Post by RealPitBull on Apr 9, 2008 13:11:20 GMT -5
Woman takes in dogs seized in Feb. raids
Wash.-based expert readies animals for police work
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By: Patrick McNamara
April 9, 2008
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She came all the way from Olympia, Wash., to rescue abused and neglected dogs.
“The first time I met a pit bull I met a soul mate,” said Diane Jessup while Pima County Animal Care Center and Humane Society of Southern Arizona workers marched dogs into a fenced yard.
Jessup traveled to Tucson with a special mission: to find homes for as many pit bulls as possible.
But these aren’t typical house pets.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department seized the animals in a series of busts of suspected fight-dog breeding operations.
In all, 150 dogs were taken in the February raids. The courts released the dogs last week.
Pit bulls, like the alleged fighting animals Jessup came to rescue, have long had a reputation for violence, ferocity and viciousness.
That stereotype fades rapidly after watching Jessup with the dogs.
“The most common misconception is that pit bulls weigh 100 pounds and are mean,” Jessup said with a 50-pound dog on her lap.
With 25 years of experience working with the breed, Jessup said the dogs are simply the victims of bad press and, more importantly, bad treatment.
“Unfortunately, they are the preferred breed of some high-risk dog owners,” Jessup said.
If raised in normal situations, Jessup believes the breed can be great companion animals and family dogs. The statistics might bear her out.
According to the American Temperament Testing Society, a group that promotes uniform disposition testing for dog breeds, American Staffordshire and American pit bull terriers (breeds generically referred to as pit bulls) both made high marks.
With more than 500 tests conducted on each breed, greater than 80 percent of dogs passed.
By way of comparison, 79 percent of collies, 77 percent of Doberman pinschers and 67 percent of Shetland sheepdogs passed the same test.
The dogs are well suited for police work, sniffing for explosives, drugs, arson and cadavers, Jessup said.
She plans to take some of the dogs home to Washington where, through her organization Law Dogs USA, she’ll place them with police departments in need.
As dogs cautiously entered the yard, Jessup evaluated each using a tennis ball fastened to rope, a typical dog toy, but one these dogs likely have never seen.
Jessup tested the dogs’ interests using the ball, to see if they exhibited any desire to play and concentrate on something other than their kennelmates.
“They have to have a really high interest in toys to be a detective dog,” she said.
Few of the dogs passed the test.
“These dogs are at a real disadvantage, because they’ve been raised in absolute isolation,” Jessup said.
Long the province of Germanic breeds like German shepherds, Doberman pinschers and rottweilers, Jessup said pit bulls have begun to gain some popularity in the law enforcement community.
“Pits are great,” Jessup said. “They are people-friendly and have a high desire to complete a job.”
Part of the draw the pit bulls have, Jessup said, is the price.
Dogs raised in Germany can cost thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t include training. Jessup gives police dogs rescued from suspected fighting and breeding operations like those Pima County officials say they thwarted in February.
She doesn’t charge anything for the dogs.
Since 2004, Jessup has placed eight rescued pit bulls with law enforcement agencies.
“This is absolutely passion for the breed,” she said.
And there’s no shortage of pit bulls in the nation’s pounds and dog rescue centers.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that up to 20 percent of the country’s sheltered dogs are pit bulls. To Jessup it’s a reflection of the breed’s popularity.
But finding dogs suitable for police work from such rescue situations is difficult, especially adult dogs that may have been involved in fighting or locked away in kennels as part of breeding operations.
Perhaps fewer than one in 10 adult dogs make the cut for Jessup’s rescue efforts.
The puppies are a different story. Most of the pit bull pups Jessup inspected haven’t learned aggressiveness toward other dogs or lived lives in total isolation the way many breeding and fighting dogs have.
“That one will make the trip,” an exuberant Jessup said of a red sable-colored pup.
The puppy seemed undaunted by the strange surroundings and unfamiliar people. Like any puppy, he just wanted to have fun.
“Every one wanted to play, but he was more focused on play,” she said.
After a parade of 10 dogs, Jessup selected four dogs — three pups and one adult — with the temperament and qualities needed to become effective police dogs.
Jessup also evaluated dogs at a second Pima County facility where she found one more ready to make the trip back to Washington.
The Humane Society of the United States paid for Jessup to come to Tucson and plans to pay for the medical and vaccination costs for with the dogs. The Humane Society also will pay to have the dogs brought to Jessup in Washington.
Pit bull enthusiasts have often been at odds with the Humane Society. Many believing the group has sought to eradicate the entire pit bull population fro the United States, a belief Jessup said too she once shared.
But now Jessup said she’s excited to be working with the group.
“They have really stepped up and see these dogs as the victims,” she said.
As she prepared to leave to inspect the second batch of dogs at another shelter, a man in an old pickup rolled into the parking lot.
He jumped out of the truck and shouted, “Is anyone here with animal control?”
A large male pit bull followed him out of the truck’s cab.
“He’s really nice,” the man said, explaining how he found the dog abandoned in a park being chased by coyotes.
Catching sight of another dog, the newcomer darted toward the yard where the two began to violently bark and growl, nothing but chain-link fencing to prevent a bloody conflict.
Animal Care Center workers quickly leashed the pit bull and dragged him in for processing, another of the thousands of dogs brought in every year.
Wash.-based expert readies animals for police work
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By: Patrick McNamara
April 9, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She came all the way from Olympia, Wash., to rescue abused and neglected dogs.
“The first time I met a pit bull I met a soul mate,” said Diane Jessup while Pima County Animal Care Center and Humane Society of Southern Arizona workers marched dogs into a fenced yard.
Jessup traveled to Tucson with a special mission: to find homes for as many pit bulls as possible.
But these aren’t typical house pets.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department seized the animals in a series of busts of suspected fight-dog breeding operations.
In all, 150 dogs were taken in the February raids. The courts released the dogs last week.
Pit bulls, like the alleged fighting animals Jessup came to rescue, have long had a reputation for violence, ferocity and viciousness.
That stereotype fades rapidly after watching Jessup with the dogs.
“The most common misconception is that pit bulls weigh 100 pounds and are mean,” Jessup said with a 50-pound dog on her lap.
With 25 years of experience working with the breed, Jessup said the dogs are simply the victims of bad press and, more importantly, bad treatment.
“Unfortunately, they are the preferred breed of some high-risk dog owners,” Jessup said.
If raised in normal situations, Jessup believes the breed can be great companion animals and family dogs. The statistics might bear her out.
According to the American Temperament Testing Society, a group that promotes uniform disposition testing for dog breeds, American Staffordshire and American pit bull terriers (breeds generically referred to as pit bulls) both made high marks.
With more than 500 tests conducted on each breed, greater than 80 percent of dogs passed.
By way of comparison, 79 percent of collies, 77 percent of Doberman pinschers and 67 percent of Shetland sheepdogs passed the same test.
The dogs are well suited for police work, sniffing for explosives, drugs, arson and cadavers, Jessup said.
She plans to take some of the dogs home to Washington where, through her organization Law Dogs USA, she’ll place them with police departments in need.
As dogs cautiously entered the yard, Jessup evaluated each using a tennis ball fastened to rope, a typical dog toy, but one these dogs likely have never seen.
Jessup tested the dogs’ interests using the ball, to see if they exhibited any desire to play and concentrate on something other than their kennelmates.
“They have to have a really high interest in toys to be a detective dog,” she said.
Few of the dogs passed the test.
“These dogs are at a real disadvantage, because they’ve been raised in absolute isolation,” Jessup said.
Long the province of Germanic breeds like German shepherds, Doberman pinschers and rottweilers, Jessup said pit bulls have begun to gain some popularity in the law enforcement community.
“Pits are great,” Jessup said. “They are people-friendly and have a high desire to complete a job.”
Part of the draw the pit bulls have, Jessup said, is the price.
Dogs raised in Germany can cost thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t include training. Jessup gives police dogs rescued from suspected fighting and breeding operations like those Pima County officials say they thwarted in February.
She doesn’t charge anything for the dogs.
Since 2004, Jessup has placed eight rescued pit bulls with law enforcement agencies.
“This is absolutely passion for the breed,” she said.
And there’s no shortage of pit bulls in the nation’s pounds and dog rescue centers.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that up to 20 percent of the country’s sheltered dogs are pit bulls. To Jessup it’s a reflection of the breed’s popularity.
But finding dogs suitable for police work from such rescue situations is difficult, especially adult dogs that may have been involved in fighting or locked away in kennels as part of breeding operations.
Perhaps fewer than one in 10 adult dogs make the cut for Jessup’s rescue efforts.
The puppies are a different story. Most of the pit bull pups Jessup inspected haven’t learned aggressiveness toward other dogs or lived lives in total isolation the way many breeding and fighting dogs have.
“That one will make the trip,” an exuberant Jessup said of a red sable-colored pup.
The puppy seemed undaunted by the strange surroundings and unfamiliar people. Like any puppy, he just wanted to have fun.
“Every one wanted to play, but he was more focused on play,” she said.
After a parade of 10 dogs, Jessup selected four dogs — three pups and one adult — with the temperament and qualities needed to become effective police dogs.
Jessup also evaluated dogs at a second Pima County facility where she found one more ready to make the trip back to Washington.
The Humane Society of the United States paid for Jessup to come to Tucson and plans to pay for the medical and vaccination costs for with the dogs. The Humane Society also will pay to have the dogs brought to Jessup in Washington.
Pit bull enthusiasts have often been at odds with the Humane Society. Many believing the group has sought to eradicate the entire pit bull population fro the United States, a belief Jessup said too she once shared.
But now Jessup said she’s excited to be working with the group.
“They have really stepped up and see these dogs as the victims,” she said.
As she prepared to leave to inspect the second batch of dogs at another shelter, a man in an old pickup rolled into the parking lot.
He jumped out of the truck and shouted, “Is anyone here with animal control?”
A large male pit bull followed him out of the truck’s cab.
“He’s really nice,” the man said, explaining how he found the dog abandoned in a park being chased by coyotes.
Catching sight of another dog, the newcomer darted toward the yard where the two began to violently bark and growl, nothing but chain-link fencing to prevent a bloody conflict.
Animal Care Center workers quickly leashed the pit bull and dragged him in for processing, another of the thousands of dogs brought in every year.