'Gay' dog rescued from Tenn. animal shelter

The bulldog-mix was scheduled to be euthanized after his owner dropped him off at a shelter because he mounted another male dog.

By

Laura Moss

Thu, Jan 31 2013 at 4:12 PM

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Photo courtesy of Save The Animals Together Facebook page

A dog in Jackson, Tenn., whose owner left him at an animal shelter because he thought he was gay, was saved from euthanasia on Thursday morning.

The healthy American bulldog-mix was dropped off at the Madison County Rabies Control shelter this week and was scheduled to be put down Thursday afternoon.

But a woman who pays regular visits to the kill shelter looking for dogs to rescue snapped a photo of the pup and posted it on Facebook, saying the animal was left at the facility "not because he’s mean or tears things up … But because his owner says he’s gay! He hunched [over] another male dog so his owner threw him away because he refuses to have a 'gay' dog," according to the post.

The post went viral, generating thousands of comments and prompting hundreds of calls to the shelter. Several people offered to pull the 50-pound dog from death row, but Jackson veterinary tech Stephanie Fryns was the one to adopt the bulldog-mix, whom she named Elton.

Fryns says bulldogs and bulldog mixes often show up in Tennessee shelters because of illegal dog fighting. But while Elton has some redness on his ears that could indicate dog bites, Fryns doubts he was fought routinely because his behavior is so submissive.

"He was pretty friendly so far. He’s pretty scared of everything, which is understandable. But he loved the car ride," she told ABC News.

While homosexual behavior has been recorded in thousands of animal species, it’s more likely that Elton was simply asserting dominance when he mounted the other male dog. Mounting behavior can also be a form of play, according to veterinarians.

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Comments: 7

K Seamons May 22 2013 at 7:36 AM

I thought all the excuses were already taken! Our humane society called asking if I could take in (another) dog, a 10-year-old that had been a stud in a puppy mill, crated and under-exercised. Brought this little Shih Tzu in, he saw my Rottie lying on the floor, proceeded to jump on the Rott, who seemed to feel he suddenly had a flea. The little one turned to the Lab-Dobe, but couldn't jump that high. Next, tried to cuddle the two female cats. On the way to the vet for neutering and shots, the perfect

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name for an omni-species, gorgeous male came to me: "Capt. Jack", of "Torchwood" or "Doctor Who". Seemed so perfect for a perfect creature!

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jtgolfgal85 May 21 2013 at 9:08 PM

Long post re Gay dog: Up until 2000, I had never had a maie dog, always femaies and ALL have been rescues. I brought an abandoned German Shorthaired Pointer home at the behest of a golf course and even though he had champion lines I neutered him so that the owner who left him behind would not try to reclaim him. At my house with two fixed female mutts, he played, cavorted, and learned his place in pecking order. He occassionally humped patio furniture, When we went to a local dog park he only

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went after ONE male dog for mounting and the male didn't mind, in fact for almost year it was their greeting. Anyway, I ran into the other dog's owners one night at a restaurant bar and the bartender asked how we all knew each other. We just bust out laughing and confessed that our sons were lovers. Due to the nature of my dogs (I ended up with a second GSP - a girl) I started going "way out" on local trails for their exercise, Ten years later I was cut short for time and we went back to the dog park, My boy perked up and started going crazy in the dark dog run, and who pulled in the parking lot but his old friend and they greeted each other in their amorous tradition. He is still with me at 14+ and there is another male in the house who almost looks like his old boyfriend, but there's no such activity. Anyway, the point of the story is that I've found most animals to always remember their "friends" and in their world their "friends" were those who tolerated their behavior as PLAY. Dominance is usually the explanation for the mounting behavior, but I think that its possible that there be partnerships in a technically asexual environment.

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cebep4567 May 21 2013 at 7:13 PM

I'm glad this dog was saved and went to a good home. And the idea of him being "gay" is ridiculous. But... it is kind of sad to me that there are so many shelter dogs waiting to either die or be saved, but the minute people hear that a dog was given up because his owner was prejudiced about his dog's supposed "gayness" - there's a line out the door to adopt him! You people might want to show your open-mindedness by adopting a dog just because he will be a good friend to you.

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James Godin May 21 2013 at 6:42 PM

Of course he was gay his name was "Elton"(joke). This guy is an idiot and should have his ability to be free revoked. Animals are not gay period, in many cases they have more common sense than any human.

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victoriab53 May 21 2013 at 2:29 PM

I wish this person's response was an isolated incident but it's not; far from it. Wouldn't want to go online and find out why the dog mounted the other dog because that would take too much brain power. We live in a throw-away society. Sad; so sad!

Is this person so worried about his own latent homosexual tendencies that if his dog starts acting "gay", he will lose all control and do the same? Pulleez!!!.

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Better life for him Jan 31 2013 at 6:20 PM

I'm glad he was given up by that person, I can't imagine him being a very kind individual. The doggie ended up with a better parent, and I'm sure a better life. Thank you for adopting him.