MO: Pit bulls up for adoption through C.A.R.E.

PRINGFIELD, Mo. -A dog fight about dogs continues...pit bulls to be exact. Springfield animal rights groups are celebrating a recent council decision allowing them to rescue pit bulls from animal control for adoption. They still see it as an ongoing battle but the Springfield Bully Alliance met on Tuesday to celebrate a victory.

"We will be getting nine pit bulls from Springfield Animal Control," said Anna Yendes, of Castaway Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.).

Yendes said it's been years in the making.

"We wanted to prove to the city that these dogs can be placed into great homes and become great family dogs," Yendes said.

All available animals are listed on the Springfield-Greene County Health Department's website. They oversee the city's animal control division.

"If a pit bull was not pulled by its owner within the holding period which is five days, it was euthanized. And rescues were not allowed to try and rescue those dogs, pull them which we do with the other dogs," Yendes said.

But now that a resolution has passed, and they carry a $1 million insurance policy with the city, the adoptions can move forward.

"Currently, other rescues are working on getting the insurance or going through the city to apply to rescue them from animal control," Yendes said.

John Lundman is with Haven of the Ozarks, a no-kill sanctuary outside of Cassville, who attended Tuesday's meeting of the Springfield Bully Alliance.

He said the group praises the recent council decision allowing the adoption process.

"Countless numbers of bully mixes killed in the shelter since the whole ordinance went into place. So it's important that senseless killing isn't going on any longer," Lundman said.

He added that the goal of Tuesday's meeting is begin a push for a vicious dog ordinance, with the ultimate goal of repealing breed-specific legislation (BSL).

"We're not saying there should be no dog legislation at all, or no accountability for dog owners. We just want to make sure that vicious dog ordinance is put into place. We feel fairly confident that once that ordinance is in place then the council will vote to repeal BSL," Lundman said.

"So after that resolution was passed last week we were all really excited," Yendes said.

Yendes encouraged people to donate to the bully rescue fund either online or in person to help with this effort.

The Springfield Bully Alliance said it has reached out to multiple city council members regarding replacing BSL with a vicious dog ordinance. They said the goal is to have it in place as soon as possible, maybe by summer.




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