How could they?

I am officially boycotting Eagles Football. Not that not watching Football is very hard for me these days, but I'm pretty disgusted that a team could embrace a monster like Michael Vick the way it has.

A couple weeks ago I joined some friends at a Japanese restaurant full of friendly, young, drunk post-grads (myself among them). A guy at the other table was chatting with my friends so when I heard the guy sitting behind me say he was an Eagles fan,
I said, "Oh! Are you from Philly?"  (My boyfriend is from Philadelphia and it is definitely a place that is close to my heart, just not in terms of football.)
The guy answered yes and proceeded to say "The Eagles are going to crush everyone with Vick!" and I said, "Are you a Vick fan?"
He said, "Of course! He's amazing."
I said, "What about what he did to those dogs?"
The guy replied, "What dogs? Those baby killers? I'm glad they're dead. They kept Vick out of the game. Who cares about those dogs?"

I was shocked! I replied that no thanks to people like him those "baby-killers" are still alive and being rehabilitated.

Amazingly, only one of Vick's 49 dogs was deemed to be behaviorally unfit for rehabilitation and recommended by the judge in the case for euthanasia. The others found long term care and concern at places like Best Friend's Animal Sanctuary in Utah and Bad Rap in California. This case is considered a landmark case in Animal welfare law because fighting dogs are usually euthanized immediately after they become federal property. In this case, the dogs were treated as the victims that they are who are deserving of love in the time that they have left.

Unfortunately, the federal bust did not come in time for some dogs. DOZENS of bodies were found on the Vick property. Vick admitted to murdering his own dogs when they did not perform. These dogs were either hung, drown or electrified to death presumably because they couldn't or wouldn't fight, or were killed by other dogs. To me, this shows the brutality of these people and their disregard for life. Thankfully, Vick was sentenced to time in prison and had sponsorships revoked. However, the fan worship that this man gets concerns me because people are so easy to forget crimes and idolize athletes and celebrities.

Luckily, many of these dogs were saved and below is a video from Bad Rap about how these brave dogs are now ambassadors for their breeds.



The glass IS half full

When I started this blog, I thought about all the ways I could show what is happening to Pit bulls in the US-- how we bring them in to this world, abuse them, and take them out of it. The pain that many dogs face at the hands of their owners is not something I could turn my back to.

But so many organizations have made it their goal to educate and reach people about this injustice. I decided to focus more on a "glass -half- full" approach.

Over the next few months I will be learning as much as I can about the New York City shelter system and posting these adoptable beauties in hopes that they will melt some hearts.

I'll start by sharing a few dogs with you who desperately need their forever homes. All the dogs I have posted are dogs that have been said to have good temperments and sweet dispositions.

This is Spot, she is just a baby who had babies of her own. She was found emaciated in the Bronx. To learn more about this darling, click here.

 

This darling girl, Alexia, was found as a stray on the West side- Click here to learn more.

This is Sarah, who has been at Animal Haven (a no kill shelter) for a while, which is confusing considering how adorable this little girl is. Click here for more.

Stop Puppy-Mills!

Tell them to stop breeding!

100,000 Pitbulls die in shelters every year, but puppymills in Missouri and elsewhere continue to breed these animals and sell them to pet stores for a profit. Puppy mill pups often are bred and grow up in cramped cages. Many develop neurological disorders or have genetic diseases or other problems.

Missouri is home to 23% of the Puppy mills in the U.S., many dogs from Missouri are shipped out via the internet to unknowing buyers in other states. Many shelters resue pups from Missouri and bring them to other states for veterinary care and better homes (which is our my own precious Winnie came to find me through Animal Haven in Soho, NYC). However, there is finally a proposed bill to stop the cruel practice in Missouri, called Proposition 8 (the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act) which sets restrictions on the size of these commerical breeding facilities and provides the animals with more basic care.
See the add for Prop 8 below:

Background Info on Puppy mills

Please see the ASPCA's list of ways to help stop the puppy mills:

ASPCA- 10 ways to help

Good Resources for Pit-Lovers!

Pit Bull Rescue Central - An amazing resource for more information

American Humane Association - Myths and Facts about APBT



Understand-A-Bull - A good website to learn about BSL (Breed Specific Legislation)

Pit Bull Awareness Day - October 23

Find a Pit-Bull near you that needs a Home!

The Vick Dogs - Jim Gorant's Book about what happened to the tortured Vick dogs

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to my blog to help save American Pitt Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and mixes from Euthanasia in the New York Metropolitan area.

Estimates are that 59% of dogs euthanized in the United States each year are Pitbulls or pit mixes. That comes to about 100,000 dogs killed every year.

Bias about this breeds agressiveness and BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) have kept these loyal and loving dogs from finding homes.

A study by the Center for Interaction of Animals and Society in 2008 found that certain breeds did score highly for agressiveness towards other animals and humans, speciaically Chihuahuas and Daschunds, and that Pit Bulls were only found to be slightly more agreesive than other breeds towards other dogs.

Any breed can be dog-agressive. Agressiveness towards other dogs should not preclude adoption, and doesn't. Only human-agressive dogs are euthanized, and as long as owners are responsible with their animals, dogs that show bad behaviors around other dogs can and should find loving one-pet homes.

There are hundreds of Pitt-specific resue groups, awareness groups, and even tv-shows to prove that this breed has won its way into the hearts of many humans and animals alike. Pit -mix owners know that the bias is unfounded and that the gentleness and loyalty of this enthusiastic breed is often used against it to encourage it to fight.

The pain and punishment this breed endures through the over-breeding, dog fighting, and euthanization is through no fault of its own. American society should reflect love and care for all people and animals that come into this world, especially if their plight is our own fault.

Please join me in my adventue to learn more about this breed and what can be done to save the lives of pitt-mixes in New York City shelters. Even if you are wary about this breed, it is an adventure worth taking. Who knows? Like me, you might find yourself waking up to kisses and tail wags from an adoring creature that cuddles up to you each night.