Home Sweet Home for V-Dog Ten

This is Spyder - affectionately known as Maya by her foster mom, Kim. She's got quite a story, altho' you might've noticed that she didn't get air time during the V-dog celebrations.

I'll just get to the meat of things: Spyder is a little bit screwed up.

Not from fighting, but from her early life in the shelter that took her in after the Vick bust. Her home for six months was in-no-way-ready to have 17 fighting dogs dumped on them. And being understaffed and ridiculously under-resourced, they were ill-prepared to help puppies grow up right in a gawd-awful-crazy kennel environment. While some animal welfare orgs solicited buttloads of money on the backs of Vick's victims, this little place saw penny-zero and couldn't afford an office chair, much less extra kennel help (Literally, they didn't have an office chair!) The two (count: 2) guys that worked there were in over their heads from Day One. They were, essentially, as screwed as the dogs they were supposed to be caring for.

Six Virginia animal shelters took in Vick dogs after the bust. Some were fantastic and the dogs shined in their care. And some shelters, not so good. We're not placing blame...We're just sayin.' When housing abused animals, resources matter.

So, six month old puppy Spyder and her littermate Frodo grew up in a loud, dirty echo chamber with no comforts and no one to take them outside. And yes, it caused permanent damage. Dogs like our Ernie came from this same shelter, but because he was already a stable (and well socialized) adult when he entered, he was better wired to endure the intense stress of confinement.

Suckers-R-Us, our hearts hurt for these funny little yearlings when we met them back in September. We wanted to give them our best, even if that meant they wouldn't be able to be famous or 'normal' like Jonny Justice, Hector, Ernie, Teddles and the rest. So when the courts granted us the opportunity to take dogs home for interim foster care weeks early (designed to prevent stressed-out dogs from deteriorating further) we weighed our options and put the pups on the bus along with the Rock Stars. It was only right; hogging all the Stars when other groups were stepping up would be wrong, and we had room for the siblings, so why not.

Fast forward to Now. Amazingly, Brother Frodo seems to be doing 'okay.' He's no lion-heart, but he's participating in the real world and trying his best to be brave. As stunted as he is, he's full of joy and hope and will be protected and loved by his circle of supporters in BR. But his sister?...Not so okay. Spyder enjoys the world in small spurts. Dogs are her biggest happiness and her play manners are wonderful. She loves her crate, her ball and FOOD - Ohmagod. Food is good. But in total, the world outside is a very scary place for Spyder.

After several months of home care and minor victories, it became clear that city life was causing her more fear than joy. And that's just not fair; We didn't get into this project to cause more stress.

So now comes the good news:...As of yesterday, Spyder went to live at Best Friend's Sanctuary in Utah. The world is smaller there; quieter. A 10x20 pen is her new kingdom with toys and sun and no city noises to rattle her nerves. She'll be able to play with other dogs and smell the fresh air and watch the Utah weather and bark at coyotes and go for walks with her new 'family' - a small circle of people who've committed themselves to her care. In our heart of hearts, we believe she'll be truly happy there.

We certainly considered the option of putting Spyder to sleep. We do our share of 'culling' dogs that aren't right for this unforgiving world and we knew no one would blame us for this sad task. But doing this does take a piece of your soul away each time. We've seen it turn seasoned breed people bitter and ill-tempered towards everything and everyone. I imagine demanding perfection in an imperfect world can have the same negative accumulative effect as living in a small cage with no light or fresh air. So maybe in part for selfish reasons, to protect our hearts from hardening to the point of no return, we voted for Life for Spyder. Thank you Best Friends for giving us the opportunity to make that choice for her. Above: John Garcia of Best Friends greets Spyder.

Vid Clip: Frodo and Spyder (in red collar) Saying Good Bye.

Here's a quick clip of Spyder getting loaded up for her trip to Utah. Big day! Plane Ride Home .... Later, I'll tell-all on the Best Friend's V-dog that came to take Spyder's place in CA. The adventure continues.

Pearl

I wanted to post a tribute to Pearl (blog below). She graced our Katrina Survivor Calendar cover last year, running like happy gangbusters on the beach in her new land. I was floored by Nicole's initial interest in rescuing Pearl from a sea of pit bulls in the rescue station of NOLA way back when. When asked why she wanted the black scarred up girlie with swinging teats, protruding vulva and chopped ears, Nicole stated matter of factly, "Because this is the dog that everyone else will leave behind." You so rock, Nicole.

God speed Miss Pearl...The beach is all yours now. Off leash, at that!

Better odds with a hurricane

I’ve been meaning to write about my experience in VA (and I will), but life moves fast and when I returned home, Pearl received a diagnosis of lymphoma. We had been busy making the most of our time together, until Monday at 5 am, when my precious Pearl died from lymphoma. She was a fabulous creature. Some people may say she wouldn’t have won a beauty contest (I, of course, think otherwise), but Pearl had an excess of personality. In the weeks of treatment at a local hospital, the staff treated her like royalty, never kenneling her because “she couldn’t have cared less about the other animals and we liked to sit with her.“

Pearl tried to make a friend of everyone she met.Sometimes people weren’t interested…like the man who yelled at me last week on a public sidewalk for not having a muzzle on her…Pearl continued to wag and smile at him while he berated us. Heartbreaking and so completely infuriating at the same time. Maybe some people have been so conditioned by what they read and see on TV that they fail to think for themselves and are unable to recognize the reality of what is right before their eyes.

And heartbreaking too, to think that there are thousands of other perfectly wonderful dogs just like her who are exterminated each year because they were unlucky enough to be rescued from the property of a dog fighter. Strange to think that Pearl was luckier to be caught up in a hurricane than to be rescued by some animal welfare agencies.

Rest in Peace My Love

Bookmark This

The notes about Spyder's send-off will have to wait for a time when I have more brain power. Better than yakking is the fun of new photos and perspective from nine rebel pit bulls. They don't seem to realize yet that they're defying the stereotypes of what pit bulls (fight bust pit bulls no less) are supposed to be like: unpredictable, unsocialized, fight-crazy, unwanted, uncontrolled, unworthy and expensive! (We're still amazed to hear that people think these guys are only alive because Vick had money. How freakin' RUDE.)

Vick Dog Blog

If you haven't already, check in with the Rebel Crew at their own Bloggity Blog ... Note: Sped Baby Frodo is still learning his way around the world, much less the keyboard. But Ted is on the ball. And we were happy to finally hear from the ever-sassy too-cute-for-her-own-damn-good Grace.

KC Dog Blog

Brent is right to puzzle over SF's new claims that they possess the magic cure for pit bull euthanasias. Is it working? We're scratching our heads over the claims too and will be back with our take on the numbers game. BSL/MSN in SF

National Canine Research Council

We can't pimp this site enough. Karen has taught us worlds on the realities of canine aggression. We look forward to seeing this website's information get to where it needs to go. NCRC

Motley Crew

These two thugs are commiserating on the downfalls of being low-pups-on-the-totem-pole in a house full of top dogs. Being a foster dog in these circles means ya gotta play second fiddle to a pack of veteran canines and work for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g while waiting for an adopter to make you famous. Actually, as pathetic as they look, Frodo and Tyson are good buddies and they enjoy catching zzz's together in the first morning light while waiting for the sound of breakfast. But we like to chuckle at how forlorn they look. (Hey, you have to find entertainment where you can.)



The top dogs on the property are so unimpressed (read: bored) with foster dogs that they make the perfect role models for impromptu training sessions thru-out the day. What would we do without our patient crew of old timers? They remind us that dumb manners are only temporary ----> ---> ---> COOKIE TIME VIDEO

Looking for tips on DOG-DOG MANAGEMENT? Start HERE.

Saying Goodbye

Tomorrow marks a bittersweet moment for (V-dog) Frodo's sister, Spyder. She's leaving for a new home in a far-away land. We'll get back here and update asap.

Patriotism, indeed!

The threat of more BSL in Florida is raising its ugly head again. Heads Up!: HB101

Countering the insanity of Florida's BSL are our celebrated friends at Hillsborough County Animal Services. They can boast being one of the most proactive shelters in the country for going after animal abusers. Instead of pushing ineffective legislation, they're all about enforcing existing laws. Thank dog somebody in FL is setting a good example. Best quote in the article, Hillsborough on top on animal cruelty cases....

Dennis McCullough, is a former Secret Service agent who points out that he is neither a vegetarian nor a member of PETA. McCullough sees the protection of animals as nothing less than patriotic. "Part of the American way is that we defend the weak and defenseless," he said. "And this is just another example."

It's a funny world when the good guys have to make sure and distance themselves from Peta. What's Peta up to, by the way? ...What else? They're pushing for the breed ban in Florida. With a $30 million dollar annual budget that's obviously being used to hurt innocent animals, friends don't let friends donate to the crazies.

Pit bulls: A breed for Vikings

I really wanted to stay home. It's cold here and most of St. Cloud is the color gray with dirty snow and sad March skies...but what warm people. Tim & I are hunkered down in our hotel room in MN tonite after spending the day yakking up pit bull adoptions with a kind crowd of shelter workers and rescue groups. Networking is always the best part of conferences: We had the good fortune of hanging out with the smart (and beautiful) gals from A Rotta Love Plus and enjoyed dinner with pit bull celeb Roo tonite, who is owned the by the Disk Maniac Wallace

Okay, maybe the cold weather's not so hard to take after all.

The best news of the day: Our hosts, Minnesota Tri-County Humane Society, announced today that they're ready to put ambassadog pit bulls up for adoption. Tim's been talking with these good folks since his presentation last year piqued their interest in giving the bullpups a try. This news is gratifying, to say the least. Rachel and her crew from A Rotta Love helped us select a few dogs to evaluate in front of the crowd today. And while we hate putting dogs on the spot in front of 200 watchful eyes, the pay-off was that two did so well that they earned their way into two new adoption program. Huzzah!

This video shows a glimpse of a little brown monkey faced DARLING who will soon be Tri-County's first breed ambassadog. She tested beautifully: Warmly connected, cheerful, highly motivated to please and allllll about people. We wish her and her advocates well ... They have important work to do and we know that they'll be brilliant. Monkey Girl Kennel Clip

If you live in MN and are starting to think about adding a love machine to your family, pls check out Tri-County Humane MN (and don't tell'em I said so, but if you like designing websites, I bet these guys would love some help with a major website make-over to showcase their animals).

We fly to WI tomorrow ... Where I'm guessing it's still cold.

Ducked Fup

Out of 40 or so adoptions each year, we get about two returns...Not too bad. Sadly, the most common reason for a return is "divorce." We aim to weed home failures out as best we can with the trial adoptions. It's much easier to get a dog back within weeks rather than years after the fact. If you watch the Available Page - you're likely to notice an occasional 'Adoption Pending' dog shift back to 'Available' rather than 'Adopted' status, and you may wonder 'Wha'happened?' The stories behind those quiet status downshifts are as different as the people who come to us for dogs. (Texas, Left)

Lady Luck decided to mess with our heads recently....Like a wacky theme party, no less than three hopeful Adoption Pending homes all decided that having a second dog was more work than they expected (Contrary to some odd Internet rumors, most of BR's adopted dogs end up enjoying permanent homes with other well-matched pets.). We were surprised when Harvey (Linda's dog), BooBoo (Tim's dog) and, more recently, Texas (my dog) all bounced back into the program. Their people all gushed about the pups but blamed the work involved. Multi-pet management definitely looks sexier on paper. We understand ... Flying furniture from indoor zoomies can get old, tripping over tie-downs is a pain and adjustment periods can be trying. That's why we call it a trial. But, still.

Weeding out window shoppers is tricky and admittedly, our facilities look like a country club to folks that are weighing the option of riding out a tuff adjustment period or going back to 'normal life' pre-pooch. Some homes even feel guilty about taking dogs away from our program. ('Please!' we explain. 'Get that dog out of here and give him a life!') Each of the recently returned dogs came back with a cheerful "we just know you'll find him/her a wonderful home right away" mention. ...Ahem. Clearly, we're making this adoption business look too easy. Or we're not offering enough Reality Check up front, or something. Or more likely, this is just the way it is. Sorry dogs.

Josie Kat (above) was not a return, but she did just miss out on a recent home with a really great seven year old kid when Dad decided that our weeding process was too intrusive (His Reality Check became my Reality Check!) We felt bad for the kid, tho.' J-Kat was kind enough to mimic my pms-inspired mood with this photo above. Nice.

So, taking Josie's lead - here are some photos to celebrate the orphan crew. Josie, Deja Blue and Texas at Pit Bull Hall - with a cameo from Elvez (who has a hopeful home ......or does he?)

Slideshow of PBH Dogs on a de-stuffing mission.
Josie Tug Movie
Texas Coy Clip
Somebody - Adopt one of these amazing dogs. Good lord.

Josie in a State of Pure Bliss. Which reminds me, when you thrift shop this summer, remember to pick up that $3 bag of stuffed toys for the crew at Pit Bull Hall. Watching our dogs de-stuff is as therapeutic for US as it is for them!

Five 'rare' pitbull pups stolen

And a story on a sad theft and some of the biggest suckers on the planet. Rare blue-eyed pharaoh pit bulls? That is for to laugh (or cry, depending on the day you're having) PSHAW!

Making it Work

BR Rep Linda Chwistek is one of the happiest things to happen to pit bulls in the SF by area. She's the best kind of dog nut: grounded, dedicated, focused, and always willing to share what she knows. She trudges out to all kinds of weather to help pit bull owners with all levels of obedience, and she's stirred lots of proof in her pudding by putting multiple agility titles on Super Fly, Ruby.

With ten thousand things going on, she still manages to pull and place a handful of great breed ambassadors thru out program each year. This recent case is extra happy.

In her words:

One Year, Six Months, 8 Days

Believe, me. I've been counting, and worrying (just a little).

She's an exceptional dog. And she's also a high drive, working style pit bull. Like so many terriers, she's full of bravado and she'’s not likely to back down from a challenge if another dog pushes her. But with training and management from her smart and patient foster home, she's the perfect dog and she exudes what I love most about this breed. Pit bulls like her are often the sweetest and most people-focused dogs you will ever be lucky enough to meet; willing to do just about anything for their person. But it can also take a long time to get to their happy ending. The working dog community typically avoids the rescue dogs (preferring a pedigree on their dogs) and pet homes usually want dogs with a little less moxie, so gems like this get left out in the cold. Even so, we pull the best of the best of these pit bulls from the shelters when we have a ready foster home because we know and appreciate the amazing animals that are packaged up with that endless drive.

But, back to counting days. I'm no longer worried, not even a little. Want to know why? Check out our Happy Endings page in just a couple of days! - Linda Chwistek

We Gots it!:
RR Show Link with Jonny

...... And at last, we have the LINK to the Rachael Ray Show with her segment about the Vick dogs, and, Jonny Justice's 15 minutes of fame. WOOF!

(Thanks Tom Becker)

Who's This?

Lil Leprechaun Dutch here hasn't had as much air time as the other Vick dogs yet, but this may be his Lucky Weekend.

The wee thing is full of spirit, so will be auditioning for a role as an agility dog with two dog-shoppin' trainers who've been putting impressive agility titles on their dogs. Air time - indeed!

Wish da little guy the Luck of the Pit Bull!

Feeling lucky

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, it's a good time to reflect on luck.

We really can't believe the breed's good luck these days - all the positive press seems almost surreal! Is the tide finally turning for our bully pals? We have a good feeling about it.

Since I was feeling lucky and festive, and since both those things go along quite nicely with St. Pat's, I got motivated and asked crack designer Amy McMillan to come up with some fun pit bull t-shirt designs for the Bad Rap shop.

The first one one isn't a sentiment that would have rung true on last St. Pat's, but these days it works.

Don't worry - we also made some shirts for the dogs (of course!) that can be worn all year round, particularly if you have a nice lil' rednose red.

(The complete line of St. Patrick's Pit Bull t-shirts is here - we haven't quite updated the shop navigation, so they're hard to find without a direct link.)

So on St. Pat's, do be sure to raise a glass in thanks and a toast to continued luck from the Bully Gods.

Because, as we all know, pit bulls do love to party! And a raucous day like St. Pat's is most definitely a pit bull's kinda party day.

Oh - boring details:

If you want a deal on these shirts, you can save $5 off $50 with the coupon code STPATPITBULL.

Team Noonie

When science finally perfects the human-cloning process, we're going to have to get busy with building an army of this woman, Nicole Rattay, and her husband Steve Smith. These guys are the diehards who flew out to VA to drive an RV with 13 Vick dogs back to CA. Nicole then went back to VA and lived in a run-down little rented apartment for six weeks so she could offer daily assessment reports to Rebecca Huss, along with exercise opps and general comfort to the sheltered dogs that were still waiting for their ticket home. We could (and should) write a long blog on what Nicole did for those Vick dogs and how her care brought so many out of kennel stress and depression.

Shown here with Bouncer now Leo, a fantastic example of the breed - destined to be a working dog (and quite likely related to Hector). Leo has a way of making toys out of anything he can get his big fat mouth on, and after demolishing a plastic garbage can for sh*ts and giggles, we knew that flying him home in a vari-kennel might cause a little bit of a problem (!) So without a second thought, Nicole raised her hand to do another coast-to-coast drive, this time solo - except for her special passenger, of course.

During the long and difficult dogs days of the Vick ordeal, Nicole learned that her three year old nephew Charlie was diagnosed with leukemia.

As you may imagine, our family was rocked by the diagnosis and the reality that came with it. Hospitals…procedures…tests…needles…chemo…all scary stuff, and bad enough when an adult is faced with these things, but try explaining the necessity of all of this to a child. Charlie has been a real trooper during his treatment. Initially of course there were battles over medication, but those are few and far between now. He understands that there are “bad guys” in his blood and the medications and healthy food are going to make them go away. (Letter from Nicole)

So what do you do in that situation besides rack up the cell phone minutes and frequent flyer miles?

What else. You shave your head in solidarity for the little guy who lost his hair.

On March 15, Nicole and Steve will be going chrome-dome as part of a St. Baldrick Fundraiser to bring attention to kids with cancer, and to raise funds for research. Cancer is the #1 disease related killer of children under the age of 14 years and currently, one in every 330 children in the United States develops cancer before the age of nineteen.

Nicole's whole family is in on this and have formed 'Team Noonie.' Noonie is the name of Charlie’s beloved softie that accompanies him to all hospital visits. If you'd like to pledge a little something to support this family, I know they would love it. Team Noonie Pledges.

Thank you!

Highs & Lows

As you can imagine, BR's website hits spiked like a SF-style shaker after Friday's show. Thank you, Rachael Ray. Behind those spikes are real people tho' who've prolly never been to a pit bull website before. How exciting and how intriguing. Who are these folks?....And what do they think of all this?

I couldn't find stats for # of daytime telly viewers that tune in each day, but according to her magazine's Media Kit, nearly half of RR's audience are men...Huh! The median age is 44.7 (Damn. I picked a good time to be middle-aged.) Over a quarter are college graduates and working professionals. I'm hoping a good chunk enjoyed what they saw. At least, they were smiling warmly at us when I was wrestling Jonny into a 'relaxed' pose (ha!) on the sofa with a crew of jack-rabbit-fast producers buzzing around.

SHOW LINK HERE.

We're really grateful to the folks who took the time write with their feedback. This is one of my favorite letters. From a guy named Al:

To whom it may concern,,
I just watched on a tv program, how pitbulls are being saved and retrained by your org, and I am inpressed to say the least.
I am 53 years of age and have known people who have raised these dogs for just what they were bred for..and I have never agreed with this behavior..I always believed that the owners who treat animals this way are the ones who are commiting the crime, not the dog. I would also like to say that I never thought that pitbulls could be trained to do anything more than fight. I was wrong..Thank you for what you are doing for these animals, they do need your help..I have never agreed with punishing the animal fot the owner's behavior. They have suffered enough. Keep up the good work. - Al

Canada-O-Canada

Head's Up. We can't celebrate for long without remembering the pit bull owners who're looking in from the BSL hell of the Ontario ban. Like Mac's Gang, who comes to this blog almost every day for a tiny dose of sanity. BAD things are happening in Mac's world, and it's not getting better.

Let's let Luisa (Lassie Get Help) do the telling in her blog post Toronto's Gulag for Dogs

Hang in there Mac's World. And Caveat. And pittymomma. Your dogs are our dogs, and their time will come.

There's too many dogs in this tub

Does anyone remember the old Shel Silverstein poem?

I thought of it today while I washed five - yes, five - dogs. OK, I didn't wash them all at once or anything, but seriously - too many dogs in that tub consecutively made for one tired (and very wet) Mom / Foster Mom.

Four of the five are seen here on what used to be the couch and is currently known as The Best Dog Bed. I figure after torturing them all with a bath, the least I can do is throw a sheet over the cushions and let everyone (everyone who will stay still in a picture that is...) chill out and stay warm.

The "Dirtiest Dog" award went to Millie, who has a habit of throwing herself onto her back and wiggling for any other dog or human that she wants to show that she thinks they're pretty great. The "Most Compliant" award went to Pandora, who hops into the tub of her own accord (looking appropriately pathetic and martyr-like, of course).

But the "Most Pathetic" award went, paws-down, to Hector.

Hector really hates baths, and from the way he pouts may think that I'm doing this for the sole purpose of tormenting him. After two failed escapes and a few more obvious motions toward the edge of the bathtub, he finally settled in and realized that this bath was going to continue with or without his blessing... oh, poor Hector!

Keep in mind that this is a Vick dog with a rock-solid temperament who shows no demons from his past and seems to just enjoy living in the present with no regrets or worries despite his previous abusive conditions and months in custody... that is, unless the living in the present includes the dreaded bathtub.

So Hector has his own strong opinions about baths, and since he has his own blog now with his other Vick Dog pals he decided to share them.

Anyway, 5 clean dogs makes for 1 dirty human, so after all that I decided to give myself a shower (since I wasn't up for cleaning the bathtub).

I was asked at Pit Ed class today what the hardest part of having 5 dogs around is, and I said "feeding time." I'd like to officially retract that statement - I forgot about bath time! Phew.

Anyway, everyone's clean and smelling lovely, and now we have some cute pictures of some very clean dogs to remind us that Cleanliness is next to Dogliness... but not without some human elbow grease.

And a lot of dirty towels.

Celebrate

A wonderful little video piece from one of the many people who lost sleep last summer over the Vick case. Upbeat is an understatement. Thank you, Dane -- This one still gives me chills. CELEBRATE!

And we have to give four paw high fives to this video outlining an important education program in Chicago designed to curb dog fighting. Even though the HSUS misfired in a big way with the Vick case, we're so happy to see them $upport this program. Big kudos to the Chicago Canine Academy for your good work.

This is a repeat, but everyone needs to keep this video on hand as a cure for what ails you. The music is enough to revive the soul. Jonny Justice Thanks again dogtime.com!

Signs of Intelligence

The stars & planets are lined up right for the dogs this week. Let's enjoy it while we can....

Battle Won - Two pit bull owners in PA won a major battle after spending eight years fighting a city ordinance that puts unfair restrictions on pit bulls. A state appeals court tossed it out da door. Congrats PA, and Well done!

Fair Treatment - Houston Humane Society announced that they will evaluate two fought pit bulls for placement potential. No 'fighting machine' or 'ticking time bomb' talk noted. We don't remember this shelter adopting out many/any pit bulls in the past, so giving these two dogs a fair chance is Huge.....Maybe it's contagious? A South Carolina shelter has made the same announcement about six abused dogs.

Ahem. A brief message to the 'Kill-em-All Naysayers' out there.

Compassion for Jailbirds - Pima AC in Tuscon is soliciting donations to care for the 130+ pit bulls confiscated from the Patrick property. This is a wonderful way to involve the community in caring about the dogs. We commend the decision to ask for help, and hope that they end up with lots of toys in addition to the supplies.

HE CAN SIT! - Our foster dog Frodo (above) - who runs a little on the simple side - learned to Sit today. Woo! It's been embarrassing to have the only Vick dog that can't do a sit, but Frodo needed to work things out on his own time. Raised from pup-hood in near-isolation, he's one of our more stunted dogs, and we all have a soft spot for him because of it. More to come on the World According to Frodo.

Life's Luxuries

It's so nice to hear how many people are opting to run late for work on Friday so they can catch the Rachael Ray Show. It's like the Pit Bull Oscars, but without Jon Stewart. (darn)

This is the NYC limo driver who drove our K9 Celeb around town. He fell hard for the little monster and I'm pleased to report that Jonny held back and didn't vomit in the car once (altho' he looks a little green here, doesn't he?) <----

Rachael and her crew certainly treat their guests right: We enjoyed a lovely hotel next to Carnegie Hall that allows pets. Nice. The staff fawned over him so much that we knew they'd understand when he made a little do-do in the room (Oops). Video of a little room party, bulldog style: Five Star Bed Bug

I have to say, I had fleeting moments of guilt during this trip. So much expense and extravagance -- for a dog? Isn't this a little out of balance when we consider the human suffering in the world? Thankfully our resident poet and Pit Bull Hall diehard Elizabeth helped pull it all into perspective. She said "Hilton hell yes. There's a poet Jack Gilbert who has a great take ("A Brief for the Defense") on living it up despite the misery out there:"

If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world.

Point taken. Thank you Jack and thank you, Elizabeth.

In an unrelated reality check on the Way of the World, we came home and were greeted by a pair of red tail hawks who've returned to the grounds of the East Bay SPCA (where Pit Bull Hall is housed) to tend a nest for the third year in a row. They're a marvelous pair and have fledged out several youngins.' What could be better than working a pit bull while watching a family of hawks spin overhead and scream out that life-affirming "I'm alive and I'm hungry!" cry? Whether it's New York City or the flats of Oakland, life is always better when it can be shared with the critters.

Jonny Sez: Delish!

The celebrity sofa graced by Jonny Justice two blogs below belongs to this darling of daytime telly. Yes! our ever-charming Bully Bust Dog Ambassador will be getting his
15 minutes of fame on the
Rachael Ray Show this coming Friday, February 29, 9am. A good reason to be late for work. Or set your Tevo. Or, check back here for the video link to the show.

How cool is that? Of course Rachael is a pit bull owner herself, so the interview was all about good vibes. We'll save the good parts for you to see for yourself. Photo: Tim in Central Park with Jonny Justice after the show's taping.



Pardon us please while we bask in the momentary bliss of being full fledged Media Ho's for the V-dogs. Does the country care about cast-off pit bulls? Last year at this time, the answer mighta been 'Eh. Mebbe' -- But this year's a whole new ball game and we're happy to see the dogs get a seat on the bus for once. And it's not slowing down...We have more shameless media announcements to make as we move into spring. Yo. Watch out for da Ho's!

A Rotta Good Bite Prevention Work

Speaking of working the media to help the dogs, we have to give a five snap salute to the Minnesota rescue/education mavericks A Rotta Love for their fantastically proactive bite prevention programs. We ALL need more of this. Even better, they've gotten their program into the press more than once, showing us all how simple and fun it is to teach dog safety and show off great ambassadors at the same time. I love these people! News Story

Small Victories at Home

Despite the fun stuff happening in the media, our crew is always working hard behind the scenes exercising, training and TLC'ing our orphan dogs until they finally go home. Shining up their manners involves problem solving; there's really no such thing as a perfect dog, and every individual has a little something that needs working out. For Elvez, it was wheelchairs. Anytime he saw a chair, he practically panicked. Not good. So the Pit Bull Hall Team has been wheeling a wheelchair around him for weeks along with lots of positives for calm.

This weekend's log notes from Pit Bull Hall volunteer Inga Sheffield spelled out a simple victory: 'Elvez Notes: A visitor in a wheelchair was checking him out as I came in with Josie. He was really good, no jumping or crazy yelping. I brought him out and he was equally well behaved. '

Great news. And just as nice, Elvez has a new suitor. Go Team.

Have we learned anything yet?

Six people were arrested this week in AZ on misdemeanor cruelty charges for running a breeding operation that looks very much like a large scale puppy mill with sorry conditions and way too many pit bulls. While the local media is very excited about a 'dog fight ring,' no dog fighting charges have been filed. Authorities and the HSUS are instead condemning the operation for "breeding fighting dogs." The judge was less than impressed and allowed the defendants to leave without posting bail.

So here are the obvious questions:
What makes a dog a fighting dog?

and

Why is this term being manipulated to hurt the very animals that raids are designed to help?

He said that even pit bulls in good shape can be proof of dogfighting. ~ KBOLD13News (mis?)quoting Marsh Myers, Humane Society of Southern Arizona

HUH?!

The dogs on the AZ property are people friendly and surprisingly few have battle scars, yet the media is already suggesting that all or most will need to be destroyed. (I guess they didn't get their People Magazine!) The running definition for fighting dog in this case is a dog that's already ruined because someone, somewhere might exploit and abuse him once he's sold. This is in line with PeTA's wish to exterminate the entire pit bull breed to prevent them from being abused.

Of course our own 10 Vick survivors have been called "fighting dogs"- But are they? Is a fighting dog born or made? And who decides?

Stay tuned - This is going to be an interesting case to watch.

"After being confiscated, fighting dogs are typically euthanized due to their highly aggressive nature and unsuitability for adoption." ~ Humane Society of the United States

Vick-dog Uba (left) and his housemate Lulu. Fighting dog(s) ?


Photograph compliments of Uba's devoted foster mom, Letti

Laptop Go Boom

Why do dogs decide to trip us and send sacred laptops sailing just when we need them most?
Definitely the Trickster at work.

So needless to say, I've taken over Tim's computer, but am painfully behind on updating BR's website including and especially our Available Page. This is a good time to announce a new addition to Pit Bull Hall *snort* ------->.

Tyson is a teeny tiny blue senior Staffy Bull that somehow ended up in trouble and then with the good folks at Oakland Animal Services (OAS has a great little blog,btw - Check it out.)

Tyson was identified as a Pit Bull Hall dog during evaluation practice of Pit Ed Camp, a week-long intensive where folks from around the country come to study up on ways to create viable pit bull adoption programs. We love these camps and the people who attend them. The February camp attracted shelter professionals from Michigan Humane Society --- (Yes, it's time to put your hands up for Detroit again. Heh), from Capital Area Humane Society (Reps Kelly and Stephanie shown in pic), the Jacksonville Humane Society (They're still recovering from the tragic fire that killed over 200 animals), Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe and finally, a rep from our Partner in Shelter Services, Animal Farm Foundation. All good people with a renewed commitment to help the pit bulls in their communities.

We were so happy that Michigan Humane's own Stella Polari was able to be reunited with MHS staff during the training class portion of camp. Shown here with MHS's head trainer, CJ Bentley (who went to High School with Tim, btw - Small world!)

If you know of a motivated shelter worker whose pit bulls would benefit from Pit Ed Camp, please send them our way. Even better if they don't like pit bulls!

Back to Tyson. This tyke is a hilariously funny little alien beast who sings, chortles, purrs and demands to be loved. We're not as familiar with staffy bulls since their breeders tend to be more cautious and their dogs don't typically end up orphaned, but this year has been a bonanza. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club has informed us that Michael Vick was shopping SBs to add to his collection. OUCH. So - in case you didn't already guess - Jonny and maybe even a few of our other Vick dogs may be all or part Staffy Bull. If Michael Vick's House of Horrors isn't reminder enough, breeders - PLEASE - screen your friggin' clients and know where you're sending your breeding stock! Your dogs and your breed's future are depending on you.

Speaking of you-know-who, this little displaced staffy bull is sleeping soundly on the sofa of a famous NYC celebrity. Any guesses? Stay dialed in - We look forward to spilling the beans.


RADIO FUN

We'll be chatting with Kim Bloomer, VND and Jan Cooper on The Dog View Radio Show this Thursday, Feb 21 at 2:30 EST. Please listen in -- it should be fun!

New Yorkie Man Jonny

What's former Vick dog 'Jonny Justice' doing in NYC? We can't say, but it's going to be a great reason to stay home and watch television in two weeks. (We'll holler out the who/what/where/when announcement the second we get the green light.)


Rebecca Huss

One of the biggest heroes in the Vick case was the court appointed Special Master Guardian Attorney Rebecca Huss. Finally, a great interview where she talks candidly about the case. We at BAD RAP so *heart* this lady.



Humane Society of Missouri - 'A Future for Former Fighters'

We're lovin' the beautiful photos and encouraging quotes in this piece about giving pit bull victims a chance. Beautifully written by Jennifer Hayes for Best Friends Network.

Mama dog photo provided courtesy of Debbie Hill of the Humane Society of Missouri.

Modern Day Miracles

It’s being called a miracle. Dog owners all over the globe are reporting a strange phenomena that started this weekend as pets dropped their prize chew toys to stare with rapt attention at the People Magazine’s article on the Vick dogs.

While some suggest that dogs only like to look at the pictures, others theorize that they may actually be reading. Pit bulls especially have been reported breaking into zoomies following each viewing. What does it all mean? More to come as Utah dog psychologists begin to study this compelling behavior.

Above: BR alum Boris and Sister Sheena study the article in their Texas home. Good to see that their human, Patty, is still resisting.


In Other News

We're pleased as punch with FOX anchor Kimberly Guilfoyle's (right) interview about the rescued Vick dogs – namely, her warm acknowledgment of Jonny Justice.

Is it any coincidence that this interview came from the ex-wife of SF Mayor Newsom, the same guy who suggested banning pit bulls back in 2005? One has to wonder. Either way, we’re grateful to Kimberly for helping Fox News viewers meet this little Myth Buster.

See Jonny Justice on FOX News

Finally, during a long & busy week of Pit Ed Camp (photos to come), I was thrilled to fall home and catch a vicarious Cajun buzz from Ken Foster’s video of a pit bull party (!) at the Sound Café in New Orleans. This hoppin' dawg bash came together to celebrate the launch of his new book. Lookit those happy dogs...I soooo wish we coulda been there. Congrats, Ken!

Hey, PEOPLE - Let's have a Pit Bull Party

Pardon me while I gush. Getting the V-dogs out of Virginia and into safe homes wasn't something we counted on. Getting them into People Magazine was like, Whoa, are you kidding me? Not because we were surprised that they wanted a story...The People people have been patiently waiting for the gag order to lift along with everybody else. But their 'vision' was to get as many dogs as possible on a sofa for a relaxed-at-home photo. HEH.

We know our dogs well enough to know how that would go. These buggers are terminally happy wrigglers, and close proximity means everybody starts vibrating into a crazy mess of twister madness. But we love a good challenge, so said "Yes" and spent a hilarious hour getting the rowdy bunch to pretend that they chill like this every day of the week.*



*For a peek into how it really went: PHOTO SHOOT VIDEO

It's slightly freaky to see our heads on the same page as Vick's photo. Creepy, in a "Do they get People Magazine in prison?" kind of way. But the dogs deserve this moment, and folks waiting in grocery store lines all over the county will get another chance to ponder the outcome of the case this week.

MORE GOOD NEWS: (Can you stand it?)

The Humane Society of Missouri has gone public with their decision to help several of the dogs from Missouri's largest fight bust in this press release. A quote worth smiling about:

“We are committed to giving these dogs who came from such horrible abuse the absolute best chance for a good life. It is a tragedy that because of their mistreatment by humans for financial gain and so-called sport, some may not ever be able to be placed in a home situation.” ~ Debbie Hill, VP of Operations

And, more

We want to thank all the good people who've been moved to send toys and good vibes to the hardworking folks at Hillsborough County Animal Services. They received goodies for their dogs from friends as far away as Berkeley, CA and from BSL ridden locales like Ontario, Canada and Bermuda. Your support and best wishes for better days helps more than you know.

And, more

We just have to thank Britney Spears for sharing her spotlight last week with Uba and the cute baby with the blue eyes. The AP story on the Vick dogs ended up being one of MSN's top picks of the week.

Media, take note: This is proof that your audience prefers stories that celebrate triumph over adversity to the formula-bad-news pieces you normally offer!.... In other feel-good news, here at home we're celebrating Bug's homecoming into the care of a wonderful family. Josie Kat misses both him and newly-placed Texas Cadillac, but she's keeping us in shape at Pit Bull Hall by requesting extra tug time during her play sessions. Go Josie.

THIS is the Drug

I know that look.....The smile on this guy's face says EVERYthing. This is Dennis McCullough, finalizing a pit bull adoption at Hillsborough County Animal Services in Tampa FL. The same overcrowded place where we pulled Little Man last year. The same shelter that - despite all odds: perennial BSL threats, way too many pit bulls, never enough good adopters, depressingly high euth numbers, few resources and a tired staff - they're still trying to make a difference and keep a few good dogs alive.



Dennis is one of the backbones of the shelter. He has the crappy job of busting dog abusers and bringing their oft-damaged dogs into already crowded kennels. It must suck to be Dennis some days. But his shelter has made a commitment to put a handful of breed ambassadors in the Available ward. It's a brave new focus and it helps heal hurting hearts on days when so many good dogs run out of options.

So, Bravo to Hillsborough for selecting Brock (photographed) and for getting him into a home. Dennis' smile says it all, "Good luck little buddy. You beat the odds. Get out there and have yourself a life."

HCAS vet Dr. Roese wrote me this week with a plea for bully-tough toys for their custody dogs (Think: Vick-like dogs in longterm confinement with nothing to do. All. Day. Long). She says,

The budgets in Florida governments are put to the test and finding money for special projects is getting harder and harder...
Kelly works very hard with our Pit Bulls and we all want to improve the life of our long-term stay dogs (mostly Pit!!!). I appreciate your support ! - Dr. Roese

Hillsborough County Animal Services
440 N. Falkenburg Road
Tampa, Florida 33619

Wanna make a huge difference? Consider starting a Toy Drive for this under-resourced shelter. Or, for your own local shelter. We gotta stay busy helping the good guys help the animals that are counting on us.

In other news...

Luisa's wicked smart Lassie, Get Help Blog ponders the emotional state of infamous naysayers this week. It must be embarrassing to see scary fighting dogs get nibbled on by adoring foster parents.

The media's interest in the dogs hasn't waned. Some juicy opps for the dogs are coming up, including an interview with Kimberly Guilfoyle on FOX News this Saturday at 7pm PST.

Please remind your skeptical brother-in-law to watch for that pit bull guy (Tim, left) and his funny little fightin' dog on the telly.

Hector de Ham

We had no idea that Hector was going to be such a media darling, but every other reporter that calls has been wanting more info about the handsome heart throb from Cheryl Wittenauer's wonderful AP article.

On Sunday, Hector's presence was requested at the KGO studios for a live interview with host Christine Craft. So Leslie and I chugged down coffee and made our way across the bay bridge to chaperone his date with radio fame. It didn't dawn on us until halfway up to the 3rd floor that Hector had probably never been on an elevator before. We did a quick check to see how he was doing: No problem. Hector was Mr. Cool, cocking his head and quietly studying the ding ding sounds, blinking lights and funny-stomach feeling of his first elevator ride. Huh. Such a pit bull.

In case you need to see him again (I do), take another look at Hector in this short video clip. Best line: "He likes to be upside down like a baby."

Grace

One of the prettiest little dogs from the Lucky Ten was unable to get to the press conference on Friday, so she's been missing out on some of the airtime. We look forward to helping her get her 15 minutes.

For now, here's her movie. Grace is a small, sassy, exuberant little love machine. What the hec was she doing on Vick's property? We'll never know. Enjoy.

Love those details

The writer of this article has been paying close attention to the nitty gritty details of the rescue operation. He suggests that we drop the label 'Vick dogs' (fine by me) and call them something different. Getting away from that label will be hard, though - Just as 2005's flood dogs will forever be branded 'Katrina dogs.' At least the dogs don't seem to care that we're stuck in a naming rut.