The DNA Dilemma and BSL

So, the people who saved my dog’s life would like her DNA pulled. Simple, right? We get the test done and, voilà, we have her breed(s). Except that I live in Boston, where there are restrictions on pit bulls and pit bull mixes.

If my dog’s DNA test “proves” (because these are not conclusive), that my dog is a pit bull or pit bull mix, then I get to register her as such and pay the extra fees, post the sign under my door and muzzle her on her walks. If the test declares her something else, then she is registered as any other breed, right? Well, not exactly.

One thing more inconclusive than a DNA test, it seems, is the eye of the beholder; the police officer, the Animal Control officer, or the Parks and Recreation Ranger who sees my dog and says, “That’s a pit bull. Where’s the correct tag? Why isn’t she muzzled?” Because BSL is subjective, dogs are subjected to someone else’s arbitrary determination of their breed and then their subsequent responses. It wouldn’t matter if I had notarized DNA test results indicating that my dog is a sheepdog mix; what she “looks like” is all that counts. I could register her as a sheepdog mix, but if Officer Smythe says “that’s a pit bull, you need to register her as a pit bull” then by gum, I guess I have to do that to avoid risking her life. Registering her as a pit bull or pit bull mix doesn’t risk anything, whether it flies in the face of her test results or not. And there’s the rub.

BSL is not logical. It does not address the very real problems of dangerous dogs and irresponsible owners. It does not address roaming dogs and homeless dogs and dog overpopulation, or any of the other issues we face as we advocate for pit bulls and pit bull mixes. Testing my dog’s DNA has nothing to do with how we live our lives in a city with BSL. Like many, I have chosen to register my dog as a Boxer mix. If Officer Smythe & co. have something else to say about that, then I’ll have to deal with it. But DNA testing is not the answer. Educating the general public and eliminating BSL is. I’ll get my dog’s DNA tested—perhaps it will further scientific research. But I won’t rely on it to change the way pit bulls and pit bull mixes are treated in Boston or anywhere else.

~ Anonymous

Hers, Mine and Ours

(The Dogs That Come When Called Are Mine!)

There was a time when I thought a mixed marriage necessarily involved a difference in race, religion, politics or social status. I was wrong. In recent years I’ve discovered that I am in a mixed marriage of a different sort.

Where the family dogs are concerned, my wife is a devout believer in unconditional love. In contrast I am committed to a form of love that is at least structured, if not downright tough on occasion. I’m a fan of the No Free Lunch protocol; she prefers what I guess I’d call the No Earned Lunch approach. She’s the fairy godmother who grants all wishes; I’m the benevolent dictator who does what’s best for his subjects’ well-being – whether they like it or not.

During my working years I was blissfully unaware of our fundamental disagreement regarding the relationship between humans and their dogs. There was no room for dogs in my life or, so I thought, in my heart. My wife had dogs, but for the most part I ignored them.

However, six weeks after I retired I had become a shelter volunteer, fallen in love with a brindle, mixed-breed dog named Cindy, and adopted her as my own. (I’ve already told that story in detail on Cindy’s Dogster page, #622395.) Unlike my wife Cindy did not mind my snoring. Shortly after she entered my life she began sleeping in my bed. She became my constant companion, thereby cementing the idea that she was my dog, just as the other dogs had always been my wife’s.

Although Cindy and I never went to a training class together, it was only natural that I would apply some of what I had learned while exercising other shelter dogs. Within a few weeks after I met her at the shelter she learned to respond to several cues.

She knew sit, down, come, come along (move in the general direction I’m going) and heel. Because I never taught stay as a separate cue, she also knew that sit really meant sit-and-stay-until-released. With the help of trainer Terry Long, whom I’d met at the shelter, I also taught Cindy to wave and bark on cue.

One day on a whim I signed Cindy up for Canine Good Citizen evaluation. Not only did she pass with flying colors, she won a cheesy trophy for Best Performance by a Rescued Dog that day. I was so puffed up that it was hard for me not to gloat.

I hoped that my wife would be moved to follow the same path with one or more of her dogs. I was disappointed. The truth is that nothing could make her love her dogs more than she already does. So why bother?

Several years have passed since Cindy’s one and only award. She is now a little, old lady, at least 13 years old. All but one of my wife’s dogs from that time have gone to the Rainbow Bridge, and of course she has adopted others. I have added another, a red pit bull named Brewski (Dogster #620859), who has changed my life even more than Cindy did.

However, some things don’t change. Brewski is my dog, in the same way Cindy has always been. Brewski knows basic commands and walks well on a loose leash. Captain, Chelsea and Benji are my wife’s dogs. They are all well-loved and lovable, but not one of them reliably responds to a single cue – other than keys jingling or the sound of the electric can opener.

If you ever stop by for a visit, you’ll have no trouble picking out my dogs. They’re the ones who come when you call them.

~ Dave Morefield

Happy Endings Calendar 2010 Photo Submission

Hello Friends!

Have you ever envisioned your rescued pit bull gracing the pages of a calendar? Does your pup have good looks, charm, a touching story, or really cute costumes? If so, here is your chance to make your dreams a reality and share your rescued pit bull with the world!

We are accepting submissions for PBRC's 2010 Happy Endings Calendar. An annual tradition since 2002, our Happy Endings Calendar is full of accurate breed information, heart-warming rescue stories and 12 months of GREAT color pictures of rescued pit bulls! We are accepting pictures now through July 1, 2009.

All the information you need regarding type of photo, submission, cost, etc. can be found here: http://www.pbrc.net/shop/photosubmit10.html

Remember that all the proceeds from the photo submissions, as well as the sale of the calendars, are used to help pitbulls in need. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to have your furry friend be a pin-up, and to help others in need!

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at: fundraising@pitbullinfo.net

Good luck! And have fun taking those pit bull photos!

- PBRC's Fundraising Committee

KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul - Rehabilitated pit bull becomes state champ

KSTP TV - Minneapolis and St. Paul - Rehabilitated pit bull becomes state champ

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From The Slackmistress - On Michael Vick

Michael Vick was released into house arrest yesterday, after serving 18 months in a Federal Prison. Unless you've been living under a rock - and a big one at that - you'll know that he was sent there for dogfighting charges. Most of the dogs were killed - either in the ring or at the hands of Vick and his cohorts. The ones that were lucky enough to make it out alive found their way into the very few (and I stress very few) rescues that had the skills and resources available to rehab a fighting dog.

As you can see, most of the Vick dogs - dogs that had been abused, beaten, starved, and fought - are now family pets, therapy dogs, and canine ambassadors. You can what happened to them here.

But what about Michael Vick? The ex-quarterback will be on house arrest for two months, missing out on the 2009 season. While still on suspension, he can petition to be reinstated to the NFL in 2010.

One can argue a million-dollar home in Norfolk, VA isn't exactly punishment, but the reality is Vick has served his sentence. As Jason Smith, the talk radio jock who hosts All Night With Jason Smith, said last night on his show, do not confuse that with paying his debt to society.

Unlike the dogs that survived his wrath, here's no indication that Vick has been rehabbed. There's talks that he might do a series of PSA with the Humane Society or PeTA (which is ironic since PeTA wants to kill pit bulls dead <-- note that this link includes some ugly images) but that's more about rehabbing Vick's image. He's a PR nightmare, but he's a PR nightmare who has played professional football, which means that there might be a team out there desperate enough to sign him.

I've seen plenty of images of dogs who were used as fighters, of dogs that were used as bait. You don't need to take a class in ethics to know that dogfighting is wrong. You just need a single shred of humanity.

However, we do have a legal system in this country, and no matter what you think of it, when he's done with house arrest Vick will have served his sentence. The NFL has every right to reinstate Vick for 2010. But more so than any PSA, than any post-prison interview, than any in-depth feature in ESPN magazine, the NFL has a chance to show current and future players who break the law - especially in such a cruel and tortuous way - will not be tolerated.

If you feel the same way, please email or call NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and ask him to not reinstate Michael Vick:

Roger.Goodell2@nfl.net
Telephone #: 1-212-450-2000 or (212) 450-2027

On twitter: @nflcommish

I understand that there are other NFL players who have done terrible things and continue to play. This is not to say that I think that I think one thing is worse than the other, or that those crimes committed do not warrant the same judgment. But as a pit bull owner and a football fan, this one strikes close to home.

Respectfully,

Nina Bargiel
the slackmistress

New Designs in Our CafePress Store!

"Honor the Solider. Stop Military Breed Bans."
That's a soldier's dog and an actual soldier's shirt as background.

Click here to order: http://www.cafepress.com/pbrcstore

Rescued dog becomes rescuer

Posted: Thursday, May 7th, 2009 in The Brookings Register by: John Kubal Eric Peterson of Brookings is a rescuer times two. First, he rescued Eve, a 2-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier. Now, with a demanding training regimen behind them, he's ready to undertake some search-and-rescue missions - with a lot of help from his pawed pal and partner.

Eve is now qualified in "tracking and trailing ." She and Peterson are part of the Brookings County Sheriff's Department K-9 Search and Rescue program.

A scenario for her and Peterson might be a situation where a nursing-home resident suffering from dementia wanders off or a child wanders away from home and becomes lost. A "tracking dog" follows a subject's footsteps, being oriented to a mixture of human scent and ground disturbance where the subject walked; a "trailing dog" is oriented to the cells that people are always shedding, which would happen as the subject walked along the ground. Eve can find a subject using either or both methods. Other search dogs work with orientation driven by an airborne human scent. And, finally, some search dogs are trained to find human remains.

Should the call for the services of Eve and Peterson come, they're ready to respond. Defending, rescuing dogs like Eve Peterson, manager of Powershop Gym in downtown Brookings, defends dogs like Eve, whom he got via "Pit Rescue of the Great Plains," based in Sioux Falls, for which he serves as board secretary and Web master.

He likes to clarify the definition "pit bull" ; he calls it a "slang term." It's a more generic term that covers a wide variety of canine types with similar physical characteristics. In the United States, dogs like Eve are likely to be American Pit Bull terriers or American Staffordshire terriers. Peterson said the two breeds are cousins. He explained, "We basically rescue American Pit Bull terriers in need, usually from shelters. We don't take owner surrenders."

But while there have long been organizations dedicated to rescuing a wide variety of dog breeds, adopting dogs like Eve just recently caught on. Peterson explained, "Unfortunately , up until a few years ago, the Sioux Falls Humane Society would not adopt out American Pit Bull terriers. There's too much of a stigma and negative media publicity from people who either didn't socialize their dogs or kept them for the wrong reasons or treated them wrongly. There's a lot of shelters that will just put them down. "No questions asked, no matter what. It could be the greatest dog in the world, but they just put them down if they suspect that they're an American Pit Bull Terrier."

For Peterson, it's his "breed of choice." But Eve won't be providing any additions to his breed of choice: she has been spayed. "Absolutely ," he said. "Everyone should spay or neuter their dogs."

A key reason for his selection of Eve was his own personality and lifestyle. "I am an athletic person; I like to be active," said Peterson, whose life work is helping people get fit. "I wanted an intelligent , smart, athletic breed."

He's also practical: "I'm not a huge fan of long-coated dogs. So the nice, short coat is a good option. And small size; 60 pounds should be breed-standard max." Eve weighs in at 57 pounds and is "in summer shape." Finally, she is "very intelligent," willing to work for her owner-partner , and "very trainable" - in a wide range disciplines.

He and his wife, Stephanie, adopted Eve when she was 15 weeks old and "very much a puppy." So he's had plenty of time to train her. And he'll keep training her. He says a big responsibility for owners of dogs like Eve is ensuring that their dogs develop social skills. Peterson explained, "They're very, very social dogs. These dogs absolutely need to be in a house with a family. If they don't have social contact, they will not be happy. And if they're not happy, they can have issues."

And those issues, some of which can lead to bad press, Peterson blames on the owners: "Stupid people make stupid owners make stupid dogs." Eve: a 'good citizen' Eve has been through such classes as agility, obedience, manners, outdoor activities , and "K-9 Good Citizen" training, which is affiliated with the American Kennel Club.

Peterson believes that dogs like Eve always "need a good outlet of energy. Dogs are happy when they're tired." Recognizing that need for an energy outlet for Eve, Peterson saw the next step was a program where he and she "could train all the time." That led to search-and-rescue training, via the Brookings County Search and Rescue K-9 program; it offers "training all the time and constant challenges, new terrain, new scenery, trails that are never the same - whatever you want to make of it."

Peterson equates the rescue work he will do with Eve to service as a volunteer firefighter, which he considered. But, he explained, "I have her; why not involve something with her, that we can do together, productive, give back to the community."

So while Eve was earning her tracking and trailing skills, he was training to be a "Ground Pounder." That involved basic training in grid-searching techniques, clue awareness, basic tracking, knot tying and compass and topography map-reading. Add crime scene preservation training with a deputy from the Brookings County Sheriff's Department.

Now Eve and Eric are ready to "give back to the community." Smiling, he summed it all up, saying, "She was rescued; now she's ready for rescuing others."

John Kubal may be reached at jkubal@brookingsregister.com.