The Rap on Pit Bulls Revisited

The District hasn't allowed a pit bull to be adopted from its shelter since its no-breed-discrimination policy took effect several years ago. "The dogs that are not claimed in our shelter are the ones that are -- you know -- the throwaways of society," said Peggy Keller, the District official in charge of the shelter.

Meanwhile, next-door neighbor Prince George's County maintains one of the strictest policies in the nation, banning pit bulls from county homes unless they were acquired before 1997.

Loudoun gets all sorts of pit bulls -- many just like Max, a 4-year-old brown brindle German shepherd mix brought to the shelter this summer.

At first glance, Max seemed quite the social animal one recent morning as he wagged his tail in a backroom kennel hidden from the adoption floor.

"Hi, sweetie!" animal behavior specialist Jenny Swiggart said as Max pressed his paws against the kennel bars. "How we doing?"

But Max would be euthanized the next day. "He was brought in here because he bit his owner," Swiggart said. "That's a very hard thing to work through because it shows an arousal. It shows he's quick to bite."

On another morning, Swiggart was less certain about the temperament of a tan pit bull that had been found near the shelter on Route 9. Would he have been a good pet under the proposed policy change Loudoun supervisors soon will be examining? Possibly, Swiggart said. But no one stepped forward to claim him, and he was euthanized a few days later.

And those day-old puppies? Would their story have been different?

"This was a tragic case," Fricke said, standing in the euthanasia room, stocked with syringes and medications and a catchpole, used to restrain aggressive animals.

Under the proposed policy, it is likely the puppies would have been allowed to grow up a bit before their fate was decided, Fricke said.

Her eyes glistened as she recalled the puppies' last moments.

"I did Mom first," she said quietly. "Yes, in a case like that, we'll do Mom first because we certainly don't want to stress Mom out. So I waited until Mom was sedated. And then I sedated the puppies."

None of this was easy, Fricke said as she headed out to the adoption floor, where dozens of animals -- but not a single pit bull -- awaited their day in the sun.

"We want to see them all get a chance," she said. "But we do have a responsibility to the community as well. So it's a fine line, a very fine line."