The director of the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Georgetown, Texas declares that a dog being labeled is no indication of their personality. More than a few suspect dogs in shelters would make incredible pets if only given a chance!
When you remove breed labels, you open the door to possibility. You have a chance to fall in love without being inhibited by breed, said Cheryl Schneider, animal services director for Williamson County, in a statement. “Instead, fall in love by listening to your heart.”
The Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona made the same decision last January.
Justin Gallick, executive director of community engagement for the Pima Animal Care Center, explained that people are reluctant to adopt dogs that have been labeled pit bulls, for example, because they have been vilified by the media. And they might not be pit bulls at all.
I've seen an American Bulldog labeled a Mastiff Dalmatian because it had black and white spots and a bulky build, he told Green Valley News.
Lindsey Huffman, director of Shenandoah Valley Animal Services in Lyndhurst, Virginia said they stopped labeling dogs about a year and a half ago.
“I did a study and asked all of my employees to write down the breeds of all of our dogs and every one of them was different. Basically, we were just guessing and it was unfair.”, Huffman explained.
Michael Morefield, marketing and communications manager for the Arizona Animal Welfare League in Phoenix, said they stopped labeling dogs in 2016 after an Arizona State University study provided DNA testing on 700 shelter dogs, verifying a vast majority of them were misidentified.
In addition to proving breed labels wrong, the study showed potential adopters identical photos of dogs labeled with different breed names. The dogs labeled as a pit bull were considered less approachable, trainable, intelligent, and friendly than dogs labeled as another breed, despite being the exact same dogs.
In March of this year, the city of Rochester, New York also dropped breed labels in favor of promoting individual dogs for their personalities instead.
Basically, shelters in states like Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana, among others, are trying not to discriminate against dog breeds. If a family connects incredibly with a Pug-Chihuahua mix but was always hesitant because they heard one breed or the other was incredibly territorial, even if they are not, why make it an issue of it? If the dog selected is fun loving and perfect for their family the breed should not matter!
Support your local shelter decision to stop labeling dog breeds. It's good for the dog and their adopted family! For more info go to The Dogington Post.
