Author: Lea

National Pit Bull Awareness Day was established in 2007 as a nationwide effort to bring positive awareness and attention to the American Pit Bull Terrier and their responsible owners. Credit for this wonderful day can be given to by Bless the Bullys, a non-profit rescue and education effort in Tennessee; their idea took off like wildfire, and in 2011 the entire month of October was designated as National Pit Bull Awareness Month.  

Every day is “Pit Bull Awareness Day” at Paws Give Me Purpose, specifically the awareness of Bailey. Our Bailey is a big, 77 pound, happy girl whose tail never stops wagging! She is always smiling and believes she’s a lap-dog, crawling right into your lap whenever it’s free. Whether you love Pit Bulls or not, I hope you’ll take a moment to reflect on what they mean and why they matter.

Pit Bulls were once a proud American icon, known to be war heroes, movie stars, police dogs, therapy dogs, service dogs, and “shockingly” to most, nannies. While Pits are amazingly loyal companions, over time the actions of a few that have taken the qualities like loyalty, strength, and an eagerness to please, and used them in a negative way. This has caused the entire breed to be criticized across the world.

Pit Bulls are more than a dog, they are a symbol. One hundred years ago they stood for American pride and Patriotism, appearing in World War I propaganda posters as the embodiment of fearless canine courage. They were well-cared-for family dogs and a trusted friend of children.

What a difference a century makes! Today, the Pit Bull is the most abused, exploited, and misunderstood dog in the world. Due to this widespread propaganda, they are misunderstood, causing humans to fear and loathe them. Unfortunately, the Pit’s reversal of fortune could befall any dog (and, if you look at the history of the German Shepherd and Doberman, it already has)

In a tragic twist of irony, it’s the dog’s extreme loyalty that gets them in trouble. A Pit Bull will do anything for his or her owner. If a Pit belongs to a kind, compassionate person, he will enjoy a happy life as a sweet family; however, if a Pit has the misfortune of belonging to an “evil” individual, they will suffer any number of terrible fates in the nightmare world of dog-fighting. I think the world may have finally understood when the horrific evil doings at Michael Vick’s “Bad Newz Kennels” were exposed for all to see.

The truth is that even severely mistreated Pit Bulls can be rehabbed with lots of TLC. Several of the former Vick dogs got a new lease on life as beloved family pets, and some work as therapy animals, spreading love, smiles, and cheer wherever they go.

Sadly, the media loves sensationalism and stories about “dogs who attack” and they make headlines. Too many people automatically assume that if something goes wrong that the Pit Bull is the one to blame, this needs to change right now!

As many of you are aware, shelters are full with Pit Bulls, at some shelters, as many as 90% of the residents are Pits. In urban areas like New York City, municipal shelters like Animal Care and Control are so overcrowded that Pit Bulls often get no more than 24 to 48 hours to live. For the short time these dogs are available, it seems potential adopters bypass their cages, afraid to give these sweet dogs a second chance because of the negative stereotypes they’ve seen and heard.

This is an extreme tragedy and a disgrace that it will only end when enlightened dog lovers take positive action by adopting and fostering without delay. We are their voices, we must continue to stand up and speak up for these beautiful souls who cannot speak for themselves.

The fight to save Pit Bulls from dogfighting has only just begun. I hope you’ll join me and the millions of Pit Bull advocates out there in helping to raise awareness this month. Please consider adopting or fostering a Pit Bull from your local animal shelter/rescue. Believe me, the life you change will be your own!

Have you had an experience with a Pit Bull that’s made you loyal to this much-maligned dog? How will you be observing Pit Bull Awareness Month? Please share in the comments; we would love to hear from you!

 

Today on the 17th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, people turn their thoughts to the lost and to the heroes who helped save lives on that day. Among the countless human heroes, sung and unsung, are the rescue dogs who helped scour the rubble for signs of life. The service dogs that responded to the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the wake of the attacks should not be forgotten.

Roughly 350 Search and Rescue Dogs worked tirelessly in the tragic aftermath searching for survivors and human remains. Sifting through the rubble, blinded by smoke and debris, the dogs battled exhaustion and emotional distress.

After hours of searching and finding no one alive, some handlers would ask volunteers to hide amidst the rubble to be “located”, helping to raise the dogs’ spirits. Even when the search mission became one of recovery instead of rescue, the dogs carried on diligently, providing love and peace to the families of the victims.

Most Search and Rescue Dogs are trained by non-government organizations, often with civilian handlers; many of the teams that responded to Ground Zero did so on a volunteer basis as they knew their country needed them.

All of us here at a Paws Give Me Purpose pay tribute to those four-legged heroes who walk among us and to those who have left indelible paw prints upon our hearts.