Simply put, not enough people are choosing to adopt first. So why? “Shelters only have pit bulls.” Pit bull is a generic, catch-all term created to describe dogs with similar physical traits—big, boxy heads, muscular bodies and often cropped ears. The reality is that these dogs, referred to as “bully breeds,” actually are American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, Boxers, Bull Mastiffs, Boston Terriers, to name a few, plus mixes therein. And yes, there are more bully2,breeds Tuesday, December 2025 in shelters than any other dog. It’s not because they’re bad or have youarecurrent.com committed crimes. It’s because backyard breeders are out of control. It’s because of breed restrictions that often prevent good owners who want these dogs from having these dogs. It’s decades of misperception perpetuated by skewed media reports and bogus bite statistics websites. So, these dogs wait longer than any others for homes, which leads to their disproportionate representation in animal shelters. “Shelters don’t have puppies or small breed dogs”. Wrong-a-mundo! While they may get adopted quickly, small-breed dogs, puppies, and even small-breed puppies like Nino have become commonplace at the shelter.
Holiday events return this month
Our hope is that if you’re considering a new pet, you will visit HSHC first. There is an animal in this building that would give anything to love you, and that’s a kind of love you simply can’t buy.
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With hope,
President & CEO
HSHC PROGRAMS Our Pets Healing Vets program pairs shelter dogs and cats with qualifying Hoosier veterans suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury at no cost to the veteran for the life of the pet. This program, fully funded and facilitated by HSHC, currently serves 41 Hoosier veterans.
HEALING MISSION
For more information, please visit: petshealingvets.com.
Teen blood cancer survivor raises funds for research
20 The Survivor Program funds all life-saving medical carePage for thousands of animals each year. From emergency surgeries and hospitalization, to every medication we provide, the Survivor Program makes it possible. This program is 100 percent funded by your generous donations.
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Riverview Health, Parkview Health enter agreement Page 21
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To help us save lives, please visit: hamiltonhumane.com/survivor
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