Post by RealPitBull on Jan 30, 2008 16:20:16 GMT -5
Training for pit bull owners is urged
Posted by Chris Killian | Special to the Gazette January 30, 2008 09:20AM
blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/01/training_for_pit_bull_owners_i.html
Jennifer Harnish | Kalamazoo Gazette
Steve Lawrence, director of Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement, holds Goliath, a male pit bull terrier that was brought to the shelter Wednesday. Officials are forming a Pit Bull Task Force to look into ways to keep that population under control.KALAMAZOO -- Getting young pit bull terrier owners who have become captivated by the ultratough image of the breed to become more responsible dog owners is key to reducing the number of pit bulls having to be euthanized here because of overpopulation and poor care.
That's according to many of the nearly 50 people who attended a meeting Tuesday at the Kalamazoo County Humane Society and brainstormed about ways to stem the rising population of pit bulls in the city. They also sought to generate ideas for healthy alternatives to the back-alley dog fighting that animal advocates say is rampant in the city's low-income areas.
"The common dominator is the dog," said Wayne R. Cavanaugh, president of the Kalamazoo-based United Kennel Club. "We have to meet these owners halfway so that the dog becomes a buffer between us. Then we can begin to develop relationships with the owners and work for change."
Those at the meeting agreed that developing a multipronged strategy to deal with issues involving pit bulls was important. Smaller groups likely will be formed, each to focus on a specific responsibility.
One would lobby city leaders to get them more involved; another would work with neighborhood associations, community groups and schools in order to interact with young pit bull owners; and another would work to come up with activities that would allow youths to showcase their dogs in creative and fun ways.
One idea is to organize weight-pulling competitions, in which pit bulls and other dogs would compete against each other by walking down a track while pulling a weighted cart behind them.
Cash prizes and pet supplies would be offered for first-, second- and third-place finishers. To encourage neutering, cash prizes could be doubled for dogs in the top three that have been sterilized.
The cash also would be an enticement for young owners to stop entering their dogs in fights for money or breeding dogs to sell their litters.
While at the events, organizers would try to educate young pit bull owners on how to properly train and care for their dogs.
Each year, hundreds of pit bulls -- a term that has become generalized to include the American pit bull terrier and similar breeds such as the American Staffordshire terrier -- are euthanized because of overpopulation and owner neglect.
Posted by Chris Killian | Special to the Gazette January 30, 2008 09:20AM
blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/01/training_for_pit_bull_owners_i.html
Jennifer Harnish | Kalamazoo Gazette
Steve Lawrence, director of Kalamazoo County Animal Services and Enforcement, holds Goliath, a male pit bull terrier that was brought to the shelter Wednesday. Officials are forming a Pit Bull Task Force to look into ways to keep that population under control.KALAMAZOO -- Getting young pit bull terrier owners who have become captivated by the ultratough image of the breed to become more responsible dog owners is key to reducing the number of pit bulls having to be euthanized here because of overpopulation and poor care.
That's according to many of the nearly 50 people who attended a meeting Tuesday at the Kalamazoo County Humane Society and brainstormed about ways to stem the rising population of pit bulls in the city. They also sought to generate ideas for healthy alternatives to the back-alley dog fighting that animal advocates say is rampant in the city's low-income areas.
"The common dominator is the dog," said Wayne R. Cavanaugh, president of the Kalamazoo-based United Kennel Club. "We have to meet these owners halfway so that the dog becomes a buffer between us. Then we can begin to develop relationships with the owners and work for change."
Those at the meeting agreed that developing a multipronged strategy to deal with issues involving pit bulls was important. Smaller groups likely will be formed, each to focus on a specific responsibility.
One would lobby city leaders to get them more involved; another would work with neighborhood associations, community groups and schools in order to interact with young pit bull owners; and another would work to come up with activities that would allow youths to showcase their dogs in creative and fun ways.
One idea is to organize weight-pulling competitions, in which pit bulls and other dogs would compete against each other by walking down a track while pulling a weighted cart behind them.
Cash prizes and pet supplies would be offered for first-, second- and third-place finishers. To encourage neutering, cash prizes could be doubled for dogs in the top three that have been sterilized.
The cash also would be an enticement for young owners to stop entering their dogs in fights for money or breeding dogs to sell their litters.
While at the events, organizers would try to educate young pit bull owners on how to properly train and care for their dogs.
Each year, hundreds of pit bulls -- a term that has become generalized to include the American pit bull terrier and similar breeds such as the American Staffordshire terrier -- are euthanized because of overpopulation and owner neglect.
I look forward to learning much here