Ed Block Courage Award??

As a huge fan of Pit Bull Rescue Central and a life long American Pit Bull Terrier owner, please inform all of your followers about Mike Vick receiving the Ed Block Courage Award and implore them to begin a letter writing campaign to express how distasteful and disgusting it is that Mike Vick could receive an award for courage and be compared to athletes like Dawan Landry (who came back from being almost paralyzed to play football once again).

It is an insult to the other 31 players who won this award and it is a slap in the face to the fans and dog owners (especially pit bull owners) everywhere.

Ed Block Courage Award Board Contacts: http://www.edblock.org/content/contact-us

Article where I got the info from: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Eagles-players-honor-Michael-Vick-with-award-for?urn=nfl,210601 Thank You, Ramon in FL

So why do you still go back? He is why...

So it has been three months now since the largest dog fighting bust in history happened essentially right in my back yard. More then 450 Pit Bulls have been housed by the Humane Society of Missouri for 90 days. 90 days, can you imagine having to care for 450 Pit Bulls for 90 days ?? Let me tell you, it has been no easy task.

Volunteers and staff have poured their hearts and souls into these dogs giving them what they could, making their time the best with what they have been dealt. Hundreds of peanut butter filled kongs handed out daily, hundreds of milk bones passed out amongst the crowds and thousands of Pit Bull kisses dealt out to anyone who has time to stop and get em, always a wiggle butt to be seen. Many have a story to tell with their eyes, many just want to know the love that they have forever longed for.

This has been a trial of the heart and body. Day after day you go in and spend as much time as physically possible only to say goodbye to your favorites not knowing what tomorrow will bring, when their fate will finally be decided. Your friends, family and coworkers tell you to take a break, you need to take it easy, but they are forever on our mind. You try and do the best you can while balancing your life but they are always in your thoughts, you can see them even when you are not there, you can see their eyes.

Many tears have been shed, many promises have been made if only our favorite fourleggeds could be allowed to come home. Waiting and more waiting, just waiting to hear something that says our dogs are safe, you can take them home, you can give them the life they SO deserve. You can take them home to decompress and start to heal from everything life has thrown at them... just waiting to hear something.

Finally, something... Sweet Baby James was released to come home. James has been a favorite from the beginning, a kind old soul that is very deserving of a couch to lay on and someone to love him til the day he dies. Well, he finally has that. James has become Junior as there will only be one James in our lives, but I think my RJ would approve.

This boy is lucky, he has two families fighting to love him, not very many dogs can say that and definitely not many Pit Bulls.

So here he is, JR in all his glory... able to live life as a loved family companion, not a gladiator on the end of a chain.

He is why I kept going, and the many others are why I will continue. Some day this will be over, many tears will be shed and many lives will be changed, but JR's will be for the better.

~ Teal

Window to the Soul - A PBRC Vol Helping Out in MO

Both of my visits to Missouri made an impression on me, that I will never forget.

Upon each visit, the first thing I notice is the eyes. Some happy, sad, anxious, or pleading, but all telling a story of what they had been through. It is not hard to form an attachment to these dogs in such a brief period of time. So many different personalities and needs, yet each one easy to remember with clarity. Some are overly exuberant to greet you, others subdued and shy. Some have a fun, mischievous look. Most displayed the amazing temperament and resilience that Pit Bulls are known for even after the atrocities they had been through.

The look in the eyes of the dogs after they are fed, their crate or kennel is cleaned is priceless. As are the too short moments where one is able to give these dogs affection and a sense of peace and love by holding the dogs and speaking soft words. Those moments are what these dogs need.

Another thing that stood out regarding this situation is the teamwork, hard work and dedication of those individual volunteers who have been there from the start. These people work hard and still find the time to make dogs, once viewed in their former life as a commodity, feel loved. They are heroes not looking for any type of publicity, self promotion or recognition. They are there as advocates for these dogs, a voice for those who cannot speak.

~ AmyD

PBRC Sends Their Thanks to the Humane Society of Missouri

In July 2009 the largest dog fighting bust in history occurred in Missouri. Over 400 pit bulls were confiscated from several states and taken to an undisclosed temporary shelter in St. Louis. With a number of females in the group already pregnant, the total number of dogs quickly rose to over 500 with the addition of many litters of puppies born at the shelter. In an effort to keep details of the case confidential, only a limited number of rescue groups were allowed to assist in this operation. As a leader in pit bull rescue and welfare, PBRC was one of the select few groups invited to help with the care of these dogs. We at PBRC would like to take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to the Missouri Humane Society for inviting us to be a part of this enormous operation.

As an internet based group, PBRC’s volunteers are spread out throughout North America however when word came through of the need for assistance in St. Louis, PBRC volunteers did not hesitate to put their own lives on hold and travel across the United States and Canada to St. Louis.

In addition to the many hundreds of volunteer hours required to keep PBRC working smoothly to assist in the education, rescue and welfare of pit bulls, all of our volunteers also maintain full time jobs, families and other volunteer duties. Many also work hands on with pit bull rescue organizations. Despite their busy lives, PBRC volunteers quickly took time off from their regular jobs, called on friends, family and professional pet sitters to look after their own pets so that they could lend a hand to the Missouri Humane Society and give some love and attention to these dogs who needed it desperately. Several volunteers returned a second time as the case dragged on and the dogs waited in their cages.

In the coming weeks several PBRC volunteers will once again assist in this case by opening their homes and their hearts to some of the dogs released for adoption. These dogs will need to learn a great many lessons that our highly experienced volunteers can teach them. These are dogs that have never lived in a house, have never known the love and attention of a family and who have only seen other dogs as adversaries. They will need to learn house manners, leash manners, basic obedience as well as to live in communities filled with other dogs, cats and a variety of other animals.

Many other rescue groups will also be taking in some of these dogs and PBRC encourages each of them to utilize our free web listing service and potential adopter screening service to give these dogs the exposure and help they will need to quickly find loving, permanent homes.
Over the coming weeks and months PBRC’s blog will feature personal stories and experiences written by our volunteers about their involvement with this operation. Volunteers who are fostering these dogs will be describing the individual dogs’ recovery and progress in their homes. Please check our blog regularly to follow the stories of these dogs as they learn to live and love again while they wait for their forever homes.

Dog, Pit Bull, Trinity: Did Cesar Erase the Aggression?

I've watched Cesar's show on NGC for years. While I don't subscribe to most of his techniques, I'll admit, they make for good television. After his most recent, hour-long episode involving pit bulls, Trinity and Sandi, and owners, Monica and Justin, I wanted to comment.

For those who missed the episode, I'll summarize it...

Monica and Justin have two female pit bulls, Trinity and Sandi, both 2-2.5 yrs of age. The girls used to get along, until one day, they did not. After a number of blood-drawing fights, the owners separate the dogs full-time. They buy a new home that enables them to separate the dogs more easily. The dogs sleep in separate crates and have separate yards. The routine they establish is working and there isn't a fight for months.

They contact Cesar because they want the dogs to get along and play together like they used to. Cesar meets the dogs and determines Trinity is the one in need of reform which can only be accomplished at the center. After 2 months at the compound, Cesar is ready to reintroduce Monica and Justin to a reformed Trinity. They meet in the hills at the site of Cesar's future dog psychology center. Cesar has a pack of his dogs running loose along with Trinity when Monica and Justin arrive. As soon as they exit their car and Trinity realizes her people are there, she grabs onto another pit bull. This starts a chain reaction among the other pit bulls in the pack and several other fights ensue. Cesar and crew manage to get everyone separated.

The incident prompts Cesar to offer Monica and Justin a trade -- he suggests they leave Trinity with him for life and take one of the other dogs in his pack. While Cesar, Monica and Justin are discussing the offer in a cramped trailer, Trinity latches onto Daddy. Cesar manages to separate the dogs and expresses his concern about Monica and Justin's ability to own a dog like her. Monica and Justin decide to think about Cesar's offer. They do some fitness and stop smoking in an effort to be stronger pack leaders. Final footage shows Trinity and Sandi hiking off-leash and drinking out of the same hose together.

My Thoughts...

There are several scenes of dogs fighting in this episode that are replayed, ad nauseum, with warnings attached. Do we need this visual repeated over and over to know how awful it is? And, where were the breaksticks? The quickest way to end a pit bull fight with the least amount of damage to the dogs is to use breaksticks.

Cesar attributes the fights to Monica and Justin's 'energy.' Then he suggests they aren't fit to own such a powerful dog and, with no apparent concern for their feelings or attachment to their pet, offers to trade them one of his for one of theirs. People appeal to him for help in the first place because they want to keep their pets, not trade them in.

Cesar infers that all dogs can live peacefully in packs with a human pack leader in charge. He suggests that dogs will follow their natural canine instincts to be part of a pack over their breed hard-wiring. This may work at the dog-psychology center when Cesar's there to administer corrections with military precision, but what about when he's out of the office?

Suggesting that two dogs who've previously fought can snuggle and play together is not possible without constant, expert supervision and, even then, it may not be possible. And, to think Trinity's dog-aggression was 'erased' by hanging out in Cesar's garage with a non-threatening puppy and several tiny, terrified dogs is ludicrous. Hard-wiring can not be loved, trained or socialized out of a dog. Just as the instinct to herd is strong in Collies and the drive to fetch is high in Retrievers, the instinct to scrap with other dogs is ever-present in terriers. To ignore or downplay this fact does a disservice to the dogs and sets them up to fail.

Cesar does promote daily exercise as well as setting rules, boundaries and limitations. And, while Cesar doesn't claim to be a dog-trainer, much of what he does relies on the dogs' responding to basic obedience commands, so he is indirectly promoting good obedience. And, he's begun promoting spay/neuter! These practices are truly the core of developing a healthy bond between dog and owner.

In the end, Justin and Monica remain committed to their dog and refuse Cesar's offer to trade in Trinity for a less-powerful model. This couple is a great example of what responsible dog-ownership is all about. I hope they realize they were fine before they met Cesar and will continue to be capable owners and leaders for Trinity and Sandi.

~ Sanya

Guest Blogger - In Whose Yard the Dog Sits

Animal lover or not, it would take someone with a heart of stone to read the details of the crimes Michael Vick committed against the pit bull dogs in his “care” and not feel sick. While the media talk about how much “time he’ll do” and whether or not he’ll ever play in the NFL again, there is one vital piece of information missing from the equation…this isn’t about Michael Vick, it’s about the dogs.

Michael Vick is not the only dog fighter in the United States, not the only man who has made money off the dog' backs while feeding his own warped ego. Not the only one who has tortured and killed innocent dogs on a regular basis. Michael Vick is just symptom, a blip on the radar screen, of a cancer in desperate need of a cure. While the Pundits debate and the NFL Public Relations Machine wrings its hands, thousands of other "Michael Vicks," black and white, rich and poor, in neighborhoods urban and rural, are committing the same crimes against pit bull dogs that Vick did. The question remains, will the Feds come for them too or will the presently very public fight against the crime of dog fighting end with Vick? And if they do continue, who will speak for victims who can not speak for themselves, the dogs? What will become of them? Will their lives be better for our intervening on their behalf or will it be more of the same. Death, not death in the pit, but death on the end of a snare pole perhaps, death without compassion, death just the same. Will all of the dogs continue to be victimized twice? Killed by their masters because they wouldn't fight, killed by those who rescued them because they might? The dogs are left with nowhere to stand, pawns in a cruel game of guilt by association.

So I ask you, when does the dog in the fight, the innocent pit bull dog who has not asked for any of this, when does he finally get to win? When does he get the same care and compassion as any other pet? When does the pit bull dog, get be to be viewed as simply what he is, a dog, who like all canines, desires a warm hearth, plenty of food and a person to call his own?

Michael Vick’s story and the tragic story of his dogs will reach its not-so-fairy tale ending in due course. But what of the stories of all of the nameless, faceless victims of the crime of dog fighting whose masters don’t play in the NFL? What of those dogs? Who will say this doesn’t end here? Who will ensure that their stories have a happier ending than that of the Vick dogs?

I look at both of my pit bull dogs, but particularly my dog Isaac who was left to die in a dumpster, and think there but for the grace of god go they. It occurs to me that the only difference between their lives and the thousands of pet pit bulls like them and the lives of all of the pit bulls suffering in dire circumstances, is the hands into which they fell. A cruel twist of fate or a blessing from above, depending on in whose yard the dog sits.

Best regards,

Kate Fraser
Foundation Director
Animal Farm Foundation
www.animalfarmfoundation.org