called “Biggy” was impounded at the South Los Angeles animal shelter on February 13, 2024, and listed as a Rottweiler, “stray, Over the Counter (OTC).” This means an adult brought him in but did not claim or admit ownership. This can raise a “red flag” with a large dog, like Biggy, who was not showing signs of neglect, starvation or other indications of living in the streets and there had been no calls to the shelter reporting him roaming a neighborhood.
Biggy is a formidable dog, weighing 93 pounds at impound. He was estimated to be about two years old. He was not neutered, nor microchipped and probably did not have shots, including rabies vaccination required by State law. According to an officer, it is likely that the owner brought Biggy in and didn’t want to admit having a dog of this age without a rabies shot and license. He was not neutered and at the age when a male dog has reached maturity and begins to become aggressive or escapes his yard and challenges other males over mating and territory.
He may have threatened or bitten someone, and the owner wanted to dump him in the shelter without being identified. The reason these scenarios are plausible it because few total strangers pick up an unknown dog this size and breed and drive it to the shelter, when they can call for an animal control pickup. It is unlikely Biggy would have just jumped into the car of a stranger. He was not an overly friendly dog, according to volunteer notes.
However, none of these issues stop the dog from being offered for adoption after a hold period to see if an owner is identified or comes in to search for his/her dog. But Biggy was not redeemed and remained distant and, according to staff and volunteers reportedly was interested in treats, but not n bonding with anyone who cared for him during his almost-four months at the shelter, and this should have also have been a signal that he was not a good candidate for adoption to a family with children who might annoy him with their exuberance and/or desire to pet him. This should have been noted on his shelter record and all volunteers and prospective adopters should have been advised.
WAS BIGGY A ROTTWEILER OR A BLACK PIT BULL-MIX? YOU BE THE JUDGE!
SHELTER NOTES ON BIGGY
There are a number of notes by volunteers on Biggy while he was at the shelter and they all indicated that he was very “treat oriented,” He seemed to be comfortable with being petted but “did not seek affection.” He was comfortable being leashed and understood basic commands of “sit,” “stay,” and shake. One called him a “Nice, mellow fellow.” Two listed that he was a “Make my Day Dog,” which does not quite coincide with the “mellow fellow .
There was no notation that said he responded well to children in the shelter, wanting to get out to be close to human activity or that he had expressed affection for anyone. We don’t yet know if that information was shared with the family and, especially, with the female adult who asked to walk Biggy on June 16, 2024, and left the shelter in an ambulance after Biggy attacked her.
BIGGY ATTACKED THE MOTHER IN A FAMILY THAT MIGHT HAVE TAKEN HIM HOME
Shelter notes read :“While playing in the yard with a family of 2 young kids and 2 adults, Biggy was being handled by the adult female of the family. When Biggy pulled away as she walked him in the large yard with volunteer assisting, the “victim” went to steer Biggy back towards her by pulling the leash towards her as he walked by her side.
That slight correction, caused Biggy to jump up and bite the woman so severely that he, “ripped on the left side of her face.” Another report reads, “he made contact and ripped open the left side of her cheek along with a piece of her lip.”
“The victim was transported to the nearest hospital by ambulance.
The assessment further states, “Biggy ‘s behavior has become dangerous and we are unable to supply him with the care he needs. Euthanasia is authorized on or after 6/20/24.” However, on n 6/16, a final note was entered: “After speaking with GM Dains and informing her that Biggy supplied a Level 5 bite, we came to the agreement that we should move forward with Euth today.” (Level 5 bite means it inflicted serious injury.)
HONESTY BY LAAS COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS TRAGEDY
When a card on the animal’s kennel indicates it is “adoptable,” the public has the right to believe that the shelter has carefully tested the dog and can assure it has not given signs, other than those revealed on the card or by an employee, that they or their loved ones—human or animal—could be endangered.
This brings up the issue that LAAS is apparently having volunteer notes on the animals recorded using acronyms. That could be so that the public does not immediately understand but can be justified as a method to cut down time in recording the animal’s behavior, etc.
A legal expert advises that any shelter system that is doing this, must have a list explaining the meaning of each abbreviation available to the public at all times or posted in an obvious location in the shelter and accessible to the public.
What a shame! A woman had to be severely injured and her children terrorized because the signs Biggy was giving were ignored and the City would apparently rather have someone severely hurt, rather than promptly humanely euthanize an animal that was also obviously distressed enough to lash out with ferocity. This is the hidden underbelly of “No Kill,” which refuses mercy to shelter animals and is now increasingly resulting in severe suffering by humans.
See: Sue Sternberg in her many videos on YouTube.
(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee, an animal activist and a contributor to CityWatch.)
