If a shelter dog is labeled as a pit bull then, according to a study by Arizona State University, they’ll have to wait 3 times longer to find a home than their identical looking counterparts named otherwise. And that's unfortunate since 1 out of 3 shelter dogs named 'pits' are actually a different breed. The Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL) decided to take action and remove breed labels. They want to put an end to often misleading breed related stereotypes getting in the way of a lovely pup finding a human to love.
Instead, AAWL creates description cards for each dog at their shelter that are more like dating profiles that focus on a dog's personal traits (so that you don’t swipe left too soon.) "Breeds are an aspect of a dog but they don’t make up everything about that dog," Michael Morefield of the AAWL told KTAR News. "Their personality, their temperament, the life they have led so far before you meet them in the shelter. Those life experiences really make up who that dog is, more than who their parents were five years ago or what their color markings make you think they are as a breed. That’s really what makes up the pet you want to take home."
A study by Arizona State University shows that breed labeling unfairly affects dog adoption
Dog named 'pit bull' will have to wait 3 times longer to find a home than its lookalike attributed a different breed
The Arizona Animal Welfare League decided to remove breed labels and create description cards that focus on a dog's personal traits instead
...so that you don’t swipe left too soon because of breed stereotypes!
"Breeds are an aspect of a dog but they don’t make up everything about that dog"
"Their personality, their temperament, the life they have led so far before you meet them in the shelter [do]"
"That’s really what makes up the pet you want to take home"
Let's hope other shelters will follow AAWL so that more dogs could find their forever home!
