Education Cures All

Source: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/01/pit_bull_graduation_012510.html

The video and article I found discussed the story of a young boy named Terrence with his pit bull Elmo.  I thought it was necessary for all of you to see this because people need to see stories about pit bulls other than ones involved in building up the bad reputation for pit bulls.  I also believe this shows people that how an owner train their pit bull has a huge affect on how the dog will behave.  If Terrence had gone down the path of dog fighting, Elmo could have easily become an aggressive and violent dog, but not by choice.  The effectiveness of education on how owners can properly train their pit bulls is shown.  Before joining the Pit Bull Training Team, Terrence was about to begin dog fighting; now he and Elmo have earned a Canine Good Citizenship Certificate.  I think that more programs need to be created such as the Pit Bull Training Team because in doing so the number of people becoming involved in dog fighting can be greatly reduced.  Furthermore, when people start to properly train their pit bulls, the unearned negative stigma brought upon the pit bulls should slowly fade away.

 

Jackie

Success as Therapy Dogs

                            

  Source: "Former Michael Vick Pit Pull Enjoying New Life as Therapy Dog"

When I read the article “Former Michael Vick Pit Bull Enjoying New Life as Therapy Dog,” I saw significant proof that pit bulls can be other things besides vicious killing machines.  The most prominent piece of the article is the huge picture at the beginning, which is the pit bull Leo surrounded by a group of children, all with their hands stretched out wanting a chance to pet the dog.  I don’t feel as if this dog is about to go and chump down on any of the small kids.  In case any readers are not aware, Leo’s former owner Michael Vick was charged with being involved in the dog-fighting ring and there is further information in the article.  It is my hope that with the clear success of Leo, people will begin to see the positive impacts pit bulls can have on society and that there is no need to ban the breed.  Pit bulls, such as Leo, can also be used to help educate the younger generations and avoid them from believing that all pit bulls are bad, especially ones who have been forced to have an unfortunate background.  To end, I would like to ask the question” How would you feel knowing that all of the great effects Leo has had on people would have never happened just because he had been forced to participate in dog-fighting?

Jackie

Pit Boss

Source

Pit Boss is a reality TV show on animal planet. On this show Shorty Rossi and his friends recue and rehab the misunderstood pit bulls. This show can be found on Animal planet on Saturdays at 10 pm (“About”). In an interesting twist the people on this show are little people. They are overcoming obstacles and stereotypes just like the pit bulls. People don’t think of little people as active rescue people who rescue animals and also people do not picture pit bulls as the loving dogs they can be.

Shorty runs a pit bull rescue team called Shorty’s Rescue. Shorty grew up in a rough neighborhood where his passion for rescue the misunderstood pit bulls began. He got his first pit bull at 14 (“Pit”.)After getting involved in crime and gang related activity, Shorty ended up in jail. After that Shorty decided to dedicate his life to rescuing pit bulls and making a better life for them. His organization recues pit bulls and fosters them until they are adopted (“Pit”). In his own words, "Pit bulls have a bad rap," says Shorty, "though they don’t deserve it at all. It’s what people have done to these pits or how they have trained them that caused this horrible misperception. Pit bulls are beautiful and energetic dogs that make wonderful companions and have the ability to bring out the best in just about any one – the elderly, children, the handicapped, and yes... even the little people of this world!" (“Pit”).

This is my personal Pit Bull success story of my boyfriend's dog, a pit mix named Roscoe! He is a reformed dog. He is one of the sweetest most gentle lovable dogs ever! His rough and scary exterior frightened me at first but his lovable personality makes him the ideal pet!

Julia

History of Pit Bulls: America's Sweetheart Breed

                                                                   Link to Video.
In the beginning pit bulls were bred for boar hunting and bull baiting. Their strength and aggression made them perfect for hunting dogs and dog fighters. Since the beginning pit bulls were made to fight each other due to their enormous raw athleticism. However it is important to discern the difference between their aggression against wild animals and their attitude towards humans. After fights when being treated for wounds, dogs that showed any aggression against humans were normally killed and not bred therefore through many centuries of selective breeding pit bulls have become strong athletic animals that show tremendous compassion when it comes to human beings.

Also they are extremely loyal animals, it is precisely this reason that they are perfect for exploitation and dog fighting, they will do anything for their masters, even if it means giving their own lives. By the 1900s pit bulls were extremely popular in America due to their loyalty and compassion. Even sought after as "nanny dogs" in some areas of the country. Pit bulls were raised to protect and take care of children. Nowadays people think it is a crime to let them any where near children. Many are at a loss as to how the pit bull went from "America's Sweetheart Breed" to the baby killing dog they are portrayed as today, however many blame the media's sensationalist reports.

Sam

Pitbull's True Purpose

from here

Pit Bulls are constantly being demonized by media and politicians for their "aggressive" behavior. They are portrayed as baby eaters and vicious animals without conscience. These stories are sensationalized by the media to terrify ill informed Americans to convince them to make rash and unethical decisions.
One such decision made by the people and politicians is the Breed Specific Legislation. Due to this legislation thousands of pit bulls have been massacred in the name of public safety. That is absurd and downright cruel. Many of those dogs slaughtered were completely innocent and had no history of violence towards another human being. Yet people have no qualms about murdering thousands of them to weed out the handful of "dangerous" animals. Even the dogs that were forced to fight by their human owners such as Michael Vick's dogs are now rehabilitated and are members of caring homes. This legislation is immoral and wrong, killing any animal simply because of their breed is no better than racism in humans, in most of the cases of pit bull violence it is against other pit bulls and that is because they were forced to fight by their owners. This is a case of human fault and lack of compassion for another animal and trying to pin the blame everywhere but ourselves.  More information about Breed Specific Legislation can be found here.

Sam

Can You Be The Next Pit Bull Owner?

  First and foremost, consider researching about pit bull terriers and make sure you can provide the given responsibilities...
  The given responsibilities can be explained more in detail here. The basics are pretty straightforward in owning pit bulls or any other pets.
  First, be able to provide the right lifestyle for the pit bull terrier. They need an environment that allows them to run and play everyday as any dogs would. There are certain rules that may need to be followed depending on where you live. Therefore, research is very important to learn what is to come with keeping this type of breed. Also, consider training them as soon as possible  in years of daily training. This is another major responsibility as an owner to avoid any dangerous behavior problems.
  Next, being able to provide their needs and wants are another major responsibility. They are much like a child of your own, so giving them the food, education, and being aware of their daily health visits are very very important.
  Finally, love them! Simply loving them will not only make them very happy and loyal but make you an amazing owner/friend forever~

photo from here

Mana

Top Ten Things People Should Know About Pit Bulls!

  What are pit bulls? I didn't know anything about them until I had to write about them for a class. So, I researched about them on the website to only find harsh descriptions about the pit bulls, and assumed that the breed was dangerous. However, I wanted to research about things that weren't mentioned about pit bulls. For instance, pit bulls are commonly used as therapy dogs. I was very surprised about this information. This shows to me that not all pit bulls are dangerous and that there is alot of false information given to those who do not know about pit bulls like me. For more information like this, visit this website here.
  I believe people should research more in depth of pit bulls with non-bias information in order to learn that it is not the dog's fault but us humans who mistreat these wonderful creatures causing them to be killing machines.
  I also believe that "banning" such a breed seems too extreme just because people assume by their appearance and their misunderstood background.

photo from here

Mana

Pit Bulls as therapy dogs in nursing homes!

Hershey Source

Never in a million years would I picture a pit bull as a therapy dog or a dog that would be found in a nursing home.

Recently this has been happening. The full story of Hershey can be found here. She is a beautiful pit bull who was rescued from spending 24/7 in a crate. She was used as a puppy mill and tossed out to die. She was rescued and rehabilitated. After a long process she became a loving friendly dog. She was certified to become a therapy dog and now she visits nursing homes. Her certification allows her to visit the nursing home patients alongside her trainer.  She brings smiles and joy to so many people. A dog like this can be just the companion these people need. Hershey knows when people just need the comfort of a loving friend during their time of sickness or even loneliness. Although her breed is misunderstood, stories like Hershey’s raise the awareness that pit bulls are sweet dogs.


To become certified as a therapy dog, your dog must have all it’s current vaccines and yearly veterinarian checkups. You must have the information on your dog from the AKC or American Kennel Club. To learn more visit Therapy Dogs International.

And for your viewing pleasure and a visual representation of the caring and compassionate side to pit bulls please enjoy this clip from Pit Boss.

To learn more about Pit Boss read my recent post here.

Julia