Why Is Mutts and Mom's Pit Bull wearing a muzzle?

Question

Here's a website photo link below of Mutts and Mom's owner. It's against the law to run an adoption of any animal who hasn't first been placed with the ASPCA on hold for 5 days. Bet you didn't know that. I found a dog and had to surrender it to the ASPCA in Pasadena. Mutts and Moms is right next door. If a dog cannot be adopted, it goes to these so-called rescue groups. Pit bulls are trained to kill by giving them weak dogs to practice on. Somebody has to supply a reliable chain of weak dogs. What better way than to volunteer at a shelter? Makes you think twice about charities that take dogs away from little kids when the ASPCA is more than willing to give a dog to a family with small children. Why would you need to take any dog from children with no real proof that they were in danger?

Here's the Picture: http://www.insidelocalcities.com/pets/pasadena-mutts-and-moms.php

Answer 1

Obviously, you have not met Courage. Courage was a horribly abused pitbull puppy who was confiscated by local police and turned into the Pasadena Humane Socitey. Courage was abused and kept in a rabbit sized cage- his mouth tied shut with a wire (hence the scars you have mistaken for as muzzle) and his ears were cut with scissors. Thank God for Mutts and Moms who rescued this dog from the shelter and placed him in a foster HOME until adoption. Get your facts straight. Mutts and Moms is located near the Pasadena Humane Society, however, they do much of their rescuing from Bakersfield/Kern County shelters where the statistics are sickening. Did you know that last year those shelters euthanized over 66% of 25,000 animals. When you've looked into Courage's abused eyes, wouldn't you feel personally responsible for placing him in the best home possible? Shame on you for jumping on this media circus.

Answer 2

The muzzle part has been answered so I'm just going to comment on the Ellen part that everyone keeps referencing.

Ellen ADMITTED that she was wrong - that she messed up - she was in error...she admitted that part. That's really not the issue. What the issue is at this point is to straighten out the adoption and move on. Let the hairdresser's family complete an application. Do the home visit and let them adopt the puppy the proper way. That's what Ellen and everyone else is asking for.

Ellen screwed up, M&M got angry about her giving the puppy away and rather than everyone stepping back and dealing with it from a non-emotional stance everything has gotten out of control. M&M HAS placed small dogs to houses with children younger than 14 because that is where my sister (and niece) got their dog. Using the 14 year-old minimum is a red haring since they have bent that rule in the past.

I believe emotions got the best of everyone and now the puppy and the family are the ones being punished. M&M is being unreasonable in standing their ground against the "star" to the determent of everyone involved.

It's not as if that's a "Teacup" Chihuahua and the kids are seven years old. There's certainly nothing wrong with placing a dog of that size with two pre-teen girls and a married couple. In normal instances an animal rescue would be delighted with a family like that.

I just hope everyone can check their egos at the door and do what's right for the dog. He's lived with them for two weeks - let them adopt him!

Answer 3

As others have already said, that is not a muzzle that the doggy in the picture is wearing. It is a device that helps train dogs to walk on leash. (The "muzzle" you claim the dog is wearing wouldn't prevent any dog from using its mouth.) As for Mutts & Moms taking away Iggy from the new home Ellen DeGeneres picked -- the group was right to do that. DeGeneres had no right to do what she did, and she would have known that had she read her agreement. The group is acting only in the best interests of the dog. Do you know how rescue groups operate? Typically, they have prospective adopters fill out questionnaires to find out more about them to find out whether they're suitable, and typically they do "home visits," which gives them a firsthand view of the home one of their animals (whom they have rescued and lovingly taken care of) might be going to. Know your facts before you criticize rescue groups. If Iggy were a human child and was no longer wanted by his adoptive parents, would you be comfortable with them handing him over to someone else? Or would you rather the adoption agency do what it's trained to do and use ITS expertise to find the right home? Some will say, "Well, it's only a dog," and that's the problem. Iggy isn't "just" a dog.

Answer 4

You are really uninformed...that is not a muzzle! That is a Halti. A Halti is a great training tool for people who use positive (no choking or shocking dogs) training methods. It allows you to teach your dog not to pull and makes it possible to re-learn dogs with reactive or aggressive behaviors (such as not getting along well with cats!). Of course, this method would not have worked for Ellen...it would have taken longer than two weeks.

The ASPCA does not adopt all dogs out to all types of families...they also assess the dog and determine what type of home would be the best for dogs. Not all dogs get on well with children or cats or even other dogs.

You should stick to topics you seem to be an expert in...Training Pit Bulls to kill???

Answer 5

that is not a muzzle.. it appears to be some kind of head collar, like a gentle leader.

If the rescue was using small dogs to train pits, why did it even adopt it out to begin with? Think about it.

Sorry, the rescue was in the right, there was a signed, LEGAL contract. Ellen is not exempt from the rules just because she is a celebrity. Had she read her contract and followed it, there wouldnt be all this heartbreak! If Ellen can get away with breaching a contract, why cant everyone else?

Im sure there would have been a more tactful way to handle this situation than to make a big stink on TV about it. I dont think anyone has heard the rescue's side of the story either. There may be a reason why they do not feel its an appropriate home for the dog. The family and Ellen could have also probably discussed this privately with the rescue and possibly worked something out too.

Answer 6

This whole topic is crazy you got someone here comparing dogs to a real kid and saying it is best to give kids to an adoption agency rather than to people you know and trust. Get real! There is no yes/no to an issue like this people just need to talk and not over react. If the interest is to place the dog which why this MM is in business for then they should have talked to both Ellen and the Family and should have given them a warning or a chance to do it the right.

Answer 7

I'm not sure what kind of crazed post this is supposed to be.
WEIRD

The person said those were scars and not a muzzle, I don't know if this is true but if its not that is obviously not a muzzle.

It looks like a Halti which isn't a muzzle at all. You talk about ASPCA the Corgi mix I saw adopted from ASPCA was wearing a halti at the vets office when I took my APBT in. Who just layed down as told while the Corgi was barking at her. He had some problems and the shelter is the one who suggested the training methods and halti.

Please don't talk about APBT if you don't know jack about them. Pit Bulls are not trained to kill. Pit Bulls can have natural dog aggression and prey drive. People should know this before getting one. I know a Pit Bull who was recently PTS for killing a cat. No one supplied him small cats or dog to practice on!!! He lived in a home with several children, some small and family cats that he slept with. However one day he got out from the yard, chased the neighbors and killed it. He went home and didn't mess with his own cats. However the neighbor was upset and AC came and took the dog to his death.
My late female would chase, catch and kill rabbits. No I never gave her small animals to kill. Same girl would nurture human babies, kitten, puppies, kids (goat baby) and calves. She tried to mother them, but let her see a rabbit or pheasant in the field and she will give chase.

Pit Bulls can have various degrees of dog aggression. They can kill another dog the first time they ever get into a fight. Even though no one trained them to kill. Its stupid things like this that actually do more damage then good to the breed. Naive people get them thinking they will train and raise them right and come home to one or two dead dogs. A hard wake up call. This just happened to this guy I knew. He left his 2 females together all the time that would play and never fought. We told him DO NOT DO THIS! As they mature they might start to fight. So what happens he calls my hubby up and wants to know if we know anyone who wants a female Pit Bull. Now his cell was cutting in and out but basically his blue female killed his white female I guess and his wife said get rid of her or shoot her. So one dog and now possibly both dogs will lose their life because of their stupid, irresponsible owner. I was so angry. Man I hate being right :-(

Ellen had a signed contract and like any other is bound to it. I can't believe she signed it and didn't read it. How responsible. You agree to something you don't read. She is just as much a jerk as any other dog owner who rehomes, surrenders or dumps off a dog that they should have had in the 1st place. She got rid of the dog because it was "energetic and rambunctious". WTH did she adopt a Brussels Griffon (mix) a breed described at hyper, energetic and high strung??? It makes no sense. This is the main reason why dogs lose home, the person gets a dog that doesn't fit their lifestyle. If you don't want a energetic dog don't get an energetic breed.

I think the rescue could have been more tactful in their taking the dog. However rules are rules. The kids are 11 and 12 and from what I heard they don't adopt out to homes with kids under 14. That is one of the most stupid rules I have heard but its still their policy. Some rescues have stupid policies, another doesn't adopt out to people under 30yrs. I think that these people need to get a head on their and not eliminate good homes based on stupid elements. They should have contracts and rules, but ones that are more reasonable for the dogs that need homes and the ones who want to provide them. Some breeders won't sell to people with small children but 14 is overboard. If a child is at least 10 that should be good enough. Any breeder and rescue should also have sense to "bend the rules" if the home is actually a good one but doesn't meet one criteria. They should be reasonable

Answer 8

That dog is not wearing a muzzle. What you are seeing are scars from some idiot person who had tied this dogs mouth shut and kept him locked in a rabbit cage sitting in his own feces. Pasadena Humane Society got this dog out from the horrendous conditions and then asked Marina (Mutts and Moms) to take him and rehabilitate him, which she did! So, don't go jumping to conclusions until you know an entire story.

Answer 9

Seems there is some controversy at the time, surrounding "Mutts and Mom's" Don't know enough about it to comment, but I don't see a muzzle on the dog. It looks to me like a gentle leader? Not sure though.
Do you have a link to the story that you are referring to? I own an APBT and hate the way they are currently being villified. Mine is the BEST with small children. I would like to know more about the story from your viewpoint. Thanks

Answer 10

That isn't a muzzle, it's another form of lead that is strapped around the head, leaving room for the dog to use it's mouth. It's generally used for dogs that like to pull, and the ASPCA recommends using them for bigger dogs that like to run alot.