Instead Of Spending $15-$20,000 For Purebred German Shepherds, These Cops Are Getting Rescue Pit Bulls
Meet Phantom and Sarah, two pit bulls rescued from a shelter who just became K9 dogs. Knowing the bad reputation the breed has and the fact that pibbles are the #1 breed to be euthanized in the US, officers at North Carolina’s Clay County Sheriff’s Office took it upon themselves to change the situation. “What will be the most shocking to some will not be that Clay County Sheriff’s has the new K-9 Deputies, but rather their breed,” the department wrote online, adding: “even though pit bulls get a bad rap in the media, they aren’t all bad dogs and can do great things for the communities they serve.”
However, turning shelter bully breeds with an uncertain future into officer dogs not only gives them a second chance at life – it also saves taxpayers money. “The two foundations have taken on the mission to show that Departments do not need to spend $15-$20,000 for a purebred German shepherd or Belgian Malinois to search and find illegal drugs, at the same time giving dogs destined for a life in a shelter or euthanasia a second chance at life serving Law Enforcement Officers and Departments around the country.” Sounds like a win-win situation.
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More info: Clay County Sheriff’s Office | Facebook (h/t)
Two pit bulls rescued from a shelter just became K9 dogs, and the officers couldn’t be more proud
Choosing a pure bred for a K9 costs around $15-$20,000, so training a shelter dog saves taxpayers money
It’s a win-win! The Internet reacted:
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Dogs can only become bad if they are treated abusively. There is no such thing as a dog born thinking "I am going to harm humans!"
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They're so happy to be rescued that they'll do practically anything to please their humans.
Sorry, but this 'grateful rescue dog' myth is just a myth. They are happy because they have a good home. And they do practically anything to please their owner because that's how pitbulls are. Rescue an independent breed and once the dog feels secure it'll be just as stubborn as it should be.
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This is all really nice and sweet. As a human being I love it. As a sceptic I say there is a good reason why these german shepherds, or in fact any military/police dogs, are picked up as puppies.
The reason is because its easier to train a dog from scratch than it is to train one with existing issues that has to be trained out of
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Wow, if only Tahlequah Police Dept. would consider this, we could save pit lives, and show them love. Mostly put the tax payers money that is saved back into public school funding. Which has been cut again by Governor Mary Fallon and other state officials.
This is absolutely fantastic, especially for the furbabies that stay in a shelter waiting for somebody to come and get them
What are these dogs being trained to do exactly? Are they being used to detain suspects or something else?
All dogs deserve a home and love regardless of their breed I'm glad they are now "officers". :D
This is so beautiful! I used to have a German shepherd, now I have a pit bull and I love her.
This is going to help stop people from hating dog like that. I have an Cane Corso and many people are afraid of her because she is big. The
Pitties are the sweetest! Adopt, adopt, adopt! https://www.etsy.com/shop/4PawsFashion
Great idea and good for both the dog and human world. Most pit bull terriers, staffordshires, and bull terriers would actually be amazing working dogs due to their absurdly high desire to please their human guardians and intense "work drive". All dogs, despite any selective breeding, are all just dogs in the end. What a wonderful thing that these dogs can be saved, trained, and partnered up with people who can give them a new "leash on life".
PIbbles are my favorite, and any getting adopted warms my heart. But creating working dogs is not plug and play. There is a reason GSD and Malinois are used for police dogs, and the $15-20k is not just used to buy these dogs, it's used in their training. While it's possible to do, taking an adult dog and making it do a specific task is harder than working with puppies. TL;DR - great idea, but it's not automatically a solution to either problem.
They look like Staffordshire Terriers to me, not pit bulls which are quite distinctive. Staffs get a bad reputation in the US and Canada as well, but they have a lovely temperament if treated right (like most dogs).
Nice story, idiotic text. A policedog doesn't cost 15.000-20.000 because of its breed but because of its training. So training any dog for the same amount of time makes it just as expensive. (unless you do it in your free time, of course, but that takes years). Pits are great dogs but I would think they're simply too friendly to work in certain situations. (I'm serious. If they're not completely ruined by d******d-owners they are super cuddely and friendly with everyone) There is a keenness and a .... not sure to describe this... a 'sharpness' in Malinois that you can already see in 8 week old pups. Pits are very different. Still - a nice thing to do.
Bad idea as these are zero mistake dogs and one mistake of a serious bite on the wrong person could cost the Police up to $1.3 million. That is the precedent setting amount court ordered in Calfornia for a K9 biting an innocent woman's leg. Pit bulls and Rottweilers of ten kill with only one gripping bite to the carotid or femoral arteries which is why they are not suitable pets for family neighborhoods. Shame on you Police for trying to fool people into thinking fighting dogs could ever replace smart, "snap & release" Shepherd type dogs. Malinois Shepherds have killed zero people as opposed to over 500 fatalities by pit bulls.
Dogs can only become bad if they are treated abusively. There is no such thing as a dog born thinking "I am going to harm humans!"
Load More Replies... They're so happy to be rescued that they'll do practically anything to please their humans.
Sorry, but this 'grateful rescue dog' myth is just a myth. They are happy because they have a good home. And they do practically anything to please their owner because that's how pitbulls are. Rescue an independent breed and once the dog feels secure it'll be just as stubborn as it should be.
Load More Replies... This is all really nice and sweet. As a human being I love it. As a sceptic I say there is a good reason why these german shepherds, or in fact any military/police dogs, are picked up as puppies.
The reason is because its easier to train a dog from scratch than it is to train one with existing issues that has to be trained out of
Load More Replies... Wow, if only Tahlequah Police Dept. would consider this, we could save pit lives, and show them love. Mostly put the tax payers money that is saved back into public school funding. Which has been cut again by Governor Mary Fallon and other state officials.
This is absolutely fantastic, especially for the furbabies that stay in a shelter waiting for somebody to come and get them
What are these dogs being trained to do exactly? Are they being used to detain suspects or something else?
All dogs deserve a home and love regardless of their breed I'm glad they are now "officers". :D
This is so beautiful! I used to have a German shepherd, now I have a pit bull and I love her.
This is going to help stop people from hating dog like that. I have an Cane Corso and many people are afraid of her because she is big. The
Pitties are the sweetest! Adopt, adopt, adopt! https://www.etsy.com/shop/4PawsFashion
Great idea and good for both the dog and human world. Most pit bull terriers, staffordshires, and bull terriers would actually be amazing working dogs due to their absurdly high desire to please their human guardians and intense "work drive". All dogs, despite any selective breeding, are all just dogs in the end. What a wonderful thing that these dogs can be saved, trained, and partnered up with people who can give them a new "leash on life".
PIbbles are my favorite, and any getting adopted warms my heart. But creating working dogs is not plug and play. There is a reason GSD and Malinois are used for police dogs, and the $15-20k is not just used to buy these dogs, it's used in their training. While it's possible to do, taking an adult dog and making it do a specific task is harder than working with puppies. TL;DR - great idea, but it's not automatically a solution to either problem.
They look like Staffordshire Terriers to me, not pit bulls which are quite distinctive. Staffs get a bad reputation in the US and Canada as well, but they have a lovely temperament if treated right (like most dogs).
Nice story, idiotic text. A policedog doesn't cost 15.000-20.000 because of its breed but because of its training. So training any dog for the same amount of time makes it just as expensive. (unless you do it in your free time, of course, but that takes years). Pits are great dogs but I would think they're simply too friendly to work in certain situations. (I'm serious. If they're not completely ruined by d******d-owners they are super cuddely and friendly with everyone) There is a keenness and a .... not sure to describe this... a 'sharpness' in Malinois that you can already see in 8 week old pups. Pits are very different. Still - a nice thing to do.
Bad idea as these are zero mistake dogs and one mistake of a serious bite on the wrong person could cost the Police up to $1.3 million. That is the precedent setting amount court ordered in Calfornia for a K9 biting an innocent woman's leg. Pit bulls and Rottweilers of ten kill with only one gripping bite to the carotid or femoral arteries which is why they are not suitable pets for family neighborhoods. Shame on you Police for trying to fool people into thinking fighting dogs could ever replace smart, "snap & release" Shepherd type dogs. Malinois Shepherds have killed zero people as opposed to over 500 fatalities by pit bulls.
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