Post by RealPitBull on Feb 12, 2008 14:41:33 GMT -5
network.bestfriends.org/newjersey/news/22736.html
New Jersey
The Real Pit Bull Foundation
February 8, 2008 : 8:03 PM
Mary Harwelik, founder of the Real Pit Bull Foundation, wanted to share with the world what Pit Bull’s really are and they are goofy, silly, lovey dogs who have a zest for life and demonstrate a wonderful tenacity in following their hearts.
Written by George DeGiovanni, Best Friends Network
Some background information on Mary Harwelik: “I've been training dogs for over 20 years (about 8 of them professionally). I am a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator for the American Kennel Club, and a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Counsel for Professional Dog Trainers” says Mary. “I fell in love with Pit Bulls in 1994, and brought home my first Pit Bull that same year. I've been immersed in all things Pit Bull ever since then”.
How did RPB get started? Mary is the type of person, that if she falls in love with something, she eats, sleeps and breathes it. That is what has happen with Pit Bulls and continues to be. “Once I fell in love with the breed, I couldn't be a passive guardian. I had to get deeply involved. I learned right away that Pit Bulls are hugely misunderstood. That bothered me immensely, as the more I got to know the breed the more I realized that almost nothing the general public believed about them was true” Mary stated.
Pit Bulls are these goofy, silly, lovey dogs that just have a zest for life and demonstrate a wonderful tenacity in following with their hearts. She wanted to share all of this with the world and got the idea to start a website where she could have a forum that would enable her to interact with the public, provide them with basic information and connect with other Pit Bull people. She started the website around 1999 and there weren’t many educational sites about the Pit Bull and realpitbull.com immediately became popular and still is today.
This is from Mary on RPB….
I did a lot of studying before I put the site up. I devoured anything on the breed I could find and talked to all sorts of Pit Bull people, plus had my own experiences with hands-on work. This continues today; I feel like I'm learning something new every day, and I update the site regularly to reflect that. I'm not one of those people that are stuck in a certain mindset and cannot change a view in the face of new information. I think life with these dogs is about learning and growing and evolving with the times. It's the only way I see, really, or else we're doomed to make no headway in a world that is really confused about where Pit Bulls fit in.
As the popularity of the website grew, it kind of took on a life of its own. I was getting more and more requests for information, help, evaluation of Pit Bulls, and rescues and shelters asking for counseling on the breed. I realized a website alone wouldn't cut it - I needed to take RPB to the streets, and so RPB went from a Cyberspace entity to a real world organization. The Real Pit Bull Foundation was born.
The current state of RPB: “Right now, education is still my focus” states Mary. Along with the online education (which consists of a website, forum and blog) Mary also offers educational hand outs (including the popular booklet Introduction to the Pit Bull) for free - all a person has to do is download and print for distribution; email and phone counseling.
She also evaluates Pit Bull temperament for shelters and rescue groups, does hands-on training of dogs for shelters, and teaches classes to volunteers. RPB has kept growing and growing and she has high hopes for the org. In the works are a lecture and booklet on temperament & evaluation, among other projects.
I asked Mary about BSL and this is what she had to say… “I don't want to see them, period! I hope that society will evolve and maintain laws that focus ONLY on action, and not on breed and conclusions drawn from stereotypes. Tougher laws that force guardians to take responsibility for their animals are a must. Right now, there is nothing much that can be done legally about loose dogs attacking people or other animals; I'd like to see laws that slap guardians with huge fines for loose dogs or even dogs that are walked without leashes. Those funds could go back to animal control, so that these often under funded organizations can actually respond to calls from concerned citizens regarding loose, abused or neglected dogs, or to possibly implement programs on responsible dog care and management”.
I would like to thank Mary Harwelik for taking time out to supply information about the Real Pit Bull Foundation and her hopes for the future.
This photo is of Mary and her AmStaff Luca. Photo provided by Mary Harwelik
New Jersey
The Real Pit Bull Foundation
February 8, 2008 : 8:03 PM
Mary Harwelik, founder of the Real Pit Bull Foundation, wanted to share with the world what Pit Bull’s really are and they are goofy, silly, lovey dogs who have a zest for life and demonstrate a wonderful tenacity in following their hearts.
Written by George DeGiovanni, Best Friends Network
Some background information on Mary Harwelik: “I've been training dogs for over 20 years (about 8 of them professionally). I am a certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator for the American Kennel Club, and a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Counsel for Professional Dog Trainers” says Mary. “I fell in love with Pit Bulls in 1994, and brought home my first Pit Bull that same year. I've been immersed in all things Pit Bull ever since then”.
How did RPB get started? Mary is the type of person, that if she falls in love with something, she eats, sleeps and breathes it. That is what has happen with Pit Bulls and continues to be. “Once I fell in love with the breed, I couldn't be a passive guardian. I had to get deeply involved. I learned right away that Pit Bulls are hugely misunderstood. That bothered me immensely, as the more I got to know the breed the more I realized that almost nothing the general public believed about them was true” Mary stated.
Pit Bulls are these goofy, silly, lovey dogs that just have a zest for life and demonstrate a wonderful tenacity in following with their hearts. She wanted to share all of this with the world and got the idea to start a website where she could have a forum that would enable her to interact with the public, provide them with basic information and connect with other Pit Bull people. She started the website around 1999 and there weren’t many educational sites about the Pit Bull and realpitbull.com immediately became popular and still is today.
This is from Mary on RPB….
I did a lot of studying before I put the site up. I devoured anything on the breed I could find and talked to all sorts of Pit Bull people, plus had my own experiences with hands-on work. This continues today; I feel like I'm learning something new every day, and I update the site regularly to reflect that. I'm not one of those people that are stuck in a certain mindset and cannot change a view in the face of new information. I think life with these dogs is about learning and growing and evolving with the times. It's the only way I see, really, or else we're doomed to make no headway in a world that is really confused about where Pit Bulls fit in.
As the popularity of the website grew, it kind of took on a life of its own. I was getting more and more requests for information, help, evaluation of Pit Bulls, and rescues and shelters asking for counseling on the breed. I realized a website alone wouldn't cut it - I needed to take RPB to the streets, and so RPB went from a Cyberspace entity to a real world organization. The Real Pit Bull Foundation was born.
The current state of RPB: “Right now, education is still my focus” states Mary. Along with the online education (which consists of a website, forum and blog) Mary also offers educational hand outs (including the popular booklet Introduction to the Pit Bull) for free - all a person has to do is download and print for distribution; email and phone counseling.
She also evaluates Pit Bull temperament for shelters and rescue groups, does hands-on training of dogs for shelters, and teaches classes to volunteers. RPB has kept growing and growing and she has high hopes for the org. In the works are a lecture and booklet on temperament & evaluation, among other projects.
I asked Mary about BSL and this is what she had to say… “I don't want to see them, period! I hope that society will evolve and maintain laws that focus ONLY on action, and not on breed and conclusions drawn from stereotypes. Tougher laws that force guardians to take responsibility for their animals are a must. Right now, there is nothing much that can be done legally about loose dogs attacking people or other animals; I'd like to see laws that slap guardians with huge fines for loose dogs or even dogs that are walked without leashes. Those funds could go back to animal control, so that these often under funded organizations can actually respond to calls from concerned citizens regarding loose, abused or neglected dogs, or to possibly implement programs on responsible dog care and management”.
I would like to thank Mary Harwelik for taking time out to supply information about the Real Pit Bull Foundation and her hopes for the future.
This photo is of Mary and her AmStaff Luca. Photo provided by Mary Harwelik
HAHA (I'm actually very modest, I swear!) 
I look forward to learning much here