Just recently I started a research project documenting feral dog behavior and the homeless person's relationship with their animals in Downtown Los Angles. I wanted to find out some very important elements. One of which includes the way a homeless person acquires their dogs and their specific relationship when it comes to food, etc. I was eager to research this as both dog and owner had a very different understanding of one another than some of my clients that live in wealthy communities with dogs. My interest was also to find a better understanding of the domestication of wolves from the beginning of our interactions with them. What I saw and found here was unbelievable. It goes beyond my words and the pictures you are about to see. I finally found a link between the out of control dog problem in L.A.- where it's coming from and why. In two hours, I documented 17 dogs roaming free in South Central. Half had collars with identification and the other half were completely feral. Not one dog that I came across was fixed. Two females had just had puppies and one was pregnant. My quest was a dangerous one as I was roaming as a white woman with a Caucasian female assistant through these streets. Crossing gang territories and witnessing first hand the drug trade. I visited a pet store filled with everything from chains for pit bulls to harnesses, big leather collars with spikes like you've never seen before, unhealthy puppies, dirty and smelly fish tanks to probably over 50 chicken and bird coops located in the back. I saw 5 golden retriever puppies kept in a small dirty run and guinea pigs with scabs all over them. The dogs we saw ranged from missing an eye to completely useless legs from being hit by cars. Not one cop car, not one police officer was anywhere to be seen. I have discovered that dogs that are being owned and left to roam the streets are breeding with feral ones. I interviewed a homeless man in Skid Row who told me that the homeless person's dog always matches their owner's personality. If they are grumpy and/or mean, their dog is usually mean. They also lure the dogs in with food, take them searching for food and the two become a team of survivors- both outcasts in our society. The majority of people who are getting these dogs are usually lonely. Some of which have a hard time communicating to people so they have an unseperable bond to their dog.
There is also a cat problem down there. One woman who is referred to as "The Cat Lady" is using her welfare checks to feed all the cats. The problem has gotten so out of control that they are now joking that there are more cats than rats and because sometimes the rats are bigger than the cats, the cats aren't killing the rats. lol
So if we are to change the feral dog problem in Los Angles, we need to educate those who allow their dogs to roam freely through the streets. Diseases are being spread, more puppies are being born and as much as spaying and neutering is high on the list, for those that refuse, their animals should be kept on their property and not left to roam. Obviously, the new law of all dogs being spayed and neutered in L.A. is not being implemented or enforced.
I will be conducting this study over the next several months so stay tuned for more informative updates based on my findings. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the streets...
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Photo Credit: Celebrity Dog Blog]]>
Image Credit: Celebrity Dog Watcher.]]>
Antonio Sabato Jr.
Amy Smart]]>
Nicky Hilton
Jeff Corwin of Animal Planet]]>