Rachel, who goes by @rachelishaa on social media, is a self-described “animal influencer.” Her bio on TikTok reads: “I make shelter dogs famous.”
Every week, Rachel visits a shelter dog and shares their story with the internet. It often leads to a surge of interest for dogs — and adoption success stories — that have been held in kennels for months, if not years.
Most recently, Rachel shined a light on Nancy, a pit bull that had “zero adoption applications.”
“Her owner just passed away, and she became very depressed,” Rachel explained in the video, which was posted on August 24.
So Rachel decided to take Nancy out for a “day trip” to cheer her up.
“She had the best day ever,” the influencer said, showing video footage of Nancy covering her face in kisses, wagging her tail, and playing with new toys in the park.
“But I promised her I would help her get adopted, so every week I visited her [and] she was always happy to see me,” Rachel said.
Through Rachel’s videos, the internet got to see a completely different side of Nancy. The pit bull, who had been barely able to lift her head off the floor of her kennel, was full of energy and excitement.
In addition to giving her a “break from shelter life,” Rachel also took the time to start Nancy’s training to make her more adoptable.
And it worked. After weeks of training and weekly playdates, Nancy finally got adopted.
“Have the best life ever, Nancy!” Rachel said in the video. “I love you.”
A recent study by the Pit Bull Coalition found a vast disparity in the representation of pit bulls in animal shelters across the United States.
In 2023, pit bulls and “pit bull-type dogs” accounted for just 5% of all dogs in the U.S., but 22% of dogs entering shelters — making them the most common breed type in the American shelter system.
More alarming still: 40% of all dogs euthanized in shelters are pit bulls.
According to Bronwen Dickey, journalist and author of the book “Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon,” that disparity in the shelter system comes down to myth and misconception.
And when it comes to what a pit bull is, that definition is constantly expanding.
“The biggest misconception is that the term pit bull refers to one distinct breed when really it refers to at least four pedigreed breeds of dogs and then all these other dogs that get lumped into the category,” Dickey explained on NPR’s Fresh Air.
That includes the American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and the American bully.
“But increasingly,” she said, “because those dogs are kind of generic looking and they share these characteristics with at least 25 other breeds of dogs, such as smooth coats or blocky heads — then anything becomes a pit bull.”
Fresh Air host Terry Gross then pointed to common misconceptions surrounding pit bulls.
“One is that they’re natural fighters and they’re hardwired to kill,” she posed. “Is that true?”
“No, there is absolutely no credible scientific evidence of that,” Dickey stressed. “You have specific subpopulations that have been used over time in the illegal pursuit of dogfighting, but they really can’t be held up as the standard for all pit bulls in America.”
She then went on to say that it would be as ridiculous as comparing Navy SEALS to the “standard for all American men.”
“There’s no evidence at all that this entire huge group of dogs — that there is anything different about them whatsoever,” she said.
Watch Rachel and Nancy's full journey below:
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Featured Image: Screenshots via @rachelishaa/TikTok
