SPCA puts pitbull pup up for adoption

Stella is a 1-year-old pitbull terrier the Bay of Islands SPCA hopes to rehome.

An SPCA branch has been criticised for adopting out "menacing dogs" such as pitbulls to the public.

The Bay of Islands SPCA is promoting Stella as a companion dog who "loves a soft warm bed and her tummy rubbed" and can be bought for $275.

But the advertisements do not mention that the 1-year-old is a pitbull and classified as a menacing dog by the Far North District Council.

The classification means Stella must be leashed and muzzled in public.

The Dog Control Amendment Act 2004 identifies four menacing breeds: the Brazilian fila, dogo argentino, Japanese tosa and American pit bull terrier.

It is illegal to import these breeds, and most local councils have a policy not to rehome them because of their aggressive tendencies.

SPCA branch chairwoman Erica Richards said decisions to adopt out pitbulls were made case by case.

Any breed classified as menacing was checked for behaviour problems before rehoming was considered.

Mrs Richards said she had spoken to the national body about rehoming pitbulls - or pitbull crossbreeds - and the branch always operated inside national guidelines.

Potential dog owners were also screened, she said.

"We're not going to euthanase a dog found straying, or dropped off, simply because of its breed.

"Rehoming animals is only a small part of what we do, and we are often left holding the baby."

While the adoption advertisements did not specifically state the dogs were pitbulls, Mrs Richards said all prospective owners were told of the breed.

Other SPCA branches, including Auckland, have a policy not to rehome pitbulls.

But SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenburger said the only national rule was that the organisation would not adopt out any dogs that were behaviourally unsound.

"It would be really dangerous for us to say 'We'll destroy all pitbulls' because there can be an identification issue.

"In our experience, we can have dogs that look very similar to pitbulls but are very different."

A Government decision to classify the four dog breeds as menacing was a "knee-jerk" reaction, Mrs Kippenburger said.

"There's more to dog behaviour and temperament than breed alone."

But Les Dalton, president of the Institute of Animal Control Officers, said the Government classified pitbulls as menacing for a reason.

"We believe that rehoming pitbulls is wrong, and most councils don't do it as policy.

"The pitbull has aggressive characteristics that cause problems. We don't agree with [pitbull adoption] whatsoever."

Far North District Council senior animal control officer Ken Thomas said the council would euthanase dog breeds listed in the act rather than rehome them.

That was often more because of the irresponsible people who took them in, rather than the breed itself.

"People go to all sorts of lengths to obtain them at what is a cheap price."