We found a dog!

[Becky]

DH and I rode to work this morning. As we were pulling into our parking lot (in a not-so-nice part of town), we saw a car pull up, the door opened, and a dog was tossed out! DH ran after the car and was able to get a partial plate number, but not enough for an ID. The city police are referring this to the SPCA, but I doubt that much will come of it.

She's a young pit bull with a deformed rear leg, and is so sweet. She's happily greeted everyone who has stopped by to visit. Right now, she's sleeping in my office as I type this. It's been a busy morning for her.

Decisions, decisions....are we ready for a second dog, and a special needs pit at that? Are our dog and two cats ready for this? Can I bear to see her go to the SPCA? Like most metro areas, pits don't have real good luck in shelters here.

[tulip]

How bad is her leg? The SPCA in my city doesn't put dogs down, but many municipal shelters do. Make sure your homeowners insurance covers Pit Bulls and American Staffordshire Terriers. There are so many of those dogs at the shelters here, it saddens me that they are bred and discarded like that. There's a family down the street who breeds them to sell.

[Becky]

Well, animal control just picked her up She'll be held for 3 days before being transferred to the SPCA shelter. The officer felt that she's not all pit, and that she has a good chance of passing a behavioral assessment and being adopted. You bring up a good point about the insurance angle. Something to explore before we make any decisions.

The leg isn't terrible, but I'm guessing from the way that she walks that it will eventually atrophy and a vet would recommend amputation.

Dang....I miss her already

[bmccasland]

Becky,
At least you picked her up and kept her safe. As much as I hate "extra" dogs being put to sleep, or put down just because of being a certain breed, I see it as a better option than becoming feral. Street dogs don't have much of a nice life, and if they get hurt, no one to care for them. Someone who cared, you, picked her up, and her options are better than they were earlier in the day when some dang fool decided to toss her out of a car hoping to never see her again. Hopefully the authorities can find them and prosecute.

[Trek420]

Becky,

Call the shelter daily and keep checking up on the dog. Dogs that have an "advocate" tend to do better. A pox on anyone who would turn out a dog on the street like that

Is there a rescue group like this in your area?

www.badrap.org

[Becky]

Thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestions, everyone. DH and I need to sit down tonight and decide if she's meant to be part of our family, and go from there. If so, I will have the SPCA on speed dial

A dog trainer/rescuer friend of mine pointed out that surrendering her was the best thing to ensure that the SPCA can pursue the abandonment case and to resolve any legal issues with her ownership. So I'm feeling a little bit better now. Still sad, but my practical side feels a little better.

EDIT: I just found out that the SPCA has a "finders first" adoption policy, meaning that, as the finders, DH and I are first on the list to adopt her if we notify them of our intent and she passes the behavioral test. http://www.kentcountyspca.com/lostlistnew.htm This makes me feel a little bit better....

[Brandi]

I am so glad you guys were there for her when this happend. poor thing! I can't stand the fact that there are people out there who can do this sort of things and live with themselves. We have a cat who was thrown onto a freeway. Road worker's found him in a 6 ft deep hole and dug him out. He was about 4 months old. He is a japanese bob tail who's tail is not show quality. He had a broken femur and a fractured pelvis. The vet said someone had kicked him. He had to have operations to fix his leg. He is now a happy little boy with what the vet calls a little get up and go in his walk. And he is the most grateful cat I have ever had. I am not trying to influence what you decide to do. But he is a great cat! Maybe she would be a great dog? But see what the spca comes up with too. I have heard pits are the most given up animals at the shelters.

[newfsmith]

If you do surrender her to a shelter, identify her as a Boxer cross, not as a Pit. You do not "know" that she is a Pit, she just looks like one, as do any number of mixed breeds. If you surrender her as a Pit, you make her one, which can affect her adoptability. Many insurance companies will not insure your home if you have a Pit, but will if you have a mixed breed. She has enough problems as it is, don't give her another.

[Becky]

If you do surrender her to a shelter, identify her as a Boxer cross, not as a Pit. You do not "know" that she is a Pit, she just looks like one, as do any number of mixed breeds. If you surrender her as a Pit, you make her one, which can affect her adoptability. Many insurance companies will not insure your home if you have a Pit, but will if you have a mixed breed. She has enough problems as it is, don't give her another.

The animal control officer made that call when he completed his paperwork, not me. He was the one who pointed out that she's in all likelihood not full pit, but probably has a little in her. I'm well aware of the issues surrounding bully breeds, having volunteered in animal rescue.

On a related note, we have a few shelters in this area who believe in identifying pit mixes as "lab mixes", or "terrier mixes", or whatever else they can think of to avoid calling it a pit mix. A dangerous practice IMO....your neighbors and insurance company don't care if it's a poodle mix. If it looks like a pit (even a little), that's how the dog will be perceived. Bluffing innocent well-meaning adoptors by calling a dog something that it's not isn't doing the dog any good.

But that's just my opinion.

[jesvetmed]

Becky: Thank you for taking the time and energy to take care of her. That is absolutely heartbreaking to hear that someone can just coldly dump a dog on the street and drive away.

Whatever your decision, you have helped her avoid possible injury or death on the street. She sounds sweet, and should not have trouble finding a home if you decide not to keep her. The injured ones actually seem to have an easier time getting homes -- people feel sorry for them and love that they are so sweet despite their injuries.

Your kharma just went up a notch today!
Jes

[sundial]

Becky, I'm glad you were there to rescue her after her drop off. Please go to www.petfinder.com and search the shelters and rescues in your state. Even though she is in a shelter, some shelters do euthanize due to space limitations. There are some all-breed rescues that can pull her from the shelter, take her in, and help finance her medical treatment. Her leg might be spared an amputation if someone can get her to a vet soon.

Also, www.imom.org may be able to help her since she was tossed out like trash.

Please keep us posted on the pittie girl. She sounds really adorable.

[OakLeaf]

Did you get a chance to introduce her to your other furbabies? The main thing you need to know with a pit mix is whether she's going to get along with the other members of the household...

Two of our dogs came off the street. We bypassed the shelter, just advertised locally, even though we knew they were abandoned. A third - a pit mix - belonged to a client of DH's who was going to take her to the shelter if we didn't take her. They were wonderful, every one, vet bills and all (autoimmune disorders, ACL replacements, multiple food allergies), and I miss them dreadfully.

Thanks for rescuing this one.

[Becky]

Did you get a chance to introduce her to your other furbabies? The main thing you need to know with a pit mix is whether she's going to get along with the other members of the household...

Not yet. I'm hopeful that, by surrendering her to animal control, they will be able to catch the dirtball who threw her out like a piece of garbage. But, as a result of that surrender, there's a minimum 3-day hold before she can be assessed (medically and behaviorally). Once that 3 days is past, SPCA staff should be able to provide some information about her quirks, suitability with other animals, etc.

In the meantime, DH and I are soul-searching about this.... If we decide to pursue adoption, introduction to Cody (the dog) and a cat assessment are mandatory IMO. My experience in shelters has shown me how critical that step is in a successful adoption.

Thanks again, everyone, for all your kind words.