Bill Davidson has worked at Lake County’s Animal Care & Control office for nine years. Over the course of his time as Director, one thing has remained stable.
“For whatever reason, we have an oddly high number of pit bulls in the county,” Davidson said.
According to their official annual publication, LCACC handled 2,995 animals in their 2015-2016 fiscal year, 1,106 of which were dogs. Though the animal totals often fluctuate (i.e. because of recent fires), the number of dogs handled has remained the same.
Davidson said the breeds of those served dogs also fluctuate regularly, but pit bulls continue to carry the majority.
In the last six months, the LCACC has taken in 610 dogs, 128 of which were pit bulls, making up 21 percent. Davidson said this percentage adequately represents the pit bull population in recent years.
He said their numbers have remained constant despite the “Pit Program,” a service offered by the LCACC specifically to combat the high pit bull population. Moreover, the numbers stay high despite Lake County’s functioning spay/neuter ordinance.
The Pit Program spays and neuters pit bulls at extreme discount; pit owners are encouraged to bring in their dogs for the sake of keeping the population under control.
Davidson said reproductive surgeries can cost between $200 and $450, but LCACC will service pit bulls for about $100. Many pet owners can apply for a discounted surgery if they have a lower income. This rule does not apply for pit bulls; no matter what the owner’s income, they pay $100 for spaying or neutering.
The discounted surgery has no doubt helped curb the rise of the pit bull population, but Davidson said breeding isn’t the only thing keeping pit numbers high.
“Pit bulls typically are the preferred breed for grow sites,” he said, figuring the pit bulls were introduced to Lake County many years ago. Since then, they’ve simply held the majority population.
As a rural area, Lake County might offer a slightly different idea of security, especially given in regards to a history of illegal drug production. The county’s cleaned up significantly, but the pits bulls remain.
“There’s still a kind of stigma,” Davidson said, referring to the status symbol the tough dog has become. “It’s a ‘badass’ dog.”
He said many people simply can’t afford to have their pets responsibly spayed or neutered.
“Everybody’s got a reason,” he said, “some people just can’t afford it.”
The pit bull popularity has held up as the most popular and most populous dog, unlike other breeds that have come into and gone out of fashion. Most recently, Chihuahuas have had their day.
“They’re a fad,” Davidson said. He said he expects they’ll lose popularity as fast as they gained them. He also said Los Angeles had an overabundance a few years ago, due entirely to their popularity among two-legged creatures.
As a whole, Davidson said the dog population has gone down thanks to their efforts with mandatory spaying and neutering.
“We’re making progress,” he said. “It’s slow.”
