Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

So while the was an EXPLOSION of blogging by BAD RAP, KC DOG BLOG, Pet Connection, Caveat, Lassie, Get Help, and many more, on an issue of Sports Illustrated, which gave the cover-story to the dogs confiscated from Micheal Vick's dog fighting operation, Wayne Pacelle (Pres., HSUS) hasn't said a word about it on his blog. Very telling, indeed.

I must be slackin'....

This is Hector, one of Vick's dog

that has been adopted. This lucky little

fella is living in Minnesota with the

famousWallace (Winner of the 2007

PurinaIncredible Dog Challenge,

Disc Dog Division.)

I just found this nifty little site, the Vick Dog Blog , which is a tongue-in-cheek blog about several of the dogs taken from Micheal Vick's place. This blog looks like a pretty neat insight into what the dogs have gone through since their arrival at BAD RAP, as well as what they are up to these days. And with 55 posts (to date) since February 2008, it appears the blog is updated fairly often.

B'More Bulls Show Some Love

Should've written this AGES ago. Thankfully, late is said to be better than never. So here goes.

A year ago saw the inception of an advocacy/welfare organization in Maryland by the name of B-More Dog. While their focus is working with pit bull owners, these folks are open to working with any breed of dog.

So for those of you looking to meet other responsible dog owner's in the Baltimore Area, please be sure to touch base with B-More Dog (Baltimore Dog Owner's Guild), I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

Demo-Dog Holiday Cards!

Jon Bozak and Scott Bruns, the crafty duo that brought us Demo-Dog, have provided the dog fancy with an AWESOME holiday card. I recently had 100 of them printed at the local print shop (full-color and on glossy paper!), and they've been the talk of the town ever since! Click here to make your way to the Demo-Dog Download page for more info.

And while you're at it, get the kids in your life their own copy of Demo-Dog! Holiday Pricing: $12.95 (+sh)

Items commonly labled as "animal fighting paraphernalia."

This post hopes to provide an insight into the common uses of items that have been labeled "animal/dog fighting paraphernalia."

While these items are widely used by dog owners seeking to keep their pets happy and healthy, some communities have gone as far as prohibiting the use and/or possession of these items.

Certainly, these prohibitions are enacted with the best intentions - to aid in the prosecution of dog fighters - but the unintended consequences associated with these laws can bring about disastrous situations for many law-abiding community members.

Treadmill

The following links discuss the many benefits of owning a doggie treadmill:

• "Treadmills a lifesaver for busy dog owners", written by Cesar Milan.

• Treadmills sold by the Fit Fur Life Company for use in rehabilitating injured animals.

The link to the video below shows a treadmill being used at one of our nation's most prestigious dog shows hosted by The Westminster Kennel Club:

click here to watch the video

Spring Pole / Hanging Device

Likely to be the most misunderstood piece of exercise equipment, the springpole, at its essence is a tug-toy. As seen in the pictures below, these devices are used by many types of dogs - not just pit bulls - and are especially helpful to dog owners that are disabled or elderly, many of which may struggle to walk or jog with their dogs.

(Above) A pit bull playing on an outdoor spring pole. (Below) A retriever engaged in the same behavior on an indoor hanging device.

As the pictures above and below demonstrate, the springpole can be adjusted for use by extremely athletic and less athletic dogs alike.

The dog's desire to chase, bite, and grip makes the spring pole an effective exercise tool, and in turn, these are the same behaviors used when playing Frisbee with a dog.

Flirtpoles

& the use of hides

The flirtpole is essentially a tug-toy or hide at the end of a pole or stick that is used to coax a dog into giving chase, and is an excellent means of vigorous exercise for dogs of all breeds.

Break Sticks/Parting Sticks

Dogs of all breeds are capable and willing to engage in serious (albeit accidental) dog fights.

While some dogs are willing to "break it up" with a loud, stern "HEY!", many will not.

Many dog owners have parting/break sticks in order to break-up serious incidents, and without these items the tussle may last longer than it should, while potentially causing greater harm to the animals.

The parting sticks are put into a dogs mouth and used to seperate dogs that have a hold of eachother. Often times, not having something along the lines of a parting/break stick can force the owner to use painful and in-humane tactics in order to separate the dogs.

To be sure, parting sticks are not unique to pit bull ownership.

Food/Water Additives &
Nutritional Supplements

Canine supplements range from joint and bone vitamins to skin and coat issues, and everything in between; many of which are food additives and are "performance enhancing."

While very useful to maintain a dog's health, these items are often prohibited by "animal fighting paraphernalia" ordinances.

In addition to the many local, small businesses that carry supplements, the national chains - PetCo. and PetsMart - carry these items as well.

Why are these common and useful items prohibited in some communities?

Indeed, these types of laws are enacted with the best of intentions, however, the unintended consequences that can stem from vague and short-sighted legislation is horrific.

As a result of this type of legislation, many law abiding citizens are forced to live in fear of losing their beloved pets, and some may be forced to absorb the huge costs associated with legal battles in which they fight to clear their names in court - and hopefully being reunited with their cherished pet(s).

A reasonable alternative to these laws is to specify which members of society are not allowed to own these items (IE. convicted dog fighters, convicted animal abusers, etc.)

Often times, the best alternative is to enforce existing (and hopefully rational/reasonable) dog fighting and animal cruelty laws.

Word of the day: "athleticism"

The Working Pit Bull from Sydney on Vimeo.


Remember When? from Sydney on Vimeo.

Family Feud (Pt. 2)

Since I posted the first part of the Family Feud series (Pt. 1) many "dogfighting busts" have taken place, and at least one case (The Patrick Case) has run it's course; and it could not have come to an end at a more flammable time.

Note: there were many defendants in The Patrick Case: Pat Patrick and Emily Dennis were acquitted, at least one defendant took a plea-bargain, and the other defendants are still wrapped-up in court.

In the first installment of Family Feud, I gave a brief description of the two main points of view with concerns to the Boudreux Case, which, for the most part, represents the situation as a whole.

I cite this scenario because, like the Patrick Case, it caused many to "choose sides."

That is, these types of cases have caused some to become weary of the HSUS (and similar groups)

or,

caused others to feel that justice has not been served in some of the cases brought against these "dogmen."

(See Part 1 for the complete run-down of these camps.)

I feel that I need to note that the mis-trust of the HSUS is not limited to the Pit bull fancy. In fact, there are many interests that take issue with the organization.

For the most part, the folks that take issue with the HSUS investigating dog fighting claim that the organization is only looking to eradicate the breed.

This argument is based heavily on the belief that the HSUS is an animal rights group at heart and is using the Pit bull community as the spring board to chip away at animal ownership.


So when it comes to "busting" dog breeders like Patrick and Boudreux, both of whom have well documented histories in dog fighting, it is believed the HSUS is going after easy targets. And for two reasons: 1) to show it's effectiveness in taking on dog fighters, and thus vindicating it's relevance and tactics and 2) fund raising.


Ultimately, this argument rests on the fact that neither Patrick or Boudreux were actually caught fighting dogs while being investigated, but were still arrested and their dogs killed.


The other side of the coin feels that justice is not served when Pat Patrick, and others that are known to have been involved in dog fighting, are found innocent.


This argument is based on Patrick's past in which he was a well known dog fighter and breeder of fighting dogs. Moreover, Patrick maintained an internet presence claiming to breed to top notch fighting dogs, and will note that selling dogs for dog fighting purposes is illegal.

This contingent will also cite the great number of dogs that were confiscated from Patrick's yard as evidence of his being "no good."

In closing, I acknowledge that both arguments are more nuanced than the brief summaries I provided.

I'll explore the issue further in future posts, and will provide a personal evaluation of the situation.

Family Feud (Part 1)

On Oct. 15th, 2008, Floyd Boudreaux, and his son Guy, were found innocent of 48 counts of dog fighting. The Boudreaux's yard was raided in 2005, and for one reason or another, the case was held-up in the system for about three years. So what is there to feud about?


Here's the rub, folks: some in the dog world are not satisfied or relieved in this decision, while some have been overcome with joy. That is, some feel that he was involved in dog fighting at the time of the raid, while others feel that he had not been active with dog fighting for some time. Seeing as I was not privy to the evidence used against these men, and I don't know either of them personally, I'll reserve my speculation and not assume a thing about the Boudreaux family.



So the feud goes something like this:



Group A is celebrating the acquittal as they feel the HSUS, LouisianaSPCA, and the State of Louisiana were wrong in their actions (IE. raiding Floyd's place based on the evidence they used to claim his involvement with dog fighting.) Additionally, Louisiana state law requires the animals confiscated in animal fighting raids be destroyed - even before the accused has gone to trial - and so the Boudreaux dogs (~ 50 dogs) were all killed within a day or so of the raid. This is where Group A feels the HSUS & Co. will really pay for their actions, and will hopefully learn their lesson.





Group B is not celebrating the acquittal as they feel the Boudreaux men were likely still active in "the game." These folks are likely to believe that Floyd and son were acquitted based on sloppy case work from the prosecution, in addition to a sympathetic judge. This group is likely to believe that since the Boudreaux family is storied in the dog fighting world that they were probably guilty of the charges, and essentially got off for crimes they did commit, and as usual, it is the dogs that were the ultimately the victims.



Again, I don't know a thing about the Boudreaux family beyond what can be found on the Internet. Meaning, I trust these folks were involved with matching dogs in the past, and until their yard had been raided, were breeding the line of dogs that they had developed through the years. I couldn't tell you how "active" these people were with dog fighting around the time of their arrest; and I also can't tell you if the prosecution's case work was sloppy or if the judge was somehow sympathetic to the Boudreaux family.


However, I can make this statement with some certainty: these types of cases will always cause a stir in the pit bull world. To me, the "Why?" of it is pretty simple -pit bulls attract so many different "types" of people, and as such, will bring along many different ways of thinking. We're likely to always have the types that feel anyone associated with dog fighting (no matter how far in the past) should be raided and prosecuted; we're also likely to always have the types that feel that dog fighting should be legal. To be sure, everything in the middle is likely to exist as well.


In my way of thinking, dog fighting is illegal for a reason - our society expects better of it's citizens, and letting dogs destroy one another for gambling and spectating purposes is unacceptable. Sounds reasonable to me. Regardless of one's take on this case or on the Boudreaux family history, there are a great number of lessons to be found in this case...stay tuned for Part 2.

Check this out!

These videos are from a group of Brazilians that operate under the moniker, "SPA Dogs." Weight pull, Long Jump, Vertical Jump, and (my favorite) Vertical Climb seem to be a staple at their events. (I threw in the tree climbing video just for fun.) I believe these competitions are common throughout South and Latin America; which makes me wonder if there are any groups in North America hosting this kind of stuff? If anyone has any information on Americans or Canadians putting on these events, please contact me at nobslnm@yahoo.com.

That said, I have made it known to my pit bull friends that I would like to get these types of events going in my neck of the woods; fortunately, I have a young pup coming up that should do just fine in all of it . As to be expected, I have had several friends offer their concern about these events sending the wrong message. Meaning, some will go away with the wrong idea about pit bulls from seeing them compete in springpole/gripping events. In my estimation, these are fair concerns. However, I have never been one to shy away from the fact that pit bulls are at their essence "gripping dogs."

The concerns that would arise from uneducated and confused observers could be dealt with very easily. In the grand scheme of things, these types of events are great venues for educating the public about our dogs and why they excel at things like weight pulling and vertical climbs - something that is badly needed in the US and Canada.

Remember This One

Shame of the Humane Nation:

The HSUS attempted to fund raise for the care of Micheal Vick's dogs, while at the same time suggesting that the dogs needed to be killed.

And to add insult to injury, they weren't even planning on taking possesion of the dogs.

Contact the HSUS and tell them this is unacceptable!
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Blogs on Dogs

PBRC's Pitter Patter

Bully Buddies

Hug-A-Bull

B-More Bulldogs

BADRAP Blog

No Muzzle

Blue Dog State

PBRC News & Views

Caveat

KC Dog Blog

Dog Bites Information and Statistics

Stop-BSL

Pit bull Blog

Pet Connection

Terrierman

United We Bark

Vick Dog Blog

Lassie Get Help

Absent Minded Dog Trainer

Smartdogs'

Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare

Many folks involved with animal concerns (IE. how our society deals with animals) seek to make a positive impact - a good thing, right?

In this pursuit, most will become aware of the many organizations that work toward bringing change.

However, some that get involved may not stop to think about the unintended consequences that may come from their donations and support.

This blog entry from Lindsay Biddle at the APBTNetwork Blog gives a look at the distinct differences between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare.

Pit Bull Links and Resources

For Pits Sake, is home to Search and Rescue Pit bulls. These dogs have worked on many occassions, some of which can be read about on the website. In addition to the SAR work, For Pits Sake is also home to Therapy Dogs that are active in their community. For Pits Sake founder, Kris Crawford, is also the driving force behind the Knock Out Dog Fighting program.


The Knock Out Dog Fighting Team includes Professional MMA fighters and Boxers, Pro Body Builders, and a slew of other talented professionals. The Knock Out Team works through the school and juvenile detention systems to educate youngsters on dog fighting and animal cruelty issues. This program is the brain child of For Pits Sake founder, Kris Crawford.
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No Pit bull Bans .com has been around for quite some time. The site has many links that are useful to fighting BSL, and keeping abreast of the many other aspects of animal legislation.

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Here at the WPBTCA, we focus on a many diverse events that suit our breed as a working dog. Currently, sports that the club recognizes are Obedience, Weight Pull, Scenting, Agility, Schutzhund, and Ring Events. Additionally, we have developed a Conformation Standard for the working Pit Bull. Having active membership within all of the venues that the club supports assists us in becoming the best organization that the Pit Bull world has ever seen.

In addition to sport work and competition, we believe in community outreach and breed awareness. With the breed under the microscope, it's not enough to simply be responsible with our dogs. We must also fight BSL and guide new owners along the path to becoming the best representatives of our breed.

Ron Marshall,
President, WPBTCA

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By illustrating stories of pit bulls sharing their lives with a variety of people and animals, The Unexpected Pit Bull, hopes to help inspire a better understanding and appreciation of pit bulls, and combat the negative stereotype held against these dogs.

As always, the organization donates all net proceeds from the calender to top rescue and advocacy groups from coast to coast.

The Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC) website is a virtual shelter and resource for owners and caretakers of American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and pit bull mixes.

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Diane Jessup's, Working Pit Bull.Com, is one of the better online pit bull resources.

She is a retired Animal Control Officer that has been involved with pit bulls for several decades.

This website has information on most everything pit bull: history, current events, dog fighting, advocacy, training, and working pit bull dogs - certainly worth a look.

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BADRAP is one of the better known pit bull rescue's in the US.

Their website has great information on responsible dog ownership, and a blog that keeps up with the many issues surrounding pit bulls and rescue work. Their page can be found at this link: BADRAP.ORG.

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The Pit bull Place

is a GREAT online forum for both newbies and seasoned Pit bull folks. It is a forum with many members, all of which have varying opinions on the many issues surrounding Pit bulls, dogs, training, rescue, breeders, and pretty much everything else.

The Pit bull Place.

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The APBT Network Encyclopedia has information on pit bulls and related topics (training, dog sports, etc..). The APBT Network forum is also a great resource.

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Demo-Dog, Jon Bozak and Scott Brun’s green-themed, graphic fable, is a book that has kids and adults rooting for one of the most unique canine heroes to come along in ages – Demo!

“Because every underdog has his day.”

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LawDogsUSA, a not for profit organization that provides American Pit bulls to Law Enforcement Agencies for use in bomb and narcotic detection.


"Yeah, he's a fighter. A crime fighter."

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Wallace The Pit bull, winner of the 2007 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, Disc Dog Division, has a webpage and a forum.

Stop-by these websites for more information on this awesome little athlete.

"changing minds one disc at a time."

One of Wallace's housemates is Hector, a male pit bull that was confiscated from Micheal Vick's yard and is now a certified therapy dog.

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