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Friday, May 28, 2010
I scored this souvenir - a folder from the Ohio County Dog Warden Association - at an auction held at the recent NACA Conference we attended in Columbus, Ohio last week. Besides its practical function (it's filled with pages of notes now from our visit), it represents a piece of pit bull history to me - not the best history. But history nonetheless. How you feel about this item will probably depend on what you know about the pit bull situation in this state...
Background in case this is new for you: Since 1987, Ohio has been one of the worst places in the country for dogs that look like pit bulls or for the people who love them. State law defines "dogs commonly known as pit bulls" as "dangerous and vicious," based on nothing more than appearance - so they're basically SOL the minute they're born. Most of the shelter directors, dog wardens and their commissioners are quick to blame this law as the key reason they destroy thousands of adoptable dogs across their 88 counties each year. They aren't required by law to ban adoptions, but it tends to be the way most operate. It's easier and no one complains much. It's a situation that makes backyard breeders very happy; pit bull popularity hasn't waned one bit despite attempts to disappear the dogs, and without neutered shelter dogs to supply demand, backyard breeders own the market. As expected, this dysfunction has been solving none of the problems that crop up whenever high numbers of dogs are marginalized, exploited and victimized.
Some smaller glimmers of hope in Ohio: Despite the difficulty of finding homes for dogs that are forced to wear scarlet letters, a few brave shelters do march to the beat of their own drummer and make them available for adoption. We were honored to meet a few of these people at the conference. (See list at bottom of this post)
Even the darkest corners of Ohio have seen some light. One of the most notorious of dog wardens - Tom Skeldon from Lucas County - recently resigned after a long career that included collecting bounty dollars on the backs of doomed pit bulls as part of his infamous legacy. His departure was fueled by public outcry and is opening the door to healthier discussions and hopefully, more humane practices in that county.
Because a select handful of movers and shakers have been starting to rattle the status quo in Ohio, we were anxious to see what we could learn from our visit. We paid our six hundred bucks to set up our booth with our materials and posters and ears wide open, ready to chat, listen and learn. Our laptop flashed images of our dogs and programs to anyone who walked by, on their way to shopping catch poles, shelter software or cremation ovens. National Canine Research Council's booth was right next to us, so there was a lot of lively gab in our corner of the exhibit hall.
We're NACA members and looked forward to greeting old friends. Although, despite the warm welcome we received from so many, we knew it would be hard to avoid some degree of the leprocy factor at this location. I mean, we're a pit bull advocacy group and all, waving our flag in the middle of Ohio ... we weren't exactly expecting group hugs. Some of the Ohio dog wardens either nodded politely from a distance or steered a wide berth around us ... depending on who might be watching. Ohio shelter directors seemed to be split on whether to come in for a detailed chat about pit bull issues, or duck their heads and walk faster ... a few of them believing that the word "liability" ended any conversation before it started. (We disagreed of course, and were grateful for NCRC's hand-out to help us explain why)
Animal Control Officers and kennel workers brought the most love to the topic of pit bulls at this event. Many BEAMED while pulling out cell phones with proud mom photos of pit bulls scooped up in the line of duty. These were rare survivors that they brought home for keeps after refusing to destroy them at work. Dog bless those brave hearts. Their stories were compelling, although we noticed that some whispered as if they had to stay secret. One described the post traumatic stress she still suffers from years of putting trusting pit bulls to sleep. She teared up while she talked about it and compared her experience to the Vietnam war. She agreed with another officer, who only stays at her job because she can't bear the thought of who might take her place. We met two different people who were just sick about having delivered dogs to this hell-hole hoarding situation in Trumbull County, unaware of the nightmare that was going on just beyond the gate.
All weekend long, the first question out of most people's mouths was, "Can you tell us which rescues we can send our pit bulls to?" We heard it over and over. And our response: "Your rescues are too full. The entire animal welfare culture in Ohio needs to change in order to help these dogs."
That's where the conversation usually went sideways. Except for two young women who were heeding the call of the compassionate activist, fingers pointed in all different directions when talk turned to "who?" was responsible for helping the dogs. We searched the room for the magic invisible person that everyone was searching for, but they all looked just like the people we were talking to. Which leads me to the bigger news of the day. A bill now waiting to be reviewed by Ohio's Senate - HB 79 - hoped to forever remove the dangerous/vicious label from pit bulls in state law. No more scarlet letter. Sounds great, but we have some worries...
Some smaller glimmers of hope in Ohio: Despite the difficulty of finding homes for dogs that are forced to wear scarlet letters, a few brave shelters do march to the beat of their own drummer and make them available for adoption. We were honored to meet a few of these people at the conference. (See list at bottom of this post)Even the darkest corners of Ohio have seen some light. One of the most notorious of dog wardens - Tom Skeldon from Lucas County - recently resigned after a long career that included collecting bounty dollars on the backs of doomed pit bulls as part of his infamous legacy. His departure was fueled by public outcry and is opening the door to healthier discussions and hopefully, more humane practices in that county.
Because a select handful of movers and shakers have been starting to rattle the status quo in Ohio, we were anxious to see what we could learn from our visit. We paid our six hundred bucks to set up our booth with our materials and posters and ears wide open, ready to chat, listen and learn. Our laptop flashed images of our dogs and programs to anyone who walked by, on their way to shopping catch poles, shelter software or cremation ovens. National Canine Research Council's booth was right next to us, so there was a lot of lively gab in our corner of the exhibit hall.
We're NACA members and looked forward to greeting old friends. Although, despite the warm welcome we received from so many, we knew it would be hard to avoid some degree of the leprocy factor at this location. I mean, we're a pit bull advocacy group and all, waving our flag in the middle of Ohio ... we weren't exactly expecting group hugs. Some of the Ohio dog wardens either nodded politely from a distance or steered a wide berth around us ... depending on who might be watching. Ohio shelter directors seemed to be split on whether to come in for a detailed chat about pit bull issues, or duck their heads and walk faster ... a few of them believing that the word "liability" ended any conversation before it started. (We disagreed of course, and were grateful for NCRC's hand-out to help us explain why)Animal Control Officers and kennel workers brought the most love to the topic of pit bulls at this event. Many BEAMED while pulling out cell phones with proud mom photos of pit bulls scooped up in the line of duty. These were rare survivors that they brought home for keeps after refusing to destroy them at work. Dog bless those brave hearts. Their stories were compelling, although we noticed that some whispered as if they had to stay secret. One described the post traumatic stress she still suffers from years of putting trusting pit bulls to sleep. She teared up while she talked about it and compared her experience to the Vietnam war. She agreed with another officer, who only stays at her job because she can't bear the thought of who might take her place. We met two different people who were just sick about having delivered dogs to this hell-hole hoarding situation in Trumbull County, unaware of the nightmare that was going on just beyond the gate.
All weekend long, the first question out of most people's mouths was, "Can you tell us which rescues we can send our pit bulls to?" We heard it over and over. And our response: "Your rescues are too full. The entire animal welfare culture in Ohio needs to change in order to help these dogs."
That's where the conversation usually went sideways. Except for two young women who were heeding the call of the compassionate activist, fingers pointed in all different directions when talk turned to "who?" was responsible for helping the dogs. We searched the room for the magic invisible person that everyone was searching for, but they all looked just like the people we were talking to. Which leads me to the bigger news of the day. A bill now waiting to be reviewed by Ohio's Senate - HB 79 - hoped to forever remove the dangerous/vicious label from pit bulls in state law. No more scarlet letter. Sounds great, but we have some worries... None of the dog wardens we talked with are willing to publicly support this effort, and according to the Toledo Blade, Tom Skeldon - who is still a member of the Ohio Dog County Dog Warden's Assoc. - was asked to testify in April "on behalf of the association because of his knowledge on the issue, said the current president, Erie County Dog Warden Barb Knapp."
As you can guess, he spoke in opposition of the bill, stating, "The job of dog warden is to protect the public from dogs...I would plead with you, please do not take the only tool that now exists for your police officers, sheriff's deputies, and dog wardens to protect the public from vicious dogs away from us." The House did not heed his request and voted in favor of the bill, moving it onto the Senate for a vote. Despite that encouraging news, there's no room to celebrate and get distracted. There are just so many people in powerful positions that really want this bill to fail.
One of them was a notable speaker at the NACA Conference. An attendee reported that Judge Harland Hale - who presides over all the animal cruelty cases in Franklin County, OH - denounced the bill and echoed Skeldon's same sentiments to a roomful of people who'd gathered to hear him outline ways to build cruelty/abuse cases. And here's where the real problem lies. Forget the speaker ... Did ANYone in the room speak up when Judge Hale promoted killing the bill? Nope. Not one person.
Why? ... Fear of offending? Too shy? Afraid to be the odd man out?
As you can guess, he spoke in opposition of the bill, stating, "The job of dog warden is to protect the public from dogs...I would plead with you, please do not take the only tool that now exists for your police officers, sheriff's deputies, and dog wardens to protect the public from vicious dogs away from us." The House did not heed his request and voted in favor of the bill, moving it onto the Senate for a vote. Despite that encouraging news, there's no room to celebrate and get distracted. There are just so many people in powerful positions that really want this bill to fail.
One of them was a notable speaker at the NACA Conference. An attendee reported that Judge Harland Hale - who presides over all the animal cruelty cases in Franklin County, OH - denounced the bill and echoed Skeldon's same sentiments to a roomful of people who'd gathered to hear him outline ways to build cruelty/abuse cases. And here's where the real problem lies. Forget the speaker ... Did ANYone in the room speak up when Judge Hale promoted killing the bill? Nope. Not one person.
Why? ... Fear of offending? Too shy? Afraid to be the odd man out? There's a quote in the movie A Prairie Home Companion about midwestern complacency that popped in my head after hearing the report on this workshop's disappointment. "In the midwest, people believe that bad news will go away if no one talks about it." Rocking the boat is considered a faux pas in this part of the country. Don't complain; add a little mayonaisse and even the things that leave a poor taste in your mouth will be easier to swallow. And I'm not beating up on the midwest ...I'm from the midwest. But god help us people, can you find your balls please? The dogs are depending on it.
HB 79 is expected to be shelved while the Senate breaks for summer vacation, which leaves the door wide open for changes, re-writes and backroom lobbying that could render it unrecognizable or worse. Nature loves to remind us that bigger shifts in weather patterns come along with raging, pissed off storms and while we might want change in Ohio, there are many who are threatened by the shift they see happening and are willing to derail it. And if you live in Ohio, please seize the opportunity to help push this boulder up the hill in all your conversations, your blogs, your letters to the editors, phone calls to your Senate members, your actions. Remind everyone that a safe community is a humane community, and that the current breed specific law has been wasting your tax dollars and paralyzing Ohio's ability to deal with reckless dog owners for over twenty years.
HB 79 is expected to be shelved while the Senate breaks for summer vacation, which leaves the door wide open for changes, re-writes and backroom lobbying that could render it unrecognizable or worse. Nature loves to remind us that bigger shifts in weather patterns come along with raging, pissed off storms and while we might want change in Ohio, there are many who are threatened by the shift they see happening and are willing to derail it. And if you live in Ohio, please seize the opportunity to help push this boulder up the hill in all your conversations, your blogs, your letters to the editors, phone calls to your Senate members, your actions. Remind everyone that a safe community is a humane community, and that the current breed specific law has been wasting your tax dollars and paralyzing Ohio's ability to deal with reckless dog owners for over twenty years.
Ohioans. Find your Senate members HERE and make sure they know you're counting on them to bump breed discrimination in your state.
In the meantime, I confess, I'm gonna practice some voodoo with my Ohio County Dog Warden Association folder - casting a spell over it, "You will remember the muscley little dog that you hated having to kill, and you will stick your neck out for him now. Yes you will, good person. Because you do have balls and the time to use them is now."
In the meantime, I confess, I'm gonna practice some voodoo with my Ohio County Dog Warden Association folder - casting a spell over it, "You will remember the muscley little dog that you hated having to kill, and you will stick your neck out for him now. Yes you will, good person. Because you do have balls and the time to use them is now."BELOW A list of shelters and counties that do stick their necks out for the dogs. Send them your donations, your good vibes. Please add to this list if you have more.
1. Stark County According to their website, "Stark County Dog Warden, Evert Gibson, has given permission for Pit Bull dogs to be adopted from the Stark County Dog Pound."2. Capital Area Humane offers a limited number of pit bulls for adoption and supports pit bull advocate Amanda Spires with her tireless work rescuing the breed and helping pit bull owners with training.
3. The Humane Society of Greater Akron has some beautiful pit bull type dogs on their adoptable page.
4. The Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County put their ethics to the test recently and have been working for weeks to save every dog from a hoarding case, breed type be damned. They put so many to shame with their relentless commitment to right action.
5. From a reader: "I was raised in Southeastern Ohio, but live elsewhere now with my pitty puppy. I know for a fact that the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley offers "pit bull" dogs for adoption. They have at least 3 right now on their website listed as such. I'm not sure as to the specific adoption policy regarding pits, but I think it is important to recognize them as well & to encourage them in their efforts through emails, letters of support/education, and donations." AGREED!
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