The tail is not looking good. Do you live in this neighbourhood? Do you live in this neighbourhood? Yeah. I live in, uh, Wa- Watts. Watts? I make sure they eat first before I eat. Really? > Really? > They've got just the right to live as we do. Not` Not exactly the` I mean, there's humans first then animals. You'd find that a big problem here in this city, I'll tell you. God says that he put these animals on the earth for our enjoyment, so please protect 'em and take care of 'em. Don't abuse 'em` I'm sorry. A lot of people` I'm sorry. A lot of people` It's OK. A lot of people abuse animals. A lot of people abuse animals. I know. Don't worry about it, it's OK. It's OK. A lot of people don't care! A lot of people don't care! What`? What just happened? > (SNIFFS) I think about all the animals I've seen tortured and hurt and everything, and I rescued 'em. They're livin' because of me. DOG BARKS I was in South Los Angeles, on a journey through the outer edges of canine companionship. DOGS BARK Do you like dogs better than you like people? (CHUCKLES) I understand them more, you know? They love you and they take that to their grave. You know? Who doesn't want that? LA is well known for its population of pampered pooches, but its high-crime areas are home to a community of street dogs, neglected and sometimes aggressive. The streets is hard. We gang-banged and did all of that. So if four dudes run up on me, you better come right, cos he's gonna bite you. (GRUNTS) (GRUNTS) Watch it. Move! > I was curious about the chaotic world these animals come from. Can we talk to you? Can we talk to you? MAN INSIDE HOUSE: Talk to me? Take your bitch ass back to London. The rescuers and adopters trying to change them through rehabilitation... (BARKS LOUDLY) ...and the limits of what they can do for LA's delinquent dogs. Our capacity is 325. And you've got how many? And you've got how many? 419. DOGS BARK It's really hard to choose, for lack of a better term, who gets to die today. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014 POLICE SIREN WAILS This is kind of a rough area. This is kind of a rough area. Yeah, it's a rough area, man. Almost Watts. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. You've got nothing to worry about. Everybody know me here, man. < We're in the area of terror. < We're in the area of terror. Yeah. Welcome to terror. Don't be scared though. Please don't be scared. < We're in the American nightmare. < We're in the American nightmare. (LAUGHS) I was on patrol with Cornelius Austin, a building caretaker and pit bull enthusiast, known to all as 'Dog Man'. I know this place. We got strays all round here. I know this place. We got strays all round here. < Stray dog? Yes. Yes. < You just saw one? Yes. See another stray. See? You just never know what you're gonna get... outta these streets. (WHISTLES) They hungry. You want to give it away. Why? Because I don't want it. Because I don't want it. You don't want it any more? Why? Because... it bite too much. Man, we deal with this all day long. BLUES MUSIC POLICE SIRENS WAIL Foreclosure's on the rise now. A lot of people losing homes. A lot of dogs been left behind. Ain't but a pit bull. Ain't but a pit bull. Can you get him? No dog I can't get. Dog Man has made it his personal mission to care for the abandoned dogs of South LA. Stay right there. Yeah, he went` he went this way. Let's go, let's go! Stay right there. Yeah, he went` he went this way. Let's go, let's go! Let's go! Camera roll! Quick! This dog won't defeat me, man. One of his pastimes is catching problem dogs with a view to finding them new homes. He's never gonna get it. Is that a stray? Is that a stray? (CLICKS) (GROWLING) Come on, come on! Hello. This not your dog, buddy? Cos you don't want your dog? All right, boss. Thank you, man. Hey, we're from the BBC. We're doing a documentary about dogs in, um` in this area. So you sure you don't mind us taking the dog away? So you sure you don't mind us taking the dog away? INSIDE: It's not my dog. He just` He's the neighbourhood dog. So y'all take it easy. Thanks a lot. Thanks a lot. All right. That's bullcrap. That's their dog. (BARKS) This dog lives there. The guys breed 'em, they have the puppies and they throw 'em out. That` These people are lying. They always talk about the dogs as not their dogs and the dog is` If I let this dog go right now, this dog going right back to that door. See? This dog wants to go back home. Watch. No, it is your damned dog. You won't lie to me, man. There's something special about dogs, isn't there, that` that makes you feel worse when you see them mistreated. Is that it? I love animals, man. You know, I'm just not no dog trainer. I love animals, man, and the dog can't help herself. It's just like somebody getting mad; just throwing you out and it's what they done. And the worst thing that they can do is lie to me. If the dog could talk, they'd have a lot to say. What do you think it would say? What do you think it would say? 'I need help. I can't help myself. I can't shelter myself, feed myself. 'Plus, I got worms and` I got worms then I see a few fleas.' So that could be upsetting right there. 'I'm in pain.' > Pain. Pain. 'I'm suffering.' > Pain. 'I'm suffering.' > Suffering. You know? And always heartbroken. And it really hurts me. UNSETTLING MUSIC South Los Angeles is notorious as one of America's most deprived areas. Alongside its many neglected residents live its even more neglected dogs. DOGS BARK LA has six city-run dog pounds with around 35,000 dogs passing through their doors each year. DOGS BARK One of the busiest is in South LA. OFFICER: You want to turn your dog in? Need to see your ID. > How come you have to turn him in? How come you have to turn him in? Well, um, actually, it was my son's dog and he was incarcerated so` Oh. So you can't take care of it any more? Oh. So you can't take care of it any more? Nah. What's your dog's name? > What's your dog's name? > Kayo. > Kayo? > Kayo? > Yeah. > Here we go. > Go! Go! Get in behind him with the door. Get behind him with the door. Get'cho ass... Give me one second. I don't like those type of dogs, and I tried to beg my son not to bring it home. And I tried to keep it as long as I could. He's causing me too many problems. What's gonna happen with Kayo, do you think? If he keeps acting aggressive, he'll probably be put to sleep. For real? For real? Mm-hm. What's his window of opportunity for adoption? Probably... a week. Probably... a week. A week? Would you adopt that dog? Would you adopt that dog? You know, I only just met him but probably not. In charge of the shelter's inventory of discarded dogs is Kennel Supervisor Leslie Corea. DOGS BARK LOUDLY Most of these dogs ` can you generalise about their lives and their backgrounds? A lot of 'em are street dogs. A lot of them are people turning them in. Jersey is a female or male? Jersey is a female or male? Jersey's a female. > Why do you think Jersey hasn't been picked up yet? Cos she's not cute. Cos she's not cute. She is cute. Cos she's not cute. She is cute. I think she's adorable. Does it happen that a dog like Jersey, who is affectionate and has no track record of bad behaviour, could get euthanised? could get euthanised? Yes. For space. > When did that happen last? When did that happen last? That we euthanised for space? Last week. A healthy animal, a non-aggressive animal. Mm-hm. This is a brand-new facility. It's huge, but it's already full, as you can see. < Kayo. < Kayo. (BARKS) See, he really doesn't want to attack me. He's more afraid of me than I` than I am of him. He's probably a 'fear biter'. He would bite out of fear, not out of true aggression like other dogs. He would maybe never` never` Never socialise, I don't think. Never walked on a leash. Never made a part of the family. See, now watch this. Watch it. Now I'm gonna be the alpha right now. I'm gonna be the aggressor. Get inside there! No, no, no! Get in there! Get in there! All the way, all the way! No, get! No! I'm the boss. That wasn't textbook training, was it? It is, kind of. But see, in a way, I don't want that dog to think he can punk me either, you know? Do you understand? Does that make any sense? Do you understand? Does that make any sense? That's like prison slang. You've been open about the fact that animals get euthanised here fairly regularly in quite high numbers. We never do more than, like, 10 or 12 in one day. Basically, the dog is standing there, looking like this and all of a sudden, it kind of just goes... like that. There's no screaming, there's no` It's almost like all of a sudden, it's really fast asleep. Um, so that's really hard for all of us. I mean, we have all been on Xanax and antidepressants and, you know, we all have because it's not an easy job. Like, I can go a couple weeks and be like, 'OK, I gotta do my job,' and then I could maybe just have a bad day or I know there's a dog that I like... that's gotta go. DOGS BARK But yeah. You don't get used to it, ever. Mm-mm. I was going deeper into the world of South LA dogs and their owners. Dog Man had offered to take me to a training school in Compton that caters to people concerned about crime and looking to weaponise their pets. How's it goin', man? How do you do? I'm Louis. How do you do? I'm Louis. Malcolm. My pleasure. How do you do? I'm Louis. Malcolm. My pleasure. Malcolm. Nice to meet you. Do you work with a particular kind of animal? Any dog that you bring. If it's your pet, you love him, we love him too. You know, a pet did that. We train all dogs. You know, a pet did that. We train all dogs. < Did what? < Bit the tip of your finger off? Do you specialise in protection of dogs? Do you specialise in protection of dogs? We put game in dogs. < Meaning? Um... It's just like we just met each other. You can be ready to do me some kind of bodily harm but you standin' here smilin', actin', you know, like everything is OK. So I take it for that. But that dog ` you not foolin' him. You really think a dog can do that? You really think a dog can do that? I know a dog can do it. If I rolled around every day with a gun, I take the chance of goin' to jail if the police stop me. I can ride around with my dog all day long. And he's just like my pistol on my side. I'm getting scared just thinking about it. I'm getting scared just thinking about it. You shouldn't be. > The streets is hard. We gang-banged and did all that. > That's what make me and Max so effective in the street training that we do because we came up gang-banging. Let me pull the truck out and I will show you. How`? How are you feeling? I'm feelin' good. How are you feeling there, sir? I'm feelin' good. How are you feeling there, sir? Yeah, good. Are you nervous? No. Not at all. I- I suspect a dog's about to bite your arm. I- I suspect a dog's about to bite your arm. I'm suspectin' he will too. LAUGHTER What if he goes for the wrong arm? Say, man. Excuse me, man. Say, man. Excuse me, man. Hey, hey. We gon' holla at you, man. What's goin' on? I wanna talk to you for a second. What's goin' on? I wanna talk to you for a second. (YELLS ORDERS) (GROWLS/BARKS) What's goin' on? What's goin' on? AIR RIFLE SHOOTS What's goin' on? AIR RIFLE SHOOTS (YELLS ORDERS) Jesus. Good boy! That's him! That's him! (SCREAMS) That's our boy! Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself padded up for a one-on-one session with Prowler. Just like that. Just like that. How long's he gonna do it for? Just like that. How long's he gonna do it for? Oh, I'll call him off. Butch! There you go. Stand! (GROANS) Oh! GROUP YELLS/CLAPS Move around, move around! Stand up! Stand up! Move around! Yeah, stand up! Move around! < Prowler! (YELLS) OK. I think that's enough! < Drop! Let loose! Let loose! Let loose. (ORDERS) (ORDERS) (EXHALES DEEPLY) (LAUGHS) APPLAUSE Good job, man. We ain't gonna have to check no pants now, right? (LAUGHS) Good job, man! Good job. Did you feel anything? You didn't feel nothin', right? He nearly knocked me over. He nearly knocked me over. That was nothin'. That was half of what the dog can do. How close would I have to get for him to start worrying? He's not` He don't worry. He has no problem` If I raise an arm to you now? If I raise an arm to you now? He's gonna get you. I` I was just gonna pat you on the shoulder. I` I was just gonna pat you on the shoulder. It's an aggressive move. You have to let me know. Then I tell him it's OK. Would you do that? Prowler. (YELLS). Now. Don't` Don't- Don't pause. Put your hand up. Don't` Don't- Don't pause. Put your hand up. Forget it. Let's not even do it. Some lucky street dogs are adopted out of shelters or off the streets and embark on new lives with new owners. See you later, see you later! Get out the way! Many of them gather on Sundays under Dog Man's tutelage for boot camp-style training designed to make them more sociable. You got two! Ain't no lollygaggin'! Come on! Go! A lot of these dogs come from the shelter. A lot of them already got broken hearts so I'm just tryin' to make they life more easier for 'em to have fun. Show 'em the brighter side of life. Show 'em the brighter side of life. Why have they got broken hearts? Because a lot of them miss they owners. So I just wanna make everything more positive for 'em. More` Everything fun. Hey, no! Bad dog. No! People don't know that pit bulls are bred to fight. That don't mean they have to fight. You can train the fight out of them? That's what I'm doin'. That's what I'm doin'. That's what you can do? That's what I'm doin'. That's what you can do? I'm tryin'. Can you do it? Can you do it? I have some dogs I did it with. Now sit. Sit! Tiger's dealt with really bad issues but he appear a lot better. He bit someone before, a long time ago before she got here. He's got a slightly wild look about him, doesn't he? Someone told me he ripped up your Jaguar. Is that true? Someone told me he ripped up your Jaguar. Is that true? LAUGHING: Yes. You've got a very expensive Jaguar car and he tore up the upholstery? > Yes. In five minutes. Like, even the seatbelt. Everything was off. Yes. In five minutes. Like, even the seatbelt. Everything was off. How much damage did it do? > Do you think I fixed the car? I bought a new car. Do you think I fixed the car? I bought a new car. You bought a new car? That's life. What am I gonna do? A car, you can change it. A dog, you cannot change him. So I keep the dog, I throw the car. You know, uh, life of living being way much more important than stuff or money, you know? This is the bottom line. This is the bottom line. Good for you. > This is the bottom line. Good for you. > Vegan. (LAUGHS) REFLECTIVE TONE I was curious to meet some owners who, when rescuing a dog, had ended up at crisis point with a canine Charles Manson. I heard about Max, an artist, and Nancy, a fashion designer, five months into a relationship with a two-year-old pit bull terrier mix they'd found at a city pound. BARKING Hi. Hi. Hi! Hi. Hi! How you doing? Good, thanks. How are you? Good, thanks. How are you? Can we come in? Wow. Louis. Louis. I'm Nancy. They'd called him Casper. (SIGHS) What about`? (LOUD BARKING) That is not a good way to meet. That is not a good way to meet. (LAUGHS) < It's stressful. Yes. Sit! Casper. Good boy, good boy. Yes. Sit! Casper. Good boy, good boy. < Oh, that was good. (BARKS) So you'd decided you'd like a dog in your life. Is that what happened? So you'd decided you'd like a dog in your life. Is that what happened? NANCY: Yes. Yes. We saw Casper, we instantly fell in love with him. He was staring at us through the bars. He was beautiful, basically. He was staring at us through the bars. He was beautiful, basically. Was he barking inside the, uh, cage? BOTH: No. BOTH: No. He was very calm. It was on our first walk that we obviously realised that, um, he didn't get along with other animals. My first friend, um, who came over, um, was, uh, nipped on the arm. Later, he actually drew blood from someone else. Yeah. The most vicious was he just charged my brother full on and bit him really hard on the leg, and Nancy couldn't even get him off. < The cliche you hear about dogs is that they're pack animals and they need a pack leader. You know? Because you seem like a nice guy but you're not an intimidating, kind of, pack leader presence. Is that factored into your thinking? Yeah, absolutely, and I've done everything I could to make it clear to him, but he always finds a way to unsurp my pack leadership. I mean, I literally` I would have to put my entire body weight on top of him, but he, somehow, is a like a little, uh, rat or squirrel or something. He just squirms out underneath and gets back up again. It's kind of amazing. Yeah. He's stronger than you are? He's stronger than you are? (LAUGHS) He's stronger than you are? (LAUGHS) Yeah. Maybe, I don't know. We almost want someone to tell us that it's not possible for him to... live a normal life. In a way, you want someone to give you permission to end the nightmare? (BARKS) Max and Nancy had enlisted the professional help of Matt Beisner, who styles himself 'The Zen Dog Trainer'. (BARKS) I wanted to make clear for the crew that you three are aware that we're dealing with a dog that's dangerous. You need us to make it clear that we understand there are certain risks involved here. You don't think we're really gonna get bitten though, do you? You don't think we're really gonna get bitten though, do you? Um, do I think you will? Uh, no. Is it possible? Yes. (BARKS LOUDLY) If you could translate what Casper is saying, what would it be in English? 'Fear, fear, fear, fear, fear.' Right? And all he wants to do... is smell me. Right? As a pack leader, I don't pretend, defend or explain. Cos you are genetically wired to follow me. My job is to meet your needs and I will. Beyond that, I don't have to say anything to you. I don't have to defend my decisions, I don't have to explain my decisions... and I don't have to pretend that I'm somebody that I'm not. Kinda` Bit ruthless in a way. I mean, if you behave that way to a wife or a loved one, you know, you would be acting like a dick. I think I'm low on the dick-meter. You'd have to ask around, but at this stage, I'm past that. (BARKS) I just want to come close, OK? We're just gonna see what happens here with my friend. (BARKS) Don't look at him. Just stand up, OK? Stand up straight. < Feeling OK? < Are you a little bit nervous? You haven't seen what this dog can do. No big deal. So 10, 15 minutes ago, he was afraid of you. And now, he realises, 'Oh, these are three nice kids that live in my neighbourhood.' You know? And that's how we do it. Could this dog be turned and-and be a great social dog? I absolutely believe that. Is that reasonable or realistic? Don't know about that. That really comes down to them. They just wanted a` you know, a dog that you would feed and take care of and they didn't sign on for this. It's been my experience that when a dog shows up in my life, whatever those dog's needs are, uh, that becomes a gift. that becomes a gift. It's like the gift of having been in a car crash. There's only so many gifts like that that a person can take. There's only so many gifts like that that a person can take. (LAUGHS) That one can take? Yeah. > For what it's worth, I have no problem if they decide not to keep this dog. Good boy. I wouldn't walk away from this and say, you know, 'Those people gave up on that dog.' I mean, we'd love to keep him around. And we want to be realistic at the same time. Mm-hm. Yep. > It's quite an emotional thing, isn't it? > It's quite an emotional thing, isn't it? > Yeah. GANGSTA RAP MUSIC I was on patrol with Animal Control Officer Shatana Bacon. City cutbacks have meant that for the entire area of South LA, there are only three officers working on any given shift. With shelters so overcrowded, picking up strays can amount to a death sentence for the animal. So they focus on more pressing issues. We were following up on a neglect case. We've come here several times and there was one dog. I dunno if they got into a dog fight with one of the other dogs, but it was injured and swollen and things, and I told him to take it to the vet. The next time I came back, he's saying God will take care of him and his dogs and` and they didn't answer the door. The guy, I think, is on drugs and stuff. Well, I'm here about the pre-seizure that we left for the medical treatment. Did you ever take the dog to get medical treatment? Did you ever take the dog to get medical treatment? Man, I don't need this shit, man. I done already talked to somebody, man. I got the ticket. All that. I know. I was the one who issued the citation. I don't think they` I don't think they` What's your name first? I don't think they` What's your name first? Marquis. Marquis. Yes. But what is the issue with her taking the dog? Man, the issue is I don't want that nigga to be took. I don't give a fuck. Please. So the list of the veterinarians that I gave you, did you call any of them? I ain't called none of 'em. I ain't called shit. They` They can help you for free. A lot of 'em can. They` They can help you for free. A lot of 'em can. I don't want a hand. So we're in agreement. You get the dog, we gonna` So we're in agreement. You get the dog, we gonna` Here's a leash. You gotta put that around his neck. You gotta put that around his neck. What a fuckin' joke. Bitch ass had to come back. A lot of faeces and stuff. They would keep the dogs in this room or some of the puppies. < In there. < In there. Can you see? Yeah. You can see in there. I don't like this situation. This is too tense for me. Come on, honey. (SMOOCHES) Come on! Good boy. Good boy. INSIDE HOUSE: Bitch! INSIDE HOUSE: Bitch! (SQUEALS) (YELPS REPEATEDLY) Bitch! Give my dog back too! < Marquis. < Marquis. What? < Marquis. What? < Can we talk to you? Talk to me? Take your bitch ass back to London, nigga. You would guess that they were just pets that were not well-cared for? That's what I would assume, but I don't know exactly what` what they have going on there. There is a woman that lived here that was taken to a convalescent home or a hospital or something. I believe it's Marquis' grandmother or mother. < Really? < Really? Yeah. And so since she's been gone, it's just` I don't know if it was better before or if it's just gotten really bad. > POLICE SIREN WAILS What does that vehicle do? What does that vehicle do? Pick up dead animals. What does that vehicle do? Pick up dead animals. Oh, dead ones? Yeah. They pick up all the ones that we put to sleep here and the ones that are squished in the street. Where does he take them to? There's a rendering plant that they make them into fertiliser or something. RADIO TRANSMITS DOGS BARK SOMBRE MUSIC SOMBRE MUSIC CONTINUES I was keen to find out whether a dangerous dog could be made safe. An owner had agreed to let me follow her through the process of rehabilitation. Her name was Angela Anzalone. She'd had her German shepherd, Burger, for around five years. Hi. Angela? Louis. Hi. Angela? Louis. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. How's it going? Nice to meet you. How's it going? Good. Come on in. Thank you. Maybe we should` I think` Thank you. Maybe we should` I think` DOG BARKS Is that him? Is that him? Mm-hm. Is that him? Mm-hm. What's he saying? I have no idea. Get the heck outta my house! (LAUGHS) I'm just nervous for you guys cos he is pretty` Why are you nervous for us? Why are you nervous for us? Cos he'll bite you. Why are you nervous for us? Cos he'll bite you. DOG BARKS LOUDLY Hey. Knock it off. Stop it. (BARKS) What is he doing? (BARKS, GROWLS) (BARKS, GROWLS) Hi. Hello. Talkin' to him won't work. Stop it! You know, he'll shoot his anal glands all over the place and he just` he goes crazy. (BARKS) I'm just gonna be a little bit over here. Stop. (BARKS) Hey! Stop. Knock it off. No. Has it affected your life in any way? Oh, my whole life. Oh, my whole life. In what way? Oh, my whole life. In what way? (BARKS LOUDLY) Stop it! One of my girlfriends is a vet. She said I should put him down. One of my girlfriends is a vet. She said I should put him down. < Why? Because she doesn't think this is solvable. Because she doesn't think this is solvable. You think he may be genetically bad? Yeah. But I don't know. I mean, who's to say for sure? I feel almost if Burger's on my side now and it's me and you and Burger against the crew. Maybe. Maybe. (BARKS LOUDLY) Oh, you spoke too soon! His anal glands didn't go, at least. His anal glands didn't go, at least. Oh yes, they did. They went in here. Oh, did they? No. No. (BARKS) When I see Burger in that mode, clearly he's stressed out and I` and I can see why some people might think about having him put down. < Yes. And they think I'm crazy for keeping a dog like that. (GROWLS) Burger and Angela were putting their fate in the hands of a maverick dog specialist called Brandon Fouche. Hi. Hi. Hi. Are you Angela? Hey, how's it going? Come on in. Brandon is utterly opposed to obedience training of the type offered by most other experts. I haven't met a dog yet that could not be worked with. But I have met many people who are not willing to do the work, you see. And` And that's why I always ask people, and I'm gonna ask you too, uh, how much do you love your dog? I'm not gonna give him up. And I'll do whatever it takes. I have. I mean, I've structured my whole world around him. My house. < Mm-hm. < Mm-hm. I'm not gonna give him up. I would never kill my dog. This is what I wanna do. I wanna go to the car. This is what I wanna do. I wanna go to the car. Should I put the muzzle on him? > Yeah. You can put it on, and I'll take it off. Just be careful, OK? Just be careful, OK? The key is moving forward, moving forward, moving forward. That's the energy that we wanna see. DOG BARKS Perfect, perfect. Fear aggression. He's looking very confused. He's looking very confused. Yup. That's fear. He doesn't know what I'm doin'. This is the part where no one has ever touched him. OK. What I'm doing now, I'm just being assertive. I'm not being` I'm not making him fight for his life. I'm not trying to dominate him. I'm just doing what I want to do as a leader. This` This dog is so sensitive. See him trying to go after the flies even though I'm on him? He doesn't like flies. > He doesn't like flies. > Yeah. I've never seen his tail under` like that before. Is your heart beating very fast? Is your heart beating very fast? Of course it is. Yeah. And it's beating fast cos I'm gonna take the muzzle off to prove what I'm saying. TENSE MUSIC I see a lot of dogs like this because we created it. But then that's not what we want when we go to Starbucks. We wanna sit out and have a cup of coffee or go where other dogs are, where people are. It's not what we want. It's not what we want. Was that nice to see that? It's not what we want. Was that nice to see that? Yes. With the muzzle off and` With the muzzle off and` Yes. Yes, I'm` I'm very impressed. Why should we have to deal with aggressive dogs? I mean, there's some humans whose crimes are so severe and extreme that we say, 'We cannot reach that person.' Mm-hm. > Mm-hm. > 'He is beyond help,' and... Mm-hm. > 'He is beyond help,' and... Mm-kay. Don't you`? Would you not think that there are dogs for whom that's also true? Well, that` that's an interesting question because, you know, I've been doing this for over 25 years. And personally, I have not met that dog. When trainers work with a dog like this and say, 'This dog needs to be destroyed,' then you've overstepped your professional boundary. I would take this dog and never tell him to sit, to down, to heel, to stay or to come, or any other training word, and just exist with him emotionally, hormonally, within the moment and make a change with that dog. Just hanging with me. You know, let's say I'm a busy 21st century person with kids and a job and a car and all the million annoyances of the modern life, and I don't want to live in a way that's gonna make sense to a primitive animal. I wanna live a normal suburban life, and I want a dog that's gonna go along with that... Right. > Right. > ...and not give me any hassles. Right. Well, I don't think that that's how most people think. I think that's how most people have been taught to think. That's what I believe. < Right. < Right. You know ` the house and the car and the picket fence and all of that. And then you meet someone that can tell you that material objects are not that important, that that is not where you're gonna find your happiness. And suddenly all the stress of having all those things that you wanted are no longer stressful because they're not that important. That's beautiful. That's beautiful, man. Sit down. Don't say anything. Just sit down. This is how you exist within the moment. (LAUGHS) It's not about` It's just about being. You know? Mm-hm. OK. OK. That's great. OK. That's great. Is he`? Is this good? That's fine. He is not feeling afraid. It's as thought that moment when you took him out and you` you sort of stood over him, that rebooted his` his` his computer in some way and... Isn't that how life is? Isn't that how life is? ...and since then, he's been a different dog. Isn't that how life is though? When` When someone can reach out and touch you and change the way you think? Isn't that how life is though? When` When someone can reach out and touch you and change the way you think? DOG MAN: Are you ready? On your marks! Get set! Go! I was back at Dog Man's training class. Hands up, hands up! Put your dog in the shade! DOG MAN: If these dogs with you for a lifetime, raise your hand! Cos some people don't know! Thank you. Thank you. Let's go in! Knock it off. DOGS SQUEALING And then disaster struck. A melee broke out between several dogs, one of them belonging to Greg, the retired firefighter I'd met the previous week. DOGS BARKING DOGS BARKING Mini Pinny. Where are you, baby? Speak! She's about this big. 10 pounds. She's about this big. 10 pounds. Yeah. What's her name? Lexi. Lexi. Lexi. Throw out on your radio I got $100 bill for anybody who finds my Mini Pinny. She's on a leash. Her name's Lexi. She's on a leash. Her name's Lexi. Lexi? Yeah. If you want her to come to you, go down like this and say, 'Come,' and she'll come to you. This is America, you know? People respond to cash. < WORKER: Somebody will bring him in. Is he friendly, your dog? < WORKER: Somebody will bring him in. Is he friendly, your dog? Yeah, yeah. You always have to look at yourself and find out where I was responsible in this thing, you know. And, uh, you know, part of my responsibility was, is that... I didn't hold on to the leash. I didn't hold on to the leash. < That's all right. Lexi was off among the street dogs of South LA. And what colour was it again? And what colour was it again? Black and tan. Mini Pinny. I'll be right out. I'll be right out. Thank you, sir. Oh man. I'm so stressed out right now. I wanna cry. Once a member of Greg's family, now little different than the thousands of other strays ` another dog with a broken heart. SOMBRE MUSIC SOMBRE MUSIC CONTINUES I decided to pay another visit to Malcolm. He was working with a client on home security. Alvin, have you been a victim of a home invasion? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. In this house? Absolutely. Absolutely. Really? Absolutely. Really? Yes. My kids and my parents were home at the time of the invasion and they went in the backyard into the back house. And had they` They broke into the house and stole a lot of stuff. What would Atticus have done if that situation were repeated? How would it be different? I think he would've protected the home. > How you feeling, Big Lee? How you feeling, Big Lee? Oh yeah. This is home invasion right here. Argh! Argh! (CLAPS) That's the boy! OK, that's my boy! That's my boy! That's the boy! (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Ah haha! That's the boy! (YELLS) Argh! (YELLS) Argh! That's my boy! What you doin' in my truck? Don't make me send my dog down there. (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Ah, that's my boy! (BARKS) (LAUGHS) I think Big Lee's got a future in acting, maybe. (LAUGHS) REFLECTIVE MUSIC Back at Malcolm's house, and with Big Lee standing guard, I was introduced to another dog family member in the backyard. That's why she's locked out. She's dangerous. Is she not trained her yet? Is she not trained her yet? I didn't want her to socialise. Why? Why? That's what she's supposed to do. It's fenced in all the way around. You have no business over here. It's just, with me, a security for my family. Is Brownie allowed around your kids? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So how would she be around us then? Oh yeah. So how would she be around us then? She would bite you automatically. Why? Why? Because you're not part of the pack. You know? She's gonna bite you. She's not gettin' out. You not coming in. It seems to me that you have a` you have a very developed sense of` of there being danger. That you have maybe even a paranoia about risk being at you at all sides. If I'm projecting that image to you, uh, it's wrong. It's wrong. I'm not paranoid. If Secret Services watchin' the president, would you call them paranoid? > They have a job to do. My job is to watch my family, to watch over my family. The president's one of the most threatened, endangered people on the planet. Daily death threats. Right. Do you think his security are paranoid? Well, I think they have a justifiable sense of what the dangers are. Same thing with me. The more eyes you have watching, the better it is. You're not really anticipating something's gonna happen, but by all of us being together and think the same way, eyes are always roaming. It's survival. To me, it's part of bein' a man. Across town, I'd heard there had been a development with Nancy and Max and their volatile rescue dog, Casper. Hi. Hi. Hi. How you doing? Hi. Hi. How you doing? Good. This is our new dog. Unlike Casper, he will not bite your face off. A new dog. A new dog. Yeah. A new dog. Yeah. So much to talk about. Yeah. How you doin'? Yeah. How you doin'? Good. > So where is Casper? He is no longer with us ` in the world, rather, we should say. (CHUCKLES) He's dead? > He's dead? > BOTH: Yes. He attacked me. But I'm not taking it personally because of what we've learned, you know, about his aggression and his fear, and it's, uh, just a way of him releasing this fear. I don't think he even knew what he was doing or how intensely hard he was biting her, um, but he did. And we had to go to Urgent Care and get her ankle fixed up and patched up and` Ew. > Ew. > He bit her almost down to the bone on that` on that ankle. Really? > Really? > Yeah. Really? > Yeah. Yeah. It was really painful. > It was really bad. It was really bad. Bleeding? > It was really bad. Bleeding? > Oh yeah. There was, like... < There was` There was tissue coming out. < There was` There was tissue coming out. Dangling. It was very an emotional experience because I knew what it meant ` that we can no longer keep him. He was a dangerous animal, and he was very` you know, he was capable of doing this to anyone. So how did you go about having Casper euthanised? Well, we took him to a nearby pet hospital. They sedate him a little bit first, and we noticed that as he was being sedated, even then, he could not relax. You sat with him, and how did that go? How did it feel to be there watching that? < (SIGHS) He's an innocent animal, in a way. I mean, I still feel like he was screwed up by, um, the circumstance in which he was born. It's not his fault. Are you OK? It's just` It's just` If it still makes you feel sad... Hi! Hi! (LAUGHS) Hi! (LAUGHS) Hi! How are you doing? Belvedere just seems so relaxed. You know, maybe it's a bit like having an animated throw rug. That's my concern. (LAUGHS) < I don't want to say anything rude in front of him. < I don't want to say anything rude in front of him. BOTH LAUGH < What? A bit what? A bit 'blah'. Well, you know. I... Casper was a big personality. Belvedere has proved himself to be a very subtle one, I think. PIGEONS COO So how are we doing today? Unfortunately, not so good. We had to do some euthanasias yesterday, and, um, I ended up doing about 17. 17 non-medical? Or including medical? > There was three behaviours, and the rest were just for space. There was three behaviours, and the rest were just for space. So now you have 17 spaces here? No, I don't. Animals here are able to be turned in 24 hours a day. We got so many animals in overnight, I only have six empty kennels. I'll get 25 dogs in easy today. So my kennels will fill up today. Does that mean you'll be euthanising today? Yes, um, because we'll be getting more animals in. I'll have to look through the list. Um, starting from this section here, I have to go through this page, this page, this page, this page, this page. It's really hard to choose ` for lack of a better term ` who gets to die today. She's been here since 6/12. She's been here since 6/12. She's going? Yes. Yes. DOGS BARK Come here. At the South LA shelter, the city authorities had permitted me to watch one animal go on its last walk to the euthanasia room; a 2-year-old stray ` he'd been in the shelter for six weeks but never been named. UNSETTLING MUSIC Another potential pet or even family member would soon be dead, good only for fertiliser. Sit down. Good dog. Stay. OK. No problem. Come on, baby. Come on, baby. In dogs, we've created over centuries a dependent class of creatures among us but not truly of us. Watch out, mama. I'm sorry, sweetheart. No. DOGS BARK They are a colonised species whose chief flaw is to understand us too little and love us a little too much. UNSETTLING MUSIC CONTINUES DOGS BARK All over? > Yeah. We only have so much space. I only have so much I can do. But, you know, a lot of people, um, would think anything's better than death. Anything's better; if you're shoved in a cage with 15 dogs, that's better than death. We, as animal caregivers and animal caretakers and` It's not a life. It really isn't. The whole thing is running out of room, and if people were just more responsible with their animals, then we wouldn't have, probably, the shelters. I wouldn't have a job, you know? DOGS BARK Every day I walk through the shelter to see what they have up here. I feel sorry about some of these animals, man. It's just like somebody bein' on death row, knowin' they date when they gon' be euthanised. You have quite a deep connection with` with dogs in general and pit bulls especially, don't you? How do you explain that? Well, I been dealing` I been dealing with pit bulls practically all my life. I could've been a drug dealer. I could've been a gangster. You know? I'm talkin' about` This what` This what the streets got to offer you here. This is South Central. The city don't even come and pick up they junk. Look! It's all around you. Is there something that you can get from a relationship with your dog that you don't get from humans? Yes, cos people change on you. You know? Your dog forgive you for everything that you do. Humans do so much. I've had human beings do so much to me, man, in my life. Like what kind of things? Like what kind of things? You know, it's like, I lost my mother to a doctor. A doctor killed my mother. Seven months later, my dad had prostate cancer and I was helpin' my dad, you know, when he was sick. He couldn't move. Just like a dog with parvo. A lot of these dogs, we're in the same position. You know? I know how you feel. You know? And they know how I feel. Here come a poodle tryin' to find his way. Come on, buddy! Come on, partner. Hey, baby. Come on. See? Somebody went and let him loose. Right by the shelter. You think so? You think so? I know so, what they do. > They probably went down there to the other end of the corner in the car and dropped him off. So you see that dog there? That dog gonna get hit by a car too, probably. CAR REVS Where'd y'all go? DOG BARKS # You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, # been snoopin' round my door. # I thought I was finished with the dogs of South LA. But then I got a call from my friend, Greg. GREG: Easy! It's not the welcome I was hoping for. Are you OK, Greg? Greg, are you OK? I'm just putting my body in-between the two of them. The` Lexi was biting her and she was biting her! You look like you've been in an accident. You look like you've been in an accident. Go like this. This is the love here. That's all she needs. That's all she needs. Hi, Boo Boo. Virginia, how do you feel about having Lexi back? It's like finding a needle in a haystack. I walked all the way around the coliseum and asked all the workers and stuff, and finally found someone who said, 'Yes, I saw your little dog.' Did you see recognition in her eyes when you saw her, Greg? I saw, uh, relief. I saw, uh, relief. Did she come to you? > No, she stayed by Virginia's side. No, she stayed by Virginia's side. She stayed next to me. No, she stayed by Virginia's side. She stayed next to me. Could you pick her up? > Yes. I picked her right up. Put her into bed. We're going home. Put her into bed. We're going home. OK. Captions by Jake Ebdale. Edited by Jessica Boell. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014