Shelters Lie About Pit Bulls to Get Them Adopted

Many shelters misrepresent pit bulls to increase adoption rates.

Shelters often downplay the breed's reputation to make them more appealing to potential adopters.

In some cases, shelters even claim the dogs are "Lab mixes" or "mixed breeds" to avoid scaring off potential adopters.

For more insights, see: Why Are so Many Pit Bulls in Shelters

Shelters often downplay a pit bull's aggressive traits to make them more adoptable. This was the case with Melo, a pit bull that was described as "timid" by Second Chance Rescue of White­stone, despite a report from the Brooklyn Animal Control Center advising against placing him with kids.

A report from the Brooklyn Animal Control Center on April 22 warned that Melo exhibited hard stares, lip curls, low growls, and charging behavior when approached in his kennel.

A New Jersey man claims that Second Chance Rescue of White­stone, a Queens animal-rescue organization, lied about a pit bull's history before he adopted it.

The pit bull, Melo, had a menacing history that was allegedly hidden from the adopter, Quin Martin.

Melo ended up attacking Martin's two young children, nearly tearing his son's nose off.

A report from the Brooklyn Animal Control Center advised against placing Melo with kids due to his aggressive traits.

The shelter told Martin that Melo was "timid", but in reality, he was far from it.

Melo bit Martin's daughter on the leg while she sat on a swing in the family's back yard.

Both kids were rushed to the hospital, where Justin needed five stitches to his face and Jade's gnawed leg was patched up.

The shelter's Facebook post after the incident suggests that the family didn't follow the adoption instructions properly.

However, Martin claims that the shelter omitted Melo's troubling past and only relayed a positive assessment to him.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Pit Bulls and Children

Pitbulls Lie, and it's not just a myth. Pitbulls have been wrongly accused of having a high number of attacks on humans, but it's often due to misidentification.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Why Are They Called Pit Bulls

The media and some sources have been quick to blame Pitbulls for attacks, but the truth is that many of these dogs are not even Pitbulls. According to several studies on canine DNA, a majority of dogs identified as Pitbull-type dogs don't actually have any DNA from Pitbull ancestry.

Pitbulls have a history of being loving family dogs, dating back to 1903. They were originally bred for war, but also made great companions. However, in the 60s, dog fighting became a problem, and breeders began to focus on creating aggressive dogs.

This is when Pitbulls started to get a bad reputation, but it's not entirely their fault. Breeders were manipulating the breed to create aggressive dogs, and owners weren't taking responsibility for their pets' actions.

In fact, studies have shown that Pitbulls have a high passing rate in temperament tests. For example, 86% of American Pit Bull Terriers passed a temperament test, compared to 85.2% of Golden Retrievers.

It's time to take a closer look at the statistics and not just blame Pitbulls for attacks.

For your interest: How to Train Pit Bulls to Not Be Aggressive