(MNN.com) -- On any given Saturday, you'll find a motley crew assembled outside the nondescript gray building on Hollywood Road, west of downtown Atlanta. An elderly couple walks tentatively behind a large black Labrador, a kid with chubby cheeks totes a feisty Chihuahua, and a trio of teens bound out of their parent's minivan with a brindle pit bull named Kola in tow.
They join at least a dozen other pet owners for free obedience classes offered by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) through its Pets for Life program. Designed to support people and pets in underserved communities, Pets for Life welcomes all breeds.
But an overwhelming majority of the four-legged students that arrive each week are pit bulls or pit mixes.
On busy days, cars slow their pace and kids peer through the chain link fence to watch these muscular dogs work for treats alongside cocker spaniels, Jack Russell terriers, and even an occasional poodle. The six-week training program ends with dogs taking the Canine Good Citizen test, followed by a graduation party where neighbors gather to watch students demonstrate new tricks. In less than a year, HSUS has begun to chip away at the city's perception of pit bulls as dog-fighting monsters. But the D.C.-based organization faces a bigger battle in its own backyard.
Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled in August that pit bulls are "inherently dangerous."
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I ended up a pitbull owner just by chance. My previous dog had passed away, so I went down to the SPCA one day. Some dogs growled, some looked to have 2 paws in the grave, some had gone in their kennels. "Rocky", who looks just like Petey from the Little Rascals, wanted a belly rub and had a spotless kennel. It turned out, the the kennel workers would even let him in with the kittens and he would play with them. One of the kindest dogs I've ever had.
ReplyDeleteRecently, we became the caretaker for our Grandma, who suffers from Alzheimers. Rocky now sleeps either at the foot of her bed, or in the corner in her room. He constantly watches over her. The public perception will pass, as it seems to run in cycles. When I was younger, it was Rottweilers, then Dobermans, then German Sheperds. Blaming a breed, is like blaming a race, it's an antiquated argument for the uninformed.
"Blaming a breed, is like blaming a race, it's an antiquated argument for the uninformed"
ReplyDeleteThe blame lies squarely on the shoulders of those claiming to "love" pit bulls but refuse to admit there is a problem-because there is a hugh problem. While fatal dog bites are rare, serious dog bites are not and the fact stands that the overwhelming majority of these serious dog attacks are caused by pit breeds.
It's not a new phenomenon that shelters are inundated with this breed to the point that the problem cannot be "adopted" it's way out of anymore. The breed represents more than half of the dogs killed in shelters. Is that okay with all the pit bull "lovers?" Is it okay with all the pit bull "lovers" that you can buy a pup on Craigslist for $25-$50?
This problem will not go away until all these so called pit "lovers" admit there is a problem and that hasn't been forthcoming. Since these so call pit "lovers" have been and continue to be irresponsible in admitting a problem the government and courts have stepped in.
"Rocky now sleeps either at the foot of her bed, or in the corner in her room. He constantly watches over her".
ReplyDeleteIf he's as gental as you believe how can he be protective of grandma? I think rocky see grandma as a snack.