- April 24, 2024
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Gerdy’s tail thunks merrily against the legs of the Humane Society caretakers Flagler Humane Society struggling to stop her from kissing their faces and stand still for a photo. Finally, she does, arcing her neck high and smiling a toothy doggy grin for the camera.
They want somebody to take her home, but it’s hard: Gerdy’s a pit bull mix.
So are about 60% of the dogs at the Flagler Humane Society, even though pit bulls and pit bull mixes only make up about 10% or so of the county’s pooch population, said shelter director Amy Wade-Carotenuto.
To help stem the tide, the shelter has rolled out a free spay and neuter program for pit bulls and pit bull mixes, funded by a $41,500 grant from PetSmart Charities.
Since January 2013, the Flagler Humane Society has fixed 513 dogs — all brought in by owners — with $18,327 of the grant money. It has until November to use the remaining $23,173 in grant money for this year. An additional $41,500 will be disbursed next year.
The cause of the shelter’s high pit bull population is two-fold: Pit bulls and pit bull mixes are about 25% of the dogs coming into the shelter and, according to Wade-Carotenuto, “It just seems it takes them a little bit longer to find a perfect home. They’re a bit misunderstood. And they’re strong, so maybe not the perfect pet for everyone.”
It’s a problem for a lot of larger dogs.
“The little dogs get adopted so quickly. They’re just in very high demand,” Wade-Carotenuto said. “The big dogs in general, it takes them longer to get adopted than the little foofy dogs.”
Flagler County and its cities don’t have ordinances banning pit bulls or other breeds. Such ordinances are illegal under state law, although a pit bull ban in Miami-Dade County was grandfathered in when the state law passed.
But pit bulls and pit bull mixes often run afoul of landlord restrictions. Many of the pit bulls and other big dogs at the Humane Society were surrendered by owners moving to places that don’t allow them.
“It’s such a shame that property owners, sometimes arbitrarily, say no pets, and they don’t even think about it,” she said. “They could be costing an animal its life.”
Fixing the dogs leads to fewer having unwanted pups that need homes, but it also leads to calmer adult dogs: Dogs that have been sterilized, in general, are easier to handle and less prone to behavior problems than dogs that haven’t been.
The Humane Society grant for spaying and neutering also covers free microchips and rabies vaccinations for people bringing in their dogs.
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To learn more about the Flagler Humane Society’s free spay and neuter program for pit bulls and pit bull mixes, call 445-1814 or go to flaglerhumanesociety.org/petsmart-grant/ .
The Flagler Humane Society also offers low-cost vaccinations for dogs that are not pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Rabies vaccinations are $12, canine distemper and bordetella vaccinations are each $15, and heartworm checks are $25.
