PIT BULLS... THE REAL PROBLEM

[Chef David]

This is a second-time-around post....Plus!!!

Check out BSL Updates, a yahoo group that keeps members abreast of the world of BSL.
Where it is being proposed, where it has been defeated, new theories and tactics to Fight BSL, etc. Go to ... http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BSL-UPDATES/

Also... If you are at a loss for real argument as to why BSL is wrong, and how pit bulls came by such a terrible name... watch this:

[Jennifer M]

I just want to say I watched your video... My son was attacked very badly 4 years ago by a drug dealer's Pitbull. So this hit home.

My son was very afraid and angry at all dogs, and I could not allow that, so we brought in two baby Old English Mastiff's... Now with each weighing in at 200lbs. and near 35 inches at shoulder- my son has learned that big or small dogs are beautiful creatures and typically behave as an owner has taught them. He asks about being a dog trainer these days....

Watching this video made my son & I fear other breeds such as ours, which are massive and powerful, will be next.... How do we stop this????

[Chef David]

Hi Jennifer...

Now... your kind of messege is the type I love to see. A very legitimate situation and concern. Your sons sounds like a trooper. If you were/ are close by... I would be on your door step with "the team" and we would have a play date with your dogs... your son being smack dab in the middle of it.
Only then would he see and experience THE TRUE APBT and AMSTAFF (aka Pit bulls) breeds and what these dogs should be under the care of a responsible owner.
My mom, now 70, has feared ALL dogs her entire life. She underwent her third fight with brain tumors back in November. I had only had my two boys (Forrest and Kane) about 2 months. My mom spent the better part of three weeks recoverying with each of them under her arms on the couch. They stood vigil over her and were very protective of her as they KNEW she was vulnerable.
Take the most beautiful poem, kodak moment, and chick flick and put them together and it still didnt hold a candle to the ah inspiring love and loyalty these dogs demonstrated... and still do til this day.

What i suggest is... if you have a local dog park... GO THERE with your son. Scope out any and all large breed owners and approach one... especially pit bull owners. Let your son meet and greet these dogs... on their turf (a dog friendly scenario) and he can ask the owner as many questions as he wants.

Also... have your son look at the videos i have done from the other end of the spectrum. Im fairly confident that he will see this breed just as he see's your mastiffs... fun and loving and loyal and playful. See links to follow.

As for being a trainer... Let him get his dog legs on first... master his fears and hesitation, then look into dog training as a career. personally... I believe it to be a very sound and wise career move as the whole pet industry is on the rise and will continue to be for the next 20-40 years.

Chef David
w/ Team Pit-a-Full

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlRRNgYizcw

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3913079/10649452

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpeowRUQat8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG3HMzPhPzU&NR=1

[Kristi Watkins]

Chef David you are the MAN! I can not stop crying after watching this video. I have been a "DOG" lover my whole life. My friend has a male Pit named Cuda and he is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. He loves everyone and only wants to please. I have a pic in my profile of him laying all over me and kissing me in the face....I LOVED IT and could not stop laughing. He is a big baby!!!! Pit Bulls are AWESOME and worth SAVING!!!!! MICHAEL VICK AND YOUR GANG BANGERS SUCK AND CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL! GANG BANGERS GO BACK TO DRUGS AND LEAVE THE DAMN PITS ALONE, YOU SICK MOTHERF*****S!!!!!!!!!

[Chef David]

Dont Cry... use that energy to spread the word about pit bulls, the bottom feeder humans who abuse them, and to rethink the prejuduce against this breed.

Shhh, between you and me... save the foul language for private messeges. I 110% agree with you about them being the green scum that grows behind toilets in public bathrooms... but we come off as iliterates and loose cannons when we voice our ultra frustration in public forums like this.

Give Cuda a big sniff sniff sniff/ wag wag wag from my three and keep spreading the word.

1st Denver, CO... then the world.

Chef David
w/ Team Pit-a-Full

[Susan Sadeghian]

HI Cheff David, my family and I have been trying to organize a pitty awarenessday in south oc ca but even the shelter where we volunteer says they cant condone promoting just one breed, they have to promote all breeds since they adopt out all breeds. They said single breed promotion is the sole responsibility of the breeds rescue. i.e we tell ppl who go to a pitty rescue how great pittys are,hello,they already know and those who really need to know would not step foot in a pitty rescue. The sad part is we constantly get pittys brought back to the shelter cause the neighboers did not like the pittys and harrased,threatend etc people who had pittys or were just really scarred and not up to the owner showing them their pitty is good. Some pittys come back twice for that reason or the landlord changed his mind usually after a neighboers complaint about the breed or all of a sudden makes up size restrictions and no buisness in south oc is brave enough to let us use their facility as a education place for pitty awarenessday. This includes vets who say yes and in the last minute after we stop looking for places they change their minds. Also most ppl who believe the media would not set foot in a place that will educate them about pits, what do you suggest to do with all our obstacles to attract those who really need to hear it. Oh on entire city has banned pittys here from most homes and even visiting pittys are not allowed to go in parks owned by the irvinecompany. Any way to change their mind and what can we do to attract ppl who dont like to come listen to education and not being allowed to set up for pitty awarenessday anywhere in south oc, how can we educate ppl and make sure the pittys do not get brought back to the shelter? Also most shelters screen potential adopters and their households, not their neighboers and the neighboers are the reason pittys get returned? Any suggestions?
I heard you will be at irvine shelters home for the holidays where a lot of south oc people will come to take pics with pets and santa and potential adopters,any way you can approach the above subjects or find a way to tell neighboers not to judge their neighboers pet simply by looks.
I think its attitudes like this "only the breeds rescue should educate on the breed" is why pittys are banned in a lot of places even in Marine bases now. By the way sgt Stubby was a highly decorated Marine and he saved an entire platoons lifes. I dont know how many ppl are in a platoon but I immagine a lot.
So if it wasnt for sgt Stubby a lot of ppl who are alive today and probably a lot of marines who are alive today incl some who came up with that ban would not be alive today if it wasnt for sgt Stubby who by the way was a pit bull. He held the enemy by the seat of his pants, did not bite him but held him by the seat of his pants litterally and the enemy probably did not escape fearing he could get bit.
Anyway any suggestions or comments?

[Chef David]

Wow... your post is ALL OVER THE BOARDS. Slow down, take a deep breath and... What exactly are you asking?
From what little I can gather... you want to organize a pit bull awareness day? First and foremost... DO NOT re-invent the wheel. Pit Bull Awareness Day already exists and has for 4 years now. Its October 25th every years. We do a thing up in Brea called the LUV-A-BULLY March... its an expo/ rally/ demonstration. Last year, we had 127 dogs (not all pits) marching from Founders Vet to Brea City Hall.
Look at this---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2BfZFOtnTw
(me and team pit-a-full even appear a few times)

I heard from someone on my email list about a pit bull mauling and killing a small dog at one of the dog parks down there (maybe it was san clemente or dana point?) I suggested we set up a traveling show moving around from retailer to retailer with a meet and greet/ information/ demonstration type thing... maybe setting up outside dog parks, pet feed and supply stores, libraries, etc.
The individual dropped off the face of the earth... so I moved on to other projects. I guess they didnt want the help so I figured... "Youre on your own kiddos."

Chef David Edelstein
w/ Team Pit-a-Full

[Susan Sadeghian]

I dont want to re invent the wheel, I want to be part of it. With south oc I mean irvine,Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo,Laguna Woods and those places. Tustin,hb,brea and those areas are becomming more tolerant of pittys.
Lake Forest, Irvine, San Clemente etc hates pittys and other bully breeds with a passion except for those who are rasing them and who are strong enough to withstand their neighboers bullying of their bully or of them for having a bully.
I want to do what bless the bully said to do for pitty awarenessday,this year the sat before halloween or close to that, I want to educate people who would force their residents or their neighboers to bring their gentle loving pitty back to a shelter,but I am not allowed to do this anywhere in south oc and one reason these people hate pittys is because they are lazy so they wont travel to north or central oc,thats too far for them.
My question is how do I educate ppl when noone will let me set up someway to educate them in front of a buisness?
Is there anyway you can tell me a different way to get a adopters neighboer to not judge by looks and media hype alone, a way to get marines not to ban someone who saved their great grandpas lifes?
I want to do what pitty awarenessday was meant to accomplish but since most shelters believe a breed promotion is the sole responsibility of that breed and not of shelters and other buisness dont want to take a chance on even having just educational material near their buisness about those dogs who the media says you are supposed to watch out for...
My question is do you have any suggestions on a different way to educate people on the true pitbull vs the media hype?

[Susan Sadeghian]

I am all over the place cause for years I tried to get south oc to help pit bulls and the best I get is " we dont kill them just for being pits".
To me thats not enough, shelters and rescue may not kill them but eventually they do end up euthanized or similar cause of uneducated neighboers and landlords and they dont always come back to shelters who dont kill for breed,some times they go to shelters who do kill for that.
I am frustrated because noone in south oc wants to help pit bulls.
It may as well be Denver, kill them here or take them a few cities over where they are tolerated cause its too hard to fight the public and the media. Thats the easiest to do,but that interferes with my morals and my love for pittys but maybe I just have to get used to the fact that pittys will never be welcomed in south oc and they still have the rest of the US to be welcomed in,including most of the rest of CA and oc.
I dont believe that either but my hands are tied and thats whats frustrating.
Anyway my family and I can help you get the traveling part started again in south oc,maybe even meet the owners of the irvine company?

[Chef David]

Stay clear of large corporations. They are backed by money which means they are backed by special interest groups.
VOTE NO ON IRVINE COMPANY. You need to land the public... the average joe/ home owner, on the streets, in his neighborhood.
I work with many rescues... one of which is Barks of Love. We did an adoption event at the Feed Supply in Trabuco and that retailer LOVES US. I have done a Pit Bull Awareness table outside of PetSmart here in Fullerton and that company LOVES expo type stuff.
Im more apt to find the small mom and pop pet supply/ retailer that is located in a particular neighborhood.
I suggest you let your fingers do the walking... google or yellow page ALL PET SUPPLIERS in the South OC cities... and start calling.
Explain you want to do a Pit Bull Awareness/ Info table outside the store on a Saturday or Sunday (or Both), that all dogs present WILL BE ON LEASH OR IN KENNELS, and that you are just handing out information and talking to people and that YOU ARE NOT SELLING ANYTHING (products or services).

Get started with that and then email me direct- [e-mail]

[Joe Frazier]

I added you to my loveapit.org email box... when I get ready to host a couple events myself, I'll get ahold of you. Setting up some new features on the web site, will get back shortly to you.

[Joe Frazier]

Maybe the solution you are looking for lies in your own hands. I opened a no walls rescue here, which in short means, I have several rescues that help me find adoption and foster homes, even help with kennel costs for the short time we are looking for such placement. The dogs never physically come here to my home, they are taken from the place where they are just going to ship them to a shelter to almost be instantly euthanized as soon as they come in the door, and to a kennel at my vets, where they are held for a short amount of time, to find a foster or foster to adopt home. Between this, and the gatherings to impliment the spark of curiousity, and the informational gatherings, maybe we can start to just change our pitties awful reputation, even a little bit. Contact some of your local rescues, ask to be part of their network, to get your foot in the door, then explain what you are trying to do... See if any rescue organizations offer you any help or services. Your local shelters won't do you any good, you need to talk to the true rescue groups that give a damn about the pitbulls.

Also maybe have some of your own resources built up when u call around that maybe they don't know about, some smaller rescues that happen to be really good at placement, but no one else has heard of much. Rescues always love finding new resources to help them out, and when you have something to offer back, it makes the transaction go a lot smoother for what you need to happen.

[Joe Frazier]

There is also Pitbulls on Parade in Seattle that happened the 29th of this last month. Yes, the rescues and their attenders already know how awesome the breed is, but you draw a big enough crowd, and people are going to peer over shoulders to see what's going on, and if they even hear one good bit of info about a pit being said while they are doing so, that sparks curiosity, curiosity leads into wanting to know more about the breed, and what is true and what isn't.

I also agree with the upper statement with the son and being shy of dogs. Any pit owner that has trained/socialized their pit to be friendly will be glad to answer as many questions as you want to ask. That is flag shipping for the breed, and anyone involved in the breed, the sites that are targeted for the breed, promotes this. I know I make sure to give people as much info as possible when they start asking questions. the more I can get them to lead to for the next question, that teaches something they didn't know about the breed, the more it leads to another question, which in return leads to more questions. :D It's a beautiful circle in most cases, just by starting them with the right information.

The video up above is very enpowering, I thank you Chef, there isn't many that move me like this one did, as I've seen a lot! You can view my video on dog fighting on my site. www.loveapit.org, that's been the closet to moving me since I've started this... All the abuse videos/fighting videos make me mad, and feel sad for the animals, and want to make me do more than I can handle.... but in all reality, it's few videos that move me, and of course, I have to keep my animal count and projects in a realistic numbers with the resources available to me.

Joe