GRANT COUNTY — In the first six months of 2009, the Grant County Animal Outreach received 187 pit bulls amongst the 890 dogs impounded.

“Grant County has a very high pit bull population,” stated Outreach President Harmony White.

During the same time period, 93 dogs were euthanized due to aggression. Forty of those dogs were pit bull breeds and three were rottweilers, she stated.

Moses Lake implemented an ordinance since Jan. 1, requiring more licensing requirements for pit bulls, rottweilers and presa canarios, leading many to leave their animals at the shelter.

“Unfortunately, the numbers may seem to compound the opinion that pit bulls are bad dogs,” White explained. “However, viewed from the overall numbers, pit bull (and) bull mixes deemed aggressive total less than 4 percent of the total number of impounded dogs.”

The high number of pit bulls and reported aggressive pit bulls may be partly associated with gang activity, Outreach reports.

“The rise in gang violence in Grant County in past years, including several recent incidents, may figure into the incidents of aggressive dogs,” White stated. “Pit bulls are frequently acquired by gangs because of their muscular build, history of being fight dogs, and are then trained to be guard dogs or fight dogs rather than your avenge loving pet.”

She explained a pit bull can be trained by anyone to be an intimidating animal leading others to forget a pit bull can be a family pet without aggression.

“Their strong jaws and weight add damage to any incident of attack, versus the damage a smaller dog would do if attacking a human,” White stated. “Even well trained dogs, of any breed, can bite or attack, given the right circumstances and the right situation.”

Often times the general public learns of pit bulls acting aggressive, but rarely learn about incidents involving pit bulls making loyal family pets, she stated.

“Visiting a proud mother pit bull nursing a litter of 10 puppies at the shelter last night, it is obvious she had a loving family at one time and the possibility of her attacking a human is infinitesimal,” she stated. “She is just a sweet mother dog that ended up at the local shelter, similar to the other 889 dogs, each with a different background, a different reason for being there and hopefully a happy ending.”

Of the remaining dogs impounded to the shelter since the beginning of the year, 519 were other large breed dogs. The dogs included 160 Labrador retrievers, 22 rottweilers, 12 chow chows and one presa canario. Small breed dogs comprised 192 of the dogs impounded, which includes 45 Chihuahuas.

“There is a large Chihuahua population in Grant County, however the damage they inflict in a bite is minimal so fewer are impounded after a bite; that most likely being why only 19 percent of the dogs deemed aggressive were small dogs,” White explained.

The Grant County Animal Outreach is located at 6725 Randolph Road NE, in Moses Lake.

For more information about adopting animals, call 509-762-9616.