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Dogtown
Aug 23, 2008 17:31:37 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Aug 23, 2008 17:31:37 GMT -5
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs, 9/5 at 9pm on Nat Geo. The commercial alone made me feel like crying.
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Dogtown
Sept 1, 2008 15:08:09 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 1, 2008 15:08:09 GMT -5
I can't wait to see this. Some of our volunteers went there a month ago and they cried for sure.
From what I've heard it should be good. Leo's pic will be shown at the end with his big 'ole head.
I've found that with all these shows/clips that I either don't agree with some small or maybe large aspect of something or feel I have to defend a point of view.
I've come to think that there's a real learning process that's going on with the media. They really don't know as writers how to express to educate the public about Pit Bulls and their history except what they've been told by other misguided media. I think if we just keep on pluggin' on then we'll get there.
I talked to a producer of a show the other day about not saying "training to fight" or talk about bait dogs. She was SO very interested in why we wouldn't say that and was VERY willing to learn about it and also willing to change the language!!!!!!!!!! Well, we'll see I 'spose.
I go to sleep now with my fingers X'd.
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Dogtown
Sept 5, 2008 22:11:11 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 5, 2008 22:11:11 GMT -5
I just watched. Thoughts anyone?
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Dogtown
Sept 7, 2008 9:21:59 GMT -5
Post by emilys on Sept 7, 2008 9:21:59 GMT -5
I think everyone agrees that the introduction of Cherry to the other dog was done incredibly stupidly, and that the BF obsession with dogs having to get along with other dogs is also stupid and bad for our breed. Having said that, I was very impressed with the love that the BF staff show for the dogs, and sniffled through the whole thing.
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Dogtown
Sept 7, 2008 14:50:08 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 7, 2008 14:50:08 GMT -5
Yeah, I was pretty disturbed by how they introduced Cherry to the other dog. I don't know what happened that wasn't shown during the second intro with the next dog, but it seemed irresponsibly done, too. I also thought their mentioning of the fight training over and over wasn't helpful, either, like these dogs would never have been dog aggro otherwise. And for ex-fighters/'gamebred' dogs they didn't seem all that dog-crazy anyway.
They also suggested Cherry was a bait dog, which was why he was so scared - but then they repeatedly mentioned how he wanted to make contact in a friendly way with other dogs.
They were not clear at ALL about dog vs human aggression.
They showed Marthina and Leo at the end! ;D
I did like how they didn't mess up the treadmill thing - they said most people use them responsibly as a source of healthy exercise.
Overall I felt these were kind people really trying to help the dogs, but that they were a bit clueless about Pit Bulls in general, especially ex-fighting dogs.
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Dogtown
Sept 7, 2008 22:39:56 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 7, 2008 22:39:56 GMT -5
Yeah, the trained to fight thing was said A LOT.
I agree they did ok on the equipment aspect which was good.
I don't think Best Friends took that many Pit Bulls , especially fighting dogs before the Vick case so I think that they just haven't had a huge amount of experience with them.
I think it's a live and learn sort of thing here. It's possible they are very "training" oriented. All things are learned/trained as far as they are concerned, even aggression. After a period of time they might have a different viewpoint after living with these dogs for awhile. That's what usually does it......being with these guys day in and day out.....especially multiple Pit Bulls.....after awhile I think things click.
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Dogtown
Sept 8, 2008 6:42:44 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 8, 2008 6:42:44 GMT -5
I do think the media and some of these groups really are trying to get things right, they just still are managing to miss the mark in some ways. But things take time, and IMO, times are changing, for the better!
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Dogtown
Sept 8, 2008 9:42:14 GMT -5
Post by emilys on Sept 8, 2008 9:42:14 GMT -5
I agree, the positive message about "pit bulls" put out by these shows is wonderful.
I remain concerned about the growing focus on "pit bulls" by rescuers... which includes many mixes (just look at BadRap's current list of availables for example) and the re-creating of a dog whose temperament and characteristics, while wonderful, are NOT those of the purebred APBT, AST or SBT.
"Pit bulls" may get saved, but the purebred APBT, AST and SBT remain in danger.
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Dogtown
Sept 8, 2008 11:12:18 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 8, 2008 11:12:18 GMT -5
emilys,
Good point!!!!!!
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Dogtown
Sept 8, 2008 11:30:43 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 8, 2008 11:30:43 GMT -5
I agree with you a MILLION PERCENT, Emily.
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Dogtown
Sept 8, 2008 18:31:35 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 8, 2008 18:31:35 GMT -5
Any ideas on how to handle this?
I was talking about this the other day to MaryC, how there NO REAL Pit Bulls in the shelters right now either.
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Dogtown
Sept 9, 2008 16:32:57 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 9, 2008 16:32:57 GMT -5
I have no idea what the solution is....the breeders really need to come together with rescue. The biggest problem is that lots of rescue people don't know squat about the breed; they just fell into it because they saw a need. In most other breeds, you have the breed club and breeders running the rescue end of things. Not with this breed. So "pit bull rescue" in many cases is pseudo Pit Bull rescue - it's about bull-mutts, and pit bull-type dogs, not about rescuing a Breed. I mean, look at how many people define "pit bull" anyway - they lump a bunch of breeds and look-a-likes in there. I've gotten in nasty arguments with people because I dared to say I cared about The Breed, and that it was my main concern.
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Dogtown
Sept 9, 2008 19:37:03 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 9, 2008 19:37:03 GMT -5
Work directly with breeders and support them instead of or as well as shelters?
Then you have SO many "Pit Bull breeders" that aren't breeding to confirmation either that say they are.
It's actually really hard to truly WIN at rescue in SO many arenas! That's because education is really lacking.
It kills me to see the lack of confirmation and irresponsibility in breeding right now.
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Dogtown
Sept 10, 2008 12:07:00 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 10, 2008 12:07:00 GMT -5
Well what I mean is, I wish more responsible/ethical breeders would get their sh*t together, cut waaaaaaay back on breeding litters, and get out there and start to rescue/educate. You have a lot of misinfo and confusion in the rescue world because the people doing the rescue don't really know The Breed - in fact, lots of them don't think of "pit bulls" as a breed at all. But the people in the breed (show people, breeders, fanciers) aren't really stepping up to the plate, so others have to work to clean up the mess.
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Dogtown
Sept 10, 2008 12:30:40 GMT -5
Post by emilys on Sept 10, 2008 12:30:40 GMT -5
yes, I hold breeders, and the major breed clubs (STCA, NAPBTA, SBTCA) and registries (AKC, UKC and certainly ADBA) to blame as well. Even SUGGEST that any of these clubs establish any kind of minimum, voluntary Code of Ethics, or even just to enforce the existing breed standards, gets a "oh no, we could NEVER do that".
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Dogtown
Sept 10, 2008 13:19:15 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 10, 2008 13:19:15 GMT -5
Yeah, the registries too. Totally.
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Dogtown
Sept 10, 2008 13:19:45 GMT -5
Post by RealPitBull on Sept 10, 2008 13:19:45 GMT -5
Not just, but ESPECIALLY, the breed-specific registries. They all disgust me.
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Dogtown
Sept 10, 2008 14:06:42 GMT -5
Post by OurPack on Sept 10, 2008 14:06:42 GMT -5
Exactly!
At Our Pack education is actually our main focus right now as I think this is the true answer in the long run.
Less dogs on intake and more folks (shelter staff hopefully) in education!!!!!!!
We have free lectures and classes through ALL of our local shelters right now and low/no cost training for pit bull owners and public.
BUUUUTT mostly, we have been focusing on ACOs, staff (that eval the dogs for breed ID and temperament) and volunteers in shelters.
Shelters and inexperienced evaluators are real killers. EVERYTHING is a friggin' pit bull. And they DON'T look at temperament for gawd sakes! It's some Houndy-pit looking dog and it happens to have a spot on his face and he's got short hair, well then hell he's a pit right? Ugh! Not that we don't take mixes here and there.
I went up to do a training for the evaluation staff at a local shelter and as we went through the dogs I felt like I was saying, "this isn't a pit bull, let's get a pit bull to look at". "This isn't a pit bull". This isn't a pit bull". Yikes!
So I then started to show what WASN'T pit bull temperament. I told them they have to look at the temperament of the dog. One can't tell just by looks.
We found one that looked (to them) like a pit bull (I saw Rottie Lab- all black) and at one point during eval the dog did something that was just like a Rottie. The supervisor suddenly looked like a HUGE light bulb went on in her head. She said, "I'm going to stop calling all these dogs pit bulls that CLEARLY are mixed mutt dogs. She went on to say that the dogs they euth'd the year before were 97% (and making quotations with her fingers) "pit bulls". Then all these stats are attached to that cause more problems etc,etc, etc. (Yall know all that). She also said that the training was a true "eye opener" as to what's a pit bull and what isn't. Yay!
But this is a start and what NEEDS to happen. It's tough when you work with shelters. Many rescues ONLY get their dogs there and often go by what the shelter labels them as because, as said above they don't know the breed and I know MaryH has been through this, they get pissed when you come in and start giving too much direction. They have faith in their "behavior" staff and then when you say, "that's a pit bull?" or "hey, that pit bull MIX in kennel 29 is growling at people as they go by", and they get pissed at you as though you did something to actually make that dog aggressive. You offer classes and they act like they don't need it when they have dogs with HA up for adoption!!!!!
We are passed that thankfully with our shelters but it was work, work, work of taking mostly the REAL pit bulls that had the some DA or leash reactivity and people slutty etc that were placed in fully screened, education and continually (by us) trained homes. After seeing success after success they can't argue with that. Not one dog has bit anyone nor have there been fights. This over a period of years.
Now were actually looking at doing some partnering. Long road though.
Thanks for letting me vent!
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