Ernie, A Happy Ending

Sasha and Andy wanted to be a BAD RAP foster home for a dog. Any dog. I remember how they spied Audie as I considered his future as a performance dog for myself. I never asked, but suspect they may have adopted him had I not done that myself. But, they wanted to help any BAD RAP dog reach his or her best to find a new home. We asked them to foster Ernie. Ernie survived Michael Vick and remained a happy and thoughtful dog, but Ernie had an annoying habit. He whined. Constantly. The pitch was not far from the decibles required to break glass. Ernie had also never lived with cats. Sasha and Andy have two.

Fast forward a few months and a lot of training. Ernie has new confidence, his whining has all but disappeared. And Ernie has two new friends, Henry and Quincy, the resident cats. Sasha and Andy introduced their cats to Ernie slowly and we smiled with each photo update. First was a photo of Ernie sitting politely 10 feet from Henry, then Ernie sitting politely 5 feet from Henry, and one day, Ernie lounging on floor with Henry. He soon won over Quincy too. Ernie’s whine was nearly gone, his obedience stellar, and others started commenting that they wanted their dog to walk on leash just like Ernie, so we decided it was time to help Ernie find his new home. We discovered though, he already had. Just the other day, Sasha and Andy requested the opportunity to be his adopters. How lucky can a dog get. Ernie survived Michael Vick, he survived a long, lonely shelter existence, and he landed a home with a warm, smart couple, two cat pals and his best dog partner, Hana. We’ll be signing final adoption papers soon. Now that’s a happy ending.

Photo credit: Deanne Fitzmaurice

Compounding Tragedy

When tragedy strikes, especially in our families, it's natural to look for an immediate explanation and the desire to take action is strong. My heart literally aches for Mr Lovejoy and his family, in Eastpointe, MI. Were I suffering a similar loss, I can only imagine my anger and heartbreak would compell me to try to protect others from enduring the same misery. Unfortunately, when undertaken in the midst of strong emotion and without full details, these efforts can be misguided.

“There’s no good to come out of these dogs” said Mr. Lovejoy in his grief. With all due respect, my daughter, the children of friends, my great grandmother and thousands of other families in this country disagree. I've spoken before on this blog about the unintended consequences of our words. I'm certain that Mr. Lovejoy is not motivated to tear apart families and break the hearts of children, but his call for the removal of our cherished and loving family companions can result in exactly that.

As we learn more about the details that led to this terrible incident, I hope that we can all remain thoughtful in our judgements and careful in our words. In the meantime, parents everywhere remember to hug your little ones as often as possible and savor every moment. I know I will.

Remembering an Old Soul

Anyone who's lived with a special senior will love this story of Sheri Cardo and her girl, Brigitte. I think we could solve half the world's problems if only we slowed down long enough to take in the lessons that old soul dogs like her offer up.

Brigitte passed on in January at the ripe old age of 17 and 1/2. We're so happy that SFGate saw fit to print her story so she could have the chance to steal a few more hearts. 

Bless you Brigitte and Sheri. 

Brigitte

Peeking at the Peekers

Since the media is always peeking in on our world (Photo left: Camera man from ESPN zeroes in on Linda Chwistek and Berenice Mora and dogs Audie & Zippy), it's fun when we can get shots of them touching real live pit bulls.  Below is a quick snippet of E-60 reporter Tom Farrey taking Jonny Justice through the cones. What do you think? Is he ready to bring a pit bull into his his life?

And below, a fun vid of the gang trying to wrangle their dogs for a group shot. One of the biggest requests from the media has been the group shots. Not easy with this wriggly crew of vermin!

Watch ESPN tonight, Tues April 21

This is our dog Honky Tonk after he interviewed a reporter from the ESPN Show, E-60. Honks wasn't too sure about the topic of Vick dogs ("But MOM! When are they gonna do a show about cute little deaf dogs like ME?") but he ended up giving the show's producer a two paws up seal of approval after she let him sit on her lap.

Tonight is the first airing of ESPN's look at the current status of Vick dogs, filmed a few weeks back. We always get nervous about these shows. What angle will they take? Will they drag in too much dog fight footage and confuse the message? Did I say anything completely stupid? But this little preview made us feel better:

E-60 Vick Dog Show Preview

The show airs tonight at 7pm, and Tim will be online on the E-60 chat tomorrow to answer any questions the public might have about the dogs. Keep your fingers crossed for a decent show and good response from viewers.

Cool me down time

We're having a BLAZING belly-up keep-those-water-bowls-full heat wave in the SF bay area today. Time for a little Chomsky from local dog trainer Francis Metcalf to cool our moods. Thanks for sending this our way, Francis ... It's uber happy.

Lessons from BB and Gemma

This is BB (BeeBee), one of the first dogs we absorbed from a larger fight bust, back in 2001. Way back when ... you know the story ...

 ... an HSUS rep following policy tried his best to convince the agency holding the seized dogs, the Bakersfield SPCA, that each one should be destroyed. The key to BB's salvation was a bully tuff District Attorney named Bill Woodruff who insisted they have a chance to be evaluated. He wanted this so badly that he decided to go to the media and make a case for the dogs' lives. Talk about sticking your neck out solo-style. Then, he had to find rescue partners with space available. Not an easy task, but he's a resourceful guy. And so - miracle of miracles - the door opened for the dogs and eleven out of thirty nine were saved.

I was never able to thank Bill in person for tackling that enormous job - including the bust, mind you (cyber wave to Bill) - or the anon amstaff breeder who paid for the dogs' neuters, or the kennel staff who took care of the dogs and, I'm supposing, secretly cheered when the Lucky Eleven walked out alive. I wish they knew how much they did to inspire us back then.

BB went on to live a sweet life as a pampered pet (aka 'Baby BB') and finally died a couple of years ago of natural causes. We've worked with numerous agencies on cruelty cases including fight busts since then and continue to learn from each. One of the most important lessons has been that, typically, one organization does not call the shots. In any given case there can be several voices, incuding heroes like Bill Woodruff or Brian Whistler and Mike Gil (both Vick dog D.A. heroes) on the ground who want to see the victims saved, but who need to know how to get to the right people who can help.

In short - despite common misperception - the HSUS has never been in full control of the outcome of bust dogs. But rather, they have the ear of the authorities including and especially the shelters who trust them to know what they're talking about. Which is why it has been so incredibly important that the HSUS voice support for those of us who know the rescue angle. 

In the spirit of fine tuning our collective ability to say 'Yes' to bust dogs and to bring compassion to the dogs that can't be helped, I'm looking forward to working as part of the effort now officially known as the 'Victims of Cruelty Working Group.'  The six participants all have hands-on experience and include reps from: the ASPCA, Animal Farm Foundation, Best Friends, NACA and - Yes, even the HSUS rep, now guided by their new policy to support evaluation and rescue efforts.

I have to say that the original HSUS rep who tried to block BB's rescue has since changed his tune and recently shook hands on BR's mission. It took years of dialogue, but I've really grown to like the guy, even tho' early on I wanted to kick him hard in the shins. I hope we get to work together on the next bust in CA because he's a good sort with a thousand good stories and I would love for at least one of them to be about the next BB that he helped save. So yeah - I'm an optimist. After all, pessimism doesn't do justice to the dogs we've been called on to help.

Let's be real though. Despite all our best intentions, the hardest part of this work will continue to be space issues in shelters as well as rescues. Busts happen year round (heads up east coasters: Boston Bust) ... and the rescues who routinely squeeze, rearrange and beg up foster care & boarding options know all about the dilemma of taking on too much. But it sure will be nice to have one less obstacle in the way when we're ready and able to help a few good dogs.

Want more inside scoop? Here's a lovely article from Best Friends on the Victims of Canine Violence

Keep those home fires burning.

Despite the recent focus on bust victims, dog lovers need to continue supporting efforts to help less glamorous but equally deserving victims of urban realities. Foreclosures are still shaking dogs right out of their homes in depressing numbers. Every week, owner surrender forms filled out at Oakland Animal Services cite "Forced to move" or "Foreclosure" as the reason for surrendering beloved pets. It's as heart wrenching as a bust, I tellya.

On the right is 14 year old Gemma. We aren't sure why her family had to give up on her, but in a shelter popping full of homeless dogs, she was not going to be able to beat out the younger, healthier dogs vying for the hard to come by kennel space.

Hats off to BR dog Tyson's adopter Kerry O'Connor (shown left on CGC Day), who made room so she could give this old gal comfort in her sunset days. Kerry gets it -- Talk is cheap to dogs like Gemma and BB.  Now, as always, the true fate of these dogs will be in the hands of those who are willing to make room in their hearts as well as their homes.

No more excuses - Bust dogs are on the bus

The HSUS has launched their statement from the bust dog summit. This is BAD RAP's statement from the meeting and the direction we will take during our work with the new collaboration.

• In order to help end the unnecessary deaths of sound American Pit Bull Terriers, the HSUS has officially agreed to change their policy of recommending euthanasia of all pit bulls from confirmed and/or suspected fighting operations and is in favor of the evaluation and rescue of these same dogs.
• They will update their law enforcement training manual, websites and other materials to reflect this change in policy.
• The groups involved in the meeting agreed that canine victims of cruelty suffer from the actions of humans and deserve to be treated humanely while in the custody of law enforcement or animal control agencies. The groups will support law enforcement and animal control agencies in their decisions to euthanize dogs when there are no reputable rescue or sanctuary resources available to absorb them.
• The organizations will form a Working Group to develop future protocols for cooperation in meeting the needs of dogs seized in raids, including how to improve the standard of care of dogs held in custody, how to conduct professional evaluations, and how to council shelters in selecting appropriate homes.
  

Outside of the bust dog meeting - during our time at the HSUS expo this week - we met with one of the founders of the Asilomar Accords who confirmed that pit bulls from cruelty cases are no different from other shelter animals in that they deserve to be counted within the definitions and Guiding Principals of the Accords, which were written to encourage organizations to "find common ground, put aside our differences and work collaboratively to reach the ultimate goal of ending the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals."

Welcome to the New World, bust dogs. From here on out, you will be counted among the many shelter animals who are also counting on humans to give them a second chance at a real life.

Summit

The hardest part of going to Vegas for us addicted-to-fresh-air types is moving through the haze of eye-burning, tongue numbing cigarette smoke. The things we do for our dogs. The bust dog summit (named this for now only because it's late and my eyes are still burning and I can't think of a better name) came together as planned on Wednesday of this week. The gathering helped us solidify our partnership with Best Friends, ASPCA and Animal Farm Foundation and - especially - to deepen our collective commitment to dogs caught up in raids and larger cruelty cases. We were happy to bring animal control association NACA in as a new partner, too. And we'll all be looking for a formal policy statement from HSUS that was promised as a result of the meeting.

As much as we would love to, it's not appropriate to share details of the meeting in this space, but we DID notice that someone at HSUS has removed a provocative webpage from their Animal Sheltering website, once entitled, "Explaining Your Policy of Not Placing Fighting Dogs Up for Adoption."

This now-defunct position statement has driven us crazy for years: "Once dogs have been bred and trained to fight, they may become dangerous at any time in the future, killing or injuring another dog, cat, or even human. The cruel training inflicted upon these animals makes them unpredictable—and unsuitable for placement into new homes." But apparently, it's gone -- and good riddance.

More to come. For now, off to snuggle with my dogs, who are wondering where we've been and why we smell like Pall Malls.

Above. Uba, way back when he was still an enigma.

Jackpot

Tomorrow morning we leave for Vegas to pick apart the topic of fight bust dogs in one of the strangest, most artificial environs known to modern man. Why not? It makes perfect sense. No matter how the meeting comes out, no one can harsh our mellow or kill our happy buzz ... Miss Frida hit the Jackpot and is in her new home this week, and all the bully gods are slam dancing in the heavens to celebrate.

Sassy Frida just chuckled at us whenever we worried about her future over these past few months. Don't you just love when they know more than we do? Best line of the week comes from her adopter, Yvette - a committed Ambassadog handler who first named the redhead many moons ago.

Every one of the people who looked at her and moved on to a "pretty" dog is an idiot. She is a fabulous dog and we're not giving her back.

Yes, ma'am. All respect to you Yvette & Steve for knowing a real dog when you see one.

Congrats to everyone, especially Frida.

Home is where the heart is

It was a pleasure to write this, and even better - to share. 
Bay Woof Article:
At Home with the Vick Dogs 

One day soon, we'll have to update everyone on Iggy (left) - our sanctuary case love man who deserves his own tiara.

In the same Bay Woof issue, our gifted Ambassadog Trainer Sara Scott outlined her work with the shelter dogs. Sara's Work

Happy Spring Weekend, everyone.

Fools rush in. Happy 10th birthday to us.

Ever notice how crazy ideas always seem a little less crazy after a couple of margaritas? We can blame a good bottle of tequila for inspiring a small group of people to start BR, way back ten years ago today, under the BART tracks in a funky part of West Oakland. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We pretended not to be unnerved by the fact that our decision to kick start a mini-movement to help pit bulls was born on April Fool's Day. It's now the official start date on our government docs.

'The Fool represents the "every person" - the essence of us all embarking on the journey of life, self-discovery and mastery. He is the innocent, the whimsical, the "inner child" mixed with the "inner sage" that lives down deep inside of us all. He faces life and his journey unafraid, trusting, the perfect example of total and utter faith that all will be well, that every experience has a deep essential meaning. He trapses along the crags of life, regardless of any hidden peril or disappointment, his eyes are turned to the heavens and he knows that he will be kept safe and whole along his travels.' - June Kaminski

And how about that little dog that always shows up by the Fool's side?

We had a pretty cool April party lined up to celebrate, but postponed it to make the bust-dog meeting in Vegas instead. So we're re-designing the grand party and will be announcing details here.

To all the fools out there that are silly enough to believe what your heart tells you is true - Happy April Fool's Day. We love being on this journey with you and look forward to many more years of dancing on the cliff's edge, on behalf of all the lovable blockheads that first lured us into this big adventure.

Fighting dog defined!

In our studious pursuit of a genetic marker that separates true fighting dogs from wimpy wanna-be fighting dogs, we submit: Exhibit A - the unique behavior of tongue curling, as demonstrated by a bust dog with a 'fighting crop' who lived on a chain with 100+ other dogs. Fighting dog defined!

Clearly the result of a dominant gene, this trait is thought to be passed down from generations of dogs selectively bred for their tongue curling abilities. This suggests that authorities everywhere can begin identifying fighting dogs based on whether they can curl their tongue.



But alas, we let ourselves get too excited too soon. Studies have shown that tongue rolling is not a simple genetic character, and extensive twin studies demonstrate that it is influenced by both genetics and the environment.

Damn. And we thought we were onto something. For more info on the trait that had us hoodwinked: No evidence for a genetic basis of tongue rolling.

When is a bust dog just a shelter dog? and does it really matter?

There is a lovely article in the Santa Barbara Independent this week about a beautiful shelter dog turned therapy dog diva (Daisy!) who came from one of our partners, the Berkeley Animal Care Services. This is the same BACS that recently opened its doors to two bust dogs we plucked out of Oklahoma.

I hate to quibble with such a winning piece, but the myth buster in me has to iron out a couple of items: Contrary to the article's provocative headline, there was no evidence that Daisy came from a fighting ring, much less that she was a bait dog. Really, no nuthin.' Daisy may have shown up with old battle wounds - marks that are common enough with unhappy misadventures, but are not a true sign of organized dog fighting - in the SF east bay especially.

'S.B. Therapy Dog Survives Fighting Ring, but Blood Sport Remains Active. Hell to Heaven' - Article

The hype (we don't see much organized dog fighting in CA) is annoying because it steals away from the truer story of a shelter dog who dun good. But, hey. Either way, the cover photo and story of Daisy's therapy work is fabulous and worth any well-intended speculation about her past. Kudos to her adopter for making her a super star.

This all leads to a burning question. What does it matter where your dog comes from as long as it's a good dog that fits your lifestyle?

Vick dog Hector doesn't care about his chest full of fight scars, so - really - why should we? His attributes are his temperament, stellar behavior and committed owners - not his appearance or former address. The only reason his scars are note worthy is because they remind us that generalizations once applied to bust dogs were way, way wrong.

We're hoping that animal welfare minds are getting ready to drop the useless hamster wheel "Should they or shouldn't they be saved?" banter and zero in on better questions after any given bust, especially: 1) How many of the dogs have what it takes to mainstream back into the real world? and 2) What kind of shelter/rescue resources are available to help those lucky few? And when I say resources, I don't mean the 900K+ dollars set aside to help the Vick dogs. 

From the SB Article: Humane Society officials are wary of all the publicity generated by the Michael Vick pit bull matter. Yes, many of the dogs were turned around to live happy, normal lives, but the effort cost a lot of money.

...And BAD RAP officials are really wary of the droning on about the restitution money awarded to the Vick dogs. Let's make this perfectly clear, the TRUE resources needed to help cruelty case victims are human resources. Specifically, the hearts & minds of the underpaid but savvy shelter workers and rescuers who do the daily work of selecting the right dogs for their programs and then acclimating them to real life - always on a shoestring and quite often, with the support of their donors. The labor of love that we see with rescue work gives new meaning to the term spinning straw into gold.

At one time, we were all dealing with straw with the Vick dogs. Despite reports of a million dollar purse, groups that signed on to help were forewarned by the feds that Vick might go belly up bankrupt before paying his debt to the dogs. I don't know of one group that pulled out when faced with the possibility of going out of pocket for the dogs ... That would be, so very un-rescue like. Instead, each group signed a contract with the OIG that included this stipulation:

Agreement Between _Group Name_ and Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Signed 12/13/07

Section J. COURT ORDERED STIPEND

1. The Organization understands the following:
b. It is possible that there will be no funds available for the care of the dogs. Additionally, it is likely that even if funds are available for the care of the dogs, there will be a gap between the date that an Organization takes custody of a dog and the date any such funds are released to the Organization.
2. In the event that such a stipend is ordered by the Court and made to the Organization, the Organization shall keep stipend funds for the care of the dogs in a segregated account at the Organization. The Organization must use such funds for the humane treatment and care for the dogs -- [Humane care, as in, fixing Hector's teeth and rebuilding Audie's knees and beating back Uba's parasite load. And all those things we don't have to bug our donors for.]

It's a rub to read multi-million-dollar-budget animal welfare groups cite cost as an obstacle to saving lives from cruelty busts, especially while small non-profits faithfully piecemeal successful rescues together on peanut budgets as a matter of course.

A truly humane society has to move beyond the glass-half-empty rhetoric and ask the Big Kid questions: How do we best meet the needs of abuse victims that are depending on all of us? .... And on those occasions when our collective efforts fall short, how do we give the dogs a compassionate and dignified end without blaming breed, bloodline or - dog forbid - their address for their circumstance? While I'm at it, it sure would be nice to see more support and less second guessing so seasoned rescues can just do their friggin' job.

Kinzie here is an example of us 'doing our job' to save a few lives with the support of county authorities. She was one of the few survivors of the infamous 2008 raid outside Tucson, Arizona - the Pat Patrick bust, to be exact. The raid raised it's own monster controversy on the Net, as the dogs' owners were later acquitted of all dog fighting charges, but not before they signed their dogs over to the county to be rescued or destroyed. Controversy be damned - the dogs were set to die through no fault of their own, so a handful of rescuers responded to the county's request for assistance, and about 15% were able to get a second chance.

So we have myth-buster Kinzie - a dog from the renowned Patrick bloodline - who's now a socially mature, dog-friendly imp mowing spring grass in a SF backyard alongside her new 'brother' chihuahua. Her success isn't an accident by any means, but started way back at the shelter and involved a couple of days of sifting through all the personalities from the bust, selecting the dogs that best fit the waiting adoption program(s), then getting to know them better as they healed and decompressed in foster care. Then finally, their adoption placements came about after sifting through inquiries and deciding on the right home for each dog .... All common sense stuff that seems rather mainstream and even a little pedestrian to those who can walk though the process in their sleep.

“Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius.”              - An Wang

The funny thing is, had Patrick been convicted of dog fighting, Kinzie would be considered a true fight bust dog. But since he wasn't, she's just another owner surrendered pit bull who faced certain death in an overcrowded shelter. Huh.

In essence, bust dogs are, really, shelter dogs. And shelter dogs - like Daisy and Kinzie - may or may not be dog fighters' dogs. And dog fighters' dogs like Hector may or may not be true fighters. And seasoned fighters like Georgia may just be the perfect pet in a smart and committed home. Hairsplitting definitions could fill a thousand blogs, but the bottom line is, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER where a dog comes from. All that matters is that, when a good dog needs help, a good rescue (or shelter) should be supported for bringing them the right kind of help.

From the article: “You don’t hear so much about the abused and neglected dogs that get euthanized. Not all dogs are able to recover from traumatic circumstances." - Adam Goldfarb, HSUS

Indeed, Adam. And while the shelters are rockin' full of abused & neglected dogs - some of them beyond our ability to help - bust yards are equally full of steady, resilient dogs that shine on despite their past. The only difference we find when sifting through a large grouping of homeless dogs-in-need continues to be their address.

Welcome Home to Kinzie and Daisy both, you controversial little rebel rousers.

Genesis Award for Sports Illustrated Article

Congratulations to Jim Gorant for winning a 2009 Genesis Award for his Sports Illustrated story, "The Good News Out of the Bad Newz Kennels."

Ironically, the awards are hosted by the HSUS altho the judges cast their votes independently of HSUS' position and policy.

From their webpage: "In large part, animal abuse and exploitation have only received mainstream media attention in recent years. What happened to animals in the past invariably occurred in the dark, behind closed doors .... Every year, the Genesis Awards pays tribute to the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works such as these, which raise public understanding of animal issues. As much as film, television, print and the arts reflect societal attitudes, they also help shape and change those attitudes. The mass media have the power to spotlight animal issues to vast audiences—literally at the speed of light.

Genesis Awards entries have been submitted by the public as well as by media professionals. Categories span television, film, print, radio, music, and the arts. The Genesis Awards Committee—via a process of submission, nomination, candidate selection, debate, and secret ballot—makes all final decisions regarding the winners .... The 13 committee members have been selected because of their personal histories in working for the animals, averaging more than 15 years "in the trenches." The members include people from various animal-protection organizations and diverse walks of life, who all share a demonstrated commitment to animals."

As you can imagine, we're thrilled that the story of the Vick dogs' survival and resurrection has been recognized once again for the important story that it is. * WOOT! * Thank you Jim - We hope you're having a good time at the party tonight!

Victory

This post isn't related to pit bulls in any direct way, but we just can't ignore the vigil that honored the four slain OPD officers and redefined our community in such important ways today. Our work has been drawing us deeper and deeper into East Oakland .. Like moths to a flame, maybe. Our shelter is here, and so are 'our' dogs and their people and the pressures that affect them. Where else would we fit?

Just when things seem at their worst - foreclosures on every block, displaced families and abandoned pets, escalating shelter numbers, and the horror of shootings just up the road that rattled residents to the core - Despite all that, in the two hours it took to hold this vigil, we fell in love with our city all over again. Like, the "I get it" kind of love.

The city leaders called on the crowd to commit to making this town a better place, and everyone there seemed to stand a little taller and look around at each other the way you do when you want to remember the occasion. But this was what got me: A pastor asked us to raise our hands high and signal a victory for the four police officers who died. Why? because from here on out, their deaths will mark a collective decision to move forward with renewed hope. Victory, indeed.

Suddenly our group's little role in creating a better Oakland takes on a new tone that I hadn't considered before. We left the vigil feeling more at home in our adopted city then we ever did before the shootings. Thank you, Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Officer John Hege, Sgt. Dan Sakai and Sgt. Ervin Romans - and thank you Oakland.

PHOTOS: Vigil for OPD Officers

Facing Peta and Talking (Shelter) Shop - New England in April!

Like any good pit bull centric activist, I can't look at the civil rights movement without drawing direct parallels between these historic struggles and those faced by the pit bull owners and BSL fighters of today. I really needed a little shot of SF-style activism last week and watching 'Milk' offered up the best boost in awhile. Harvey reminds everyone who struggles that "Hope is never silent," making a bigger statement is more important than winning smaller battles, and counting yourself as a proud member of your community is the best way to demystify a perceived threat in our all-too-often paranoid society.

Harvey also had Anita Bryant, who was so very helpful in galvanizing the LGBT rights movement back in the 70's and in illustrating just how freaky-deeky fear mongers can be. God bless Anita for being such a hateful little bee-yotch. We love ya, hon.

"If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters." -Anita Bryant

...and pit bull owners! don't forget rights for people who sleep with pit bulls!

For our own inspiration, pit bull people have any number of vocal haters to bounce off of in this new century.  Like, Ohio's Punish-the-breed Tom Skeldon (Skeldon update from KC Dog Blog) and Denver's own Kill-em-All Kory Nelson. But my favorite hater is PeTA. Their stance against pit bull shelter adoptions works through my veins like a triple-shot latte on an empty stomach and it's helped fuel up some of our best efforts to make things better for the pit bulls in our corners. I still owe PeTA a personal thank you.

I set out to 'debate' PeTA's shelter policy with Ingrid Newkirk back in 2006 at the HSUS expo general session, but she begged out the very last minute and I was left to banter with a pre-recorded DVD, which was essentially a large talking head of Ingrid waxing on about chickens among other not-so relevant talking points. I was seriously confused by that fast hour+, and so were the 900-some people in the audience.

Tim and Leslie met up with her later during this infamous book signing in a scruffy Berkeley bookstore. Nice - but not quite the audience we were looking for.  Now! we can look forward to another opp to discuss our favorite topic with PeTA, this time in New Hampshire at an upcoming animal welfare conference. I'll be part of a panel discussion that looks at pb issues, including shelter adoptions and rescuing bust victims, and am fortunate to be joining Barbara Haysis, director of the Thomas J. O’Connor AC and Adoption Center and - Yay! - PETA spokesperson Daphna Nachminovitch.

"But it is important to bear in mind that nice families rarely come to a shelter seeking pit bulls. The vast majority of people who want pit bulls are attracted to the “macho” image of the breed as a living weapon and seek to play up this image by putting the animals in heavy chains; kicking, beating, and otherwise abusing them into aggression; and leaving them outside in all weather extremes in order to “toughen” them up." from PeTA's website

Another session will be devoted to - solutions! - on the topic of creating  'Successful Sheltering for Pit Bulls.' 

I'll be outlining lessons learned from our work with various shelters including our new focus at open intake Oakland Animal Services. Marianne Gasbarrohas of the ever-progressive Animal Rescue League of Boston will take the reins next and discuss their methods for matching pit bulls to new homes.

The topic will unfold even further with a segment from the cool-as-a cucumber Berenice Clifford of Animal Farm Foundation, who will be detailing tips for kennel enrichment and keeping high energy dogs happy during their wait. 

Good stuff. I sure hope some of our east coast rescue and shelter friends can join us for all or part..

2009 New England Federation Humane Society Annual Conference:
April 27-29 in Manchester, NH
CONFERENCE INFO

Above: Pure thuggery. Chuy and gal pal Alex not only came to the Oakland Animal Shelter to adopt a pit bull (the ever macho red-caped Bob, to be exact), but ... They. Won't. Go. Away. Both have signed on to be volunteers and are frequently spotted walking dogs, educating the public, socializing rabbits and - gasp! - loving up on all kinds of shelter pit bulls as part of our Bully Crew Team. THUGS, I tellya!

Dark Day in Oakland

A distressing day for Oaklanders as the city mourns the shooting deaths of three officers and a fourth in critical condition. NYT Article.

Oakland Animal Services, where BR has recently dug in our roots, is a division of the Oakland Police Department. Just three weeks ago, we were saluting the OPD for the large scale cock fight bust. The East Oakland neighborhood where the shootings took place is where BR has been doing much of its public outreach for dog owners, and has been one of the more troubled spots in the city.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and comrades of the slain officers: Sgt. Mark Dunakin, Officer John Hege, Sgt. Dan Sakai and Sgt. Ervin Romans.

Grand Opening!

Our favorite shop for dog fashion is back in the East Bay. Paco Collars has moved to a great little shop in Berkeley and is geared up for showing off their new storefront window this Saturday the 21st. If you aren't familiar with their custom leather work you either don't have pets, or you aren't from around here!
Paco Collars has always been a great supporter of BAD RAP and has donated plenty of collars and leashes to our foster dog program over the years. Founder Ana Poe raised $600 for our Lolo's double TPLO surgery in honor of her dog Paco's recent untimely death and in their continuing generosity are also donating 10% of the day's sales to BR. For those of you who are out of the area - order online.
If dog bling is your thing, doncha dare miss it!

Nelly's surgery

We call her No Nose Nelly around here cuz we can’t help it – We just like the way it rolls off the tongue to begin another Nelly song. Hey – it’s better than Dragon Lady.

She went in for surgery last month to see if we could open up her nasal passages enough to help her be able to breathe better since she was born sans nose. Two pin-prick holes was all she had. But her blood work said 'not now.' Her white cell count was too high and it wasn’t a big surprise since she had recently gotten over the pneumonia that she contracted while out in the yard of that freezing Oklahoma death pit called home.

We put her on antibiotics for two more weeks, sent her back to San Francisco with foster mom Reagan, and hoped she would heal. Then brought her back to the vet for another attempt at surgery, a procedure similar to what the genetically maligned Pugs and Frenchies go through to open up the airways to their nasal cavities. But once again, her white blood cell count was just as high as before, even though her energy level was better than ever.

So, to operate or not ? Not to be morbid, but seven dogs dropped dead from that yard before rescue efforts were completed. But not Nelly. Born without a nose and bred who knows how many times; starvation, freezing cold, and pneumonia couldn’t kill ‘er. I thought there is no way she won’t make it through surgery at Creature Comfort Vet Hospital where they practice holistic medicine and do acupuncture before they even pull out the scalpel. So let’s just get it over with, and while she’s under, check to see if she can breath fire and have her spayed too.

Well, our Nelly’s doin’ well. She’s healing fine, her energy level is good and she’s not part dragon after all. But unfortunately, not a lot could be done to help out her nasal passages - They were too narrow all the way to the sinus cavity and cutting away bone would have been too radical, even for our tuffy. The pin-prick holes are now longer and we hope that will at least give her a little relief once the swelling is all the way down.

Thanks for the emails from everyone who has a soft spot for our special little 34 pounder. Her tail’s waggin’ harder than ever!