On an unrelated note, I've been keeping tabs on the NYC Animal Control's daily euthanasia list. And it breaks my heart. There was a time, not too long ago, that I thought, "why on earth would anyone want a pit bull?" All I ever heard in the news media was bad, bad, bad. But Singer has truly changed my life, and opened up my eyes (and heart) to this misunderstood class of dogs. I say class, because it seems like anything and everything that has a stubby head and a crazy smile is considered to be a Pit Bull. (Yes, I know they're not!)
Anyway, back to the NYC Animal Control. Each day, a group called Urgent Part 2 posts pictures of the dogs that the NYC Animal Control will put down the following morning, as well as dogs that are at risk of being next on the list. Most of the public never knows about these dogs, because these dogs are never shown in the public adoption area. And each day, I pledge what I can, for a recognized rescue organization to pull or foster one of those dogs. And day after day, I watch as my pledge goes unclaimed, because no one pulled or no one offered to foster, and the dog has been killed. I wish the Animal Control would post these pictures too, so that people who give up their dogs because they're too old, or too expensive, or they're moving, or they're not interested in walking their dog anymore, is forced to acknowledge that they are sending their dogs to die.
It breaks my heart. It breaks my heart that dogs like Singer and dogs that look like Singer, go into the pound with 2.5 strikes against them. It breaks my heart that people don't want to give dogs like her a chance. I don't think there is a reason in the world why anyone would buy a dog from a breeder or a pet store when dogs, healthy, young, friendly dogs die each day. A dog like BoBo steps foot into the pound with a full death sentence. Wrong breed, wrong age, wrong, wrong, wrong. But in reality, she is an amazing, silly, playful dog who is full of life and full of love. I only wish I had the resources to make a bigger difference in the lives of dogs like Singer and Bo.
