Many aspects of Louisiana culture imply bigger is better, but the opposite may be true for Louisiana’s dogs.Animal Control officers and volunteers will rescue any dog they find on the street, but the dogs they most commonly find roughing it in                                                        Sportsman’s Paradise are bigger breeds.Richard Byrd, East Baton Rouge Animal Control and Rescue Center operations manager, said the most common dog at the shelter is a Labrador retriever or Lab mix. He said there are a lot of mixed breeds including hound mixes, husky  mixes, terrier mixes, pit bull mixes and German shepherd mixes.Katherine LeBlanc, director of communications for the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said dog shelters in Louisiana don’t mirror what the media are calling the “Paris Hilton syndrome” in California.The West Coast state is seeing an increase of Chihuahuas in their animal shelters. Animal lovers are blaming Hollywood celebrities like Paris Hilton for the surplus of the tiny pet, according to a Dec. 10 Los Angeles Times article. Marianne Fairchild, EBR Animal Control veterinarian, said people are more likely to own smaller dogs in California because it’s a more metropolitan state. She said bigger dogs are more prominent in Louisiana because of the sportsman environment.LeBlanc said pit bulls — or American Staffordshire terriers — make up about 70 percent of the dog population at LA/SPACA in New Orleans. She said pit bulls started as the ideal family pet but have become less popular because of their association with dog fighting. She said pit bulls are a popular breed in the Southern states in general.Fairchild said pit bulls are not allowed for adoption at EBR Animal Control.”With our demographic [in Louisiana], it’s hard to find the right environment [for pit bulls],” she said. “The demographics are such that there are a lot of pit bulls in Louisiana for dog fighting.”George Dowing, EBR Animal Control animal caretaker, said the Center is more likely to rescue hounds and Labs in the countryside while pit bulls and mixed breeds are more likely to be rescued in the city.Small- to medium-sized dogs are adopted faster than the bigger dogs at EBR Animal Control, Dowing said.”Most people want smaller dogs or lap dogs,” he said. “People figure they’re easier to take care of and show love to. People tend to care for little dogs more [because they can be held].”Fairchild said shih tzus end up in shelters because pet owners can’t afford the cost of the dog’s high-maintenance fur. She said EBR Animal Control rescues a fair amount of Chihuahuas because they’re overbred. LeBlanc said pit bulls seem to be in the kennels longer because there are so many of them compared to other breeds. LeBlanc said the LA/SPCA works with about 11,000 animals per year. She said the LA/SPCA can hold 300 animals, and they have about 50 animals up for adoption at a time.”Euthanasia is part of our job, and it’s because people are not spaying or neutering their animals,” she said. “[People have] a lack of education of how spay or neutering affects a pet and the affordability of the surgery.”The adoption fee at EBR Animal Control is $70. Byrd said the adoption-ready dogs are spayed or neutered, rabies-free and have microchips.”I don’t know where you’ll find a pure-blood for $70,” he said. “And it won’t be spayed or neutered with a microchip.”Fairchild said mixed breeds can be healthier than purebred dogs because they have a more diverse gene pool.Kaitlin Saragusa, mass communication freshman, volunteers at EBR Animal Control once a week because she enjoys being around dogs. Dogs available for adoption at the shelter can make good pets for anyone, she said.Adopting two dogs from the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society benefitted Caroline Tyler and her family in more ways than just saving money.”We thought about the whole breeder thing … [but] why not save money and save a life at the same time?” said Tyler, undeclared junior.Byrd said adopting a pet is a great option for people who can’t afford breeders. He said adopting a dog from a shelter ultimately saves two lives: the adopted dog and the stray that will take its place in the adoption pen.”People can get a dog that is hungry for love and hungry for affection,” Byrd said. “All you have to do is treat it right, and it will love with everything it’s got.”–Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]