Some shelter dogs are mislabeled

I am confused as to the source of this statement recently in The Acorn: "Aggressive breeds such as pit bulls are sometimes difficult to find homes for." Hopefully Denise Rosen didn't make this statement. It would be inappropriate for an animal shelter manager to express a bias by labeling a certain breed "aggressive." Further, California law prohibits the shelter from formulating adoption programs that discriminate against certain breeds.

I also found troubling Ms. Rosen's description of how temperament tests are administered at the shelter. A shelter environment is the worst place to accurately evaluate a dog's temperament, given the unfamiliar sounds, people and smells.

Even the most docile dogs, like my dog Buffett, show behavior that was erroneously assessed as "aggressive" by the Agoura Animal Shelter staff. Buffett was almost killed before the intervention of many animal advocates and shelter volunteers.

Further, Ms. Rosen's concern for public safety is misplaced when it impedes adoptions: "We want to make sure that we're placing safe dogs in the community." A concern for public safety warrants the enforcement of laws already in place. I walk my Great Dane, Gumbo, on a leash, and we are often encountered by dogs running loose. I have been injured trying to control Gumbo, or returning loose dogs to their owners. These dogs should not be labeled as "dangerous" and killed, but the irresponsible owners should be fined for violating the leash laws, or any other public safety law.

Finally, the article failed to mention that a quarter of the dog kennels are still not usable at the Agoura shelter. This refurbishing project started over 18 months ago. Healthy and savable dogs continue to be killed for space at all of the Los Angeles County shelters while this project languishes with no completion date in sight.
Rebecca E. Arvizu
Agoura Hills