Wilkes County, North Carolina

I've ranted about this issue before - the general reaction of government officials to kill dogs confiscated from pit bull breeders and fight busts.

Today, more than 127 pit bulls, including more than 60 puppies, are being killed in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Their crime? Being owned by a man convicted of dog fighting and living in a state where the law says if you are owned by a dog fighter, you are unworthy of anything but death. What a society.

These dogs aren't monsters (certainly no one can claim a 6 week old puppy is monstrously evil), they are not baby killers or marauding murderers. They are victims of circumstances. There is nothing to indicate they were aggressive towards people or, quite frankly, towards other dogs. We know that fight dogs can be solid around other animals and are generally solid around people. And even if they are not - they deserve the benefit of the doubt and a behavioral evaluation. You know, the basic chance all incoming animals to most shelters receive.

Every year, thousands of dogs are saved from puppy mills. These dogs will have severe medical issues and often have behavioral problems. Not once has any humane organization argued that investing money to rehabilitate these dogs is a bad thing. Yet when it comes to pit bulls from breeders/neglect/fight busts, suddenly the monetary cost is too high, a waste of time. Why must we put a price on fairness and kindness? Why cannot all these animals receive a chance at a loving, long life? Besides, in the Wilkes County case, there were several organizations willing to evaluate and possibly redeem some of these dogs - it would have been no cost to the county or the larger animal protection groups who encouraged the deaths of these dogs.

But now the dogs bodies are off to a landfill to rot. That's wrong. There is nothing humane or good about what happened to these dogs, there is no "euthanasia" but only destruction and killing. It fucking sucks.