Lassie, Cleo, Rin Tin Tin and Toto don't show up in rescue. We don't get the elegantly coiffed, classically beautiful, completely trained, perfectly behaved dog. We get the leftovers. Dogs that other people have incompetently bred, inadequately socialized, ineffectively "trained," and badly treated. Most Rescue dogs have had it. They've been pushed from one lousy situation to another. They've never had proper veterinary care, kind and consistent training, or sufficient company. They've lived outside, in a crate, or in the basement. They're scared, depressed and anxious. Some are angry. Some are sick. Some have given up.
But we are Rescue and we don't give up. We never give up on a dog. We know that a dog is a living being, with a spirit and a heart and feelings. Our dogs are not commodities, things, or garbage. They are part of sacred creation and they deserve as much love and care and respect as the next Westminster champion. So please, please don't come to rescue in the hopes of getting a "bargain," or indeed of "getting" anything. Come to Rescue to give, to love, to save a life -- and to mend your own spirit. For Rescue will reward you in ways you never thought possible. I can promise you this -- a rescue dog will make you a better person.
- Author Unknown
If there were no pit bulls...
Sometimes I think having no pit bulls wouldn't be that bad a thing, but not for the reasons you might imagine.
If pit bulls weren't around, they couldn't be beaten. Starved. Left chained outside with little protection from the elements. Subjected to ear croppings with scissors and no pain relief. Made to bear puppies with next to no food. And finally, if pit bulls weren't around, they couldn't be tossed dead (or nearly so) into a vacant lot when they come up on the losing side of a dogfight.
For every headline-grabbing attack by a pit bull, there are countless cruelties inflicted on these dogs by the criminal element that's attracted to them. As a person recently noted on a dog-related Web log: "It's amazing how many other kinds of dogs in the best homes bite. It's amazing how many pit bulls in the worst homes don't. But those who do ... Oh, what fear and anger they cause. It's no surprise, given the horror of recent attacks, that the call to eliminate pit bulls has never been louder. But that call remains the wrong one: Breed-specific legislation is not the answer to the problem of dangerous dogs.
It doesn't help much to argue that the odds of an attack by a pit bull are so low as to be insignificant compared to life's other risks, not in the face of saturation media coverage of every such attack. It doesn't help much to argue that a well-bred and properly raised pit bull can be a better companion than many other popular breeds, based on temperament-testing statistics that show these dogs to be stable and calm. It doesn't help much to argue that many of the pit bulls who are being seized and killed in places like Denver are family pets who have never shown a reason for concern -- and never will.
And yes, we need to establish zero tolerance for all dangerous dogs, with no second chances: If a dog attacks someone, that animal needs to be put down. If a dog is a neighborhood menace, that animal needs to be put down
We need to stop looking for scapegoats in the face of every pit bull, and look to addressing the human reasons behind the problem of dangerous dogs.
For then and only then can we hope to be safer around not only the pit bull, but also all dogs. And maybe then the pit bull will be safer around us, too. - Author Unknown
We oppose ear crops and tail docks.
The surgical amputation of a large portion of the dog’s ears and tail originated in the brutal practices of dogfighting, so that the appendages would not get ripped or mangled in a fight. The unnecessary and cruel practice of cosmetically altering a dog’s appearance offers no medical advantage and, when found today, is to give the dog a “tough” appearance. This is the surgical amputation of most of the dog’s ears and tails, drastically changing their appearance. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights says, “Dogs use their tails and ears extensively as a part of their behavioral repertoire, signaling a variety of emotions from hostility to happiness to submission to alertness. To deprive an individual of a significant part of their body seems as outrageous as it is unnecessary.”
We oppose the use of prong and choke collars
Comparable to electric shock and other forms of torture to humans for compliance, the use of prong and choke collars on dogs is painful and unnecessary. Particularly in the case of a pit bull, it is ineffective as pit bulls have been trained for centuries to resist that pain they endure. A prong collar is a chain collar with prongs pointed inward towards the dog’s neck. Whenever the dog pulls on the leash, or the owner yanks on the leash, the collar constricts, hurting the dog by stabbing into the throat. Choking injuries, puncture wounds and increased aggression are common results when this device is implemented. Choke collars constrict a dog’s breathing by tightening whenever the dog pulls or the owner yanks the leash. There are many effective positive reinforcement techniques that do not utilize this type of painful restriction. Pit Bulls are very intelligent and love learning, they enjoy positive reinforcement and don’t benefit from choke or prong collars. If only it was so easy to train humans not to yank on dog leashes!
We oppose breed-specific legislation banning ownership of pit bulls
We are lucky to live in Pennsylvania, where it is legal to own pit bulls. Certain states actually have legislation banning the ownership of Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds due to a supposed “instant aggression.” These ridiculous and completely uninformed laws don’t work for several reasons. You can raise a dog-aggressive or human-aggressive Chihuahua if you intentionally mis-train it and abuse it. Furthermore, a pit bull is not a breed, but rather a type of dog that is not recognized by the AKC. By targeting a breed rather than the individual dog, you punish the innocent as well as the guilty. Media hype often encourages negative attitudes by depicting pit bulls and vicious and menacing dogs. While any animal attack that hurts another animal or human is a tragedy, we often find it rare that media reports look at the true causes, the particular situation, and how the animal was raised. As the Pit Bull Rescue Central website says, “Blame the deed, not the breed.” Not only is Breed Specific Legislation unlawful, it is un-American and ineffective.
We oppose any form of dog fighting
Being that we are a rescue that mainly helps pit bull pups find great homes, it goes without saying that we are vehemently against the archaic and cruel bloodsport of dogfighting. Unusually cruel and inhumane, this downright disgusting display of people forcing dogs to fight to the death as entertainment and a gambling sport is reprehensible. Kept in pathetic conditions and improperly cared for with little to no human or animal contact, many of the dogs rescued from dog-fighting rings have to be euthanized as a result of extensive psychological and physical damage. Their aggression has become ingrained after being forced to fight other dogs to the death. Any form of dog fighting is illegal, inhumane, and those involved should be subject to the most severe of legal consequences.
So let's try this: If you want to be protected against a dog attack, banning the pit bull isn't going to accomplish that goal. That's because every large breed or mix you can think of, and many small ones you can't imagine, have been involved in attacks on humans.
You cannot predict the likelihood of an attack by the type of dog, but you can see clear trends based on other criteria.
Poorly bred, unsocialized, unneutered and untrained dogs are most often involved in attacks. If you want to prevent those attacks, you need to address those root causes. All dogs, not just pit bulls, need to be the focus of legislative, societal and educational efforts geared toward removing the contributing factors behind most every dog attack.
We need to make it harder for people to casually breed and quickly sell dogs, and we need to make it easier to have animals neutered. We need to recognize that dog-fighting is as much of a danger to our communities as it is to the animals participating in this illegal but popular blood sport. We need to outlaw keeping dogs on chains, a cruel practice that leaves animals feeling isolated, territorial and more likely to attack.
And even as we need to crack down on irresponsible and criminal dog owners, we need to help those people who want to do right. We need to educate prospective dog owners on responsible care, training and socializing, so that they may raise dogs who are not dangerous.
