00:00He's been watching families walk in and walk out without him for two whole years.
00:04The only reason is his looks.
00:06I realized within a minute of meeting him that the fact that he's a pity probably has to do a lot with some people finding him intimidating.
00:16For this reason, I decided to find out myself what's going on with Pities in U.S. shelters
00:21and headed to the town of Hempstead Animal Shelter in Long Island, New York, where Leo leaves.
00:25There, I met with Julia, a dedicated volunteer who takes care of Leo and some of the other dogs at the shelter.
00:33He's super friendly. He's not weary of strangers at all.
00:36So I think he totally is a great example of a pit bull mix.
00:39You're a new person. I mean, he loves you. He's giving you his touch. He's being so sweet.
00:45My first impression of Leo was how incredibly sweet he is.
00:48I honestly couldn't understand why he's been waiting so long for a home.
00:51His favorite thing in the world is being next to someone.
00:54No treats, no toys, just you. And yet, not a single person has ever come back for him.
01:00Actually, Leo isn't a tragic exception.
01:02Over the past few months, I've told the stories of dogs who have waited two, three, or even four years for a home.
01:08And almost all of them had one thing in common.
01:10They looked just like Leo.
01:12Is that your favorite toy?
01:13They were peas. Not aggressive, not broken, just misunderstood.
01:17Can you believe he's been here since, for two years, waiting?
01:21Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Why?
01:23Why?
01:23He's such a nice dog.
01:25Hoping to understand why Leo hasn't been adopted yet, I spoke to Ashley, the shelter director, in the last six years.
01:31People do have the stigma of they may not be family animals, they may not be apartment animals, whereas it's actually probably the opposite.
01:39Some of them, they're just couch potatoes, they just want to lay with you.
01:42But in general, I think there's just a lot of restrictions for housing and just the stigma.
01:47Turns out that people-type dogs make up to 40% of sheltered dogs in the U.S., and in over 700 cities and counties, it's either illegal or restricted to own a pity.
01:58So, it's not a surprise that sweet dogs like Leo keep getting overlooked, and here's the part that really stayed with me.
02:04I asked Ashley to give me a ratio in 1 to 10 of how many of their current dogs are pities, and this is what she said.
02:10Probably like 8 or 9 to 1.
02:12Oh, wow.
02:13Yeah, it's a lot of those blockhead dogs, yeah.
02:15Wow, wow, okay.
02:16But the real issue starts long before pities end up in shelters.
02:20When I spoke to Ashley, she explained to me that many are overbred, then dumped when they're not longer wanted.
02:26Others are rescued from people who use them for fighting, like Meryl.
02:29I met her during my visit, and despite everything she's been through, she still has so much to give.
02:34Living outside her whole life?
02:36She's so friendly.
02:38Finally, I got to the conclusion that while overbreeding and dogfighting are the most common reason pities end up in shelters,
02:44living restrictions, and bad stereotypes also prevent them from getting adopted, creating a dangerous circle that condemns pities like Leo to stay longer in shelters.
02:53But not all hope is lost.
03:06TOH has put thoughtful strategies in place to help their long-term residents finally find homes.
03:12And we really try to see if people can foster the dogs.
03:15We offer anything from foster field trips, where you just take the dog out for the day.
03:19We do weekend getaways, where you can have like a weekend sleepover, to more long-term, couple weeks, couple months.
03:25Fostering is a big part of trying to get these dogs adopted.
03:28Julia, for instance, has adopted two pit bulls she originally fostered from the shelter.
03:36My pit bulls have been loving transitioning from a shelter to a forever home, to a home environment.
03:41It takes effort, it takes time.
03:43I think if you're on the fence about, hmm, I've never had a pit bull before, do your research, of course.
03:48But just remember that the dog is an individual, and to not judge their stereotype, it's not about the breed.
03:53It's about who they are.
03:54Leo is the perfect example. He's calm, sweet, and people-focused.
03:58He deserves a home, and frankly, I can't find a single reason why he hasn't found one yet.
04:03If you think Leo could be your perfect match, visit his redemption link in the comments,
04:08or check out the other amazing dogs at the Tom and Hempstead Animal Shelter,
04:12currently caring for over 95 dogs, most of them pities.
04:20I hope this visit helped shed light on why these dogs wait so long,
04:24and why it's time to let go of all the stereotypes.
04:27So next time you visit a shelter, consider the one with a big head and a gentle heart.
04:32Because if you give one a chance, they never stop giving back.
04:36After looks at them, and they're there forأs.
04:52We'll see your future.
04:53We'll see you next time.
04:54She's next time.
04:54Good live.
04:55Good live.
04:56Good live.
04:58Good live.
04:59Good live.
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