0:00:02 > 0:00:04The tail is not looking good. Do you live in this neighbourhood?
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Yeah, I live in, well, Watts.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08- Watts.- I make sure they eat first before I eat.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11- Really?- Well, they got just the right to live as we do.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Not exactly the same. I mean, it's humans first, then animals.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17You'd find that a big problem here in this city, I'll tell you.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Yes. God says he put these animals on Earth for our enjoyment,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24so please protect them and take care of them, don't abuse them.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27HIS VOICE BREAKS
0:00:27 > 0:00:32It's OK, it's OK. I know. Don't worry about it, it's OK, it's OK.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- A lot of people don't care! - This is a...- What just happened?
0:00:35 > 0:00:40I think about all the animals I see tortured and hurt
0:00:40 > 0:00:41and everything, and I rescue them.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45They're living because of me.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51I was in South Los Angeles
0:00:51 > 0:00:55on a journey through the outer edges of canine companionship.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Do you like dogs better than you like people?
0:00:59 > 0:01:03I understand THEM more, you know? They love you
0:01:03 > 0:01:05and they take that to their grave.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08You know? Who doesn't want that?
0:01:08 > 0:01:11LA is well known for its population of pampered pooches,
0:01:11 > 0:01:17but its high-crime areas are home to a community of street dogs,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19neglected and sometimes aggressive.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25The streets is hard, we gangbanged and did all that.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27So if four dudes run up on me,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30you better come right, cos he's going to bite you.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37'I was curious about the chaotic world these animals come from...'
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- Can we talk to you?- Talk to me?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Get your bitch ass back to London.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'..the rescuers and adopters trying
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'to change them through rehabilitation
0:01:47 > 0:01:52'and the limits of what they can do for LA's delinquent dogs.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:58- Our capacity is 325. - And you've got how many?- 419.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01It's really hard to choose,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05for lack of a better term, who gets to die today.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22This is kind of a rough area.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Yeah, it's a rough area, man, almost Watts.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29- Uh-oh.- You ain't got nothing to worry about.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Everybody know me here, man.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- We're in the area of terror. - Yeah. Welcome to terror.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Don't be scared, though. Please, don't be scared.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43We're in the American nightmare.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50I was on patrol with Cornelius Austin, a building caretaker
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and pit bull enthusiast known to all as Dog Man.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I see another stray, we have strays all around here.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- Stray dog?- Yes.- You just saw one?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Yes. I see another stray. See?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06So you just never know what you're going to get on these streets.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08HE WHISTLES
0:03:08 > 0:03:10They hungry.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13You're going to give it away? Why?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15I don't want it!
0:03:15 > 0:03:17You don't want it any more. Why?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Because! It bark too much.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Man, you deal with this all day long.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Foreclosure is on a rise now, a lot of people lose their homes.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36A lot of dogs been left behind.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38There go a pit bull.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Can you get him? - There's no dog I can't get.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Dog Man has made it his personal mission
0:03:45 > 0:03:48to care for the abandoned dogs of South LA.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Stay right there, he went this way.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Let's go, let's go.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Let's go. Come on, quick.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The dog won't defeat me, man.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02'One of his pastimes is catching problem dogs
0:04:02 > 0:04:05'with a view to finding them new homes.'
0:04:05 > 0:04:07He's never going to get it.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13That a stray?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Is that a stray?
0:04:25 > 0:04:27- Come on, come on.- Hello?
0:04:29 > 0:04:31This not your dog, buddy?
0:04:33 > 0:04:35You don't want your dog?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38All right, boss. Thank you, man.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Hey, we're from the BBC, we're doing a documentary about dogs in, um,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44in this area.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46So are you sure you don't mind us taking the dog away?
0:04:46 > 0:04:50It's not my dog. He just... These are neighbourhood dogs.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52- Y'all take it easy.- Thanks a lot.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Right. That's bull crap, that's their dog.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59This dog lives there, the guys breed them,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02they have the puppies and they throw them out.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05These people are lying, they always talk about the dogs,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09it's not their dogs, and the dog, if I let this dog go right now,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11this dog's going right back to that door.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14See, this dog wants to go back home. Watch.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It is your damn dog, don't you lie to me, man.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23There's something special about dogs, isn't there, that...
0:05:23 > 0:05:26that makes you feel worse when you see them mistreated.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Is that it?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I love animals, man, you know? I'm not just no dog trainer,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I love animals, man, and the dog can't help herself.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38It's just like somebody getting mad and just throwing you out and
0:05:38 > 0:05:42that's what they done, and the worst thing they could do is lie to me.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45If the dog could talk they'd have a lot to say.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- What do you think it would say? - "I need help.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50"I can't help myself, I can't shelter myself,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53"I can't feed myself. Plus, I got worms,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55"I got worms, and I see a few fleas."
0:05:55 > 0:05:58So that could be upsetting right there.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- "I'm in pain."- Pain.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05- "I'm suffering."- Suffering. You know, and always heartbroken.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And it really hurts me.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27South Los Angeles is notorious as one of America's most deprived areas.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Alongside its many neglected residents live its even more neglected dogs.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41LA has six city-run dog pounds,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46with around 35,000 dogs passing through their doors each year.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48BARKING
0:06:51 > 0:06:54One of the busiest is in South LA.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Want to bring your dog in? Need to see your ID.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04How come you're going to turn him in?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Well, actually, it was my son's dog and he was incarcerated so...
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- Oh, so he can't take care of it no more?- No.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14- What's your dog's name?- KO. - KO?- Yeah. Here we go.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Get behind him with the door, get behind him with the door.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23Get yo' ass in.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Give me one second.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Can't deal with that dog. Uh-uh.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40I don't like those type of dogs
0:07:40 > 0:07:44and I tried to beg my son not to bring it home, and I tried
0:07:44 > 0:07:47to keep it as long as I could. He's causing me too many problems.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51What's going to happen with KO, do you think?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55If he keeps acting aggressively like that he'll probably be put to sleep.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59- For real?- Mm-hm.- What's his window of opportunity for adoption?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Probably...a week.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- A week?- Would you adopt that dog?
0:08:05 > 0:08:09You know, I only just met him but probably not.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13In charge of the shelter's inventory of discarded dogs
0:08:13 > 0:08:16is kennel supervisor Leslie Coray.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Most of these dogs, can you generalise about their lives
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and their backgrounds?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26A lot of them are street dogs, a lot of them are people turning them in.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- Jersey is a female or male? - Jersey is a female.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Why do you think Jersey hasn't been picked up yet?
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- Cos she's not cute. - She is cute.- I think she's adorable.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41Does it happen that a dog like Jersey, who is affectionate
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and has no, you know, track record of bad behaviour,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46could get euthanised?
0:08:46 > 0:08:47Yes, for space.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50When was the last time it happened?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- That we euthanised for space? - Mm-hm.- Last week.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- A healthy animal, a non-aggressive animal?- Mm-hm.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58This is a brand-new facility, it's huge,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01but it's already full, as you can see.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- There's KO, my buddy.- There's KO.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06HE BARKS
0:09:06 > 0:09:10KO... See, he really doesn't want to attack me.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13He's more afraid of me than I am of him.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16He's probably a fear biter - he would bite out of fear,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19not out of true aggression, like some of the other dogs.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21He was maybe never...never...
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Never socialised, I don't think, never walked on the leash,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26never made a part of the family.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30See, now watch this, watch this. I'm going to be the alpha right now,
0:09:30 > 0:09:31I'm going to be the aggressive person.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Get inside there! Now! Now!
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Now! Get in there! Get in there!
0:09:36 > 0:09:38All the way! All the way! Go!
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I'm the boss because... But I'm just saying...
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- That wasn't textbook training, was it?- It is, kind of.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Did you enjoy that?
0:09:51 > 0:09:57No. I feel sorry yelling at them, I don't even like to yell at my kids.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But, see, in a way, I don't want that dog to think he can punk me either.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Do you understand? Does that make any sense?
0:10:04 > 0:10:07That's like... that's like prison slang.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10DOGS BARK AND WHIMPER
0:10:10 > 0:10:13You've been very open about the fact that animals do get
0:10:13 > 0:10:16euthanised here fairly regularly and in quite high numbers.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19We never do more than, like, 10 or 12 in one day.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24Basically, the dog is standing there looking like this
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and all of a sudden it just kind of goes...like that.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31There's no screaming. It's almost like, all of a sudden, it's just now
0:10:31 > 0:10:35really fast asleep. Um, so that's really hard for all of us.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I mean, we all have been on Xanax and antidepressants and, you know,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42we all have, because it's not an easy job. Like, I can go a couple
0:10:42 > 0:10:47of weeks and be like. "OK, I gotta do my job," and then I could just
0:10:47 > 0:10:50maybe have a bad day or I know there's a dog that I like...
0:10:50 > 0:10:52that's gotta go.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57But, yeah, you don't get used to it, ever.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06- Hi, guys.- It's a boy and a girl.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Are they trembling? - Yeah, they're just a little nervous.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21It's a natural reaction for them.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24They seem almost too nervous to eat right now.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26LOUD BARKING
0:11:29 > 0:11:32BARKING ECHOES
0:11:45 > 0:11:49I was going deeper into the world of South LA dogs and their owners.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Dog Man had offered to take me
0:11:51 > 0:11:54to a training school in Compton that caters to people
0:11:54 > 0:11:58concerned about crime and looking to weaponise their pets.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- How's it going, man? - How do you do? I'm Louis.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- Malcolm, my pleasure. - Malcolm? Nice to meet you.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Do you work with a particular kind of animal?
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Any dog that you bring up, if it's your pet, you love him,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13we love him too.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15A pet did that, you know? We train all dogs.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20Did what? Bit the tip of your finger off?
0:12:20 > 0:12:25- Do you specialise in protection dogs?- We put game in dogs.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Meaning?
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Um, it's like... We just met each other.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34You can be ready to
0:12:34 > 0:12:37do me some kind of bodily harm but you're standing here smiling
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and acting, you know, like everything is OK,
0:12:40 > 0:12:44so I take it for that, but that dog, you not fooling him.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Do you really think a dog can do that?
0:12:46 > 0:12:48I KNOW a dog can do it.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53If I rode around every day with a gun,
0:12:53 > 0:12:58I take the chance of going to jail if the police stop me. I can ride
0:12:58 > 0:13:03around with my dog all day long and he's just like my pistol on my side.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I'm getting scared just thinking about it.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09You shouldn't be. The streets is hard, we gangbanged
0:13:09 > 0:13:13and did all that, that's what make me and Max so effective
0:13:13 > 0:13:17in the street training that we do because we came up gangbanging.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Let me pull the truck out, I'm going to show you.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22How are you feeling?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- I'm feeling good. How are you feeling today?- Yeah, good. Are you nervous?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27No, not at all.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I suspect a dog's about to bite your arm.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I'm suspecting he will too.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35What if he goes for the wrong arm?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Hey, excuse me, man.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Let me talk to you for a second.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Hey, what's going on? Let me talk to you for a second.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44MAN SHOUTS
0:13:44 > 0:13:46DOG BARKS
0:13:46 > 0:13:48MEN SHOUT
0:13:48 > 0:13:50LOUD CRACKS
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Jesus.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Good boy!
0:13:55 > 0:13:57MAN GROANS
0:13:59 > 0:14:01That's our boy!
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Are you scared?
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- Yeah, I think I am a bit.- No, don't be, you're not going to feel it.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09He's already picked me out.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12'Before I knew what I was doing,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16'I found myself padded up for a one-on-one session with Prowler.'
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Just like that.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- How long is he going to do it for? - I'll call him off.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Butch!
0:14:27 > 0:14:28There you go.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Stand!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Move around! Move around! Move around! Stand up! Yes!
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Stand up! Move around!
0:14:46 > 0:14:47OK, I think that's enough.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Let loose! Let loose! Let loose!
0:14:54 > 0:14:56LOUIS EXHALES
0:15:01 > 0:15:03APPLAUSE
0:15:03 > 0:15:06INDISTINCT COMMENTS
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Good job, man! Good job!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- I thought...- Did you feel anything? You felt nothing, right?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Did you see? He nearly knocked me over.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22That was nothing, that was half of what the dog can actually do.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27- How close do I have to get for him to start worrying?- He don't worry, he has no problem.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- If I raise an arm to you now... - He's going to get you.- I was just going to pat you on the shoulder.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36It's an aggressive move. You have to let me know, then I tell him it's OK.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Would you do that?
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Prowler, lie! Now.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Don't pause, put your hand up.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Let's forget it, let's not even do it.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48See, when you pause like that, you make him
0:15:48 > 0:15:51think you're going to do something. What's going on, man?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Long time no see, dog. Long time.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Long time, man, right on, right on. - Two years. Good to see you, man.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Look at the dog while you're doing that, though.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04He's intimidating you. Everything all right, man?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06How you been doing?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Great. Terrific.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12I've never been so scared to hug someone.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- All right, dog.- All right, man.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Prowler, let loose!
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Listen! This is your last lap! Make them legs work! Come on!
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Work! Work! Don't get tired now! Work!
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Work! Work! That's it, go!
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Some lucky street dogs are adopted out of shelters
0:17:01 > 0:17:05or off the streets and embark on new lives with new owners.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08See you later, see you later, out the way.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Many of them gather on Sundays under Dog Man's tutelage for
0:17:12 > 0:17:15boot-camp-style training designed to make them more sociable.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18You got two! Ain't no lollygagging! Come on! Go!
0:17:18 > 0:17:21A lot of these dogs come from the shelter, a lot of them
0:17:21 > 0:17:25already got broken hearts so I'm just trying to make their life
0:17:25 > 0:17:28easier for them to have fun, show them the brighter side of life.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Why have they got broken hearts?
0:17:30 > 0:17:34A lot of them miss their owners, so I just want to make everything
0:17:34 > 0:17:36more positive for them, make everything fun.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Hey, no, bad dog, no.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43A lot of people don't know that pit bulls are bred to fight
0:17:43 > 0:17:45but that don't mean they HAVE to fight.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48You can train the fight out of them?
0:17:48 > 0:17:49That's what I'm doing.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- That's what you can do?- I'm trying.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- Can you do it?- I have... Some dogs I did it with.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56MAN TALKS QUIETLY TO DOG
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- What's her name?- Sunny.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Sunny.- But I'm changing it to Honey.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07You were saying, "I will never leave you, I will never leave you."
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Why were you saying that?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14You know, because her last family left her.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18After five years.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And you can see she's kind of hurting.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30You can see she's kind of sad, you know, so...
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- She looks a little sad, look. - It's scary for me, you know,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38cos I'm not a dog expert, you know, I just love dogs.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Why is it scary for you? - Because she's tried to bite me a couple of times.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- Really?- You know, it's like, whoa, you know, scary.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48- And so...- She's friendly if you want to give her love. - OK. Would that be OK?
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Go, "Hello."- Hello. - "Hello. I love you,"
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and then give her a little push. A real gentle push.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- Hi. How are you doing? - Don't over stimulate her.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57OK, sorry, too much.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Now, what we do to solidify the relationship is
0:19:00 > 0:19:03we would go for a walk together as a pack.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- We're in a pack now.- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Yeah, yeah.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08- What's your name?- Greg.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10- Greg.- Retired fireman.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13When you thought about her being sad and her being given up
0:19:13 > 0:19:17by her old family, that upset you, didn't it?
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Sure. You know, we all have personal issues in our lives that
0:19:20 > 0:19:25we're dealing with, you know, from the past. This guy's digging, digging, digging!
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Like, I got abandoned when I was a child,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31my dad left when I was 13, gone, boom, for ever.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33So there's abandonment issues.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35So that's what you're thinking about when you think about her
0:19:35 > 0:19:37being left, you're thinking about yourself?
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I don't know, I have things lacking in my life that I need
0:19:40 > 0:19:44and this dog fulfils that for me. Makes me happy.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45That's it! That's it!
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Tyler used to have real bad issues,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49but he behaves a lot better.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52He bit someone, a long time ago, before she got him.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55He's got a slightly wild look about him, doesn't he?
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Someone told me he ripped up your Jaguar - is that true?
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Yes.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04You've got a very expensive Jaguar car and he tore up the upholstery.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09Yes, in five minutes. Like, even the seatbelt, everything was off, gone.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11How much damage did it do?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Do you think I fixed the car?
0:20:13 > 0:20:15I went and bought a new car.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17You bought a new car?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20That's life. What am I going to do? A car, you can change it.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25The dog, you cannot change him, so I keep the dog, I throw the car.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28You know, life, living, being -
0:20:28 > 0:20:32way much more important than just stuff or money, you know?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34This is the bottom line.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- Good for you.- Vegan.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Go! Go!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Go! Move them legs, don't fall!
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Push it, push it, push it, last lap, push it!
0:20:45 > 0:20:50They say that pit bulls are naturally animal-aggressive.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52- That's true.- Is that true?- Yes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Put it like this. If you got a pit bull, that's a gang dog
0:20:55 > 0:21:01and if he got into a fight already, I will never break him.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02So what do you do, then?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06I'm sorry, you've got to euthanise.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10You've said to people, "You should think about euthanising that dog"?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- Have you said that to people? - Certain dogs, I have to.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17I've run into women that be in their 60s, 70s,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and they've got a pit bull, man, that they rescued from the shelter,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23right? And it's like when you go to a shelter,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26the dog is like an inmate, so he's happy,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28he see a lady bringing him a treat,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30"Oh, there she go."
0:21:30 > 0:21:33But when you adopt him up out of there,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35now you've got Charles Manson.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- Are you in a relationship? - I'm not in a relationship.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43I had a lady friend I talked to but I don't even talk to her no more
0:21:43 > 0:21:47because she said I was crazy for working these dogs, like, I work.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52She said, "Why you don't charge them people?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55"Why you go do all that?" "It's none of your business."
0:21:55 > 0:21:59"All you do is help people with their dogs, I'm tired of you, bye."
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I don't want no woman that don't like dogs.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I'm a dog man, I'm going to be a dog man till I die
0:22:05 > 0:22:08and if a woman can't accept that, I'm not the man for her.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20I was curious to meet some owners who, in rescuing a dog,
0:22:20 > 0:22:25had ended up at crisis point with a canine Charles Manson.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30I heard about Max, an artist, and Nancy, a fashion designer,
0:22:30 > 0:22:31five months into a relationship
0:22:31 > 0:22:36with a two-year-old pit bull terrier mix they'd found at a city pound.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38BARKING
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- Hi.- Hi.- How are you doing? - Good, thanks. How are you?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Can we come in? Wow. Louis.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- I'm Nancy.- Nancy.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48'They'd called him Casper.'
0:22:48 > 0:22:50What about that?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53That's not a good way to meet.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56It's stressful.
0:22:56 > 0:22:57Yeah. Sit. Casper.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Good boy, good boy.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01That was good.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So you decided you'd like a dog in your life, is that what happened?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Yes.- We saw Casper, we instantly fell in love with him,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12he was staring at us through the bars. He was beautiful, basically.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- Was he barking inside the cage? - No.- No, he was very calm.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I think that it was on our first walk that we obviously
0:23:19 > 0:23:23realised that, um, he didn't get along with other animals.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27When my first friend who came over, um, was, um,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32nipped on the arm, later he actually drew blood from someone else.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Yeah, the most vicious was, he just charged my brother full on
0:23:35 > 0:23:40and bit him really hard on the leg, and Nancy couldn't even get him off.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The cliche you hear about dogs is that they're pack animals
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and they need a pack leader, you know,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49because you seem like a nice guy but you're not an intimidating
0:23:49 > 0:23:53kind of pack leader presence. Is that factored into your thinking?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Yeah, absolutely, and I've done everything I could to make it
0:23:57 > 0:24:02clear to him, but he always finds a way to usurp my pack leadership.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05I mean, literally, I would have to put my entire body weight on top
0:24:05 > 0:24:09of him, but he, somehow, is like a little rat or squirrel or something,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13he just squirms out underneath and gets back up again.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It's kind of amazing.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17He's stronger than you are?
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Yeah, maybe. I don't know.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23We almost want someone to tell us that it's not possible for him
0:24:23 > 0:24:26to live a normal life.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31In a way, you want someone to give you permission to end the nightmare?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33HE BARKS
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Max and Nancy had enlisted the professional help
0:24:37 > 0:24:41of Matt Bicener, who styles himself the Zen Dog Trainer.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I just want to make clear for the crew that the
0:24:45 > 0:24:48three of you are aware that we're dealing with a dog that's dangerous.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52You need us to make it clear that we understand there are certain
0:24:52 > 0:24:53risks involved here?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You don't think we're really going to get bitten, though, do you?
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Do I think you will? Um, no.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Is it possible? Yes.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03HE BARKS LOUDLY
0:25:10 > 0:25:13If you could translate what Casper is saying,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15what would it be? In English?
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, right?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22And all he wants to do...is smell me.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Right.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28As a pack leader, I don't pretend, defend or explain,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31cos you are genetically wired to follow me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33My job is to meet your needs, and I will.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Beyond that, I don't actually have to say anything to you,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I don't have to defend my decisions, I don't have to explain my decisions
0:25:39 > 0:25:43and I don't have to pretend that I'm somebody that I'm not.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Kind of a bit ruthless, in a way.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I mean, if you behaved that way to a wife or a loved one,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53you know, you would be acting like a dick.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I think I'm pretty low on the dick meter.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58You'd have to ask around but I think at this stage, I'm past that.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00BARKING
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I just want you to just come close, OK?
0:26:06 > 0:26:08We're just going to see what happens here with my friend.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11HE BARKS
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Don't look at him, just stand there. Stand up straight.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Feeling OK?
0:26:16 > 0:26:20- Are you a little bit nervous? - No.- So this is...
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- You haven't seen what this dog can do.- No big deal.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27So 10, 15 minutes ago, he was afraid of you
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and now he realises, "Oh, these are three nice kids that
0:26:30 > 0:26:34"live in my neighbourhood." You know? And that's how we do it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40Could this dog be turned and be a great social dog?
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I absolutely believe that.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Is that reasonable or realistic?
0:26:45 > 0:26:49Don't know about that, that really comes down to them.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52They just wanted, you know, a dog that you would feed
0:26:52 > 0:26:55and take care of, and they didn't sign on for this.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It's been my experience that when a dog shows up in my life,
0:26:58 > 0:27:03whatever those dogs' needs are, that becomes a gift.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06It's like the gift of having been in a car crash.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09There's only so many gifts like that that a person can take.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11That one can take? Yeah.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15For what it's worth, I have no problem
0:27:15 > 0:27:16if they decide not to keep this dog.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Good boy. - I wouldn't walk away from this
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and say, you know, those people gave up on that dog.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I mean, we'd love to keep him around
0:27:25 > 0:27:27and we want to be realistic at the same time.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Mm-hm Yeah.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- It's quite an emotional thing, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44RAP MUSIC PLAYS
0:28:02 > 0:28:07I was on patrol with animal control officer Shatana Bake.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14City cutbacks have meant that in the entire area of South LA
0:28:14 > 0:28:18there are only three officers working on any given shift.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24With shelters so overcrowded, picking up strays can amount to
0:28:24 > 0:28:26a death sentence for the animal.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31So they focus on more pressing issues.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36We were following up on a neglect case.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44We've come here several times, and there was one dog, I don't know
0:28:44 > 0:28:47if it got into a dog fight with one of the other dogs
0:28:47 > 0:28:50but it was injured and swollen and things, and I told them
0:28:50 > 0:28:54to take it to the vet. The next time I came back, he's saying
0:28:54 > 0:28:56God will take care of him and his dogs,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and they didn't answer the door.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The guy, I think, is on drugs and stuff.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06I'm here about the pre-seizure that we left for the medical treatment.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Did you ever take the dog to get medical treatment?
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Man, I don't need this shit, man.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I already talked to somebody, man, I got a ticket, all that.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19I know, I was the one who issued the citation.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- What's your name first of all? Marqis?- Marqis, yes.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25OK. But what is the issue with her taking the dog?
0:29:25 > 0:29:27The issue is, I don't want...
0:29:27 > 0:29:29HE MUMBLES
0:29:29 > 0:29:33So the list of the veterinarians that I gave you, did you call any of them?
0:29:33 > 0:29:35I ain't called none of them. I ain't called shit.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39They can help you for free, a lot of them can.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41I don't want to have... Here.
0:29:44 > 0:29:45I'll get my dog.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52- So you get the dog and we're gone.- Here's a leash.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- You can put that around his neck. - Motherfuckin' joke.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03What's the situation in there?
0:30:03 > 0:30:08A lot of faeces and stuff, they would keep the dogs in this room or some of the puppies and...
0:30:08 > 0:30:12- Can you see? - Yeah, you can see in there.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16I don't like this situation, this is too tense for me.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22Come on honey, good boy, good boy.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23Fuckin' bitch.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28DOG WAILS
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Bitch!
0:30:41 > 0:30:45- Marqis?- What?- Can we talk to you? - Talk to me?
0:30:45 > 0:30:47Take your bitch ass back to London, nigger.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53You would guess that they were just pets that were not well cared for.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57That's what I would assume, but I don't know exactly what,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00what they have going on there.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04There is a woman that lived here that was taken to
0:31:04 > 0:31:07a convalescent home or a hospital or something,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11I believe it's Marqis' grandmother or mother.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13- Really?- Yeah.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15And so since she's been gone it's just, I don't know
0:31:15 > 0:31:22if it was better before or if it's just gotten really bad.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30- What does that vehicle do? - Pick up dead animals.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Dead ones?
0:31:32 > 0:31:35Yeah, they pick up all of the ones that we put to sleep here
0:31:35 > 0:31:38and also the ones that are squished in the street.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39Where does he take them to?
0:31:39 > 0:31:43There's a rendering plant that they make them
0:31:43 > 0:31:44into fertiliser or something.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17I was keen to find out whether a dangerous dog could be made safe.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20An owner had agreed to let me follow her through
0:32:20 > 0:32:22the process of rehabilitation.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Her name was Angela Anselone.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29She'd had her German shepherd, Burger, for around 5 years.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Hi, Angela? Louis, nice to meet you. How's it going?
0:32:34 > 0:32:36- Good, come on in.- Thank you. Maybe we should, I think...
0:32:36 > 0:32:38BARKING
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Is that him?
0:32:40 > 0:32:41What's he saying?
0:32:41 > 0:32:44I have no idea, "Get the heck out of my house."
0:32:44 > 0:32:47I'm nervous for you guys, cos he is pretty...
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Why are you nervous for us?
0:32:49 > 0:32:50Cos I like you.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Hey! Knock it off, stop it.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Burger!
0:32:59 > 0:33:00What is he doing?
0:33:03 > 0:33:05Hi, hello.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Talking to him won't work. Stop it!
0:33:09 > 0:33:11You know, he'll shoot his anal glands all over the place
0:33:11 > 0:33:13and he just, he goes crazy.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16BARKING
0:33:22 > 0:33:25I'm just going to be a little bit over here.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27Stop.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29BARKING
0:33:31 > 0:33:35Hey, stop. Knock it off. No.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39- Has it affected your life in any way?- My whole life.- In what way?
0:33:39 > 0:33:41BARKING
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Stop it!
0:33:45 > 0:33:49- One of my girlfriends is a vet, she said I should put him down.- Why?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Because she doesn't think this is solvable.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54- You think he maybe genetically bad? - Yeah.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57But I don't know, I mean whose to say for sure?
0:33:57 > 0:34:01I feel almost as though Burger's on my side now and it's me
0:34:01 > 0:34:03and you and Burger against the crew.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Maybe. Oh you spoke too soon.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08His anal glands didn't go at least.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- Oh, yes they did, they went in here. - Oh did they?
0:34:11 > 0:34:12No!
0:34:14 > 0:34:18When I see Burger in that mode, clearly he's, he's stressed out and I,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23and I can see why some people might think about having him put down.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Yes. And they think I'm crazy for keeping a dog like that.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Burger and Angela were putting their fate in the hands
0:34:34 > 0:34:38of a maverick dog specialist called Brandon Fushay.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42- Hi.- Hi, are you Angela? Hey, how's it going? Come on in.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48Brandon is utterly opposed to obedience training of the type
0:34:48 > 0:34:50offered by most other experts.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54I haven't met a dog yet that could not be worked with,
0:34:54 > 0:35:00but I have met many people who are not willing to do the work,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01you see,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05and, and that's why I always ask people, and I'm
0:35:05 > 0:35:08going to ask you too, uh, how much do you love your dog?
0:35:08 > 0:35:10I'm not going to give him up.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14And I'll do whatever it takes I, I have, I mean I've structured
0:35:14 > 0:35:18my whole world around him, my house, I'm not going to give him up.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20I would never kill my dog.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22This is what I want to do.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23I want to go to the car.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Can I, should I put the muzzle on him?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Er, yeah you can put it on and I'll take it off.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32So we'll, maybe we'll film this a little, from a little way back.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36Angie. Shut the door on the leash.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42He looks pretty big in there. OK.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47Just be careful, OK.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51The key is moving forward, moving forward, moving forward.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53That's the energy that we want to see.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56BARKING
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Perfect, perfect. Fear aggression.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09He's looking very confused.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Yeah, that's fear, he doesn't know what I'm doing.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14This is the part where no-one has ever touched him.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27OK, what I'm doing now, I'm just being assertive,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31I'm not being, I'm not making him fight for his life.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34I'm not trying to dominate him,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36I'm just doing what I want to do as a leader.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40This, this dog is so sensitive, see him
0:36:40 > 0:36:43trying to go after the flies even though I'm on him?
0:36:43 > 0:36:44He doesn't like flies.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- Yeah.- I've never seen his tail under like that before.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52- Is your heart beating very fast? - Of course it is. Yeah.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53It is beating fast
0:36:53 > 0:36:56because I'm going to take the muzzle off to prove what I'm saying.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15- Where is it safe for me to be? - Anywhere you want to sit.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Anywhere you want to sit, just sit down.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Just sit down, you guys can just relax.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26I see a lot of dogs like this, because we created it but then
0:37:26 > 0:37:29that's not what we want when we go to Starbucks and we want to sit
0:37:29 > 0:37:33out and have a cup of coffee or go where other dogs are or people are.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- It's not what we want. - Was that nice to see that?- Yes.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41- With the muzzle off and, and...- Yes, yes, I'm very impressed.
0:37:47 > 0:37:52Why should we have to deal with aggressive dogs?
0:37:52 > 0:37:57I mean there's some humans whose crimes are so severe and extreme
0:37:57 > 0:38:01that we say we cannot reach that person, he is beyond help.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04- OK.- And don't you,
0:38:04 > 0:38:08would you not think that there are dogs for whom that's also true?
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Well, you know that, that's an interesting question
0:38:10 > 0:38:15because, you know, I've been doing this for over 25 years
0:38:15 > 0:38:18and personally, I have not met that dog.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22When trainers work with a dog like this and say,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24"This dog needs to be destroyed"
0:38:24 > 0:38:29then you've overstepped your professional boundary.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34I would take this dog and never tell him to sit, to down, to heel,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38to stay or to come or any other training word
0:38:38 > 0:38:43and just exist with him emotionally, hormonally within the moment
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and make a change with that dog, just hanging with him.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50You know, let's say I'm a busy 21st century person with kids
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and a job and a car and all the million annoyances of the
0:38:53 > 0:38:57modern life and I don't want to live in a way that's going to make sense
0:38:57 > 0:39:02to a primitive animal, I just want to live a normal suburban life and I
0:39:02 > 0:39:04want a dog that's going to go along
0:39:04 > 0:39:06with that and not give me any hassles.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Well I, I don't think that that's how most people think, I think
0:39:09 > 0:39:12that's how most people have been taught to think.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14- That's what I believe.- Right.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17You know, the house and the car and the picket fence and all of that,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21you know and then you meet someone that can tell you that
0:39:21 > 0:39:25material objects are not that important, that that is not where
0:39:25 > 0:39:27you're going to find your happiness
0:39:27 > 0:39:30and suddenly all the stress of having
0:39:30 > 0:39:33all those things that you wanted are no longer stressful because
0:39:33 > 0:39:39they're not that important, that's beautiful, that's beautiful man.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41Sit down, don't say anything just sit down.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48This is how you exist within the moment.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55It's not about, it's just about being, you know.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- OK.- That's great.- Is this good? - That's fine,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02he's not feeling afraid.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08It's as though that moment when you took him out and you, you
0:40:08 > 0:40:14sort of stood over him that rebooted his, his computer in some way and...
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Isn't that how life is?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19And since then he's been a different dog.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Isn't that how life is though? When, when someone can reach out
0:40:23 > 0:40:25and touch you and change the way you think?
0:40:25 > 0:40:29If I could thank my dogs a thousand times a day it would not be
0:40:29 > 0:40:31enough for everything that they have taught me.
0:40:34 > 0:40:35It would not be enough.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37You've got a tattoo of a human brain
0:40:37 > 0:40:42and a dog brain in a kind of feedback loop.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44That's what it means, that's,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47that's the whole scenario here that I'm talking about.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Well, come here, let's sit down, let's talk really quick.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54I'm amazed at what I've seen.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Are you ready?
0:41:10 > 0:41:14On your marks, get set,
0:41:14 > 0:41:15go!
0:41:15 > 0:41:19- I was back at Dog Man's training class.- Heads up! Heads up!
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Put your dog in the shade!
0:41:23 > 0:41:25One of the dogs was the stray pit-bull we'd
0:41:25 > 0:41:28found on our first morning together, now newly renamed.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- Nice looking dog, isn't it? - Yeah, very nice.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33- Giselle, they're calling her. - Excuse me?
0:41:33 > 0:41:36- Giselle.- That's her name? Yeah, very nice.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Can you tell the difference, that's for sure.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Come on, Lee!
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Gimme two, come on!
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Come on, don't give up now, come on!
0:41:47 > 0:41:51What I like about Giselle is she's very attentive, you know
0:41:51 > 0:41:54I imagine any future owner would feel very loved and, and
0:41:54 > 0:41:58you know, especially if they don't get a lot of human attention, to
0:41:58 > 0:42:04have Giselle hanging on your every word would be hugely encouraging.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Also even though she really looks up to you, Royce, I know you're
0:42:08 > 0:42:11fostering her but she's, it's not as though if I come over here,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13she's not, she doesn't mind,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16she's, that's not worrying her at all, is it?
0:42:16 > 0:42:18- No.- And I can go like that.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20That's part of training as well though.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- You know, some dogs if you, if you...- Yes.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25She's not, she's not a guard dog.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I'm just going to take the lead, is that all right?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31And then we'll just say, well, look, I'm your leader now.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32I'm your leader.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35She's pulling quite a lot on the lead and this way
0:42:35 > 0:42:37and round this way. This way, Giselle.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42If these dogs are with you for a lifetime, raise your hand!
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Cos some people don't know!
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Thank you, thank you.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Let's go here. Knock it off.
0:42:58 > 0:42:59And then disaster struck.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01What happened?
0:43:01 > 0:43:04A melee broke out between several dogs, one of them belonging
0:43:04 > 0:43:08to Greg, the retired fire-fighter I'd met the previous week.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Mini-Pinny, where are you, baby? Speak.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14She's about this big, 10 pounds.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Yeah. What's her name?- Lexi.
0:43:17 > 0:43:18Lexi.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Throw out on your radio I've got a 100 bill for anyone who
0:43:21 > 0:43:22- finds my Mini-Pinny.- OK.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24- She's on a leash, her name's Lexi.- Lexi?
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Yeah, and if you want her to come to you just go down like this
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and say come and she'll come to you.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33This is America, you know, people respond to cash.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Well, I'm over there just chit chatting with Angie
0:43:45 > 0:43:50and then er, I got snuck up behind by two uh, 90 pound pits.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56And, uh, so the Pin took off.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58So what's your plan now?
0:43:58 > 0:44:01You know, I just hope she didn't get killed and you know,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04all I can do is just, all I can do
0:44:04 > 0:44:07is just try and stay positive and carry on.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09Hi, how you doing?
0:44:10 > 0:44:13HIS VOICE BREAKS
0:44:17 > 0:44:20Anyways. It's been tough, but I feel so bad.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23You must feel pretty upset about it.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27Yeah, I'm pretty sad right now. Pretty sad.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37- Somebody'll bring her in. Is she friendly, your dog?- Yeah, yeah.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40It's always you know, you always have to look at yourself to find
0:44:40 > 0:44:45out where I was responsible for this thing, you know, and uh, you know,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48part of my responsibility was, is that..
0:44:50 > 0:44:52I didn't hold onto the leash.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54That's all right.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Lexi was off among the street dogs of South LA.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59What colour was it again?
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Black and tan, Mini-Pinny. Thank, you sir.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05Oh, man, I'm so stressed out right now, I want to cry.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09Once a member of Greg's family, now a little different than
0:45:09 > 0:45:15the thousands of other strays, another dog with a broken heart.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36I decided to pay another visit to Malcolm,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40he was working with a client on home security.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Alvin, have you been a victim of a home invasion?
0:45:42 > 0:45:45- Oh absolutely, absolutely. - In this house?- Absolutely.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46- Really?- Yes.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49My kids and my parents were home at the time of the invasion
0:45:49 > 0:45:52and they went in the back yard and to the back house and had
0:45:52 > 0:45:55they been coming, they broke into the house and stole a lot of stuff.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58What would Atticus have done if that situation were repeated?
0:45:58 > 0:46:01- How would it be different?- I think he would have protected the home.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05How are you feeling, Big Lee?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Oh, yeah, this is home invasion right here.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14SHOUTING
0:46:14 > 0:46:18That's my boy! That's my boy!
0:46:20 > 0:46:22That's my boy! Atticus!
0:46:23 > 0:46:28That's my boy! That's my boy!
0:46:30 > 0:46:32- That's my boy! - What you doing in my truck?
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Don't make me send my dog down there.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38That's my boy!
0:46:49 > 0:46:51I think Big Lee's got a future in acting.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Back at Malcolm's house and with Big Lee standing guard,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12I was introduced to another dog family member in the back yard.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17That's why she's like that, she's dangerous.
0:47:17 > 0:47:18Is she not trained yet?
0:47:18 > 0:47:20- No. I didn't want her socialised. - Why?
0:47:20 > 0:47:23That's what she's supposed to do,
0:47:23 > 0:47:28it's fenced in all the way around, you have no business over here,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31it's just with me, a security for my family.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35- Is Brownie allowed around your kids? - Oh, yeah.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37So how would she be around us then?
0:47:37 > 0:47:40- She would bite you automatically. - Why?
0:47:40 > 0:47:43Because you're not part of the pack, you know,
0:47:43 > 0:47:47she's going to bite you, she's not getting out, you're not coming in.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51It seems to me that you have a, you have a very developed sense of,
0:47:51 > 0:47:56of there being danger, that, that you have maybe even a paranoia
0:47:56 > 0:48:00about risk being at you at all sides.
0:48:00 > 0:48:05No, no, no, if I was projecting that image to you, um, it's wrong.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07It's wrong. I'm not paranoid.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10Secret service is watching the President,
0:48:10 > 0:48:12would you call them paranoid?
0:48:12 > 0:48:16They have a job to do, my job is to watch my family,
0:48:16 > 0:48:17to watch over my family.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20The President is one of the most threatened, one of the most
0:48:20 > 0:48:23endangered people on the planet probably, daily death threats.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27But do you think his security are paranoid?
0:48:30 > 0:48:34I think they have a justifiable sense of what the dangers are.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Same thing with me.
0:48:36 > 0:48:41My wife, my daughter, my granddaughters, my sisters,
0:48:41 > 0:48:45my nieces, they don't know what's happening
0:48:45 > 0:48:48out in the streets, they're innocent.
0:48:50 > 0:48:55The more eyes you have watching, the better it is, you're not
0:48:55 > 0:49:01really anticipating something's going to happen, but by all of us
0:49:01 > 0:49:07being together and think the same way, eyes are always roamin'.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11It's survival. To me it's part of being a man,
0:49:11 > 0:49:13that's just the way life is to me.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Across town, I'd heard there had been a development with Nancy
0:49:27 > 0:49:30and Max and their volatile rescue dog, Casper.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37Hi.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39- Hi, how you doing?- How are you?
0:49:39 > 0:49:41This is our new dog.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Unlike Casper, he will not bite your face off.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48A new dog? So much to talk about.
0:49:48 > 0:49:52- Yeah, how you doing? - Good. So where is Casper?
0:49:52 > 0:49:57He is no longer with us in, uh, in the world rather, we should say.
0:49:59 > 0:50:00- He's dead?- Yeah.
0:50:01 > 0:50:06He attacked me, but I'm not taking it personally,
0:50:06 > 0:50:10because of what we've learned that you know, about his aggression
0:50:10 > 0:50:16and his fear and it's uh, just a way of him releasing this fear.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20I don't think he even knew what he was doing or how intensely hard
0:50:20 > 0:50:24he was biting her, um, but he did
0:50:24 > 0:50:29and we had to go to urgent care and get her ankle fixed up and patched
0:50:29 > 0:50:33up and he bit her almost down to the bone on that, on that ankle.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- Really?- Yeah it was really painful.- It was really bad.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38- Bleeding?- Oh yeah, there was like...
0:50:38 > 0:50:42- There was, there was tissue coming out.- Dangling.- Yeah.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45It was very, an emotional experience because I knew what it meant,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49that we could no longer keep him, he was a dangerous animal
0:50:49 > 0:50:53and he was very, you know, he was capable of doing this to anyone.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57So how did you go about having Casper euthanized?
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Well, we took him to a nearby pet hospital,
0:51:00 > 0:51:05they sedate him a little bit first and we noticed that as he was
0:51:05 > 0:51:09being sedated, even then he could not relax.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12You sat with him and how, how did that go?
0:51:12 > 0:51:15How did it feel to be there watching that?
0:51:15 > 0:51:18He's an innocent animal in a way,
0:51:18 > 0:51:23I mean I, I still feel like he was screwed up by, um,
0:51:23 > 0:51:27the circumstances in which he was born and it's not his fault.
0:51:27 > 0:51:28- Are you OK?- Yeah.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31It's just, it's just, it still makes you feel sad.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38I guess I'm not really sure if it can ever be fully rehabilitated,
0:51:38 > 0:51:43I think we would always have to be kind of on guard and it's a really
0:51:43 > 0:51:47stressful state of mind to be in if you're just having a pet, you know.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Hi. Hi.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55How are you doing?
0:51:55 > 0:51:59Belvedere just seems so relaxed, you know,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01maybe it's a bit like having an animated throw rug.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03That's my concern.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07I don't want to say anything rude in front of him, but a bit what?
0:52:07 > 0:52:10- A bit blah?- Well, you know...
0:52:10 > 0:52:13Casper was a big personality,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17Belvedere has proved himself to be a very subtle one, I think.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27So how are we doing today?
0:52:27 > 0:52:30Unfortunately not so good, we had to do some euthanasias yesterday
0:52:30 > 0:52:33and um, I ended up doing about 17.
0:52:33 > 0:52:3617 non-medical or including medical?
0:52:36 > 0:52:39Um, there was three behaviours and the rest were just for space.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42So now you have 17 spaces here?
0:52:42 > 0:52:47No, I don't, animals here are able to be turned in 24 hours a day.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50We got so many animals in overnight, I only have six empty kennels.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54I'll get 25 dogs in easy today, so my kennels will fill up today.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Does that mean you'll be euthanizing today?
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Yes. Um, because we'll be getting more animals in.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04I'll have to look through the list, um,
0:53:04 > 0:53:08starting from this section here I have to go through this page,
0:53:08 > 0:53:13this page, this page, this page, this page.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16It's really hard to choose, for lack of a better term,
0:53:16 > 0:53:18who gets to die today.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21She's been here since 6/12.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23- She's going?- Yes.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27Come here. Come here.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44At the South LA shelter, the city authorities had permitted me
0:53:44 > 0:53:48to watch one animal go on its last walk to the euthanasia room.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55A two-year-old stray, he'd been in the shelter for six weeks
0:53:55 > 0:53:57but never been named.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06Another potential pet or even family member would soon be dead,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09good only for fertiliser.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Sit down. Good dog, stay.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23OK, no problem.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Come on baby, come on baby.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29In dogs, we've created over centuries a dependant class
0:54:29 > 0:54:33of creatures among us, but not truly of us.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39Watch out Momma, I'm sorry sweetheart. No.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46They are a colonised species whose chief flaw is to understand us
0:54:46 > 0:54:50too little and love us a little too much.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03- All over.- Yeah.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06We only have so much space, I only have so much I can do,
0:55:06 > 0:55:09but you know, a lot of people, um,
0:55:09 > 0:55:14would think anything's better than death, anything's better
0:55:14 > 0:55:17if you're shoved in a cage with 15 dogs, that's better than death.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20We, as animal care givers
0:55:20 > 0:55:24and animal care takers and... it's not a life,
0:55:24 > 0:55:29it really isn't, the whole thing is running out of room and if,
0:55:29 > 0:55:33if people were just more responsible with their animals then we
0:55:33 > 0:55:37wouldn't have probably the shelters, I wouldn't have a job, you know.
0:55:40 > 0:55:45Every day I walk through the shelter to see what they have up here,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48I feel sorry about some of these animals, man.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53It's like somebody being on death row knowing their date,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55when they're going to be euthanized.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59You have quite a deep connection with, with dogs in general
0:55:59 > 0:56:01- and pit-bulls especially, don't you? - Yes.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03- How do you explain that? - Well, I've been,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07I've been dealing with pit-bulls practically all my life,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11I could have been a drug dealer, I could have been a gangster,
0:56:11 > 0:56:16you know, here's what the streets have got to offer you here, this
0:56:16 > 0:56:20is South Central, the city don't even come and pick up their junk.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21Look, it's all around you.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27Is there something you can get from a relationship with your dog
0:56:27 > 0:56:29that you don't get from humans?
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Yes, cause people change on you, you know,
0:56:32 > 0:56:35your dog will forgive you for everything that you do,
0:56:35 > 0:56:39humans do so much, I had humans beings do so much to me, man, in my life.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43- Like what kind of things?- You know, it's like I lost my mother
0:56:43 > 0:56:47to a doctor, a doctor killed my mother, seven months later my dad
0:56:47 > 0:56:50had prostate cancer and I was helping my dad,
0:56:50 > 0:56:53you know, when he was sick, you know, he couldn't move, just like
0:56:53 > 0:56:57having a dog. A lot of these dogs, we're in the same position,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00you know, I know, I know how you feel,
0:57:00 > 0:57:03you know, and they know how I feel.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Here come a poodle trying to find his way, come on, buddy,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11come on, buddy, hey, baby, come on.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14See? Somebody went and let him loose.
0:57:16 > 0:57:17- Right by the shelter. - You think so?
0:57:17 > 0:57:21I know so, that's what they do, they probably went down there to the
0:57:21 > 0:57:24other end of the corner down there in the car just dropped him off.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28So you see that dog there? That dog'll get hit by a car too, probably.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40Where'd that dog go?
0:57:49 > 0:57:53I thought I was finished with the dogs of South LA,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55but then I got a call from my friend Greg.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57Easy!
0:57:59 > 0:58:01It's not the welcome I was hoping for.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05Are you OK, Greg? Greg, are you OK?
0:58:05 > 0:58:08I just put my body between the two of them.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Lexi was biting her and she was biting her.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12You look like you've been in an accident.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15This is the love right here, that's all she needs.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18That's all she needs.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22Virginia, how do you feel about having Lexi back?
0:58:22 > 0:58:24It's like finding a needle in a haystack,
0:58:24 > 0:58:29I walked all the way around the Coliseum and asked all the workers and stuff
0:58:29 > 0:58:33and, and finally found someone who said, yes, I saw your little dog.
0:58:33 > 0:58:37Did you see recognition in her eyes when you, when you saw her, Greg?
0:58:37 > 0:58:39I saw, uh, relief.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42- Did she come to you?- No she stayed next to Virginia's side.
0:58:42 > 0:58:45- She stayed next to me.- She stayed by you. Could you pick her up?
0:58:45 > 0:58:47Yes, I picked her right up.
0:58:47 > 0:58:50- Put her in her bed, we're going home.- OK.