Tulsa, Oklahoma has abandoned its policy of not adopting out pit bulls or pit bull mixes. The city’s animal shelter has announced it will allow these dogs to be adopted.Â
The rejection of the uncodified breed ban was prompted, in part, by a legal opinion of the city’s attorneys who cited a 2007 Oklahoma appeals court ruling. In that ruling the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals struck down Oklahoma City’s policy of not adopting out pit bulls, saying it violated the state’s ban on breed discrimination. Click here for more on that ruling.
Tulsa did not, however, immediately change its policy following the court ruling. It was not until this spring when Sam Thompson, a local citizen, complained that he was not allowed to adopt two stray pits bulls found when they wandered into a shop, that the city began a review of the policy. Â
The dogs Thompson sought to adopt were taken to the city’s shelter and euthanized.
The Tulsa city shelter had defended its breed ban by claiming it prevented use of pit bulls and pit bull mixes in dog fighting. The shelter staff has made clear no pit bull or pit bull mix will be adopted out if it demonstrates aggression.
People will turn to another breed for fighting, are you going to kill off one dog breed and then the next, and the next? You need to make a harsher punishment for law breaking people. You need to crack down on the criminals, not their innocent dogs. Because, sure, once you sieze a supposed fighting dog, the criminals are going to go out and get another dog! Stop the source, IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERS.
“The shelter staff has made clear no pit bull or pit bull mix will be adopted out if it demonstrates aggression.”
How can they truly tell if it is a pit bull, or pit bull mix if they have not witnessed the sire or dam? There are 25-35 breeds that look similar to a “pit bull.”
Working at a shelter myself I know the difficulty in guessing a breed, you can’t absolutely guarantee that it is what it is.
And what about other breeds? Are they still going to adopt them out if they demonstrate aggression? Probably.