"Seventy percent of our calls are about pit bulls or pit bull mixes," he said. "We get calls about them every day - and it's not just one call a day either. It never stops. It's overwhelming."
The calls range from simple sightings of the dogs to bites to deadly attacks on other domestic animals.
"Because of the perception of pit bulls out there, when people see one running loose, they call us to come get it," he said. "But I'd rather them call than not because we've also gone out after they've killed a cat or another dog. We had a call not too long ago where a woman was walking her dog on a leash. She saw two pit bulls coming and pulled her dog into her arms, so they got her when they were trying to get at her dog."
The county animal shelter has also become home to several pit bulls in the past few months, thanks to owners who, after bringing the dogs into their families, decide the breed is "too aggressive," he said.
"A lot of times, they decide it's too aggressive and they stick it in a pen in the backyard and forget about it. That can make it even more aggressive. Then they are afraid of it and ask us to come get it," he said.
The calls range from simple sightings of the dogs to bites to deadly attacks on other domestic animals.
"Because of the perception of pit bulls out there, when people see one running loose, they call us to come get it," he said. "But I'd rather them call than not because we've also gone out after they've killed a cat or another dog. We had a call not too long ago where a woman was walking her dog on a leash. She saw two pit bulls coming and pulled her dog into her arms, so they got her when they were trying to get at her dog."
The county animal shelter has also become home to several pit bulls in the past few months, thanks to owners who, after bringing the dogs into their families, decide the breed is "too aggressive," he said.
"A lot of times, they decide it's too aggressive and they stick it in a pen in the backyard and forget about it. That can make it even more aggressive. Then they are afraid of it and ask us to come get it," he said.
- Franklin County Animal Control Supervisor Jarrett Broy
The Southern - What's the problem: People or pit bulls? Becky Malkovich
Accessed: 2011-12-30. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64JW9kFZx)
Accessed: 2011-12-30. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/64JW9kFZx)
