WAUSEON — Takoda can’t hide how happy he is. It shows in the strong wag of his tail that wiggles his whole behind, in his bounce as he chases toys or romps with other dogs, and in all the slobber from his tongue-out grin.
The exuberant young black-and-white canine has no idea why he has every reason to be joyful. He just is. Takoda is the first “pit bull” in years that wasn’t reclaimed by an owner to leave the Fulton County Dog Pound alive.
“He’s a great dog,” Jean Keating, executive director of the Lucas County Pit Crew, said. “He’s just happy, happy, happy all the time.”
Takoda, Sioux for “friend to everyone,” was rescued from the pound June 19 by the Henry County Humane Society and immediately transferred to the Pit Crew.
He had been placed on the pound’s list of dogs to be killed that same afternoon.
“It is really concerning to me that this dog was on the list to be killed,” Ms. Keating said. “He hasn't shown us anything concerning in his behavior at all. He’s been wonderful.”
Fulton County has been under pressure from area dog advocates for months. A 2012 commissioners’ resolution forbade “pit bulls” and “pit bull” mixes at the pound that weren’t claimed by an owner from being adopted out or transferred to a rescue — essentially mandating their death — despite the state’s move away from breed-specific laws the same year.
On June 4, the county commissioners quietly passed a new resolution allowing “pit bulls” to be transferred to humane societies. Commissioner Jeff Rupp, who took office in January, said he thought the policy needed to be re-examined. He proposed the change to “try to find common ground with all parties that would allow for the ‘pit bulls’ deemed not to be vicious a chance to eventually be moved into a good home.”
“This is the first step that the county has taken,” said Carol Dopp, co-organizer of the grass-roots Fulton County No Kill. “It’s the first time there’s been any hope for a ‘pit bull’ that wasn't claimed by an owner. I’m very thankful.”
While advocates are appreciative of the change, Mrs. Dopp said, they say it could be much better. The county still does not allow “pit bulls” to be adopted out directly from the pound, which Mr. Rupp said was a compromise.
“As with all things political and, in fact, most things in life, compromise is usually the best way to solve issues,” he said. “At the present time, this seemed to be a way to move forward on this issue.”
And while the dogs can be sent to rescues, they can be transferred only to select groups organized under Ohio Revised Code 1717 as county humane societies.
“I felt we needed to have a way to determine the legitimacy of the organization that we were releasing the dogs to,” Mr. Rupp said. “This is in no way meant to imply that if an organization is not organized under ORC 1717 that they are not legitimate; it is simply a means to help us identify those that are.”
Ms. Keating said that leaves out any number of rescues properly registered with the state, experienced, and well-qualified to handle the dogs but not organized specifically as a humane society. If one of those groups wants to transfer a “pit bull” from Fulton County, it has to go through another group — as the Pit Crew did with the Henry County Humane Society to rescue Takoda.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to save a dog,” Ms. Keating said. “We should all be on the same team in that we all want dogs to have a chance for a good life. None of us wants dangerous dogs out in the community, so we should be on the same side.”
Bill Rufenacht, the commissioners president who voted for the change, said there has been no discussion of revising the resolution for transferring “pit bulls” or allowing them to be adopted directly from the pound. He said improvements continue to happen, whether or not they reach the level of official action by the commissioners.
“We’re not inflexible. There’s movement. There’s changes as time goes on,” he said.
Vond Hall, county administrator, said state legislators created county dog pounds to protect people from dogs, not to house and care for dogs that go unclaimed by owners.
“It’s the people we are trying to protect, not the dogs. At the end of the day, that is what the dog warden’s job is,” Mr. Hall said. “We’re not here for the dogs. That’s not what we do. It’s not a popular thing to say, but it’s the truth.”
Dog Warden Brian Banister said Takoda was picked up as a stray May 23 in Fayette. He said the dog did not show any concerning behaviors, so Takoda was available for transfer after the new resolution.
“State law says we hold the dogs for three days. The dog had been here at [that] point for 27 days, and the owner had not claimed it,” Mr. Banister said. “We checked with several different organizations, and there was no humane society that was willing to take him.”
Mr. Banister said he checked with humane societies in Lucas, Defiance, and Williams counties. When no humane society spoke for him, Takoda was placed on the kill list — despite his friendly temperament, the pound’s kennels only a third occupied, and the knowledge that the Pit Crew was working to find a way to rescue him in accordance with the June 4 resolution.
“We are not a humane society. We are not a dog shelter. We are the Fulton County Dog Pound,” Mr. Banister said.
Mr. Hall acknowledged that the pound has never been full. The county will hold dogs that a rescue expresses an interest in while the group waits for an open space. The county will try to adopt out dogs as allowed by county policy and the warden deems adoptable. After what the warden determines, subjectively based on a variety of factors is a sufficient amount of time, a dog not adopted or transferred will be killed.
“We are not a no-kill shelter, and we are not a humane society,” Mr. Hall said. “We’re a dog pound. And whether we are a third full or two-thirds full, it isn’t our practice to keep every dog and feed every dog and care for every dog and raise every dog. It is not statutorily what we are here to do. When is enough enough? We don’t keep them forever.”
Commissioner Paul Barnaby, who voted against the June 4 resolution because he believes “pit bulls” are dangerous, said the pound is there to care for dogs but must be operated like a business. While the county may have space and funding to care for a dog while it awaits adoption or rescue, the county will not hold it indefinitely.
“We didn’t get ahead, so to speak, by throwing dog food to the pigeons or whatever,” he said. “That isn’t why we’re here. We’re here to take care of the animals. And if we can’t find the rightful owner in a certain period of time, then we move on.”
Ms. Keating noted that state law sets minimum standards, not maximums. As long as the legal requirements are met, public safety is assured, and resources are available, there’s nothing preventing the Fulton County Dog Pound from acting as a shelter for homeless canines, she said.
“I really don’t understand what the issue is,” she said. “If the majority of the state can operate that way and do just fine, why can’t Fulton County?”
Mrs. Dopp said Fulton County No Kill will continue to work with officials to improve the operations at the pound in various ways.
“What Takoda’s rescue highlighted is that there’s still a problem, and we’ll continue to work on it,” she said.
Takoda will be available for adoption from the Lucas County Pit Crew after he recovers from kennel cough and is neutered, Ms. Keating said.
Contact Alexandra Mester: amester@theblade.com, 419-724-6066, or on Twitter @AlexMesterBlade.
First Published June 28, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
