New Jax Witty: Pit Sisters: Really?

Monday, December 4

Pit Sisters: Really?

I've made my argument against pit bulls. I don't like the dogs, and I don't like them living near me. Kind of like alligators. And just like I would not really want to see an alligator center that rehabilitates and releases gators, an organization that rehabs pit bulls that have actually been in fights seems like a bad idea.

Even people who disagree with me over pit bulls will usually say that bad owners are the ones who cause the problems. Fine, then these dogs HAD those bad owners. Why are they being rehabilitated?

I think the bigger question is with the Action News Jax ran a story about Pit Sisters. This news station has reported a half dozen stories about attacking pit bulls since I've moved here six months ago, and now they're feeding me a story about women who house dogs who have been injured in pit bull fights and are trying to make them adoptable again?

In all, Pit Sisters is caring for 35 dogs that were rescued from fighting rings.
The problem is international. Some of the dogs at Pit Sisters are from Canada.

Remember, these aren't people. I'm fine with rehabilitating people, but I bet most of us still don't want a sex offender living a block away. These are fighting dogs who lost at fighting other dogs but would probably do just fine against a toddler. We should get the same kind of warnings about pit bulls as we do about sex offenders, especially those that have been mistreated by their owners.

I have a problem that this business exists, that it exists in Jacksonville, and that it's a non-profit seeking donations to continue to exist, especially if it's bringing former fighting dogs to be adopted here. I'd be against it if these were all Jax dogs owned by local morons, but it's apparently dogs from all over the country and even Canada (10 dogs, according to News4Jax). Again, think of it as human criminals. Would we want to invite dog fighting ring owners from around the country, rehab them, and then place them in homes in our neighborhoods? We'd suddenly see an influx of geese fighting rings.

If you think that pit bulls that are "rescued" are ready for adoption, this website claims the following:

at least 41 dogs rehomed by U.S. shelters and rescues have participated in killing 38 people since 2010. The killer dogs have included 30 pit bulls, seven bull mastiffs, two Rottweilers, a Lab who may have been part pit bull, and a husky.

I'm all for training people who own pit bulls, and that's what Pit Sisters claims is a major goal of the organization. If that was all the non-profit did, I still would never donate money, but I'd at least let it exist without saying something. Here's a list of folks involved in the Pit Sisters organization. I am sure they'd all be willing to explain why this untaxed organization is a good idea for Jacksonville. Here's what a nonprofit is supposed to do:

Being organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, religious or public safety purposes.

I assume public safety is the goal of Pit Sisters, and that's why the website focuses on training. Though I am no tax lawyer, I think one could argue that activities that bring fighting dogs from Canada to Jax no longer qualifies, and I assume this activity is taxed appropriately. I am sure the 32,000 people who like this organization on Facebook would gladly kick in some more money to help pay those taxes.

Just like rehabilitated criminals, I am sure most of these dogs are fixed up and behave themselves like perfect little angels. I just hope none of them ever turn.

This animal, half owned by Pit Sisters, is in trouble right now, but it does not appear people are rushing to help, probably because the owners are looking for $30,000 for a dog that attacked someone in a city where the dog is banned. It appears Pit Sisters took half ownership in order to try to get the dog out of trouble, so it's not a rehab project gone bad, and not a true fighting dog, but also not related to local public safety.