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Understanding Behavior Kimm Hunt explains why the saddest of experiences inspired her to be the professional she is today This article is a Selected Entry in our PPG Writers’ Competition which invited entrants to submit an article on the topic of Animal Shelter and Rescue. Find them all on the BARKS Blog under the Shelter & Rescue category.
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n my second week as an animal control officer, a few heartbeats away from my 21st birthday, I had a rude awakening about the real ities of working in animal welfare. The incident set the course for my professional career, including my current work in animal behavior and training almost 30 years later. A 14weekold pit bulltype puppy I picked up had just completed his sevenday stray holding period at our shelter and I was crushing on him. He was sociable, wiggly and adorable. The sympathetic woman who found him expressed interest in adopting him. Our administrator, Dr. Boyle, asked me to call her to confirm her intentions. She informed me she had changed her mind. A few minutes after relaying this information to him, I walked back into the kennel. I saw that little puppy in a soft, crumpled heap at his kennel door, already drugged in preparation for euthanasia. I think I cried out because he looked up at me in his stupor and started slowly thumping his tail and groggily trying to get up to greet me. He looked like a sad and confused drunken newborn foal.
Breed Specific Legislation I ran to find Dr. Boyle, who made the euthanasia decisions and per formed most of the procedures. He patiently explained that because of new citywide breed bans enacted in our county, and all the contro versy surrounding them, we were not moving pit bulltype dogs into the adoption population until further notice. And that, as they say, was that. I ran into the bathroom and vomited. Then I sobbed. I thought my heart would break. That velvety, lovable boy that I happened to have a strong attachment to would be dead in a few minutes. I felt over whelmed by the injustice, absurdity and bias that was literally killing this puppy. He was about to become a casualty of the initial wave of community panic over potential behavioral and public safety issues as sociated with fighting breeds. Several wellpublicized human maulings and deaths attributed to pit bulltype dogs had sent local governments scrambling for a preventative. There was much initial public support for breed bans, and they were hastily and widely enacted. Like any other unnuanced solution to a complex problem, we now know breed bans are ineffective at protecting the public from dog attacks and bites. More than a dozen states have even banned breed bans. We also know a lot more about what contributes to the develop ment of aggressive behavior in dogs, which are the same factors that contribute to shelter euthanasia—poor socialization, management
...we were doing so much good for the animals and residents in our county. I can think of few occupations as disparaged as dogcatcher, but it’s important work. Few people are cut out for it. And the emotional toll can be significant.
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BARKS from the Guild/September 2020
© Can Stock Photo/MountainKing
Due to citywide breed bans enacted in author Kimm Hunt’s county, her shelter stopped moving pit bulltype dogs into the adoption population
and training practices. A lack of understanding of normal dog behavior and the best practices to modify it can have fatal consequences—rarely for humans but frequently for dogs. It’s the number one killer of young, healthy dogs.
Surrender In defense of underinformed guardians, poorly trained dogs are not fun to live with. Lack of training almost guarantees behavioral problems in the dog and in the guardian. I think we can all agree that running away is unacceptable behavior, and so is chasing and screaming at a dog as it runs away. Both parties end up frustrated and confused by the other’s behavior, creating a relationship founded on mistrust and misunder standing. It inhibits the formation of a powerful bond between dog and human. And when “life” happens, many overwhelmed owners find that giving up their dogs makes sense. When people surrender their dogs be cause they’re moving, having a baby, or changing jobs, frequently the subtext is, “I love my dog, but he is annoying. Getting rid of him will be a relief.” Shelter staff see this all the time. (They also see owners crushed by grief because surrendering a beloved pet is their only option due to catastrophic medical, financial or other challenges. But the former is the more frequent scenario). I can’t say for certain why that puppy ended up as a stray at our shelter, but I do know what sealed his fate that day. Back in the bath room, after a few minutes of abject horror, I realized I had a decision to make. Although euthanizing a healthy puppy was an anomaly at our fa cility, I knew there would be more distressing euthanasia decisions. This is the reality of working at an open admission shelter. Animals die here, by human hand (although we were really only the facilitators). Did I want this job or not? On balance, we were doing so much good for the animals and resi dents in our county. I can think of few occupations as disparaged as dog catcher, but it’s important work. Few people are cut out for it. And the
