The Humane Society of Pinellas is fighting the stigma around animal behavior and adoption. They are avidly working on improving their animals’ behaviors to help them get adopted.
While some believe that animals are brought to shelters due to behavioral issues, Heather Gibbs wants to break that stigma. Gibbs is the animal behavior and training manager at the Humane Society of Pinellas. Out of the 2,748 animals that were returned to the Humane Society of Pinellas, only five people reported some type of animal aggression. However, in most cases, animals are brought back because people can’t take care of them properly or because they’re moving to a new place that does not allow pets.
“A lot of animals that come to the Humane Society of Pinellas are coming to us because of their owners moving to a place that does not allow pets,” said Gibbs. “This is for both dogs and cats, animals also come to us because of landlord restrictions or breed restrictions.”
One of the most common misconceptions today is that some animals are bred to be aggressive. Out of the 1,402 dogs taken in by the Humane Society of Pinellas, only three were reported to be aggressive. There is not a specific breed that is more aggressive than another. Animals tend to take on aggressive behavior after they are exposed to it. The misconception that some animal breeds are born aggressive is one of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to certain animal breeds and adoption rates.
“There is no such thing as an aggressive breed or is aggressive all the time,” said Gibbs. “These things tend to be overused, misused or mislabeled and that perpetuates the beliefs that landlords should not admit certain kinds of animals in their complexes or in their homes.”
One of the most important programs offered by the Humane Society of Pinellas is the behavior and training program. This is an internal training program put in place to make sure animals get the behavioral training they need, while also preparing them to find their forever home. While the animals are trained to their specific needs, they are also receiving mental stimulation.
Implementing an in-kennel enrichment program not only helps the animals learn, but also reduces their stress levels. It is important to keep the animals under constant training and allow them to socialize. Through daily playgroups, the animals are learning how to socialize with one another which allows the trainers to oversee their interactions. This will help them determine if a home with another animal will be a good fit.
“This is something that definitely needs to be addressed to get animals adopted more easily and to be welcomed and to stay with their owners,” said Gibbs.
While the Humane Society of Pinellas continues to work towards ending the stigma around animal aggression, they are always on the lookout for more volunteers. If you would like to volunteer at the shelter, you can apply on their website. In addition, they accept donations of blankets, toys, treats, cleaning supplies and so on. You can either drop off your donations or send them to the adoption center located at 3040 state Route 590.
“With the hours they have put in last year alone it was over 31,000 hours, that would be the equivalent of 13 full-time employees. So, that’s money that we can spend on the animals just through the volunteerism of these people and we can’t do what we do without them,” said Sherri Stitt, the director of development at the Humane Society of Pinellas.
