PawPrints

Along this journey we've experienced the highs and lows of advocacy, fostering, rescuing, training, heartache of knowing many wonderful dogs losing their lives due to overcrowding shelters, uncaring owners, breed specific legislation and rejection as we've had the door slammed in our faces from other organizations. On the other side we've experienced tears of joy in watching our fosters walk into their new furever home. Occasionally we receive updates on some of our fosters progress which brings more tears of joy but, then there are those that "got" away, and we wonder their fate. There have been the occasional rescue which ends with that dog being trained and a furever happy home found. In our short time in the advocacy/training/rescuing world we've seen and been through a lot. As we often reflect on our journey one thing remains constant.....the "Paw Prints" all pups have left on our hearts and minds.

Another point of view

Two years ago I made a change in my career that brought me to meet a wild and crazy person who was definitely my opposite. Though we started off as opposites we have found a common ground and she has become a very dear friend. From birth I was raised around animals and have always been in receipt of an animal's love and devotion. I would tell stories at work about my animals and my opposite would always laugh and say I was crazy. I could never imagine her with any type of animal because it just wouldn't fit her lifestyle. That all changed in Feb 2011. She came into work and announced to us all that she had decided to adopt a dog. It wasn't just any ole dog it would be a pit bull. She proceeded to tell us about watching a tv show over the weekend and it had changed her mind about the breed. Here my opposite was excitedly looking through pages and pages of pit bulls that were up for adoption. When one finally captured her eye that was all she could talk about until adoption day finally came. She was showing picture upon picture of her new baby and not her kids. I was amazed at how she was starting to change and how we were no longer opposites. After a few months she decided she wanted another dog and adopted again. There again she was changing. I never expected the changes that would occur over the next several months to a year because of the love she received from these two pit bulls. Not only had she become a proud and loving pet owner but, she wanted to make changes. She jumped with both feet in to helping rescue organizations in VA to give other pit bulls the opportunity to have a better life with loving families. We all thought she was crazy but, it was something she now believed in because of the love of her dogs. She had to make this area better for pit bulls. She has become such an advocate for these animals and I couldn't be prouder. Here someone that was just my opposite a few months ago was rescuing and fostering dogs and now was traveling to my hometown in Charles County MD fighting against BSL. I was amazed at her devotion to this cause but, I knew it was all because of the love she received at home from her two babies, how could she look in their eyes knowing their brothers and sisters were out there not wanted in certain areas, needing homes and deserving of the love they were receiving. The love of a dog was changing her. Her next step was deciding to try and jump into working with animals full time and becoming a certified dog trainer. She has had doubts at times that she is doing the right thing but, deep down she knows it is something she wants and has to do. Why you say? Because of the love of a dog. Here someone has gone from being my opposite in not understanding the love and devotion I had for my animals to now knowing exactly what I speak of and feel. The love of an animal makes you change many things in your life. They are dependent upon us so there are times we have to change our sleeping patterns, lifestyle and schedule to fit with theirs. My once opposite has changed her entire life to be revolved around her dogs. She has jumped in with full force at making sure pit bulls in the DC/MD/VA area have a fighting chance of finding their furever home and are welcome wherever their families would like to go. So, here you had someone who was a hardworking single mother that liked to get her party on and didn't have the responsibilities of an animal at home that now has two pit bulls and is taking up fighting PG County and the State of Maryland to end their bans on Pit Bulls and Pit Bull Mixes. All of these changes she has been through the past year and half have been because of the love of two dogs!!! So if you want to know what true love and devotion is you need to find and adopt your pet soul mate so, you too know the love of a dog!!!!

FEAR

Fear….fear is defined as a feeling of  anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, timidity, dread, terror, freight, apprehension.  Fear can be paralyzing and often the unknown brings fear, terror and apprehension.  As humans God  has not given us a spirit of fear, yet it’s prevalent in our lives.  There’s this thing called a “comfort zone” we like.  In the comfort zone it’s familiar, it takes care of our needs although our needs have been met and it’s time to move on.  The moment we want to move on that four letter word pops up…FEAR. It tells you that you’re not good enough, you’re not qualified, you don’t have the skills, you have bills, you don’t have the leave, you don’t have the experience….the list goes on.  The only thing that conquers fear is another four letter word….FAITH.

Fear can immobilize, paralyze, stagnate if we allow it to.  When people hear pit bull or pit bull mix it strikes fear in the hardest of men.  Why? These creatures breath, eat, need love, shelter, food and occasionally clothes, all the things humans need yet they are feared, hated, disliked because…..  This same fear we’re talking about was in us and instilled in us by the media.  Although we had NOT interacted with this breed we were petrified of this animal.  This animal did nothing to us, had not harmed us or anyone we knew yet we feared them.  We feared them because society told us to.  The unknown is scary to us all. Many in society will not investigate things for themselves and the reporters know this and they report what they want.  They will do anything to get the ratings even if it’s partial truth and that partial truth perpetuates fear.  Some folks are comfortable with staying in fear, not willing to have an open mind and erasing the fear out of their lives.  This is happening more often than not with pit bulls.  They’re feared for what folks make them and not for their good nature, calm demeanor and need for love.  It is because we have gotten over this fear that we find ourselves advocating, educating, training and now traveling to erase the fear people have.  This past weekend we traveled to New Jersey for the 9th annual Paws for Cause event.  Paws for Cause, is an awesome event raising awareness and funds to eradicate another fearful word….. cancer in animals.  The event features various vendors, knowledgeable veterinarians about cancer and other veterinary care, a dog fashion show, treats, swimming pools and of course dogs of all breeds, sizes and colors. No one was fearful of what could happen, everyone got along, asked and answered questions, networked and all had the faith that nothing was going to go wrong.  Guess what nothing went wrong! Yes, there was barking, sniffing, minor scuffles and none of them were by pit bulls.  We’re not bashing any breed just erasing fear!

When advocating hurts...

When will we stand as a people and hold those we elect responsible and demand change? There comes a time in our lives when a cause that’s close to our hearts forces us to get involved socially. That’s what happened to us a little over a year ago.  With the fire burning inside of us to seek change and justice for ALL pit bulls or dogs that “resemble” a pit bull we took to social media outlets, participated in rallies, sat in committee meetings, wrote legislators, wrote proposed legislation, joined alliances with other advocates/groups, shared posts,answered e-mails from concerned pit bull guardians, and the list goes on however, change cannot come from the bottom, it must come from the top.

Pit Bull guardians have been under attack for many years and the attacks are relentless.  The writing is on the wall this bully breed is not wanted and will not be tolerated.  Time after time after time this sediment is evident. From the senseless killing of Lennox, who wasn’t a pit bull, justlooked like one to the overcrowding at shelters.  Shelters and rescue organizations are overworked and underpaid, what keeps them going is the pure love for this animal.  People are forced to make a decision for some is easy to make and for others the thought is debilitating, the decision to prematurely euthanize a beloved family pet/member or up root their family and find another place to live due to ignorance, fear and discrimination.  Those that have the power to listen and make wise and correct decision refuse to listen to those that put them in power.  Marylanders have been fighting this fight for a while, long before Maryland Court of Appeals handed down their ruling naming pit bulls “inherently dangerous.”  They have been fighting the stereotyping of pit bulls in Prince George’s County since 1996 when pit bulls were outlawed.  Mayor Joe of Laurel, Maryland has been fighting this fight and asked the now jailbird Jack Johnson to review and repeal the ban to no avail.  The now County Executive Rushern Baker mentioned in his campaign he would change the environment at Animal Control however, when contacted by Mayor Moe and us aletter patronizing us is all we received. It was a letter hiding behindMaryland Court of Appeals ruling. 

Maryland legislators had an opportunity to get it right for many renters, landlords and families to set the bar for the nation when it comes to pit bulls.  Instead of looking at the all the facts and making a logical decision it was politics as usual.Yes, we understand the law would affect many people and they want to make sure they get it right but the legislators did not do that, instead they let the bill fail which means the court ruling stands. Many families will be impacted because of the lack of empathy and frankly lack of concern.  To further solidify our position of those not caring, a follower of a known advocacy group had the pleasure of meeting Governor Martin O’Mally prior to the special session asked the Governor if there was a chance the pit bull ruling will be on agenda (at this time it was still unclear if the ruling was going to be on the agenda) per the gentleman who had the encounter with Governor O’Malley said the Governor said “he hopes not.”  It is this kind of callus thinking many families will have to make that agonizing decision to uproot the family and find another place to live or take their family member to the shelter knowing her/his fate ultimately is death.

Where you at?

On Sunday, August 26th we held our second event titled “Sips with Sweet Pits” benefiting Ambassador Pit Bull Rescue.  Though the weather didn’t cooperate overall the event was successful.  There were several pit bulls attending the event with their guardians as well as other breeds of dog.  All of the dogs got along, where playing and greeting each other nicely.  The guardians of these dogs were surprised to see the many adoptable pit bulls or rescue dogs behaving themselves.  The musician acknowledged this fact by stating “how he was excited to see so many pit bulls on the premises and look no one is being attacked.”  One might look at his statement as being condescending however, he was telling the truth.  Upon entering the winery with the adoptable dogs some patrons looked appalled the winery would allow “that” breed into their establishment.  After getting all people and dogs settled the event and the day went well.

Our sister who was afraid of pit bulls due to the misinformation she received from the media was one of those that came out and supported us.  Although we’ve had Sasha and Krush for over a year it was not until April 28th, at our inaugural event, “Pits & Pumps” Dog Fashion show that our sister mustered up the nerve and walked Krush confidently, boldly and quite stylish may we add down the dog walk.  As she walked down the dog walk her wall started to come down and she started thinking that this bully breed might not be as bad as previously thought.  However, her motto was, “we’ve changed her perception but, not her mind.”  We were ok with that because once a person’s perception is changed you can change their mind.  Krush and Sasha were doing just that for our sister as they have done with other members in our family and the community.  To solidify the change in perception in her mind was when Krush saved our family from a possible intruder. Upon hearing the story her wall came tumbling down like the Berlin wall.  Krush and Sasha had WON, another pit bull had changed the perception and mind of a productive member of society.  Our sister attended “Sips with Sweet Pits” on Sunday to find her “Brutus” and of course support us.  There were several pit bulls to choose from however, one caught her attention, grabbed her heart and would not let go. His name is Moosh aka Brutus to our sister.  Moosh was all she could talk about, the entire family was excited about Moosh however, there was a dark cloud that loomed over the situation…the pink elephant no one wanted to talk about but, needed to be spoken on….our sister lives in a county that bans pit bulls.  The ban has been instituted since February 1997.

Our family knows how much we love pit bulls and how we have been on the forefront of abrogating this ban from Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Now the fight has become personal.  After our sister posted on facebook that she would be getting Moosh aka Brutus, posting pictures and providing a play by play of her filling out the application; the pink elephant in the room moved.  She received an e-mail from the rescue stating because she lives in a county that has BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) she would not be allowed to adopt Moosh aka “Brutus”. She was deflated and off to social media she went to vent about the situation.  Everyone showed their support for her in this dark hour as they did when the sun shined.  Many, apologized and others googled and provided facts we already knew.  A huge debate ensued which we indulged separating fact from fiction.  Our sister knows we have been fighting for this ban to be abrogated however, it went in one ear and out of the other, now that it affects her decision and the type of dog she wants it’s time to sound the alarm.  Where was this same passion when we sent invitations to the public to come together to form a formidable plan to take to the council members to review and repeal the ban.  Many members in the community have suffered in silence for so long, many animals are dying daily, many neighboring counties, cities and states are suffering due to this ban, yet many that showed support for our sister will do nothing to change the law that inevitably will affect them some day.  To all those that sit on social media to vent instead of writing your council member, senate, delegates, sheriffs, police, animal control etc. WHERE YOU AT? Stand up and make your vote and voice heard.

Star Pupil & Ambassador for his breed

When adopting an American Pit Bull Terrier from any rescue organization they’ll be the first to say and put in print “make sure your dog is an “Ambassador” for the breed.  When we adopted Sasha we had no clue what that meant, all we knew was we had a dog and not just any dog but a Pit Bull! Many family and friends weren’t happy with our choice of breed however, it’s our life and Sasha was going to be an “Ambassador” for her breed (whatever that meant).  As family and friends met Sasha their defenses surely came down.  Then the light came on and we finally understood what the rescue had meant.  Sasha stunned us and all she encountered with her smile and loving demeanor.  What a joy it was when our neighbors would stop us as we walked Sasha some even allowing her to come in their yard to play with their children! Not only was Sasha a local celebrity but, an “Ambassador” for her breed.  Many of our neighbors never encountered or interacted with a pit bull and only knew what they heard and seen through the media.  Here this white, stocky, female dog who smiled while her backside wagged so hard she could barely stand in one place was changing the mindset and perception of this bully breed.

Then came a 5-month old hyper, mischievous, reddish brown and white male pit bull mix. Clearly our family, friends and neighbors figured we had lost our minds.  The community was accepting of one pit bull however; were we pushing it by adding another pit bull let alone a male?  Having a clear understanding of what an “Ambassador” for the breed meant, we let Krush’s mannerisms speak for themselves.  Krush was no Sasha by any stretch of the imagination, he was younger, hyper, had little to no regard for personal space, a nipper and he was jealous. How in the world could this pit bull be an “Ambassador”? He appeared to be the menace that the media screams about.   We enrolled Krush in puppy training when he was 6 months and who knew....there was an “Ambassador” in him.  Krush was the calmest, most respectful, confident, obedient, food driven PIT BULL in the class! As the training went on, Krush continued to improve and be the star pupil of the class.  The majority of the dogs in the class were German Shepherds and they were whiny, lacked confidence, and darn right annoying (before folks get their panties in a bunch we love German Shepherds, had one growing up best darn dog ever, Love you Tobi).  When they would whine, Krush would look at us as if to say what’s wrong with them. Krush became the instructor’s favorite (we’re taught to try not to favor a dog or breed) dog to use for demonstrations.  You can only imagine the smile on our faces.  What solidified Krush as a true “Ambassador” was at the end of the class when many of the other owners came up to us to say how impressed they were with Krush and his behavior and how they wish their dog was as obedient as he was.  Many of them never interacted with a pit bull nor had any desire to because of what they “heard” from the media.  Krush smashed their negative perception and changed their minds about pit bulls.  What impressed everyone even more was when they met him, Krush must’ve known they wanted to touch his handsome self because he would stick his head out of the window to allow them to pet him.  That day we cried and our jaws hurt from smiling so much. In the parking lot Krush was a true “Ambassador” and celebrity like his big sister.  Clients from the other classes would stay around for a chance to met the “magnificent” pit bull named Krush!   Krush showed why he’s a true “Ambassador” in every sense of the word.

We’re in the final stages of our training certification. During this phase we have to bring a dog that we’ve worked with (our own or another) to see if we’ve been practicing our techniques as well as get assistance on the nagging things that keep our pups from being all they can be.  Again Krush is called upon and he doesn’t miss a beat.  As usual he’s the only pit bull and the looks on the faces of the clients are priceless.  Krush walked in like any other dog and began to  sniff around.  Most of the dogs were off leash which helps them socialize.  Krush didn’t have an opportunity to roam free but he was respectful and enjoyed smelling all of the new butts he was meeting. Class started shortly after we got there and Krush shined as bright as the northern star.  The energy in the room was high however, Krush remained calm. There were a few instances where he whimpered because he wanted to play however, after receiving guidance from us, all was well.  Krush knew all of the cues including hand signals so he laid down watching the other dogs and their handlers learn.  Again the instructor/mentor was impressed with Krush so she had to acknowledge him, which was another proud moment for us.  Finally we know and have a true understanding what rescue organizations mean when they say “be an Ambassador for the breed” we have two “Ambassadors” for this bully breed....Thanks Sasha & Krush!

Iowa's Sentator Steve King

Moving forward with our goal of helping the bully breed thrive, we have seen changes in minds and perceptions within our circle of family and friends.  Now it’s time to change the world!  It is disheartening when you have folks in power who are out of touch with reality.  Recently, Iowa’s Senator Steve King is proposing an amendment titled “King amendment” (how egotistical) which will prevent states from developing anti-cruel standards regardless of whether or not local voters were in support of such measures. "It’s wrong to rate animals above human beings."  There are many things wrong with Senators King’s statement but we’re going to focus on one aspect of it.  No one is putting animals on a higher plane than humans because humans have the ability to remov themselves from dangerous situations. Humans have a voice and a choice, animals do NOT.  Animals do not have voices that speak to someone (some may disagree, that’s another blog).  Animals do not have a choice in which conditions they arrive or live in. Animals were put on earth to help cultivate the land, help ease loneliness by being a companion, helping children to read, and help humans to know and understand what unconditional love truly means.  Animals help in many ways yet we have individuals such as Senator King, Maryland Court of Appeals, The founder of dogbite.org and many others attempting to silence these animals.... NOT on ourwatch!

We will continue to move forward and be a voice for this bully breed and animals in general.  It has been well documented those that kill, maim, mutilate animals tend to be a danger to society.  It’s safe to say Senator King is a menace and a danger to society with his ideology.

Let Senator King know how you feel about his ideology and proposed amendment:

1131 Longworth Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202.225.4426
Fax: 202.225.3193