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So You Found a Stray Pit Bull?
This section was written with the intention of helping people who come across an obviously friendly stray. Use good judgment when deciding to help a loose dog and always err on the side of caution if you're unsure of a dog's temperament.
We receive hundreds of inquiries from worried Good Samaritans who find friendly stray pit bulls on our city streets. While we hate the fact that there are so many homeless and unwanted dogs, we LOVE that there are so many kind people willing to get involved and help a friendly dog get to safety! We thank you very much for caring.
But what do you do once you have a stray pit bull in your care?
With pit bull overpopulation at an all time high, options can be hard to come by. Here are some suggestions you could consider if you are trying to help a homeless dog:
Plan A - Can You Locate the Owner?
 Pit bulls are classic escape artists! The dog you found may very well belong to a worried family that didn't safeguard their yard well enough to keep him inside.
1. If the dog has no
collar or tags, see if your vet or local shelter can scan the dog
for a microchip.
2. Post signs, Check the Lost Dog Postings at your local shelters and file a Found Dog notice while you're there.
3. Place a (free) found ad in your local classifieds section.
4. And, make sure and ask the neighborhood kids if they've seen the dog before. Kids are famous for noticing things that adults miss!
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What If I Can't Find the Owners?
You can choose to do two things: Plan B Try to find a new home for the dog yourself.
Or, if that's impossible: Plan C Take the dog to a low-kill or 'no-kill' animal shelter.
Plan B - Finding a Responsible New Home for a Pit Bull
BR has no shelter or facilities, and we can only take in a tiny number of pit bulls each year. To share the burden, some Finders foster themselves while they advertise for a new home. This is an adventure in itself, not something to take on unless you really feel up to the challenge of volunteering your time as an 'individual dog rescuer'. But the rewards of helping a little lost soul find his way to a new permanent and responsible home can be immeasurable.
To help you make your decision about fostering your found dog,
please read about the Pros and Cons of Owning a Pit Bull to help you learn what to expect with this breed.
How to Keep A Homeless Pit bull Safe While You Look for a Home
 To keep him from getting lost again, you'll need
to think about a secure set-up to keep him safe. We recommend keeping your pit bull indoors when you're away rather than risk the dog escaping your yard. Dog runs, or crates (right) can keep them out of trouble and (Important!) away from your other pets when you aren't there to supervise. Craig's List Pet's Section usually has ads for: Used Dog Crates for Cheap
Pit bulls can be very determined when they want to get somewhere, so just locking a loose dog in a room is asking for trouble. Again, use the crate, or consider boarding him. Can't afford to board? Try fundraising with a garage sale, dog wash, BBQ, etc to raise funds for some temporary housing. Check the Pit Friendly Resources page for suggestions on places to board. Some boarding facilities will give a rescue discount. Ask your own vet for a reduced rate for boarding.
If you have any questions on how to secure a pit bull in your
home, feel free to contact BAD RAP for more suggestions. And
of course, place some new ID tags on the pup. Pet Food Express stores
have do-it-yourself tag machines for on-the-spot tags.
How Do I Know If A Pit Bull is Adoptable? Good Question!
Unless you're very familiar with the breed, have your
homeless dog evaluated by a qualified individual who knows and understands pit bulls and can help you determine if the dog is adoptable. If he is, the next question is: What kind of home would be right? Can he be placed with other animals? kids? older people? Can he go into a beginner's home or only a very experienced home?
IMPORTANT: Animal aggression is normal in these breed, but it must be said that if a pit bull shows any aggression towards a human he should never be adopted out. No ifs ands or buts.
For a list of people in the bay area who can help you evaluate your
dog, visit the Pit Friendly Resources page or contact BR. |
Is the Pit bull Healthy?
Life on the streets can be hard on a dog. Have
your dog checked by a veterinarian to determine if she needs any
special care beyond vaccinations. BAD RAP also recommends you have the dog spayed or neutered BEFORE sending to a new home. The reason there are so few homes for pit bulls is directly related to the overpopulation problem. PLEASE don't let your found dog be used to make more pit bulls. Let the littering stop here.
How Can I Make My Foster More Adoptable?
1. Spay or Neuter is a must! There are many Free Spay/Neuters available.
2. Give the dog his low cost shots.
3. Consider basic obedience classes. A well-trained dog makes adoption into a new home much easier (and it helps YOU live with her while you are fostering!). Classes. Some trainers may reduce their fees for you. They can also guide you in the process of socializing your dog with other animals.
4. We also recommend microchipping your foster dog.
5. And of course, make sure she is clean, well groomed and well behaved when meeting
potential homes.
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Advertising: Where? How?
There are a few key ways to advertise your pit bull. First, learn everything you can about the dog so you can give potential adopters the honest 411. Some of your info can come from the dog's evaluation; much will come from observing as you spend time with him.
Key Websites for Free Advertising:
PBRC.net
Craig's List.org
Pet Finder.com
Key Information for Your Ad
1. Dog's age, sex, health, and the fact that he's been fixed.
2. Has he been evaluated by someone who works with the breed?
3. His energy level: Mellow? Energetic?
4. His known limits with other animals. Remember, since this is a dog-dog aggressive breed, it's normal for dog-friendly younger pit bulls to become less dog-tolerant as they mature.
5. Has he had any training? Is he crate trained? house trained?
6. Post one or more great photos.
Potential adopters will want to know: Where did he come from? How is he with small kids? Can he live with cats? What (if anything) scares him? What is his known medical history? What are his 'bad habits'? Be honest! What are his best qualities? What does he like to do?
Other Ways to Advertise:
1. Create an eye catching Flyer with a gorgeous photo and bio and place it on bulletin boards in vet offices, pet food stores...everywhere.
2. Ask local rescue groups about showing your foster at upcoming Adoption Day Events. Some pet stores sponsor adoption events for the general public. Ask your local store if this is a possibility for you. Check in with:
CA Rescue Groups
How to Interview, Do a Home Visit, and a sample Adoption Contract: Screening Homes
Have a good home lined up? See what BAD RAP looks for in good pit bull adopters: Good vs Bad Owners
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How Do I Know If An Interested Home is Right?
Please be very picky about who adopts your pit bull. Someone may be perfectly nice, but this doesn't mean they're the best home for this breed. Ask LOTS of questions (See Above). Do a home visit and meet the whole household. We strongly encourage checking with their landlord and their vet - Don't be too shy to ask for contacts. BAD RAP has found that the very BEST homes are happy to share their information. Home that are reluctant to share info may have something to hide. Take your time with this decision...you've
put a lot of effort in saving your dog and you want his next home to be permanent. You may want to meet with a home several times before you know if its right for this dog.
If you need help in screening, please contact us and we'll be glad to help you.
A Scenario to Avoid
We received this sad email from a home that gave their pit bull to a home without checking the adopters claims first. Unfortunately, they'll probably never know what happened to Matrix.
On 9/24/03 4:34 PM, "Jags----@aol.com" wrote:
"We have recently given our pit bull puppy "free to a good home" only to find out it wasnt the home we had imagined. After 3-4 months, we put an ad in the Examiner to find a good home for Matrix. We were screening calls and one family stood out among the rest. This family had falsely represented themselves to us. They said they had a 6 ft fenced-in yard, doggie door, etc. We had a verbal agreement ... "we would need a couple of weeks to transition, ... have a couple visits, ...make sure the dog was safe, happy and healthy, etc. They said that we could visit anytime.
We have tried to contact these people to see MATRIX for over 2 weeks... no such luck !!! They wont return any calls and we have made some 'unexpected' visits and she is somehow never home. We are beginning to question "what has happened to Matrix?"
Need to do something .... WHAT ??? Can you help?"
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How Long Will It Take to Find a Good Home?
Because you're waiting for the RIGHT home, rather than the
first home that responds, the process can take a few weeks or more or less! The advice: "Be Patient" definitely applies to dog rescue work.
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Plan C - When You Have to Take a Pit to a Shelter
It happens to the best of us; Not every found dog can stay in
our homes while we look for a permanent home. Landlords may dictate, neighbors may complain, some dogs may be too much to handle or may not be able to co-exist with our pets. If you decide to surrender your homeless pit please look for a shelter that will offer her the best chance of being adopted responsibly by well screened, breed educated adopters.
 Local Shelters:
In the SF bay area, animal shelters run the gamut from very pit bull friendly to absolutely unfriendly.
Some shelters will destroy all adoptable pit bulls after only one day of offering that dog to the public for adoption, some will try very hard to give adoptable pit bulls as much time and opportunity to be adopted as space allows, and very few are 'no-kill' to adoptable APBTs ('no-kill' is NOT a guarantee, however). Most shelters run very full at up to 65% pit bulls. City run shelters are required by law to accept all strays found within city limits, regardless of the available space . When they're extremely full, chances of your dog being euthanized sooner are much greater. Ask the shelter if they're full before surrendering. They may tell you it would be better to return with the animal after the weekend when adoptions may open up a few cages.
Adoption screening procedures vary from good to non-existent and
temperament testing of pit bulls in local shelters varies as well.
All these factors may greatly affect your found dog's future.
To find a shelter in your area, see Pit Friendly Resources.
If you have questions or concerns about where to surrender your pit bull, feel free to contact BAD RAP.
How Can I Help a Surrendered Pit bull Get Adopted?
Even if you have to surrender your found pit bull, you can get the
word out about him by advertising him as needing an emergency
foster or home. Take a good photo of her before being surrendered and learn as much as you can about her so you can advertise her and describe her to others. Work fast!
You may wish to ask the shelter to contact you on the last day before the dog is put to sleep. Some will do this, some will not.
I Don't Want This Dog to Die - Can BAD RAP Help?
If you've surrendered a dog that you feel is very adoptable and
you would like us to know about her, you're
welcome to contact us.
We always run full, but if a pit bull is
very important to you and you are looking for some assistance in
insuring its survival, we're willing to talk it over with you and offer our suggestions. Start here for instructions on how to submit a dog for consideration in our program: Found Dog Submission
THANK YOU for helping your bullydog friend find a safer place to
rest her head. We understand how frustrating and difficult it can be to find positive solutions to a homeless pit bull's plight. So much of our inspiration comes from folks like you who are so willing to go that extra mile for a pit bull sweetheart in need!
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