Thirty-seven neglected pit bulls have been rescued from a suspected dog-fighting ring in Tacoma, Washington. The group of underfed, frightened adult dogs and puppies were taken into the care of the Humane Society and, after making a spectacular recovery, are ready to be adopted.
The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County released a statement on their
website on Feb. 19, 2020. “On December 18, we took in 37 malnourished and terrified adult and puppy pit bulls as the result of an ongoing dogfighting investigation in Tacoma’s backyard,” they began.
“Since then,” staff continued, “the shelter has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and desire to help from neighbors, both near and far.”
As per
Kiro 7, the Tacoma authorities found the frightened dogs locked in crates, sitting in their own urine and feces, and surrounded by paraphernalia indicative of dog fighting and breeding. The dogs bore scars, and officers maintained that they were terrified of their owner.
The dogs ranged in age from a few months old to 5 years old. Despite their ordeal, the Humane Society’s Victoria Gingrey described all of the dogs as “friendly, loving, and sociable,” adding, “Our volunteers and staff have done a great job of working with them and enriching them while they’ve been here.”
The shelter also announced the dogs’ availability for adoption on Feb. 20, pending spaying and neutering. To ensure the best possible permanent homes for the deserving pups, the Humane Society decided to implement a thorough
application process for potential adopters, including a criminal background check and mandatory home visit.
Thanks to expert medical care and a lot of love and affection, the rescued dogs went from scared and starving to healthy and rambunctious in a matter of weeks. The Humane Society received emphatic support from their friends and fans on social media.
“Thank you for taking such good care of these pups,” one person wrote on the Humane Society’s
Facebook page, “and for your diligence in the adoption process and beyond to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Great job!”
“So happy that all of the pups were surrendered and can now be able to find loving, caring forever families,” wrote another. “Of course it’s a huge burden on the shelter, so hopefully lots of pet people will chip in to help.”
The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County, staff explained, is an open-admission shelter, meaning that they never turn animals away based upon age, breed, medical needs, or behavioral problems. “[T]o continue caring for our community’s homeless, abandoned, abused, and injured pets,” shelter staff wrote on
Facebook, “the shelter needs your help.”
The non-profit shelter relies entirely upon public donations. The sudden admission of 37 pups in December 2019, while crucial, nonetheless pushed the shelter over capacity.
Becoming a
friend of the Humane Society by pledging a monthly donation, staff explain on their
website, “helps us continue our life-saving work of finding homes, providing food, emergency medical care, and shelter.”
Following the huge pit bull rescue in December 2019, a Tacoma resident named Elmer Givens Jr. was arrested for neglectful ownership of a grand total of 49 pit bulls. Authorities initially lifted all dogs from the abode; four were taken to an animal hospital and 37 were taken to the Humane Society.
As per
Kiro 7, Givens petitioned to reclaim the dogs but his request was rejected by the Pierce County judge.
The pit bulls, after such a harrowing start to life, deserve better. “Given the nature of how these dogs came to us,” Gingrey reflected, “we just really want to make sure that they go to the right homes.”
