A few weeks ago I was standing in a doorway watching a woman cry for her dog. Her frail voice spoke about Pit Bulls and how they are “good dogs” and how “there’s nothing wrong with them.” Truer words have never been spoken. Between those 2 statements tears started rolling down her face, surely coming for her dog who now has an uncertain future. Her tears led to a few of mine as I listened to her from the side of the room. My girlfriend, who’s a tenant’s rights attorney trying to get her a reasonable accommodation, was holding her hand and trying to give her some hope for a better result. Hope in the midst of what is absolutely both physical and mental torment. Medication bottles surrounded her napping position. The dog was missing from the bed. Here’s why…

Susan is a middle-aged woman who is suffering from end-stage endometrial cancer. She is actively undergoing radiation treatment and she works in Pasadena. She has no remaining family, she has no kids. She does have a 12-year-old senior dog named Sadie who’s at some level probably mixed with Pit Bull, amongst other things.

4 months ago she lost her home due to foreclosure. She’d lived there for many years. She now lives in a trailer right outside of South Pasadena where she pays $1,000 a month to rent. On her lease she put that Sadie was a “mix.” This is certainly not a lie. The property manager didn’t show any interest in meeting Sadie. All was fine.

Well, 3 months after moving into the unit the property manager was onsite and saw Sadie laying out sunning in the enclosed yard. This person immediately began verbally accosting Susan and then filed paperwork demanding that the “unapproved Pit Bull” be gone or that Susan was going to be evicted. Nice. They were ready, and are still ready, to put a dying cancer patient on the street to die on the street.

So why do Pit Bulls and their mixes fill so many shelters? Why are so many considered “hard” to adopt out? This is one of the biggest reasons why!

Susan’s had Sadie for almost 12 years. She found her after she had been thrown out of a car on the 110 freeway. She loves this dog and Sadie is all that she has. To immediately try to remedy the situation Susan turned Sadie over to what she thought was a trusted colleague for rehoming. This man then immediately turned Sadie into the kill shelter behind Susan’s back. She got called when the shelter staff scanned for the microchip. This is how Susan found out.

Sadie’s still at the North Central pound and Susan’s now been in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. She’s dying, and she’s worrying, and she’s heartbroken. She’s missing her dog, she’s hoping her dog isn’t killed. Quite literally all that she wants is to see her dog, and when she’s gone, know that her dog is safe.

The point being that breed-targeting is able to be implemented philosophically in all kinds of different ways, and with or without legislation. This happens all over the place. This is not the fault of Pit Bulls. This doesn’t say anything about them, but rather about the individuals opting to implement such unjust and vague practices. But Pit Bulls and others looking like them are the scapegoats who routinely pay with their lives.

If you’d like to help Sadie then please do so. She is impounded in Los Angeles with an ID# of A1453500. You can reach the shelter by calling 213-485-5767. Remember, Sadie is a lovely senior dog who deserves nothing short of a fantastically loving home with a warm bed and a caring hand. The peace of mind that this genuine act of kindness would give Susan would also be beyond measure. Please help me share their story.