B-More Dog Community Pit Bull Day in Ellwood Park

On Saturday, November 19, 2011, B-More Dog (an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) hosted Community Pit Bull Day in Ellwood Park. With the help of veterinarian Dr. Johnny Slaughter volunteering his time, more than 70 dogs were vaccinated in this Southeast Baltimore neighborhood. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday and more than 200 people came out with their pets!

B-More Dog is a group of dedicated pit bull owners and advocates who volunteer their time, knowledge, and experience with the goal of "Making Baltimore a better place for Pit Bulls and their families." While not a dog rescue organization, B-More Dog focuses on education and outreach. In addition to hosting neighborhood outreach events like this, B-More Dog provides free humane education seminars to schools and community associations, partners with local shelters, and stays abreast of local and state legislation with the potential to affect dog owners.

Inspired by similar pit bull events hosted by organizations across the country, Community Pit Bull Days in Baltimore assists Baltimore dog owners with keeping their dogs healthy and happy. B-More Dog focuses their efforts to pit bull owners because pit bull-type dogs (over)populate local shelters in Baltimore (and across the country).

During Community Pit Bull Day, B-More Dog provided Rabies vaccines for dogs of age, as well as DAPPv (Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus vaccine) for dogs who previously received their booster. As part of our mission, pit bull-type dogs were vaccinated for free; nearly 75% of the dogs receiving rabies shots were pit bulls or pit bull-mixes.

B-More Dog also provided a Leash and Collar Exchange booth. This supplies dog owners with sturdy, properly fitting, clean equipment for their dogs. In exchange for the new gear, dog owners have to swap out their old gear which included both leashes and collars made of chains and rope. Unfortunately, we quickly ran out of leashes.

This interaction presented a great opportunity to discuss spaying and neutering animals. Many dog owners were receptive to the idea and 10 responsible pet owners were given free vouchers to use before the end of the year!

Other activities included an “Ask The Trainer” segment, as well as a training demonstration. All of us at B-More Dog were overjoyed with the day’s results, as well as for the many times we heard “thank you” and “bless you.” B-More Dog is unendingly grateful to veterinarian Dr. Johnny Slaughter, DVM, CVA, who generously volunteers his time to make Community Pit Bull Day happen. Information about Dr. Johnny is available at www.camdeninnerharborvet.com/

Many special thanks to Caroline Griffin, Chairperson of the Baltimore Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, who stopped by to visit and graciously let us put her to work by driving to pick up more copies of our rabies certificates! We almost ran out (our goal for the day was 50 dogs and we only had paperwork for this amount), and Caroline made it possible for many more dogs to be vaccinated.

We also can’t thank our dedicated volunteers enough! (Not everyone is pictured, but we know who they are.)

B-More Dog is planning quarterly Community Pit Bull Days throughout the City in 2012. A “wish list” of donation items (leashes, collars, flea preventives, etc.) will be available shortly. We’d love your support!

More information is available about B-More Dog at:
Email: b_moredog@yahoo.com
Website: http://bmoredog.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/35638834718/10150395379909719/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/bmoredog