Pit Bulls - Saving America's Dog
A Best Friends Campaign
"Dogs identified as 'pit bulls' now include more than 20 pure breeds and an ever-increasing group of mixed-breed dogs. Because of this, short-haired muscular mutts, brindle dogs, and any dog someone thinks is a pit bull is at risk in America today.
“'Profiling' dogs in this way implies a simple solution that does not address the real problem. The problem doesn’t lie with a particular breed, but with uninformed or careless owners. Pit bulls suffer from being popular dogs in communities where there is little access to resources that could help increase responsible pet care, particularly spay/neuter services and pet training. They end up in shelters for the same reasons that afflict most shelter animals. Most of them, if not for the stigma, would be considered good candidates for adoption. Sadly, their 'brand' has made them an unpopular dog among many people who are likely to adopt a shelter animal and even among some uneducated shelter workers. "Here are a few facts:
- A number of different breeds of dogs are commonly confused with the pit bull, making breed-discriminatory legislation (BDL) extremely hard to enforce.
- Pit bulls are gentle, loving and loyal. And, like any dog raised responsibly, they make great family pets.
- No breed of dog is inherently aggressive or vicious.
- Resident dogs kept for guarding, breeding or fighting are victims.
- All dogs deserve humane care, socialization and training. "
A Pit Bull Happy Tale from MARF
Many pit mixes have been adopted from MARF in the past year. In fact, our first adoption was a loveable dog named "Red". His adoptive mom sent us this report:
"We made sure before he came home that Red had a safe place of his own, his crate. That way it offered him a bit of security. Now luckily, he was a puppy and adjusted quickly to home and family life, but there were a few days of adjustment. He was scared, unsure, he barely wagged his tail, he didn’t like loud noises, but if something bothered him, he was always allowed to go into his crate.
"Also, as it was obvious the little guy was unsure about food, we made sure he ate separately from the other dogs to make sure he got his fill without having to fight for it. That gave him that added security as well.
"He's a big daddy's boy, hanging around my husband all day. Tuff, our other dog, is being a better big brother than I thought he would. He is so tolerant of Red's puppy behavior and will simply knock Red over and put a paw on him when he's had enough. No snapping, no growling and no arguing. I was pretty amazed. Well, we had one some growl at the food bowl this morning, but that's just because Red thought he could eat out of the same bowl as Tuff. That was settled pretty quickly.
"Tuff weighs about 70 pounds and I think Red is going to go over that. Tuff had a short mama so he doesn’t have much height on him; I think Red is going to be taller. But he is such a snuggle bunny. Big bad, cold blooded dangerous vicious snuggle bunny!!!
"If only everyone in the world could see that it’s people who make dogs bad, whether they are pitties or poodles…any dog can be mean, any dog can attack, any dog can be a good lap warmer and a good companion. It makes me so sad."