Pitbulls and Paroles show

[Nezzy]

Please don’t turn this into a pitbull love or hate page. it is not about the dogs.

if any of you watch Pitbulls and Paroles, have you noticed they don’t seem very good with managing? Just that when they do a home check, instead of utilizing the network of home checkers with rescue all over the country, they instead choose to drive states away to do a home check. that has got to cost a lot of Money. Gas, Hotels… i mean they do a ton of good work, and i am not saying they don’t, but most dog rescues will work with other rescues to approve home checks, etc… this could all be done BEFORE a potential adopter comes to look at dogs, and then dogs could be approved when the adopter people are already there. They could take the dog home. This rescue is SO overloaded with dogs and it just seems they need a few ideas to get them in a better position.

[Horsegal984]

I haven’t watched much of it, but I’m thankful for their help pulling and relocating dogs from the local county shelter who took in the 100 Cattle Dogs in MS after a hoarding case.

I do suspect that a lot of that is for the show, and therefore financed by the network.

[make_x_it_x_so]

[QUOTE=Horsegal984;7889758]

I do suspect that a lot of that is for the show, and therefore financed by the network.[/QUOTE]

This. I have a strong suspicious that for non-televised adoptions, someone other than Tia does the home checks.

[Cherry]

I agree with Horsegal about some of it being for the benefit of the show to flesh out the outline.

The other thing is–I would imagine it’s darn hard to find anyone to adopt a pit bull that has the dog’s best interest at heart. With all those dogs (over 200, I think) it doesn’t sound like people are exactly beating down her door to adopt.

I’d adopt one, but my husband is dead set against owning a pit bull.

We used to have a female pit bull who was deaf that lived a couple doors down from us for years. She was a very nice, gentle soul…

[Nezzy]

i guess it could be for the show. it just seems like it would be darn near impossible to do every home check if people are arriving from out of state.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

It states on their website that they require you to come meet the dog first. They want to make sure that you and the dog is a good match. then they set up a home visit with the dogs to make sure everything is ok. But they have to bring those dogs to see how they will react to their new surroundings, and if there’s other animals to see how all the animals react to each other in the home environment. adoption would cost $200. They’re not too crazy about doing out of state adoptions, but will do it if the people’s application is approved.

They had updated their website since the last time I looked. All adoptions are $200 but they state that out of state adoptions generally cost them $500-$1000 to do and with out of state adoptions, especially if you have another dog, they will prefer to set you up with a non-pitbull.

[Bicoastal]

Too many rescues are hoarders

[QUOTE=Nezzy;7889695]
if any of you watch Pitbulls and Paroles, have you noticed they don’t seem very good with managing?..This rescue is SO overloaded with dogs and it just seems they need a few ideas to get them in a better position.[/QUOTE]

I was just thinking about this walking my dogs last night. In the most recent episode I watched, Tia said they had to lease another warehouse to accommodate a total of 400 dogs; in CA they had half the dogs in twice the space.

In another episode, Tia said she dislikes getting puppies because their org isn’t good at placing them quickly: then the puppies are raised in a kennel. Some arrived at a couple months old and are still there 2 years later!

I can’t believe 12wo puppies don’t fly off the shelves. They do in my area. Also, occasionally the camera pans over a purebred non-pit. Wouldn’t breed rescue be happy to take those?

I’m sure there are legions of volunteers networking and advertising. I’m just armchair quarterbacking. I think my biggest concern is leasing an additional warehouse: how bout saying no? It is a better message and public service for viewers to see a rescue draw a line and say no. Too many rescues are hoarders.

[bits619]

I can definitely see the value in creating and using a network of other volunteers to complete home checks but I also know firsthand that no two rescue groups are the same in their requirements and assessments of adopters and even dogs. I can understand why a person would want a representative of their own group check things out, even though yes it might be unnecessary. I also agree that much of it may be facilitated by the tv show.

[Chall]

I like her and pretty much everything ive seen on ghat show was a.o.k with me.

[vacation1]

I came across this story about a pit/Cane Corso that ended up being fought over by the Villalobos people and the SPCA. The SPCA euth’d it for being a giant, fearful and aggressive stray.

The rescuers want to rehab her, house her with more than 450 other dogs in its no kill warehouses. The SPCA says it’s a public safety issue, and she’d end up living her life, for years, in a warehouse kennel.

When did it become humane to warehouse dogs? I’ve never watched the show, so I was kinda shocked. This is what passes for rescue these days?

http://www.wwltv.com/story/news/local/orleans/2014/12/03/concorso-/19867011/

[scierra]

But, if you read her side of the story, she stated that the dog wouldn’t just be kennel end. She wanted to take the dog into a home (hers maybe?), and if it didn’t come around, and stayed fearful or was dangerous she would have it humanely euthanized. It was stated that they are not a sanctuary now. I like most of what the rescue does, but at times feel they are taking on to much since the move to LA. Tia is pretty transparent with what is going on and the workings of her rescue though.

[gaitedincali]

@Bicoastal;7890715

I can’t believe 12wo puppies don’t fly off the shelves. They do in my area.

I could go to every shelter within a 50 mile radius and pick up pit or pit x puppies 365 days a year for <$60ish, not to mention there’s always a legion on CL. You can find them all day and all night without dealing with home checks, applications and rescue prices.

I’m a little surprised a rescue with pits manages to place any of them.

[MustangSavvy]

I am not a big fan of this show. Some of the stuff I see on the show after working in animal welfare just makes me cringe.

[Nezzy]

even if different rescues have different requirements, all you have to do is tell the home checker what to look for. send a list if need be. it helps if all rescues work together and get to know each other.

[vacation1]

[QUOTE=scierra;7894458]
But, if you read her side of the story, she stated that the dog wouldn’t just be kennel end. She wanted to take the dog into a home (hers maybe?), and if it didn’t come around, and stayed fearful or was dangerous she would have it humanely euthanized. It was stated that they are not a sanctuary now.[/QUOTE]

That scenario doesn’t really reassure me; rescue mommies playing lion tamer with aggression cases seems to lead to hoarding and abuse and violence toward the mommies’ neighbors, family, friends, selves, other dogs/pets, and the unfortunate aggression cases themselves. The Bones case alone should give you pause about the morality of letting random people wing it with seriously troubled dogs. The point was I never saw the show, and so was really surprised that this one organization which is being lauded as a humane animal “rescue” is housing and handling very large numbers of dogs, a companion animal which needs a partner, in way that looks more like large-scale commercial dog breeders (aka, the puppy mill minus the rabbit hutches) or livestock.

[spotted_draft_x_fill]

In all honesty after looking at the ones up for adoption, there’s a lot of dogs that can not be around other dogs and a bunch that hasn’t been assessed yet. If she truly wants to set a positive example of the breed, she should put the dog aggressive dogs down and focus on the ones that are a shining example of positive behavior. Who is really going to want to take on the extreme measures to properly house an aggressive dog? People who already own an aggressive dog sometimes really don’t want to go through the process either. Not to mention the liability with adopting an aggressive dog. She’s in over her head and really needs to rethink what she’s doing.

[shiloh]

I like this show and I like what she’s doing. She really believes in this breed and in her parolees. I think she’s really committed and in it for the long haul. I never ever wanted a pit bull (dogs in general scare me) but she changed my mind.

[Bicoastal]

I was waiting to see if anyone would comment, no one did. Then this thread got bumped up after a week. I’ll bite :winkgrin: <pun intended>.

[QUOTE=spotted draft x filly;7895985]
In all honesty after looking at the ones up for adoption, there’s a lot of dogs that can not be around other dogs and a bunch that hasn’t been assessed yet. If she truly wants to set a positive example of the breed, she should put the dog aggressive dogs down and focus on the ones that are a shining example of positive behavior.[/QUOTE]

From what I gather, this org accepts that dog-aggression is part of the breed. I get the sense that their philosophy is something like, some are, some aren’t and that’s that. Some pit bulls are not dog aggressive and that is wonderful. Some pit bulls are dog aggressive, there is no changing that, and if it is manageable they adopt them into only-dog households.

Maybe I’m blurring Villalobos with some other breed fans/groups who are pretty matter of fact about the dog aggression.

[hastyreply]

I believe in CA they were pretty much a pit bull only rescue with the occasional boxer, Americian bulldog, mastiff types. There were dogs that they took and considered lifers. I think one dog they took with the limits that only certain people could handle him etc, basicly on parole. I believe that dog was eventually adopted out to someone very experienced but only after being the judge gave permission. She’s very picky about what other animals are in the home and that they get along.

What is interesting since relocating to NO is they have a much higher number of mixed breeds and other breeds because people dump them at the rescue and they get called out because there is no one else.

She’s pretty frank that she only got into TV for the money they offered her. I think she’s still uncomfortable about the attention but accepts it for the good it brings to the dogs. The children have gotten more and more camera time as they have gotten older and wanted it. There are still times they aren’t on much at all. It is interesting to see how the parolees handle the camera. Some blossom and other’s just can’t handle it.

[Nezzy]

i just feel like they are overburdened and they need to know when to say NO. I get it, it’s not easy, but you also have to be able to afford to care for all these animals.