Animal Control holds random drawing for unspayed Pit Bull puppy

READ the full story below the video (sorry for the vertical video in the beginning)

Almost Almost two weeks ago, Chako found out about a 5-6 week old singleton Pit Bull puppy turned into the Yuba County Animal control. We contacted Yuba, at first requesting to pull the puppy into rescue so that we could ensure the puppy received adequate socialization during her critical formative weeks. There’s a LOT of literature out there discussing just how critical weeks 5-10 are for puppies, and puppies removed from their littermates and mothers so early, without competent intervention, often face serious behavioral issues later. The shelter refused to release the puppy to us. They said a lot of people had expressed interest, so they expected she’d be adopted. This shelter does not:

  • spay or neuter dogs prior to release;
  • screen adopters;
  • follow up to ensure intact dogs they release are later spayed or neutered.

In response, we offered to foster the puppy for two weeks to give her proper socialization and get her out of isolation from her small kennel. We explained we would foster for the shelter and return her at 8 weeks to be adopted. If she didn’t get adopted, then we’d consider pulling her, if they wished (and we’d also make sure she was spayed). We explained our temporarily fostering her would open up a kennel, at the very least, but the sheriff’s representative stated they have no problem with kennel space (which is unusual for public shelters). The shelter refused to release her to a temporary foster home, stating she was getting adequate care and explaining they intended to hold a drawing to see who gets the puppy. We’ve copied the relevant portion of Captain Long’s email below where he explains they’ll hold a drawing for the puppy.

Dawn,

I just talked to our Animal Care Technician. This puppy will be available next Wednesday at 8:30 am when we open for business.  We have also told the same thing to the other three citizens who expressed interest in adopting this puppy. If more than one person shows up at 8:30, we wait for a few minutes and we have a drawing as to who gets the puppy….

Thanks, Alan Long 

When 8:30 a.m. came, in order to prevent an unspayed Pit Bull puppy from being randomly given out to whoever put his or her name into the drawing, several Chako volunteers woke up bright and early to participate in the drawing. We walked into the public lobby and asked to see the puppy and, sure enough, their adoption process involved holding a drawing. They also adopted the puppy intact to the random winner. While we were there, George, one of the shelter staff, explained they had to euthanize a deaf dog just the other day due to lack of kennel space.

In the video, you can hear the shelter representative stating that the puppy is “very mouthy.” Bite inhibition is one of the things 6-8 week old puppies learn by interacting with other dogs. This puppy, alone in a kennel, had no chance to learn bite inhibition. Thankfully, the puppy is now in a Chako foster home where we’re working hard to ensure she has lots of positive experiences with other dogs and people. We hope to make up for the weeks she spent in isolation in the shelter kennel.

Ask Yuba County to change its practices by emailing the Sheriff at sdurfor@CO.YUBA.CA.US.

15 thoughts on “Animal Control holds random drawing for unspayed Pit Bull puppy

  1. Pamela Forster

    I live in Sacramento, California. There are 4 shelters between Sacramento County and Yellow County. Three of the shelters changed the way they operate their facilities so their ran like our SPCA Shelter. All 4 shelters – CITY OF SACRAMENTO/FRONT STREET, SACRAMENTO COUNTY ANIMAL CARE, SACRAMENTO SPCA and YELLOW COUNTY SHELTER, all run their programs to save animals lives, and work together. All adopted anim as last are spayed and nutured before being released to their new owners. All 4 shelters WELCOME VOLENTEERS, each shelter have their own Volenteer Coordinator that work with volenteers. Volunteers, clean, feed, train, walk, play, transport, foster (foster parents care for – new borns, sick, rehabilitatating after surgery, Training to socialize). They have Say & Nutured Feral Cat programs, Barn Cat Programs, Free Spay & Nutured Pit Bull Programs. ALL APPLICANT are screened and must meet certain conditions to be able to adopted. Saves lives, change the way you operate your Shelter, ask questions. Please contact these shelters, they will be happy to help you change the way you run your Shelter, SAVE LIVES

  2. Pamela Forster

    I also want to say that all 4 shelters in my area work with many different animal rescue groups. They alert the groups that they have shelter dogs or cats for adoption- Pit Bulls Rescue, Golden Retreivers Rescue, Springer Spanial Rescue, Cocker spanial Rescue, to mention a few Rescue Groups.

    Chako Pit Bull Rescue is a wonderful rescue and advocacy group, that saves Pit Bull lives In so many different ways. They advocate responsibily, training, screening, care, spay & nurturing, and follow up♡

  3. katie

    I am an ABC certified dog trainer that volunteers at the yuba sutter animal care services shelter. I have personally worked with socializing that puppy and everyone was very receptive to socializing her when I want there. She was handled daily by multiple people. Please don’t put down a facility because you feel you can do a better job when they are trying Jay as hard to do the best they can. We are all trying to accomplish the same goal: good dogs in good homes. Because it’s a county shelter there are many legal issues that may be handled in order to spay and neuter. They do a good job. For those that feel strongly that I am wrong, please go to the sheriff department and fill out a volunteer application so you can see first hand and help them continue to provide help to all the animals they get in. There have been bunnies, chickens, horses, goats. They may take them all in. They can’t and wouldn’t turn away an animal in need.

      1. DC

        That is the issue. A puppy 5-8 weeks old needs to have significant interaction with other dog (usually that would be littermates and, of course a mom) and must be exposed to different surfaces, people, environments, noises, etc. And they need it every day and for the majority, not the minority, of the day. Here are just two of the myriad articles on the subject. No matter what kind of care a puppy in a shelter gets, having the puppy in a more stimulating, responsible foster home is going to be better for the pup’s development
        http://drsophiayin.com/resources/article/vaccines_vs_puppy_socialization_a_confusing_debate
        http://www.researchgate.net/publication/17154836_Neurochemical_and_behavioral_effects_of_isolation-rearing_in_the_dog

    1. chakorescue@gmail.com Post author

      As an ABC certified dog trainer, we figure you are well aware of the effects on a puppy 5-8 weeks of age removed from its mom and littermates and placed alone in a shelter kennel.

      1. katie

        I do understand the need for socialization. I have socialized many puppies that I have bottle raised being both mom and litter mates. The are methods to be a person pretending to be siblings. Otherwise a single puppy raised with mom wouldn’t be enough. Separation from mom is hard, very hard, but not socially debilitating. This shelter worked very hard to help socialize that little girl. It’s nothard just time consuming. They did it.
        Even if they hadn’t is still simple to learn socialization later in life. 5-8 weeks is the best time but not the only time.

        1. DC

          The issue is not is the shelter giving good care. The issue is not releasing the puppy into foster for two weeks until she could be adopted. If you believe a shelter is a better environment than a responsible foster home, then that’s a fundamental difference of opinion that we will likely never resolve, except to say that the bulk of research is against the notion that a shelter kennel, even with shelter staff present and working with a pup, is in any way a better environment. The pup sleeps alone and is actually along for the majority of a 24 hour period (even if the pup were hanging out in the office for 8 hours a day, out of her kennel). And then, to determine who adopts the pup, the shelter pulled a name out of a bucket (and on top of that, she was unspayed). That’s really better in your opinion?

    2. cindy

      I am not an ‘animal love’ and to be honest I actually laughed when I seen this video, I thought there is no way this could be real.
      It’s clear the shelter volunteer who is replying and staff clearly do not get Chakos concern. Even I not being an animal person questions why there is not a screening policy for adopting from the shelter, and why anyone would think its okay for ANY dog to remain in a shelter kennel when as the volunteer stated they have 100s of rescue group they partner with but chose to leave the dog at the shelter . I hope someone in government is watching this and for the animals sakes policies are changed. It’s actually embarrassing Yuba Co. Would allow this to take place, and see nothing wrong.

  4. Tracy

    I know several of the volunteers that work at the shelter. They do a great job with working with the animals and the shelter holds adoptions locally in town as well as works with rescue groups. I assume as a rescue group you also need to learn to work within the rules of the local Animal Shelters to get your achieved result of helping to find these animals a good home. As the above person Katie stated if your really interested in doing something volunteer and help out. I personally have adopted 2 cats from the shelter, one from the streets and one Senior fur baby from Butte humane. They are all altered, happy and well cared for and with exception of my street cat were cared for before adoption.

    1. chakorescue@gmail.com Post author

      You do realize Chako is full of volunteers who regularly volunteer at shelters and, actually, recently donated and delivered $1,000 worth of Kuranda beds, toys, and other items to the Yuba shelter?

      1. katie

        Then thank you flee the help and support. I haven’t been seeing many volunteers besides our small group. People can’t walk into this county shelter and work with the dogs. They may fill out and application with the sheriff department.

        1. katie

          I’m done replying. I have work I need to get to. Hope you guys continue to do good work with your dogs. Do take care of that little girl. She is very sweet. I prefer to have pit bulls leave the shelter because people don’t want to adopt them very often from a shelter where they often have no history. Good luck. Hopefully some of you come to volunteer work us to. I don’t really care what youdo as long as you are helping dogs get into good homes.

    2. DC

      As a quick reference, here is the video of our delivery to the Yuba shelter for our Santa Paws program.

    3. Jamie

      Volunteers are great I wish more would volunteer! It’s the system that is flawed, and as a volunteer one would think you know better then any what those dogs go through living in the kennels, There is no reason why you do not have as many dogs as possible living with fosters. And if you don’t agree with that statement, then you are as much apart of the problem as the paid staff. Not once has Chako claimed to be “better” then any person(s) who volunteers their time, paid staff, or any other rescue group the shelter “partners” with. What was said is the puppy would be better in foster care while waiting to be old enough to be adopted, offering to foster (and return the puppy if that is what the shelter wanted). It was the shelter paid staff who became godlike. I believe you or someone said we should be trying to support the shelter, guess what we did, and they did not want it. Here is just 1 example Chako has offered this shelter free spay/ nueter vouchers to offer to families who adopt PitBulls and could not afford to spay/ neuter, not one has been claimed. I have personally tried to get a program in place for PitBulls like what several other successful shelters have, and it went know where. I was recently told by a staff member they had never heard of Chako PitBull rescue and advocacy. Which if they were actually telling people about they vouchers she would have known. She didn’t even know they received $1000. In karanda beds, treats and toys from Chako yet she had been employed there 8 years. That to me is a very big deal, especially when you’re claiming to be in need of those bed, don’t you agree? Yes the a/c system is broken there, and dogs continue to suffer,so you can jump on the bandwagon of their picking on is, and continue to think everything is perfect,or you can say yes, things do need to change, where do I begin.

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