Little Litter Dog: Pit Bull Doing Its Part to Keep City Clean

Nov 26, 2008
Reporter: Mary Rinzel
with Photographer Jeff Ralph




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You sometimes can't help but attract attention if you're a dog...

"No, she doesn't get ice cream if she does a good job," Anne Vaini tells the three kiddos clustered around her dog, Emma.

But when you're a dog that picks up litter from the sidewalk, runs to the nearest garbage can and drops it in, you're pretty much guaranteed instant fame.

"I just wondered what it was doing,‘ says Justin Webb, the owner of Midwest Tattoo on Water Street. ‘I’d just see it walk up and down the street and pick up trash."

"The first reaction is always 'oh my gosh! Did I just see that?' Yeah, you did. She does that and puts it in there by herself," Vaini tells us laughing.

You're best bet to catch Anne and Emma walking Water Street: Friday or Saturday nights when there's more people and more litter.

"When the students came back, I noticed the street was looking really trashy and really dirty,‘ Anne tells us. ‘I though 'hey, I have a dog that can pick things up and put it in the trash cans.’ I thought it'd be good training.‘

Vaini’s hope: That Emma will one day leave her trash tasks to help someone in a wheelchair.

"I love it because a lot of people think American pit bull terriers can't be trained and I can show them very quickly, without having to pull their leg or tell them that whole story that 'yeah, it's a dog and it can be trained.'"

And trained well. Emma was a little out of practice after a recent surgery. But, after a couple seconds of prodding she picked right up on her litter picking skills; much to the delight of the Water Street faithful.

"At least somebody is picking up the trash," laughs Webb. ‘There's a lot of it left here at night. Maybe we can get some more dogs down here picking up the trash."

But, it's not all work for the little litter lady....

"Emma is absolutely a love bug. She's always ready to give kisses," Anne says cuddling her pup.

Making Emma one itty bitty pit bull with an extra large heart.

If you'd like to get in touch with Anne about training, we have a link to her Canine Command website below. It’s under Related Links.


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Related Links

CanineCommand.com


http://www.weau.com/news/headlines/35162479.html

A pit bull goes to school and changes some minds

Teacher Tami D'Errico introduces her pit bull, Lulu, to students at Lawrence Intermediate School.

UPDATE: 11/8/08: Sadly Rep. McGregor lost the battle for his seat. He didn't lose by very much and I suspect it was the broad desire for sweeping change that got him ousted. This was a real loss for the APBT and one of his decent, honest defenders in one of the most fascist, BSL driven States in this country.

Nancy Garland (D) - 25,733
Jim McGregor (R) - 24,510

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I saw him on a TV show really speaking against the Ohio BSL Laws and for the APBT. Ohio needs more like him!

Jim McGregor
State Representative (R)

District: 20
Term: 4th (includes appointed and elected terms)
Term Limit: Eligible to run for another two-year term
Address:
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-6111
Phone: (614) 644-6002
Fax: (614) 719-6959
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State Representative Jim McGregor is currently serving his fourth term in the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 20th House District, which includes portions of Franklin County.


http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&task=detail&district=20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FFlWGeb_aw

well, like this whole damn site it seems like lately, this too is a work in progress but I wanted to get it up and going since it's started. I'm not happy with the skin and have some other articles I want to add including my opinion on the whole juan verdin mess, who so many of you so foolishly supported.

clearly I am all for supporting a positive image of our dogs and helping those wrongfully accused, but listen folks there's a lot of degenerates, pedophiles and general trash in the dogs (and the general public too) and we should all try to be more careful to pin our hopes on the good people, not just ALL the people.

http://gamedogs.org/myblog

geez, this woman's dog is shot by cops in her own yard while doing nothing wrong because it barked at INTRUDERS??? It couldn't have been too dangerous if the 'drug suspect' ran through without incident. And what about not destroying other people's property in pursuit of a NON VIOLENT criminal? What if the bullets had gone awry? Endangering innocent citizens and their property for non violent crime is the mark of out of control macho cops who love taking every chance to shoot their guns. This is police state type bs!

 

Officers Shoot Dog While Chasing Drug Suspect; Owner Angry

NOT GUILTY!!! - Boudreauxs Acquitted of ALL Charges!

I got the call about an hour ago. I'll have more details and news reports in the next day or so, but I wanted to get the GOOD NEWS out right away - NOT GUILTY!

They have hounded and harassed this man and killed all of his pets with no finding of guilt.

This is a HUGE victory for Floyd and Guy and for the dog world!

UPDATE 10/27/08: I have downloaded copies of numerous online reports regarding the acquittal. I am still trying to get some url problems straightened out then will try to get the Boudreaux page updated soon.

Kitchen spatula comes between pit bull and Frisbee event

By Karen Deer ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 10/01/2008 Only one small thing is standing between Wallace the pit bull and a second gold medal in the freestyle Frisbee event at the 11th Purina Incredible Dog Challenge this weekend in Gray Summit: the rubber tip of a kitchen spatula. Wallace ate it Tuesday morning, with typical pit bull gusto. He was after some cheese proffered on the end of the spatula to lure him into a pool for a workout on an underwater treadmill. Instead, he chomped off the end of spatula and swallowed it whole. "It’s classic Wallace," said Andrew Yori, the dog's 31-year-old owner from Rochester, Minnesota. "It was like, "Ummm cheese," then woops! down the hatch." Wallace spent several hours at the vet Tuesday, where they tried to extract the spatula tip endoscopically. No soap. About 9 p.m., Wallace underwent surgery. The spatula is out of Wallace and Wallace is out of competition. He’ll need rest and TLC for at least a couple of weeks.

SEPT 29 2007: Wallace, a pit bull, jumps to catch a disc thrown by his trainer, Andrew Yori, in the freestyle flying disc competition of the 10th annual Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Finals Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007, at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Mo. Yori and Wallace, of Rochester, Minn., placed first in the event.(Whitney Curtis/AP)

"That’s going to be hard for him," Yori said. "Wallace is not exactly the type of dog that chills out.

To put it mildly.

Wallace’s life story is a study in unbridled enthusiasm. Found running the streets of Rochester when he was just a pup, he ended up a local animal shelter where he was dubbed Wallace (after the Detroit Pistons’ 6’11", 230-pound center, Rasheed Wallace).

The canine Wallace quickly earned a reputation as a trouble-maker. Unsocialized by other dogs and untrained by humans, he did not play well with others. He didn’t know how. Cooped up without any outlet for his physical and mental energy, Wallace tried to make the best of his bad situation. If someone entered his kennel without a toy, Wallace would initiate a game of tug-of-war, grabbing whatever was handy -- a pants leg, a shirt sleeve, a shoelace -- and pulling with all his might.

His aggressive behavior, coupled with pit bulls’ bad reputation, scared off most of the shelter volunteers and all prospective parents.

All, that is, but one: Yori, a technologist at the Mayo Clinic and shelter volunteer. Yori looked past Wallace’s bad manners and saw a playful, misunderstood, high-octane athlete that needed a challenge and a second chance.

"His behavior was definitely rude and not appropriate, but he was not mean," Yori said. "He was hard to handle because of his high energy and high drive; it was scary for people who didn’t know better."

When Yori and his wife, Clara, tried to adopt Wallace, the shelter hesitated: If he bit someone -- or worse -- the shelter could be liable. The prospect of euthanasia loomed, as it often does for unwanted "bully breeds" like pit bulls and rottweilers,

But Yori persisted, and five months later Wallace became a member of the family.

"I started with love," said Yori. "I gave Wallace something he never had: a good training program, proper nutrition and a chance to prove himself. Nobody else did."

When Wallace was 2, his life changed with the flip of a Frisbee. The first time Yori threw the disc, Wallace exploded into the air. He leaped, he twirled, he ran, he caught. He was a natural, learned fast and loved to compete. To watch Wallace and Yori in the freestyle flying disc event (go to wallacethepitbull.com), is to witness pure athleticism and unbounded joy. Yori, who played varsity soccer all four years of college, is an athlete in his own right.

When he won the freestyle flying disc event at last year’s Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, Wallace was the only pit bull in a crowd of usual suspects: border collies, Australian cattle dogs, etc. As in years past, this year’s event will bring top dogs from around the nation to compete in agility, diving, Jack Russell hurdle racing, and weave-pole racing and, of course, flying disc.

Olympic (human) diver Laura Wilkinson will make a special appearance at the event, but not Wallace.

Yori had hoped to again show the world what even an unwanted pit bull can achieve.

"When people see Wallace compete, they don’t see him as a pit bull just for those few minutes," Yori said. "They are cheering him on, and not even noticing his breed -- just a sweet and competitive dog."

As much as Yori has given Wallace, Wallace has given back -- and not just the trophies and bragging rights.

"What Wallace has taught me is to enjoy everything in life," Yori said. "Everything he does, he does with all he’s got."

Just ask the spatula.

Watch Wallace in action


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/AEC...

Pit bull saves man from burning Poplar Bluff, Missouri home

Friday, September 19, 2008
By Paul Davis
Daily American Republic

Jacob Ford sits on the remains of his front porch where his pit bull 'Butch' apparently saved his life last Friday. (Corey Matthews/Daily American Republic )

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. ’ After a fire gutted a house and basement apartment Jacob Ford lived in last Friday afternoon, the 20-year-old Poplar Bluff man said he's thankful to be alive, and even more so for the dog he "never really paid any attention to."

Ford was awakened Friday afternoon by the persistent whining of a pit bull owned by his mother's boyfriend, and knew something must be wrong.

Upon climbing out of bed, Ford said, his worst fears were realized.

"As soon as I stood up, I had smoke in my face," he said.

Grabbing a fire extinguisher, Ford headed upstairs, only to find the house's hallway full of smoke as well. He then ran outside to call the fire department and his mother.

Gathering his composure, Ford realized the pit bull, Butch, had saved his life, because smoke alarms in the house failed to sound. Butch, however, was nowhere to be found.

"I went to the top of the stairs twice," said Ford, describing the hysteria of the moment. "I was yelling for Butch at the top of my lungs, but he didn't respond. That's when I figured he was probably gone."

A Butler County firefighter eventually found the dog, still alive, hiding in the smoke-filled basement, and led him to safety.

What's amazing, said Tina Mobley, Ford's mother, is how the dog lost a lifelong fear of basements while attempting to wake her son.

Butch, she said, had been abused as a puppy before she purchased him with "the last $52 I had on me."

The dog, Mobley said, had "only been in that basement one time up until that day," because he was terrified of the place, having been kept locked in one as a puppy.

Mobley, who's raised American pit bulls for years, said the breed gets a bad rap much of the time, but not all of them are troublesome.

"They just need a lot of attention," she said.

Ford agreed, saying pit bulls are "family-oriented dogs if they're raised right."

For Mobley, all the extra work she went through to raise Butch from an abused puppy was worth the effort, and now, she said, she'll be forever indebted to him.

"He's a pretty heroic pit bull," she said. "That's the best $52 I ever spent in my life.

"If it had not been for that dog, there's no doubt in my mind my son would have died."

Mobley said she's doubly thankful for Butch's actions because her son soon will be a new father, something that's weighed heavily on him since the fire.

"I had nightmares Friday and Saturday nights, thinking of what could've happened," said Ford. "The thought kept racing through my head about not being there for my child."

Ford, who said he "couldn't be more grateful," admittedly had never been really close to the dog because it belonged to his mother's boyfriend, Larry Gregory, who also owned the house.

"I didn't realize he was that close to me, though," said Ford. "We're a lot closer. We're buddies now."

For his efforts, Butch received singe marks on his muzzle during the fire, but, Mobley said, apparently has suffered no health problems. He has regained much of his puppy fear, though. "He doesn't want to be left alone now," said Mobley, "because he's scared all over again." Ford hopes to change that, he said, starting with the big steak dinner he's promised his new best friend.

http://www.semissourian.com/article/20080919/NEWS01/709209998/-1/news01

I'm offering free hosting for anyone who'd like to make and run APBT/dog/pet ownership positive websites.

You will need to register your own domain name (I can point you to some good ones, roughly $10/yr) but then I will provide hosting for your domain on my service for FREE. I can even help with some initial CMS setup and a bit of technical help, if asked, along the way.

The only catches are that it cannot be a mostly commercial/for-profit (i.e. a bunch of your puppies for sale) venture and must comply with my host's tos (which I will supply to those interested) and must advocate for the APBT, dogs and/or pets in general.

Please use the contact link to the left if you're interested.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

posted by BlueDogState

http://bluedogstate.blogspot.com/

Here we have again a case of someone having their life turned completely upside down only to be found not guilty or have the charges all dropped. See the article I am also crossposting today regarding the money driving this hysteria and the seizures. Following the money is often a big indicator of the real purpose of these movements. I hope she files suit against the county for restitution for the loss of her livelihood and reputation on these bogus charges.

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Hog-Dog Fighting Charges Against Former Animal Control Director Dropped

A Pennsylvania Judge last year had the good sense and Constitutional and Legal integrity to find Tammy Grimes guilty of theft despite her AR veil of do-gooderness. Now a panel of Judges finds that Freedom of Speech does still exist to some extent in this country. There is no difference, technically speaking, between Bob Stevens selling these videos and the H$U$ selling them for profit to their AR sycophants. There is no difference between Marty Stouffer selling WIld America videos on AOL and Bob Stevens selling hog hunting videos, other than corporate greed and profit. These ARs will push and push and push the line every chance they get (and have incredibly bloated budgets to do so thanks to sadly misinformed donors who think they are helping to pay for shelters and spay/neuter clinics and other animal WELFARE models, not the AR agenda that is really being funded). I'm very happy to see a few Judges holding the rigthful lines that the Constitution laid forth for all Americans, no matter the self-righteous hysteria of the moment.

July 18, 2008

Videos that show animal cruelty is not illegal, court rules

By DAVID G. SAVAGE
Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON ’ In a setback for the animal-rights movement, a U.S. appeals court struck down on free-speech grounds Friday a federal law that made it a crime to sell videos of dogs fighting and other acts of animal cruelty.

All 50 states have laws against the abuse of animals, the appeals court said, but "a depiction of animal cruelty" is protected by the First Amendment.

The ruling overturns a Virginia man's conviction, the nation's first under the law. Robert Stevens of Pittsville, Va., advertised and sold two videos of pit bulls fighting each other and a third showing the pit bulls attacking hogs and wild boars.

He sold the videos to prosecutors in Pittsburgh, was prosecuted, convicted and given three years in prison.

In Friday's decision, the appeals court in Philadelphia, by a 10-3 vote, said it was not prepared to recognize a new category of speech that is unprotected by the First Amendment.
...
The Justice Department had no reaction Friday to the ruling. Normally, however, the government appeals to the Supreme Court when a federal law is struck down.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5896131.html

July 7, 2008

I got this from an email list I was forwarded. Some of the story is strikingly similar to some bulldog stories. Anyone recall the Lowery plea that allowed Julie to get back x amount of dogs (although later she backed out of it in exchange for x amount of money )? There was also a raid in Georgia this week that I have on my desktop and will be posting about shortly. Much of this sounds just like that and some of the comments I have been making in reply to that situation on those online news articles are right in line with some of this woman's comments too. It's the new world doggie killing gestapo posing as the 'pet saviors'/H$U$/PETA.

Anyone on this list who is for Animal Rights, please at least take a moment to read what I have to say: My name is Rebecca Curtis. If you search through Physician’s for Responsible Medicine and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal’s archives you will find numerous articles written by me. You will find anti-vivisection speeches that won numerous awards. I am still listed as a member of both. Please understand that I understand your beliefs. I was the cover girl for animal activism for many years.

There is a reason I am now on this list and that reason is: I moved to a small farmette in the country where I was going to ‘save the world‘ - the shelter had an 80%+ kill rate and I took in a variety of animals. My animals were vetted, vaccinated, tags, fed, and cared for. A ‘rescue‘ group that ONLY takes puppies was in need of puppies. I have 5 pregnant dogs (4 of which were registered) that had been given to me by people who couldn’t keep them and I had 3 litters of puppies, some of which were registered. I told the ‘rescue‘ I would give them the unregistered puppies for $50 each (much lower than most adoption fees) to help cover my cost. These puppies had been dewormed, vaccinated, treated for fleas, and some had been treated for coccidiosis and mange. They had been quarantined and vetted and I guarantee I could show you where I had well over a hundred dollars in each puppy. They paid me for those puppies and then came back for more. I wanted more money for the registered puppies I had been given. I had a 9 month old mix breed dog and 3 full grown collie’s who were around a year old. I offered them those, but they didn’t want them.

They became angry that I wouldn’t give them more puppies.

I had 20 acres divided into pens, kennels, and runs, and also had a 5 bedroom house that was devoted to the puppies. They were all well cared for. After this confrontations and series of puppies disappeared from my yard. I had to increase the security and take my puppies inside whenever I left. Two adult dogs were shot and left to die in my front yard one day when I was at the store. They were raced to the vet and didn’t make it. I started taking all of my dogs inside when I left.

Then animal control started coming out. It turns out that everytime they had a complaint they were required to go by the location. They were coming by 6-7 times a day to say, hi, sorry, but we had another complaint. Finally they had enough of the pressure. Animal control told me to get rid of or hide the majority of my dogs, because they were sick of the complaints.

The complaints continued and a warrant was issued for the seizure of my animals. I walked each animal out, gave it’s name, it’s personality, who it got along with, vaccination records, and registration papers (where applicable). I loaded them in cages telling them they were going for a car ride and keeping the stress as low as possible. The house was search pictures were taken and while they flowed through my property I was putting bowls of water into the kennels where my dogs were sitting and telling them it was alright. As they pulled out of the yard I fell to my knees and cried.

Everything I ever believe in had been crushed. When it came time to go to court there were over a thousand dollars in ‘cost of seizure‘ expenses I was required to pay, my paperwork had been lost, and I was required to pay $10 per dog per day during the trial. By the time the trial was over all of the puppies would be adult dogs raised with little attention in a shelter, they would basically be unadoptable. I had veterinarians, grooms, and other experts lined up to testify on my behalf, but it didn’t change the mounting ‘board‘ fees and the aging of my puppies.

The prosecutor told me she was sorry, she had been told to charge me, but if I would just sign the dogs over and pay the thousand dollars they would drop all charges and return up to 5 adult dogs, but no puppies. I paid the money and signed the dogs over except for 5 dogs they returned to me (3 unaltered). The 5 dogs I chose were a 6 year old dog with a severe case of hip displasia, a 13 year old dog, a 2 year old dog a friend offered an excellent home to, a 5 year old dog who was terrified of his own shadow and weighed over 200 pound, and a small dog who had been severely abused and still required over $6,000 worth of surgery. I chose the dogs I knew they could never find homes for.

With the dogs they kept - three of the registered dogs were turned over to a breeder who made a $1,500 donation and claimed to be the owner of the dogs (they were turned over unaltered with registration papers). The older dogs and 2 dog aggressive dogs were euthanized. The puppies were ‘adopted‘ out to new homes at $200 adoption fees. Everything I ever stood for robbed me of my passion and crushed my heart.

I’ve wanted dogs again, but I have been terrified of loosing them again. They were my life, my love, and my passion. I’ve done my homework, I have requested to withdraw my paid life memberships to PETA and Physicians for Responsible medicine (any AR activist will know the type of money I spent to have those) and my requests have been denied. I am still on their lists, but my heart is against them. I saw what they are capable of and they lost one VERY devoted activist.

Please take a close look at what these organizations truly do. Not the local shelters, but the large organizations sending you requests for donations, take a close look at what they do. They will rob you of your pets and pat themselves on the back while destroying any of your pets that aren’t convenient for them to ‘adopt‘ to new homes. I’ve seen it up close and it is a life changing moment.

Becky

Jessica Biel Prizes Her Pitbull

Vote "NO" on this poll about whether pitbulls should be banned in Omaha:

http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=8563313#poll72426

We need some help on this one folks. Please go vote NO.

Poll regarding banning pit bulls in Arizona

My thanks to Diamond Pits for allowing me to reprint these items from their site.

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Anti-tethering ordinances forbid dog owners from chaining their animals unattended for hours at a time.

Just remember, as soon as anti-tethering legislation is well established, it is time to start the anti-kennel legislation (I have seen references to "cage rage" by ARistas already), then comes anti-crate. Then it is time to pitch a fit about leaving your dog alone in the yard, and then leaving it alone all day in the house. Equating confinement with cruelty is the strategy of the ARistas. Any argument that you make against tethering, can be made against any other form of confinement.

You all have seen dogs exhibiting barrier frustration running up and down a fence barking aggressively. This "makes" a dog as aggressive as tethering so it will need to be legislated against as well. The cycle will not end until no one can keep dogs--mission accomplished.

The truth is, a dog is not made aggressive by a type of confinement. It is a temperament issue.

Guard/territorial dogs are more likely to exhibit aggression when confined since they have been selectively bred to be protective of their territory. Foxhounds, huskies, beagles hardly ever will show aggression as they are social dogs who were raised in groups and aggression was highly undesirable and selected against. Training and socialization will curb aggression in your guard breeds (they learn what is acceptable and needn't be guarded against). Under-socialized territorial breeds will be aggressive; under-socialized social dogs will usually be timid and submissive when approached. A dog with a territorial temperament will display aggression no matter where it is confined (house, car, crate, yard or tethered). A social temperament will respond in a friendly manner no matter where it is contained.

A dog on a 15 ft. tether has 706.5 square feet to move around in*. Even the U.S. government uses this form of containment for their sled dog teams in Denali.

Tethering is NOT an issue. It is a way of safely confining a dog.
Neglect is an issue, lack of training/socialization is an issue, lack of shelter and water is an issue; but containing a dog on a tether is NOT.
It is a perfectly acceptable, humane, and dog-friendly way of containment.

ANY ARGUMENT MADE AGAINST TETHERING CAN BE MADE AGAINST ANY OTHER FORM OF CONTAINMENT......AND WILL BE EVENTUALLY. Remember their goal.....total animal liberation from human use.

It is curious that man has been tethering dogs for thousands of years, and man and dog have flourished just wonderfully together, and now all of a sudden it is cruel. Neglect is cruel. Tethering is not.

*(pitchick says: as opposed to 256 sq ft provided by a 16x16 pen - and that would generally be considered a large pen.)

The breed-ban hysteria or mob mentality

When I was growing up, in every state I lived in, there were "bad dogs." As kids, we all knew where the bad dogs lived and we stayed away. People who owned bad dogs kept them locked away with posted signs on the property telling you a bad dog lived there.

Animal control agencies were formed, not for the protection of the animals, but the public. Rabies was the concern, and stray dogs were picked up and euthanized because of that threat. Dangerous dog laws were put in effect to protect the public from owned animals who were known to be aggressive.

In today's society, the public outcry to ban a specific breed of dog is the most insane thing I have ever listened to. We have many laws on the books now to keep the public safe from animals. Most of these cannot be enforced because no one is willing to hold humans accountable for their dogs' behavior and no one is willing to have an increase in taxes for the service.

The last time I looked, I lived in the United States. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have a right to own any breed of dog I want. I do not have the right to allow that animal to infringe upon anyone else. If my animal does that, then, and only then, is the government supposed to act. The day the government can come on my property, take my dog, and kill the same dog when the dog has done nothing wrong and is simply an unacceptable breed of animal reeks of dictatorship, not individual rights.

If an animal is a danger to the public, and I believe Zeus was, then it should be destroyed.

I have hopes the regular people, who own regular dogs regardless of the breed, will not sit by and watch as a state government dictates to the people the breeds of dog allowed in the state. If it can happen in one location, it can happen in yours.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080601/BLOG34/123157386/-1/newssitemap

Great Lakes pit bull lovers celebrate the breed

Posted by Jo Collins Mathis
The Ann Arbor News
May 31, 2008

People are starting to recognize that bulldogs aren't their only target.

Extreme Animal Rights Groups: Do They Really Help Animals?

Just wanted to give a big congratulations to Ruby who won Best In Show at the Norman, Oklahoma ADBA Show Sunday, April 13th. She got the trophy from Joe Burford. Ruby is a daughter of my old Blondie bitch.

Please vote "NO" in this poll:

http://www.independentmail.com/polls/2008/apr/anderson-pit-bull-ban/

nice job folks, we've swung the banning poll quite a bit

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and Nemo won that portion of the Bissell contest!

Please vote for "Nemo Schafer Meister" to raise money for PetPac:
http://www.bissell.com/Page_id/47200/Locating_a_Specific_Pet.aspx?RowFilter=N

Another Important Viewpoint for Dog/Animal Enthusiasts

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Critic speaks against HSUS
by Tom Hennessy, Staff columnist
Article Launched: 10/13/2007 09:38:22 PM PDT

In late August, following the defeat of AB1634, an Assembly bill calling for mandatory spaying and neutering of dogs and cats, I ran an interview with Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.

He touched on a variety of issues, including his critics. Patti Strand, director of the National Animal Interest Alliance, asked me to publish her rebuttal to the Pacelle article. The rebuttal was delayed several weeks because of a death in her family.

NAIA is based in Portland, Ore. I take neither side in this debate, but note only that there are deep divisions in the animal rights movement.

Her rebuttal is as follows:

Wayne Pacelle is correct to rank the NAIA as one of the most prominent critics of the HSUS.

Patti Strand is the director of the National Animal Interest Alliance. We wear that label with honor, many of our members believing HSUS is corrupt to the bone. This corruption comes down to three major elements.

First, HSUS allows its financial supporters - ordinary, animal-loving Americans - to believe it spends an enormous annual tax-free budget of $123 million on caring for animals, when its real agenda is passing extremist legislation.

Second, HSUS calls itself a mainstream advocacy group, hiding or downplaying the fact that it has an extremist agenda. HSUS is all about promoting vegan diets - no meat, no dairy - and ending traditional human-animal relationships across the board, from agriculture to biomedical research.

Third, HSUS constantly engages in deceptive propaganda, half-truths and outright lies in well-funded media campaigns to win its political and legislative battles. But they are not held accountable for their tactics because they are a nonprofit group that enjoys political free speech protections.

NAIA believes it is our responsibility, as animal experts and proponents of true animal welfare, to point out the facts. What qualifies us to know fact from fiction? NAIA is rapidly becoming the nation’s leading advocacy organization for animals and the people who actually care for them.

Our members include individuals who interact with animals regularly in a wide variety of settings. We are pet owners, farmers, researchers, animal trainers, biologists, sportsmen, animal caretakers, dog and cat breeders and enthusiasts, educators and entertainers.

Our members have earned their credentials by working with, and in many cases living with, animals, not by reading philosophical treatises or emotional propaganda. We support the responsible, traditional and humane use of animals in agriculture, biomedical research, education, leisure and recreation, entertainment and companionship. We support and advocate reasonable, effective and enforceable laws that ensure the humane treatment of animals and provide penalties for animal abuse.

We support the rights of others to disagree with our views but not to employ defamation and propaganda to force their views on others. To recognize HSUS’ deception and sit idly by would be to shirk our responsibility not only as animal experts but as citizens; for we believe the HSUS is destroying the mainstream animal protection movement.

The shelter issue
Mr. Pacelle also seems baffled that anyone would go after HSUS for not having shelters because as he stated, ‘We never said we run - local animal shelters.‘ This is vintage HSUS. They call themselves a humane society and then blame the public for being confused.

By calling itself the Humane Society of the United States, HSUS rides into every situation on a ‘case of mistaken identity‘ - an identity that, oops, just happens to raise millions of dollars: the mistaken impression for many Americans being that it is a humane society rather than a giant propaganda, lobbying and fundraising machine.

When citizens notice that HSUS’ carefully crafted image is at odds with reality and say so, HSUS responds with another opportunistic spin, saying that their critics are just people ‘who don’t really care about animals.‘

Using that logic, maybe humane societies around the country don’t really care about animal welfare either. Many of them have begun putting disclaimers on their Web sites urging their donors not to confuse them with the HSUS.

As Pacelle himself stresses, HSUS is a lobbying group. Instead of representing the humane values of the American public, the well-oiled lobby and propaganda machine of HSUS virtually assures that the voting public will be systematically deceived whenever they’re asked to vote on an HSUS-backed measure. The history of successful HSUS ballot initiatives is a history replete with after-the-event self-flagellation and revulsion by people who recognized later that they were duped.

To us it appears that the priorities of HSUS, as former employees have publicly written, are power and money, and that acquiring both justifies the means. That’s where the willingness to deceive comes in. These folks should make Pinocchio blush.

Alleged strategy
When HSUS sets out to do a ballot initiative, as it plans for next year in California, they don’t just come to town and start promoting their opinion. Nor do they publish a notice informing voters that as vegans they oppose the consumption of meat, dairy, and even eggs on their anti-farm ballot initiatives. Such a statement might raise questions by voters.

Instead, HSUS conducts sophisticated polling to uncover exactly which messages will work, targeting urban audiences who know little about husbandry and who just happen to live in the most populated areas where a media buy will go a long way. Then, they run one deceptive ad one after another, showing heart-wrenchingly gruesome images, often from foreign countries or showing practices from decades ago, even ones already illegal.

Worse yet, they promote half-truths in support of legislation that in many cases harms animals, even though these bills further the political goals of HSUS. The horse slaughter bill and most of the anti-farming initiatives fall into this classification. HSUS may counter that large companies do major polling and launch advertising campaigns too, prior to introducing new products - but there is a big difference.

The difference is this: When corporations market new products, the public at least recognizes that someone is trying to sell them something. And there are at least some laws that govern how much blue sky can be sold along with the product.

In the case of HSUS, PETA, and other fellow travelers in animal rights, the public only thinks they’re regulated and required to be reasonably truthful. The public doesn’t realize that political speech is far more protected than commercial speech. Thus, HSUS can say pretty much what it wishes and get away with it.

In the HSUS world of ‘when did you stop beating your wife‘ politics, it’s basically Defamation For Dollars. They understand social marketing and use it to deceive the public into voting away their rights, their economic best interests, and tragically, the welfare of the animals the public thinks they are voting to protect.

Keep in mind that HSUS is planning a campaign in California that will affect the poultry, pork and beef industries. If it follows suit, it will harm not only California consumers but also the animals themselves.

Tougher for horses
As the American Veterinary Medical Association wrote earlier this week regarding the misguided HSUS campaign against horse slaughter. Efforts by groups calling for an end to horse slaughter, such as the Humane Society of the United States, have led to the closure of the three remaining processing plants in the United States.

Now, as the AVMA has repeatedly warned, horses are being abandoned in the United States or transported to Mexico where, without U.S. federal oversight and veterinary supervision, they are slaughtered inhumanely.

‘The reality is, the HSUS has done nothing to address the real issue here, and, in fact, by seeking to ban horse slaughter, they have made things significantly worse,‘ says Dr. Mark Lutschaunigm, director of government relations for the AVMA. ‘If they really wanted to do something productive to improve the welfare of horses, they would address the issue of unwanted horses in the United States.‘

And the half-truths and lies aren’t confined to pushing bad policies in the United States. Internationally, HSUS was refused entrance into the 2000 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, for filing false accusations about CITES member nations.

In the state of Washington, the HSUS-driven Proposition 713, an anti-trapping ballot initiative, was so misleading, the legislature voted to overturn it when it became obvious that the voters had been misled.

Floridians saw their pork industry - small as it was - wash out entirely because of the cost of equipment changes required by the passage of their anti-gestation confinement, Proposition 204, a measure designed to eliminate gestation crates used by farmers to protect the lives of piglets.

Next year
When the HSUS-inspired ballot initiative is forwarded next year, NAIA and its members will be proud to stand with California farmers.

Our membership includes veterinarians, wildlife biologists and other animal scientists, dog and cat breeder/enthusiasts, animal trainers, farmers, ranchers, and others with hands-on experience in animal husbandry and care.

We are fighting a David vs. Goliath battle here. HSUS has regional branch offices all over America and over $100 million to fight, mislead and deceive. We at NAIA are a small, mostly unpaid band of hard-working, hands-on animal people.

Truth, hands-on knowledge, understanding and fair mindedness make us proud of the company we keep. We are proud that many cities around the country call on NAIA for expert guidance to draft sensible animal laws. And we feel validated to be on the same side of the fence as state and federal law enforcement in the animal welfare debate. We are also proud to stand with the American farmer, the legions of dog fanciers, and others who are the real backbone of the mainstream animal welfare movement.

None of them engage in the systematic misrepresentation of issues for profit and power that we see occurring as standard practice in HSUS and other conflict fundraising groups.

Unfortunately, it’s the average, uninformed American citizen who winds up at the short end of the stick, thanks to the machinations of HSUS.

But I can tell you this: the animal welfare movement is onto them. And we’re going to keep digging in our heels and telling the truth in our loudest possible voice.

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_7172876

Flexing his muscles ’ A Wenatchee pooch, an American pitbull terrier, is one of the nation's best in dogpulling

By Brent Stecker
World sports writer Published
April 15, 2008

Dan Riddle stands at the finish line encouraging his dog Flex toward him as the animal pulls 3,250 pounds of weights during the Spring Thaw Dog Pull on March 29 at Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee. Flex, an 80-pound American pitbull terrier, is a contender for a national championship in his weight class.
(World photo/Kathryn Stevens)

WENATCHEE ’ Flex boasts bulging muscles.

go cockers! I'd/a happily join/ed as a plaintiff too. and, um, why do the last couple lines talk about the "Humane" Society and them being "represented"? I haven't seen anything referring to them as parties and of course they'd like it thrown out so they can just keep acting like neo-nazi pseudo animal cops raising money with inflammatory verbiage and raiding peoples' property like some sort of new dog gestapo.

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Cockfighting fans battle federal ban, file lawsuit in Ohio

April 3, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A group trying to legalize cockfighting and other types of animal fighting has filed a federal lawsuit in Columbus.

American Game Fowl Society president Anthony Saville and five other plaintiffs are suing the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Justice.

Robert Aaron Miller of New Lexington in Perry County in central Ohio filed the suit. The plaintiffs argue that the federal law against animal fighting is unconstitutional.

The Animal Welfare Act was updated last year to make animal fighting a felony. The changes also made it illegal to cross state lines to fight animals or to advertise fights.

Former Ohio attorney general Jim Petro represents the Humane Society of the United States.

He says the society wants to see the lawsuit thrown out.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=8111438

on a personal note, Brian bred my first and most beloved purebred pit bulldog Simon's sire Sinbad. If not for Simon this site would not exist as it does today and if not for Brian, Simon would have never been. So in my eyes he's owed thanks for this article and this show and for the breed in many ways.

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Saturday show for pitbull terriers only

A premiere sanctioned dog show Saturday is open to all American pitbull terrier owners.

It will be held at Riverside Park, east of the Territorial Prison State Park, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Brian Sennikoff, a planned breeder of pitbulls and organizer of the Owners of American Pitbull Terriers Club in Yuma, said, "This will be an All American Dog Registry (AADR) show for pitbulls. It gives owners an opportunity to show off their dogs and meet with others who love pitbulls.

"Pitbulls have had negative publicity, and this show will be a way to prove differently. It will be a family event, and behavior that is not in the best interest of the breed will not be tolerated. No people-unfriendly dogs or dog-unfriendly people will be allowed," Sennikoff said.

"To enter, the dogs have to be at least 4 months old, wear a buckle collar with a four-foot leash. They must be kept in a crate-kennel at the show unless being walked or shown," the organizer said. "No fixed or neutered dogs or those in heat allowed, and no puppies will be for sale at the show."

Judge for this first show will be T.L. Williams, listed in the AADR.

Trophies will be presented for the best big dog, best blue dog, best conditioned and, for fun, the ugliest. Junior handlers are welcome to participate.

From personal experience with pitbulls, Sennikoff said, "This breed has been in my family for generations. I have one, Max-A-Million, that is a descendant from a great-great-grandfather. He recently won the best male in an AADR show in Tucson. The dogs have been friends and companions ’ sleep with me, sit in my car when I work or wait on the couch until I get home.

"They are great with children and old people and, for those who don't know them, my motto is, 'Love ’em or leave ’em alone.'"

For more information about the show, call -------- or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

http://www.yumasun.com/news/pitbull_40799___article.html/saturday_terriers.html

Here's yet another example of the publicity fed "dogfighting" hysteria. it's ridiculous that in america people have to prove themselves innocent rather than authorities proving their guilt. it's quite a sick and twisted parody of justice and another stain on the reputation of a once great, just and moral nation.

A dog lover, not a fighter

You might recall Rob Sheahart, the ex-con accused last summer of running a dogfighting outfit called Dead Game Kennels. He's the luckless fellow who got indicted on dogfighting charges smack-dab in the middle of the national uproar over the Michael Vick case.

But unlike Vick, the suspended pro quarterback now serving time at Leavenworth for bankrolling a dogfighting outfit, Sheahart never fought his dogs. As it happens, he was a licensed pit bull breeder who deplored dogfighting, treated his animals like family and has veterinary records to back him up.

Five months after charging Sheahart and his wife with dogfighting and other crimes, the Multnomah County district attorney's office quietly dismissed all the dogfighting charges.

Papers filed by police and prosecutors last summer describe Robert Lee Sheahart, 39, as a suspected gang member, dogfighter, negligent grandparent, pot peddler and the owner of a pearl-handled .45-caliber pistol.

"I may be some of those things," Sheahart said, "but I am definitely not a dogfighter and never have been."

Award-winning dogs

Sheahart knows he's a rough-looking hombre. He's got a shaved head, a mural of tats, braided chin-whiskers and a teardrop tattoo under his right eye to remember a friend shot dead in Phoenix.

Here's what he acknowledges: Last July, he sold marijuana to a friend who turned out to be a police snitch.

On Aug. 1, at 4:40 a.m., police came to his home on a North Portland cul-de-sac with a search warrant. They turned his place inside out, finding almost a pound of marijuana, several cannabis plants and the .45.

A county Animal Services officer, Michelle Luckey, joined the search, seizing seven adult pit bulls and four puppies.

A report on the raid details alleged evidence of dogfighting: The animals had "severely cropped ears" to prevent bleeding during a match; some dogs appeared to be scarred; the property yielded "breaking sticks" used to unclamp jaws and a "spring rope" device that dogs leap and grab with their teeth, which strengthens their necks.

Sheahart concedes such evidence might be confused as dogfighting gear. But he said he was conditioning his dogs for legitimate competitions -- such as weight pulling, conformation and sled pulling -- sponsored by organizations such as the American Dog Breeders Association. Sheahart said his dogs have won more than a dozen trophies.

Also troubling to investigators was the mural on Sheahart's 1964 Chevy Impala lowrider. It depicts gangsters betting on a dogfight with the name of his breeding business: Dead Game Kennels.

Sheahart said this art, created by a Los Angeles muralist, was not meant to imitate his life; it was merely an artist's rendition of life on the street. "Dead game," he explained, is a slang term for toughness.

"Very good" care

In their report, investigators said they found a photo in Sheahart's house depicting a dog with "a serious head wound that appeared to be sutured up haphazardly, obviously not by anyone with veterinary training."

The veterinarian who performed that surgery, Dr. Sonny Randhawa, took umbrage. When investigators went to his St. John's practice saying Sheahart must have sewed up his own dog, Randhawa pulled records showing he did the work.

"I stopped them dead in their tracks," he said.

Randhawa eventually turned over 10 years of veterinary records that demonstrate what he describes as the "very good" care Sheahart gave his dogs.

Sheahart didn't learn of the dogfighting charges until he and Cynthia Jimenez, then his longtime girlfriend, were jailed. The couple were stunned by allegations they fought their 11 dogs and possessed dogfighting paraphernalia.

Jimenez, who recently married Sheahart, took responsibility for the seized pot and got three years of probation for growing marijuana and child endangerment.

Sheahart breeds his dogs and sells the puppies for up to $2,000 apiece. The adult animals are family pets. He said his wife, children and grandchildren -- all living under one roof -- abhor dogfighting as much as he does.

"If they knew I even had anything remotely to do with that, my own children wouldn't even want to be around me," he said.

The prosecution's dogfighting case took a major hit six weeks after Sheahart's bust, when an expert, veterinarian Charlotte J. Robinson, studied photos of the dogs. Robinson concluded the animals hadn't suffered recent injuries and weren't aggressive enough to be fighting dogs.

The case dragged on until January before Deputy District Attorney Heidi Moawad -- balancing Robinson's findings against what she called a strong circumstantial case -- dropped charges against Sheahart. In the end, she said, there was "no direct evidence" linking him to dogfighting.

Moawad referred one of Sheahart's charges -- felon in possession of a firearm -- to federal prosecutors. Late last month, he pleaded guilty to the crime in U.S. District Court and awaits sentencing.

Fight for dogs' return

Sheahart's rap sheet dates to the late 1980s. He said he was a "hothead" who carried a gun, once shot up some unoccupied cars in a family dispute, and faced charges of carrying a concealed weapon. He served a prison stretch for that crime between 1992 and 1994.

Sheahart said the most painful part of his legal saga came last August, when he phoned home from jail and learned FBI agents had just exhumed his beloved dog Loc from a backyard grave. They bagged the carcass and hauled it off to help police find evidence of dogfighting.

"That was real upsetting," Sheahart said last week, his eyes moist, voice box tight. " 'Cause he was a real close friend."

After making bail last August, Sheahart tried to get the county animal shelter to return his pit bulls. He was put off again and again. Finally, in a letter dated Jan. 23, the county said Sheahart could redeem his dogs by paying $30,130 in impound, boarding and veterinary fees. Failure to pay put the dogs at risk of being euthanized.

Sheahart's attorney threatened to sue the county for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations. Days later, the county agreed to give back the dogs free of charge if Sheahart promised not to sue, and he did.

Now it's Sheahart's wife, Jimenez, who's in a pickle.

Her probation officer recently warned her that keeping "dangerous dogs" violated terms of her probation. Robb Cowie, a spokesman for the county's Department of Community Justice, said Jimenez has been given until today to move the pit bulls or herself from the premises.

Jimenez isn't budging.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/120633090634950.xml&coll=7

pitchick says:
I cannot believe this woman holds herself out as an expert while publicly admitting such an incredible lack of good judgement. Anyone with half a brain that has had dogs for a bit knows to be cautious around a newly introduced dog, more so if it might be a food guarder. What damage could have been done to just let the damn dog finish eating the food she 'dropped' on the floor rather than try to 'move' a dog she has very little experience with and ultimately cost him his life. I cannot believe anyone could view and/or portray her as an expert (well the $1000 she paid I guess attempts to confer that on herself) when she clearly brought this ordeal on herself, IF it really happened, and frankly I think it's a set up designed to further their extremist anti-chaining cause. Also, I was looking over some studies a few days ago that suggested that neutered dogs were more likely to bite children than unneutered, but then that won't fit the grimes/peta agenda too well.

everyone should remember this woman is a CONVICTED DOG THIEF!

...................................................................................................................................................................................................

reddogswon (sent this to me) says:
I can't believe that ANYONE would be STUPID enough to do this. This ignorant woman actually brought all these strange dogs into her kitchen to feed them. She was lucky not to have instigated a full-fledged riot by her foolish behavior. Even normally well-behaved dogs will finish their own food and encroach on a slower eater. And this stupid person sets herself up as a dog expert and inveighs against chaining dogs? What an idiot! Of course the attack on tethering dogs is a H$U$,PETA,ALF popular cause and many foolish elected officials will fall for it and HAVE. The next cause will be rescuing dogs who are put in pens. Everyone is supposed to have their dog with them 24/7. The desired result is to make dog ownership so onerous that normal individuals will be unable to do it and the ultimate hoped-for-result is the elimination of family pets. The first thing that convicted dog thief Tammy Grimes did was to post the story of her successful theft to the ALF website. Now a variety of animal Rights and Terrorism supporting pols have jumped on the bandwagon. AMAZING! Grimes had the gall to blame the attack on herself on a neutered dog which she placed in a situation that was an invitation to disaster.

---

1 March, 2007, Altoona, PA ’ Dogs Deserve Better founder Tammy Sneath Grimes was attacked in her home in Tipton, Pennsylvania, on the morning of February 28th, 2007 by a recent foster dog from Ohio. Cyclone, an unneutered and unsocialized black chow chow, had been rescued from chains only three weeks previously, and had been neutered by Dogs Deserve Better February 16th. Grimes suffered multiple lacerations, the worst of which was on her left ankle, 5 inches long and 1 inch deep. She was also bitten on her left arm and chest.

Grimes had been feeding the chow separately from the other foster dogs, but on Wednesday a bowl was knocked off the table onto the floor, and the chow began to eat the food immediately. She then fed the other fosters, and when she tried to move the chow from another's bowl, he turned and attacked her, coming back repeatedly until she was able to get pots and pans from the sink to protect herself.

Grimes son Rayne called 9-1-1, and a Bellwood ambulance took them both to the Altoona Hospital Emergency Room, where she underwent x-rays to determine if the Achilles tendon was affected, and received wound care and stitches. She was then released with medication and crutches.

Grimes states, "I've been bitten before, but this attack was different, terrifying. Cyclone meant to do tremendous damage, and I feel blessed that my condition is not worse than it is. Unfortunately, Cyclone is a product of our societal mistakes; an unneutered male dog, left chained for life and unsocialized with humans, may be exceedingly dominant in personality. He may not understand that humans are meant to be pack leaders, and he may have no fear of attacking even the human who is caring for him.

I'm so grateful that a child did not approach him while he was eating and chained; I feel sure the child would have been dead had that been the case. A unneutered male, alone and territorial, can be as deadly as a loaded shotgun laying in your yard. I am more dedicated to this cause than ever...I would like to prevent others from going through what I've gone through; the terror of being attacked by something so powerful, knowing I could easily die, is not a pain I would wish on anyone."

The attack was investigated Thursday morning by Pennsylvania Dog Law officers Bob Beck and Harold Walstrom, and Cyclone was taken to the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society where he was euthanized as a dangerous dog. Grimes continued, "I'd like to thank the officers and the Humane Society for their kindness in a very hard situation. While I'm exceedingly sad to fail Cyclone, I realize that in light of the circumstances, there was no choice remaining for him. I will keep Cyclone's ashes by my bed with Bo's and others who've gone to the bridge."

(I'm sure that will be a great comfort to Cyclone- says reddogswon)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfdogs0316sbmar16,0,5383486.story

Please go and vote NO!

(march 18 - pitchick says: thanks you guys, looks like we swung the tide on this one!)

Pet pit bull drags woman to safety

Jeff Holmquist
New Richmond News
Published Friday, March 14, 2008

Pit bull dogs don’t have a great reputation these days.

But a rural Star Prairie dog’s heroic efforts may just give the breed a much needed public relations boost.

Cisco, a 102-pound, 4-year-old pit bull, was taken outside to relieve himself at about 11 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, by his owner’s girlfriend.

Martha Sorrells was home alone at the time and knew the dog needed to do his duty.

But when Sorrells stepped on an icy patch in the back yard, she slipped and broke her right foot.

‘I just had on some thin sleep pants and a T-shirt,‘ Sorrells said. ‘Even if I yelled, nobody would be able to hear me from the back yard.‘

As she began to cry from the pain, Cisco began to comfort Sorrells. She told the dog to help her get home and the pit bull sprung into action.

‘He knows quite a few words,‘ said proud owner Fred Rawson.

‘He knew I was getting cold and he knew I needed to get back in the house,‘ Sorrells said.

The dog began pulling Sorrells by the leash toward the home.

‘He just kept pulling hard,‘ she said. ‘It was really a heroic effort on his part.‘

Once Cisco pulled the woman to the steps of the front door, Sorrells was able to use her hands to climb the three steps and get into the home.

‘If it wouldn’t have been for him, I would have really been in trouble,‘ she said, adding that her boyfriend was at a friend’s house playing cards that night and she didn’t know when he would return.

She was very worried about frostbite and hypothermia setting in.

Once inside, Sorrells scooted to a chair and gathered herself. She was then able to call 911 for help.

She was taken to Westfields Hospital where she spent the night. She now wears a cast on her foot, and doctors expect the recovery time to last from four to six weeks.

‘Pit bulls get a bad rap sometimes,‘ Sorrells said. ‘But it’s all in how you train them and raise them. He’s a very loving dog.‘

Rawson said he’s owned three pit bulls over the years. While the breed can cause problems in some cases, he said Cisco is very playful and loving.

Cisco was rewarded with extra treats and chew toys following his heroic effort.

LINK

Sounds a lot like the stuff that goes on here too. The judge failed to instruct that the jurors should acquit as there was "no sufficient evidence he had committed the crimes"!


Last Updated: March 12, 2008

Man wins dogfight conviction appeal

The Court of Criminal Appeal has overturned a Dublin man's conviction on charges of cruelty to animals arising from an arranged dog fight.

However, Karl Breen remains in jail on foot of a nine-year sentence imposed following a separate conviction for manslaughter.

At Naas District Court in July 2005, a jury convicted Breen, Nangor Crescent, Clondalkin Dublin and four others on charges of cruelly ill-treating two female pitbull terriers at a dog fight on October 31st, 2003, at Brockagh, Robertstown, Co Kildare.

Breen received a nine-month sentence, which was suspended after he agreed to pay ‚¬5,000 to the ISPCA. That payment is not affected by the decision to overturn his conviction.

At the Central Criminal Court last October, Breen was convicted of the manslaughter of Martin McLaughlin at Jury's Croke Park Hotel on January 1st, 2006. He was jailed for nine years.

Breen had appealed against his conviction for cruelty to the dogs and the three judge CCA, with Mr Justice Nial Fennelly presiding, and sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, today allowed the appeal.

Geraldine Small, for Breen, had argued the trial judge had erred by failing to direct the jury to acquit Breen on the grounds there was no sufficient evidence that he had committed the offences.

Counsel also noted that the CCA had in 2006 quashed the convictions of two of Breena's co-accused, who had appealed their convictions on similar grounds.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0312/breaking56.htm

Whitehall City Council in Ohio will meet on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 at 6:30-7:00 pm to hear testimony in opposition to the proposed Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) banning pit bulls in the city.

"Everyone must attend the meeting to show that we are not going to allow Ohio cities to keep interfering with our rights to own companion animals," says Shana Klein, President of the Canine Advocates Of Ohio. "Please do not allow this proposed ban to pass. All people desiring to testify in opposition of the proposed ban will have three minutes to testify. Even if you do not like speaking, you must stand up for 3 minutes to support these dogs and stop another ban."

Canine Advocates of Ohio ask that anyone who is a Whitehall resident, business owner, vet, trainer, or anyone in Northeast Ohio who desires to have a say in the BSL issue attend Whitehall City Council at 360 S. Yearling Rd., Whitehall, Ohio 43213.

---

It should be noted that one of the leaders of the "RDOWs" group (mostly run by non-apbt women) thinks anti-chaining/tethering legislation is a better alternative to BSL:

Quote:

"Judy" This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. rdowsassistanttothechair
Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:32 pm (PDT)

Boy this woman is just too much! Where does she get off thinking she gets to set the punishment for a crime she admitted to and was convicted of? I think she should have had a harsher sentence, it would have set a precedent as a deterrent and then maybe these nuts would think twice before they intrude on other people's property and lives and then try to make political and monetary hay of it. She made thousands and thousands of dollars improperly appropriating the image of the stolen dog as well as soliciting from this story for her extremist agenda, but wants to complain about $1500. I think it should have been closer to 10k which is probably more along the lines of what she made off with in this criminal enterprise.

Sentence too harsh, convicted dog-thief says

By KATHY MELLOTT
The Tribune-Democrat
Published: March 04, 2008

HOLLIDAYSBURG ’ The Blair County woman convicted in December of stealing a tethered dog thinks the 300 hours of community service she was sentenced to last month is too severe.

The community service should be closer to 25 hours, Tammy Grimes maintains in court documents, because her conviction on theft and receiving stolen property charges were misdemeanors.

Grimes, 43, of Antis Township, a dog advocate and founder of Dogs Deserve Better, a national anti-tethering organization, is asking Judge Elizabeth Doyle to reconsider her Feb. 22 sentence including the community service.

The request for reconsideration is only the first step, said defense attorney Phil Robertson, who likely will appeal Grimes’ conviction today or Thursday. It is the start of a fight Grimes is willing to take to state Superior Court and beyond, if necessary, he said.

In September 2006, Grimes, went on to the property of Steve and Lori Aungst of East Freedom and removed ‘Jake,‘ a 19-year-old arthritic shepherd mix that she said was being abused.

She placed him in foster care, and he died five months later.

Robertson said the community service portion of the sentence is unfair not only because of the time involved, but also because of the money. She will pay $5 per hour to participate, bringing the cost to $1,500.

‘I’ve never seen it at 300 hours before,‘ Robertson said of the punishment in relation to the severity of Grimes’ crime.

Grimes also objects to the more than $1,700 the court assessed her to pay for the jury and deputy and court staff overtime for the trial.

She has complied with one element of the sentence: Removing from an Internet site called ‘Cafe Press‘ all items offered for sale bearing Jake’s image. Other images of the dog on her Web site remain. Robertson hopes the appeals will suspend the sentence, allowing Grimes those images to stay.

Robertson said Grimes has no objection to the one-year probation that also was part of her sentence.

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_064225529.html

Apparently they allowed AR extremist friendly media to attend their "Law emforcement-only" workshop. If I lived in Georgia I would find out what I could do to complain about this judge's obvious lack of impartiality.

Gwinnett to get tough on animal abuse, especially dog fighting

By GEORGE CHIDI
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/06/08

Gwinnett County is ready to get tough on animal abuse and neglect, especially dog fighting, a county judge said to police and activists Thursday.

Addressing a seminar on animal fighting held by the Sheriff's department, Gwinnett State Court Judge Carla Brown told listeners that, "Juries are itching to convict on these [animal neglect and abuse] cases."

As often as not, prosecutors treat many kinds of animal cruelty cases as misdemeanors ’if not simple ordinance violations’ in the name of judicial expediency, simply to bring the bad behavior to a halt, she said.

The seminar organized by the Humane Society brought law enforcement officials from around metro Atlanta together with animal rights activists to learn new methods to identify, investigate and prosecute animal fighting cases.

Sgt. David Hunt, an investigator with the sheriff's department of Franklin County, Ohio, presented a video at the training session.

The chest of one black pit bull in the video looks like it has been torn open. The other dog has its jaws clamped around its opponent's neck.

In the background, a man coos "C'mon baby" over and over in a high-pitched voice to his dog. It isn't clear if he's calling to the one fighting for his life on the ground or not. A woman's voice calls out, cheering one dog on.

The voices are the only sound to hear in the five-year-old video of an underground dog fighting ring. Police remain interested in the crime, though, Hunt said. His Ohio county has seized about 200 fighting dogs in recent years, spending $1.2 million just to house them as evidence.

Hunt said that the public's interest in ending dogfighting hasn't waned in the months since former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick went to federal prison for his role in a Virginia dogfighting ring.

"Right after Vick's indictment, that was the talk of the dogfighting world on message boards and chat rooms," Hunt said.

Investigators are getting fewer calls right now, said Melinda Merck, senior director of veterinary forensics for the Atlanta SPCA.

"We see less in the winter. People aren't out as much," she said. That will change as the weather warms, Merck said. "It's people being out, hearing, seeing, smelling, that leads to calls."

Said Hunt: "If you do a dog fighting investigation, you're virtually taking out a mini-crime syndicate. Child abuse, drugs ... you take out a lot of peripheral crime with it."

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/stories/2008/03/06/cruelty_0307.html

 

Another nice, positive story. The woman wouldn't have been allowed to even keep the dog that may have saved her life in many cities today.

Dog bites man; it's news as pit bull foils an attack

TROUTDALE -- Most people teach their dogs not to bite. But there's a time and place for everything.

The time was early Thursday. The place was Troutdale.

A 19-year-old woman took her pit bull outside, and a man grabbed her. That's when the dog came to her rescue.

Troutdale police say it bit the man -- hard enough that he let the woman go and ran away.

The attack occurred about 12:50 a.m. at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Southwest 257th Avenue.

The man is thought to be 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. He wore dark pants and a black hooded sweat shirt. Anyone with information is asked to call 503-665-6129.

Sgt. Marc Shrake, a Troutdale Police Department spokesman, said it is unusual for someone to attack a person in the presence of a pet dog.

"Especially with it being a pit bull," he said.

-- Brad Schmidt

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1201832718277530.xml&coll=7

February 1, 2008

From Visalia, California. With so much negative publicity lately I found this a refreshing change.

Pit bulls can be a loving breed of dog

I am writing in response to (SPCA policy) by Mr. Jack Lowery Dec. 20, 2007. I give that gentleman two thumbs up for speaking up for a breed of dog (and they are dogs they have four legs and a wagging tail just like all other dogs) that are one of the most awesome breeds out there. It is just sad that after being so loyal to this organization he had to find out how they really feel about certain breeds. Sometimes I feel like we're back in the slave days where only certain colors were allowed in certain laces. That's how pit bulls are treated in a lot of places. I do foster care for another local dog facility. My wife and I have been doing it for more than five years and have placed many dogs in living homes. When we first starting fostering, we knew very little about some breeds. So you will never guess what breed we decided to foster only because they get such a bad rap and sometimes no second chances. You guessed it. We chose to foster the horrible, terrible, jaw-clamping pit bull, and you would be surprised that the only thing they want to clamp onto is a dog biscuit or blanket. We have placed many pits of all ages and sizes to responsible owners and never had a problem. We do fix them first so that there's no unnecessary breeding. And we do socialize them before adoption, not because they are bad, but because some come from bad situations and have to be shown that there are good people out there. But remember, we can't save them all, because the state only gives them so much time in the pound. And we are also shorthanded and can only do so much. But again I praise Mr. Lowery and just want him to know that if he ever wants to put his donations to good use, he is more than welcome to donate to us. It will 100 percent go to the dogs, pit bulls included. And if he wants we will adopt him a pit bull of any age. We're not prejudiced. RICK CENTENO Tulare

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/OPINION03/802010314/1014/OPINION

January 6, 2008

The following guest commentary was written as a Letter to the Editor by California Jack regarding the recent seizure of a man's dogs based on the suspicion of some neighbors and the greatly overstated case made by, yes once again, the ever-ready dog killers and opponents of all traditional animal use, the H$U$. Thanks to Jack for presenting an intelligent, well articulated position and allowing me to reprint it.

---

by California Jack

Your article on the fellow whose dogs were taken from 15001 Gingerbread Lane, in Arkansas was sensationalist, and I am sure this was because of the misinformation provided to you by HSUS.

I sold that fellow 6 of his dogs, one of which was under a co-ownership as a breeding animal. This dog I sold him (named Icon) didn't even have teeth and yet the idiots of HSUS still consider him a "fighting dog"!! (The reason Icon doesn't have teeth is because he likes to dig up large rocks and walk around with them in his mouth.)

The other adult dog I sold him is a female (Banshee) who is so docile that she wouldn't fight any animal, no matter how provoked!! The other 4 dogs I sold this guy are puppies. Yet all of these dogs, who have never had a fight in their lives, are being held in prison in the freezing cold. 3 of these puppies are so small and so young that they will likely die in the "shelter." The man had them in his house, to keep them warm, and now these young, innocent puppies are on ice cold cement being exposed to the elements.

A story that is not being told in your paper is the story of Americans losing their liberties. Of how a man (who is in the armed services and gainfully employed) has had his personal property raided, seized, and taken from him with NOT ONE crime that he has committed, and with NOT ONE shred of evidence provided. The idea that the sanctity of a man's property can be violated and seized, all based on "a tip" from a neighbor ... a neighbor who didn't actually witness a single crime, but who invented a series of "what ifs" in his imagination ... goes against every principle upon which our free nation was built. The HSUS and sheriffs have NOTHING on this man, their entire case is based on pure speculation, and yet he faces a trial and his dogs are in misery as I write this.

The idea that dog toys on a premises constitute "fighting paraphernalia" is ludicrous, just as if I decide to jog in the morning that this means I am preparing myself for a boxing match. It is simply insane, and the real crime that has been committed was against this man's freedom and property, a direct violation of the precept of Unreasonable Search and Seizure.

This is the story that you really should be focusing on ... which is the gradual loss of all individual rights in America, by a government that is slowly removing all legitimate due process from Americans ... and that will take what they want and justify it with lying, slanted, totally invented media copy.

This is Max Coats / Jamie Long and Cuban Cowboy's most recent site. I already emailed this to dozens of you, this is for the others that visit here and care about cops and H$U$ informants using the boards and websites to collect and solicit information from and about dogmen.

This is a screen shot from their source code (that's the html coding that makes the page appear how it does):

Anyone can go and look at this themselves by going to THEIR OWN PAGE (http://apbtnews.com/links.html) and following the simple steps shown here (at least until they see this and edit it away):

(you can also type ctrl+f and search for "hsus" in the source code and it will be easier to find).

Now someone please explain to me why these guys would have code for the Humane Society secretly hidden in their page code? THREE times? It starts under the "H" heading and I can tell you what I think happened. Jamie/Max/Cowboy copied the page from some HSUS.ORG links page that they use to monitor dog boards and when using a certain type of editor you can delete a link from the page but what happens is sometimes it really just deletes the text portion but leaves the html code for the link in the source.

But what page could they be copying that has dog boards AND the HSUS.ORG link in it?! I've talked about this with many people and none of us could come up with any good answer that did not include something sneaky and/or dirty.

More information can be found at http://truthteller.we.bs/news.html and http://truthteller.we.bs/

---

One last note, a few years ago I exposed bluntdog (that runs gamedogs.com) as observing peoples' private whispers in his chatroom when he denied being able to do so. I am also aware that a guy was questioned by his local detectives and during that questioning they specifically referenced the gamedogs.com chatroom and referenced his nickname in there as well as others. There are several additional things which are very suspicious about bluntdog, so that should be kept in mind when you see him have negative things to say about me and this site, which he always seems to be doing. It's most likely gamedogs.com that was being referenced by John Goodwin in that video, as that is the site which is being monitored by H$U$ and aiding the prosecution of dogmen, not this one.  I don;t let narcs inflame and bait people into saying stuff here.

If anyone has well written articles, comments or replies to articles I've written please submit them to me for possible publication. I'm happy to profile the skillfully composed works of other defenders of this great breed and will certainly credit those which are included. By submitting any article, comment or reply you agree that it may be reproduced on this site.

Also, if anyone sees any breed-positive articles I've missed which Gamedog owners ought to be aware of please notify me. There's a Contact link in the menu to the left.

pitchick

January 3, 2008

It should be noted that they are relying on John Goodwin as an "expert", pfft. I just wanted you to all be aware that they are holding these sort of seminars, where they are holding them (the last one was in Indiana 10/30/07) and that they're definitely including what they call "Internet investigation of animal fighting" in addition to lessons on how to kill the dogs as quickly as possible and how to misconstrue and wrongfully allege that legitimate items are contraband.

---

Illegal Animal Fighting Investigations (Lawrenceville)
Workshop

Dates
3/6/08

Location
Lawrenceville, GA

Tuition
$50 - Regular Rate
$40 - Shelter Partner Rate

Register Before
02/21/2008

Hosted by
Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department

About the Training

In recent years, we have seen an increase in animal fighting, both in urban settings and in rural areas. To combat this trend, Humane Society University provides this valuable training to law enforcement, criminal justice, and animal care professionals. Our instructors are well-seasoned, highly experienced, and dedicated individuals who will provide a wealth of information to help you win the war against illegal animal fighting in your community.

Course Topics:

• History of animal fighting
• Instruction on the categories of animal fighting
• Review of animal fighting paraphernalia
• Matters concerning search warrants, performing investigations, and recognizing and logging evidence at an arrest or raid
• Disposition of confiscated animals
• Dealing with the media
• Preparing a case for court
• Recognizing street fighting and the best means for making an arrest
• Animal fighting connection to other felony crimes
• Knowing, interpreting, and applying the law
• Internet investigation of animal fighting

Due to the confidential nature of the material presented in the class, enrollment is restricted to law enforcement officers; prosecutors and judges; and animal control/humane investigators/veterinarians if employed or contracted with a government agency (sheriff's department, police department, health department,etc.).

Instructors
John Goodwin, Manager, Animal Fighting Issues
The Humane Society of the United States

Sergeant David R. Hunt, Special Investigations Unit
Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Columbus, Ohio

Guest Speakers
Laura Janssen, Senior Assistant District Attorney
Fulton County District Attorney's Office
Atlanta, Georgia

Judge Carla Brown
State Court of Gwinnett County
Lawrenceville, Georgia

Judge Patti Muise
Recorder's Court of Gwinnett County
Lawrenceville, Georgia


http://www.humanesocietyu.org/workshops_and_classes/iaf_lawrenceville.html

January 3, 2008

Anyone who thinks that this guy's comments have done anything positive for the dogs is either a complete moron or a counter-intelligence operative. I saw yesterday where peta made a whole website supposedly promoting the buying of 'strays'¹ to be used for cosmetic testing or ammunition proving. The anti-APBT lobby is clearly willing to use informants, counter-operatives and counter-intelligence programs against us and our dogs. BSL is a threat, the anti-tetherers are a threat, Peta is a threat, the H$U$ is a threat and those that would tell you differently or attack any reasonable defense against those threats do not have our dogs' best interest at heart. Be smart people, the ones that are sitting around on message boards promoting stupid stuff or stupid people might just not be as stupid as they appear.

The portion of the article shown below appeared on the first page immediately followed by a skilled and competent rebuttal by Goodwin which made this guy look like yet another overpaid, under-educated (and dare I say it? black) sports player. There was a small quote on the second page² which I'm sure is what Mr. Jones wish would have been highlighted, however that reasonable thought was obviously overshadowed by his off-the-cuff comments. This is why athletes and other figures have press/publicity agents. They should give their money and/or time to defenders of the dogs, and leave public comments to those whom are better suited.

---

from:
Roy Jones: I let my dogs fight

BY IAN BEGLEY
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Sunday, December 30th 2007, 5:09 AM

On Friday, after practicing with the Knicks in Greenburgh to promote his Jan.19 fight with Felix Trinidad at the Garden, Jones admitted he'd allowed the pit bulls he breeds on his property to fight.

"I was (letting them fight) to a degree, but not like that serious," Jones Jr. told the Daily News after reporters had peppered the light-heavyweight with questions about the Knicks and his fight with Trinidad. "I just let my dogs get down five, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. Maybe like the longest I let them go was a half-hour, but I never let them fight to the death 'cause I can't take that.

"I knew about it, but I wasn't going to take it that seriously. I couldn't see my dogs fight to the death 'cause they were too close of friends to me."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/12/30/2007-12-30_roy_jones_i_let_my_dogs_fight-3.html

---

1 http://ibuystrays.com/index.html
2 "It's kind of backwards. It's like people care (less) about hurting one another than they do animals."

January 1, 2008

On their Petco News site they are sponsoring the unchainyourdog.org group which believes that all pets are little human substitutes and that any chaining is cruel and makes a dog miserable and neurotic. Of course they don't come out and say it but this will soon lead to their real agenda of no dogs kept outdoors at all.

It is no one else's right to decide if my dogs are "happy" or not, so long as they are receiving necessary care, and by the way I have MORE THAN A DOZEN YEARS of actual hands-on experience with keeping dogs indoors, on chains, on cable runs and in pens and NONE IS ANY MORE CRUEL THAN ANOTHER! It so happens that my dogs lead perfectly happy lives outdoors (mainly) although this doesn't fit their feel-good, donation seeking agenda does it?

I have already covered this anti-tethering propaganda a few times, and it wouldn't surprise me to find that this group was somehow started or driven by CONVICTED THIEF Tammy Grimes. These people are obsessive nuts, apparently lacking their own human companionship and feel the overly-sensitized need to project their feelings onto animals.

It's quite disappointing that PETCO, a nationwide retailer whom I thought would seek to provide merchandise and respect to ALL pet owners would instead choose to promote this extremist agenda and thereby disrespect the majority of normal pet lovers and owners.

I would encourage any of you that believe in Animal Welfare rather than Animal Rights as well as any of you that keep your pets outside for even a portion of their time to BOYCOTT PETCO!

http://www.petconews.com/