Social Media to the Rescue

Today I found an article about a Pit Bull at a shelter near Los Angeles, California that, if an adopter or animal rescue didn’t show up today, would be killed tomorrow. Her name is Pixel and she’s out of time.

While some people make the argument that euthanization is often kinder than allowing an unwanted animal to live with poor quality of life, what it seems like a lot of people don’t know is that these dogs and cats aren’t taken into a nice back room and given peaceful endings. The reality is that high-kill shelters often exist in impoverished areas. They can’t afford to put their animal residents to sleep with the same euthanizing methods that, say, a veterinarian would use. High-kill shelters often have to resort to shooting the animals or gassing them, which (obviously) does not always result in immediate death.

So, while I understand the argument, I generally disagree and would like to do everything in my power to save the animals I can. They are reliant upon humans for love and care and really do require so little from us in order to survive. They also have a great deal of support and love to offer to us, making it difficult for me to understand why we frequently treat them so poorly.

What I’m getting to is this: I spent the day using social media to attempt a rescue for sweet Pixel the Pit Bull. She received the highest grade in her behavioral testing at the shelter, yet by virtue of being a Pit hasn’t been adopted and is scheduled to be put down tomorrow morning. There was a posted video of her with a volunteer showing her loving and puppy-like nature. According to her shelter bio, she’d be good in any home that could provide her with appropriate amounts of exercise each day.

I posted her link to every Facebook dog-lovers’ site, shared it on my own page, and emailed and called animal rescues in the LA area – anything to get a single person to go to the shelter and pick her up. Finding a forever home is second on the list; saving her life is first. I had one woman at a shelter laugh at me when I mentioned Pixel is a Pit Bull: “If we tried to save all the Pits here…,” and subsequent laughter.

Shelters, high-kill and no-kill alike, are so overrun throughout the state of California (southern cities, especially) that they can’t keep up. Yet in the state of Washington shelters can hardly keep dogs around! Seattle shelters take in dogs from around the country in order to save the animals, but also to meet local demand. Everyone here has a dog and, more often than not, they’re rescued shelter mutts versus puppy-mill purebreds. (When I say “everyone”, I’m serious. I see more dogs around the city than children. There are also more “doggy bag” disposals than trash cans.)

Point being, there is someone out there who will love Pixel. We’re still working on saving her, but the search and rescue seems promising. (I say we to describe the various dog-lovers and rescuers I’ve come in contact with throughout the day’s lifesaving process. We’re keeping each other updated across the country.) A dog rescue organization in Nebraska called Hand in Paw needed someone based in LA to pick Pixel up at the shelter and sign for her, so we’re waiting on that…

This will never end, though. I’m hoping to help other dogs and cats get as lucky as Miss Pixel.

Full disclosure: I’m very biased. My dog, Finnigan, is a high-kill shelter rescue. After a little digging and research, I discovered recently that he was saved by a program called Wings of Rescue from a high-kill shelter in California. The rescue program brings dogs and cats from high-kill shelters around the country to no-kill shelters in the Pacific Northwest. And I have to tell you: I thank any and every deity for Finnigan. He’s made my transition to life in Seattle homier and more fulfilling. He’s also a fantastic excuse for Matt and I to explore our neighborhood and the city. (His energy is nearly endless. He could walk and play all day long.)

An official update: Miss Pixel the Pit Bull has been rescued!!

 

A photo of her in the car post-rescue!

If you’re questioning my claim that dogs are one of Seattle’s hottest commodities, check the following article out. While it focuses on dogs under one year, you get the point…

http://seattlerefined.com/lifestyle/puponomics-the-supply-demand-of-puppies-in-seattle