Bully breeds in need of help

Breed discrimination against pitbull type dogs contributes to the thousands who are put to sleep every year unwanted and abused, according to the owner of a local charity.

Bullied Dogs Advocacy and Rescue was set up by Summer Aitken; a woman with a passion for dogs who she says are often misunderstood.

She began the rescue focusing on the Manawatu and Wanganui after "large" numbers of wandering strays were ending up in local pounds.

Legislation in New Zealand means these facilities are often unable to rehome these dogs as they are deemed aggressive.

Ms Aitken says breed specific legislation is not based on fact, rather it focuses on hype and feeds into a fear that is unjustified.

"I have a personal love of the bull breeds after rescuing my own pit-cross almost two years ago and I wanted to do something more to help these dogs locally," she said.

"I'm also part of the team at ARAN who rescue mainly pound dogs."

One of Ms Aitken's projects is a petition asking the Wanganui District Council to address animal welfare and rehoming rates in their pound. An application for funding has also been submitted in hopes of holding a desexing programme.

"We will launch this in Wanganui and Manawatu with the hope fewer unwanted litters will mean less unwanted dogs and pups ending up in the pound and fewer litters being sold irresponsibly into the community."

Since the organisation began in June, over a dozen dogs have been rehomed.

"We have two pups and an adult dog in our care at the moment -- the pups were being sold over a buy/sell/swap page to anyone who could produce $50 and they were only three weeks old and full of worms."

Ms Aitken says the charities success depends on donations from the community and help from volunteers who are willing to foster animals.

"The dogs we see are often from a background of abuse or neglect ... it's essential they are rehabilitated before they're rehomed and this usually involves building their confidence and trust, basic training and socialisation."

Bullied Dogs are desperately seeking fosters. If you're interested in getting involved, please email bullieddogsrescue@gmail.com. You can also make a donation via 38-9016-0028842-00.

BULL TERRIERS

The term pitbull is often used to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics.

 The first bull and terrier breed came about in the mid 1800s Victorian England. The strength and courage of the bulldog, the intelligence and dexterity of the terrier was a union that saw fortune in vermin control and gambling sports of badger baiting and pit fighting.

 Breeder James Hinks showed his prized English bulldog in 1860; this helped him develop his own examples of the English white terrier and the Dalmatian. With these he developed the earliest example of a bull terrier ("a dog with a balance of substance and a gracious appearance") first seen in May 1862.