Attention all Love-A-Bull supporters and pittie lovers: we now have 5 new color stickers for sale! These new decals will complement the current black & white versions (also still available).
All of our stickers & other merchandise are available for sale online and at events. Check ‘em out in our Love-A-Bull store!
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Aug. 1, 2011 update:
Kimbo didn’t pass the Canine Good Citizen test July 31, but he made some improvemements. He still needs practice greeting someone with a dog and although his attention improved during the walk portion, he’s still not where he needs to be.
I’ll keep working with Kimbo for the next CGC test, which is scheduled for Aug. 28 at SouthPaws Playschool.
That will be our last shot at the CGC to be considered for the next Pit Crew training, which is scheduled to start Sept. 9. Read details about the Pit Crew: All Pittie Therapy Dog Program.
When I took Kimbo to SouthPaws Playschool for his first Canine Good Citizen test in June, he didn’t pass. The next CGC test is Sunday, July 31 at SouthPaws.
He did well on seven of 10 parts, but this isn’t horseshoes. The CGC is the American Kennel Club’s program for dogs that recognizes good manners.
That matters a lot to me because some people judge Kimbo simply because he has a muscular body, a block head and that permanent pit bull smile.
“I’ll show those people good manners, alright,” I think to myself.
During the test, I was nervous. I fumbled. In the end, I was more disappointed than I expected.
But Kimbo didn’t care. He was just along for the ride. I learned a few things from that dog.
1. Be yourself
No matter where we go, Kimbo is just Kimbo. He had no idea we walked into a test and probably wouldn’t care anyway. He’s a 55-pound goofy dog who loves to play.
Kimbo taught me to just do my thing and not worry about who’s watching.
2. Focus on the task at hand
When asked for a brush for the grooming portion, I couldn’t find it in Kimbo’s back pack. It only has two pockets large enough for the brush, but I checked back and forth several times. When I finally found it, I dropped it.
My mind was on the next five parts of the test and what I did wrong on the previous portions. Kimbo lives in the moment.
Kimbo knows to take it one step at a time.
3. There’s nothing wrong with retesting
When we were done, I politely thanked the evaluator, then got out of there as fast as I could. As I passed the other teams waiting to be evaluated, I forced a smile. I felt embarrassed that we didn’t pass, even though I doubt anyone could tell.
After the test, Kimbo curled up in the back of my hatchback and chomped on his squeaky toy as we drove back to Northeast Austin. Hearing the high-pitched “eep,” “eep,” “eeeeeep” made me smile.
He often drops his toy behind the driver’s seat, just out of his reach. All he can do it sit and stare. The situation is out of his control.
I soon realized I was taking the wrong attitude.
The test showed me what areas we needed to improve on. I had an idea before the test, but now I had a tangible sequence of events I could practice.
Kimbo showed me to be patient and that it’s OK to keep trying.
We recently completed Love-A-Bull’s advanced training class and we’ve been practicing every day. It’s possible we won’t pass again, but Love-A-Bull offers the test every month. We’ll keep working.
What to expect
Southpaws has a friendly staff and convenient location, but it is easy to miss because it’s tucked behind a strip center. It’s right next door to The Golf Club and across the street from Kyle Chapman’s use car lot.
No reservation is required, the test costs $15 pass or fail and it’s first come, first served. There is limited parking so you might want to arrive early.
The test is divided into 10 parts and can be given in any order. Read AKC’s detailed description of the CGC test.
What to bring:
Don’t bring any food, treats or toys; pinch collars, head halters, and electronic collars are prohibited. These tools are valuable during the learning process, but this test evaluates how well the dog has been trained.
An evaluator records progress on a whiteboard and a volunteer or two help perform some of the tasks, such as walking through a crowd.
It’s a little unnerving to see your progress charted out like that, but I think if I follow Kimbo’s three CGC lessons, we’ll be OK. If we do pass, we’ll be one step closer to joining Love-A-Bull’s therapy dog team, the Pit Crew.
When a group of four pit bulls first gathered in the lobby of the self-service dog wash and day care that would be their training classroom for four weeks, their excitement made it difficult for handlers to control their behavior. Some dogs barked while others would not stop pulling toward their neighbors.
By the final class on July 24, they could lie still while handlers placed treats, squeaky toys and balls within reach. When entering or exiting the classroom, the pit bulls could sit at the open door and wait for the signal to go through.
The pit bulls had learned obedience.
The group met once per week at Mud Puppies, 12233 N. FM 620, a self-serve dog wash and day care that partners with Love-A-Bull to provide a space for free training classes for members.
Trish Jones, a Certified Canine Behavior and Training Specialist, showed the group how to use positive reinforcement to achieve training success.
“The most rewarding part for me is having these wonderful dogs in my classes and seeing the difference between the first class and the last class, she said. “It is an amazing feeling to me to see these people really working hard and taking the time to make their dogs well behaved.”
Trainer offers skills
Jones, owner of The Confident Canine, has been training dogs professionally for more than 12 years and shares her home with 9 dogs rescued from shelters. She started offering her skills to Love-A-Bull in May.
“Love-A-Bull is such a great organization. The amount of work this organization does to educate the public about pit bulls is remarkable,” she said. “I am proud to be a small part of that.”
In class, students learned a variety of commands, such as “watch me,” “stay,” “leave it” and “heel.”
Jones encourages her students to take the dogs as many places as possible on a regular basis to practice the commands.
She hopes the people who have attended her classes will continue to do more with their dogs, such as getting a Canine Good Citizen certificate, doing therapy work, learning search and rescue skills or participating dog sports, such as agility.
“The more visible these well-trained dogs are, the more their reputation will improve,” she said. “I hope they take my advice to heart so that everyone can see that these dogs are special.”
Kimbo learns
When the free class started July 3, a white pit bull mix with black spots called Kimbo was so excited by the new surroundings and other dogs, he slid across the polished cement floor as he entered Mud Puppies. When Jones gave instructions, he often got up to sniff nearby classmates.
As the weeks progressed, he learned to pay attention to his handler. Kimbo usually stayed when told and when his mind wandered, he responded more quickly to corrections.
He was beginning to master obedience.
“Kimbo is such an adorable boy — he draws you in with his doe eyes and he reminds me of a marshmallow! I can’t help but smile when I see him in class,” Jones said. “Kimbo has a wonderful temperament. He’s fun and loves to play, but he is also capable of being calm.”
On July 31, Kimbo is scheduled to take the Canine Good Citizen test at South Paws Playschool, 2324B South Lamar Blvd. It will be his second attempt. Two months ago, he passed seven of 10 sections of the test.
If he passes, Kimbo will be one step closer to joining the Pit Crew as a therapy dog.
Those interested in taking the next Canine Good Citizen test, noon July 31 at South Paws Playschool, can visit Love-A-Bull’s Meetup.com page for details.
Bonnie, a pit bull mix who works as a service dog, helped pull her guardian from a damaged car following a rollover accident that pinned the driver in the car, according to an Examiner.com report.
First responders shattered a window when they could not pry open the door, but were unable to free Kathryn Bales.
When the 6-year-old canine refused to leave her caretaker behind, the therapy dog trainer ordered Bonnie out while she held on. Bonnie pulled Bale from the wreckage.
Bales said the following about pit bulls:
“I have worked with other breeds, but when Bonnie needs to retire, my next service dog will also be a pit bull. They are an incredible animal and so intuitive to the needs of their handler.”
Read the complete story, including additional details about the rescue and how Bales knew Bonnie would be a good therapy dog candidate when the pit bull mix was only 4 months old.
When my wife Denise and I bought a house in Austin last year, I knew it was time to bring a dog into our family. I never imagined the impact adopting a stray pit bull would have on my life.
Now I’m becoming a pit bull advocate and I spend as much time as possible with Kimbo, which includes taking him to bars and on trips.
When we moved from state to state in pursuit of newspaper jobs, we shared our home with a cat. Now we care for three.
Our ideal dog would need to get along with our cats, have a playful, yet obedient temperament and be laid back enough not to destroy our new house or yard.
Denise gave me two rules: no pit bulls and no white dogs.
“White dogs always look dirty and pit bulls make me nervous,” she said.
“I’m not trying to get an aggressive dog,” I answered.
We had no idea we were stereotyping pit bulls, which in retrospect is absurd.
For one, we know what it’s like to be stereotyped — we both have many tattoos, often dress in black and we’re Hispanic. People sometimes take one look and think they know us.
We also read a lot. We watch PBS and listen to NPR. We’re well-informed animal lovers. At least that’s what we thought before we fell in love with a pit bull.
Winning our hearts
After spending weeks visiting animal shelters and searching online for the right match, we came across a mother and several small children walking a cute white dog with black spots at Town Lake Animal Center.
As they walked, the kids would hang their arms around his neck and they giggled as they ran circles around him. The dog had a playful gait and his walk turned into a prance as his wagging tail forced his whole body to wiggle.
He was a pit bull.
“Look at how good he is with those kids,” Denise said.
As the group approached the row of kennels where we stood, the mother noticed our interest and stopped in front of us.
“Wow, what a good dog,” I said. Too bad we didn’t get here sooner, I thought.
The woman told us she brings her children to play with the dogs, but dogs are not allowed where she lives. She asked if we wanted to walk him and I took the leash.
We played in one of the dog runs and we started to fall for him. We wondered how he would do with our cats, so when we saw squirrels and birds in a nearby pen, we walked him over. He eyed them several times, but his glances looked to me more like playful curiosity then malicious intent.
Two hours later, he was snoring on our sofa.
The white American Staffordshire terrier mix with spotted skin watched our cats with the same wonder we saw in the dog run. When we told him ‘no,’ he backed away from the cats.
A few days later, every time he saw the cats he would suddenly crouch into a play stance — forelegs splayed, hind quarters erect with his tail wagging his body. We knew we’d found our dog.
“It’s like he’s always been with us,” I said to Denise. “He just belongs.”
Kimbo the Market Mutt
We adopted Kimbo, formerly known as Alfalfa, from Town Lake in March. He was estimated to be about 10 months old because he was brought to the shelter as a stray. He’s loving, obedient and attracts a lot of attention.
At first, I didn’t want to call him a pit bull.
When people would ask me what kind of dog I have, I’d tell them Kimbo’s an American Staffordshire terrier mix. I soon realized pit bull isn’t a bad word.
On Kimbo’s first trip to the Cedar Park Farms to Market, his presence drew polar responses. Some people clutched their children away while others guided their pets in a different direction.
It was hard not to take it personally. Couldn’t they see this dog was prancing playfully around, body wiggling? Having several people comment on how beautiful and well behaved Kimbo was made it easier to overlook.
When market organizer Carla Jenkins saw Kimbo, she fell to her knees. She kissed and hugged him and wound up laying next to him. The crowd of shoppers had to step over Carla’s hands and feet as she babied Kimbo and took his picture.
Carla turned to me and said, “I think we found our Market Mutt,” an online profile of a friendly dog that visited the market that week.
The market is in a mall parking lot, so Carla was lying on the pavement. Kimbo has that effect on some people.
Training success
What I didn’t know about pit bulls when we adopted Kimbo is they love people.
Kimbo gets so excited when he meets someone new and he never seems to forget which neighbor pet him along our regular walk route. Each time we walk past a particular house, he quickens his pace, wiggles his body and looks expectantly for his friend.
Before Kimbo, I had seen well-behaved pit bulls on the TV show “The Dog Whisperer,” but I’m no Cesar Milan. You’d have to be a freak of nature with a canine sixth sense to achieve that, right?
Wrong.
Here’s the secret to dog training success: make him a part of the family, provide consistent discipline and reinforce good behavior with plenty of praise.
These days, Kimbo is attending the free training class Love-A-Bull offers its members. Our goal is for him to join the Pit Crew as a therapy dog.
Becoming an ambassador
In 2005, I attended a Dow Jones News Fund residency at New York University for minority business reporters. Participants would later intern at daily newspapers with few or no Asians, blacks or Hispanics in the newsroom.
Whether we liked it or not, we would be ambassadors for our race, our advisers told us. Many of our future coworkers and readers never had contact with people of color in a professional setting.
I consider Kimbo an ambassador for pit bulls — people will remember his behavior because he is a pit bull.
When I walk with him in public, we regularly drill his obedience commands, especially when others are around.
When we approach an intersection and I say “down.” Kimbo lies down. He watches me as I look both ways. When I say “OK” he gets up and we continue.
People often seem impressed and sometimes ask “Is that a pit bull?”
Now I say: “Yes, he’s a pit bull.”
The photographer for a picture book about pit bulls, expected to be published later this year, has been on a national tour to photograph the nation’s most abused and misunderstood dog.
Melissa McDaniel of Philadelphia hopes to raise at least $15,000 by August to help her pay the cost to publish the book that shows pit bulls as loving, extraordinary dogs. She plans to donate 10 percent of proceeds to several animal-related charities.
She started the “Pit Bull Photo Book” project while putting together “Deaf Dogs,” a photo book inspired by her dog Sadie. She is also the author of “Rescued in America,” a photo book featuring 105 once-homeless dogs who have found their forever homes. Her next photo book will focus on puppy mills, which is scheduled for release sometime in 2012.
The 8-year-old border collie and lab mix came into McDaniel’s life in 2003 during a visit to a local shelter. She took her nephews so they could help her pick a dog.
A litter of puppies drew their attention and as they approached McDaniel noticed a sign on the kennel with the word “DEAF” written in large block letters.
“Sadie was one of two of the puppies who came up to the front of the kennel and started licking my hand,” McDaniel said. “My nephew said, ‘It is like they chose you.’ And I feel that way still.”
A week later, after being spayed, Sadie slept in the passenger seat during the hour-long drive home, her head resting in McDaniel’s lap.
McDaniel soon learned thousands of deaf dogs are euthanized by breeders each year because they would not sell well. Some shelters also euthanize deaf dogs because many people believe it would be too difficult to find homes for them. When socialized and treated decently, deaf dogs are capable of all the activities hearing dogs can do, according to The Deaf Dog Manifesto.
“Sadie is everything to me. She’s so smart and picked up hand signals so quickly. I was amazed,” McDaniel said. “She taught me to live in the moment and to not let obstacles hold me back. She’s a very happy girl who loves life and lives it to the fullest in only the way that dogs can.”
Discovering pit bulls
To raise awareness for deaf dogs, McDaniel began searching for subjects to photograph. While volunteering at an animal shelter, she noticed the large number of pit bulls and pit mixes would languish there for months.
The more she worked with pit bulls, the more she fell in love with them.
“It was always heartbreaking to be out walking one of the shelter pit bulls, to have potential adopters come up to the dog to say how cute the dog was, and then, upon learning that the dog was part pit bull, they would immediately stop petting the dog and back away.” McDaniel said. “I knew they didn’t deserve the bad reputation the media has given them.”
She started work on “Rescued in America” to change the misconceptions that people have about shelter pets.
Many people believe shelter pets are damaged psychologically or have behavior problems when, in fact, most shelter pets are relinquished for reasons that have nothing to do with the animal, McDaniel said. Common reasons include owners moving to a residence that does not allow pets or specific breeds, inconvenience, divorce and allergies.
McDaniel knew her photos would be ideal for a series of books, and the next logical book should be about pit bulls.
After photographing dogs for the first two books in shelters in almost every state in the U.S. , McDaniel found it heartbreaking to learn the situation was the same almost everywhere: shelters are full of pit bulls and pit mixes.
“I knew firsthand from photographing these dogs that they are wonderful dogs — the ones most likely to wag their tails and lick my face the first chance they could,” she said. “ I just knew I wanted to raise awareness about these great dogs. To try in some way to let people know that these dogs are just that, dogs.”
Vick pit bulls shine
Photographing Michael Vick’s former pit bulls was among the best moments of the trip, McDaniel said. In Oakland, she took pictures of Teddles, Jonny Justice and Uba. In Park City, Utah, she snapped pics of Halle. In Pittsburgh, she photographed Hector, who she first met while capturing his image for “Rescued in America.”
“It’s a true honor to meet and spend time with these dogs,” McDaniel said. “They have changed people’s opinions of fight dogs, have given dogs from future fight busts a chance at life, and they are such a joy.”
The Vick dog’s success after rescue has helped people see fight dogs as the victims they truly are, McDaniel said. Overcoming their past has also given dogs from future fight ring busts a chance at life, because most rescued fight dogs were previously euthanized as a rule.
“Hector, for example, is covered in bad scars,” she said. “However, you would never know by his demeanor his past was so horrible. Hector loves life. He’s a sweet confident dog that lives comfortably with several other dogs. He goes to events to help educate people about pit bulls and dogs from fight busts. He’s so friendly and lovable.”
McDaniel plans to photograph 3 more Vick dogs before the photo tour ends.
Memorable Austin pit bulls
While in Austin, McDaniel photographed several dogs, including Hooch, a hearing pit bull-lab mix who has a deaf owner.
“Austin has some really well trained dogs,” she said. “The shoots went really well.”
One of McDaniel’s favorite photo shoots of the trip was of a pair of deaf dogs who have deaf owners: Staffordshire terriers Thumper and Rimel.
“Both dogs played together so well for the camera — we got a lot of great action shots — and they were so well-behaved and so cute,” she said. “It was a really fun time.”
Another memorable Austin shoot included two Austin Humane Society dogs that were taken from a large dog fighting bust by the Humane Society of the United States a few months ago, McDaniel said. Alan, pictured above, was one of those dogs.
Publishing a book
McDaniel spent the past 3 months touring 15 states to photograph more than 60 pit bulls. The photo tour will end July 19, after which the real work will begin: picking and adjusting photos, writing text, laying out the book and going through the editing process. After that, promoting and marketing begins. McDaniel will then review proofs and attend press checks.
“Unfortunately the work doesn’t end when the shoots do,” she said. “I love picking out my favorite photos, though — the ones that will be in the books. That is one of my favorite parts of the whole process.”
Two things make the enormous amount of work worth the effort: spending time with animals and the people who love them and having the opportunity to showcase the beauty of dogs.
“It’s a treat to meet so many different pets, with their different looks and different characteristics,” she said. “I have had a number of people contacted me after their pets have passed away to tell me how grateful they were that they had their pets photographed by me and how much those photos mean to them.”
Her greatest hope for “Pit Bull Photo Book” is to help people see pit bulls for the beautiful and goofy dogs they really are.
“I want people to hear their stories and learn that they are working as therapy dogs. I want them to realize they don’t deserve the bad rap they so often get,” McDaniel said. “These dogs are the best educators out there. They aren’t these ‘vicious creatures that you can’t trust because they could turn on you at any moment,’ which is what the media makes them out to be. They are dogs. Period.”
About 20 elementary school children expressed their gratitude for Love-A-Bull’s Pit Crew with letters and drawings of a recent visit.
M’Lynn Para’s first grade class welcomed the all-pit bull therapy group at Gullett Elementary School, 6310 Treadwell Blvd.
The group of volunteers and their pit bulls spent Tuesdays during the school year from 11 a.m. to noon at the school.
The Pit Crew spent alternating weeks encouraging first graders to read as part of the Barking Book Buddies Program and lifting the spirits of children with disabilities.
Jo Jo and Roxie
Joseph “Jo Jo” Farris and pit bull Roxie have been together for the past four years and started working as a therapy team when the inaugural Pit Crew class graduated in March. See graduation photos and watch a Pit Crew video.
“Roxie loves going to the park,” Farris said. “I usually take her to Walnut Creek Park and let her run loose. Sometimes I hike with her other times I mountain bike and she runs with me.”
When the team visited with children with disabilities, they often started with a walk. Farris would attach two leashes to the 5-year-old pit bull so that he and a child could each walk Roxie at the same time.
“They love being able to help walk Roxie,” he said. “Then we go into two classrooms and just let the kids see and pet them.”
When the pair visited the first graders, Farris usually put a blanket in the shade of a tree and Para sent children out in groups of four to read to Roxie.
“They all bring different books and I have them each read a page or two,” he said. “Then I let them ask about Roxie or just brush her.”
Sometimes there is a shortage of volunteers because Pit Crew members must pencil in appearances between work schedules, errands, trips to the vet and unexpected events.
“The more dogs we have, the more reading each kid can do with the dog,” Farris said. “Also, the more of us, the more places we can go, which means the more people we can help.”
Love-A-Bull leaders have scheduled Pit Crew’s second therapy dog training in September.
As more pit bulls join, Farris hopes to take Roxie to senior homes and military bases, where pit bulls are banned from on-base housing.
“I look forward to meeting anybody that loves the pitties like I do,” Farris said. “ I definitely think it’s making me a better person. Puts things in perspective.”
Class shows appreciation
Toward the end of the school year, Para’s class put pencil and crayon to paper to show Pit Crew members what their weekly visits mean.
Lisa Deppe
Many people seem to be unaware that pets are members of the family for life. By bringing a dog home, we’ve committed to be their care taker, protector and friend. Not just when it’s fun, but especially when it’s inconvenient, tedious or during difficult times.
Veterinarian Lisa S. Hindle Deppe from Jewell, Iowa writes on her blog Veterinary Rescuer about a recent conversation about pets she had with a woman at a nearby table at a restaurant.
Rehoming a pet should be reserved for dire circumstance. It should not be a casual decision made out of convenience.
If you cannot make time to give the animal its care, then something must be dropped from the schedule. The something that must be dropped should not be something that depends on you for life and that is capable of loving you, and missing you when you abandon it. The basketball, the television, these items will not miss you, and they will not die without you.
Read Deppe’s blog post in its entirety: Too Busy for the Dog?
Best Friends Animal Society encourages responsible dog ownership with its social contract called “Promises to my dog.”
Sherry Woodward does an excellent job of describing how benign neglect can happen in “What dogs need to be happy.”
In the beginning, it seemed like there wasn’t enough of Cowboy to go around – he was very much a part of the family. Slowly, however, things began to change. As Cowboy grew into an adult dog, he started losing his puppy charm. He had never had training, and the antics that were cute when he was a puppy were
now annoying.
Become a fan of the Veterinary Rescuer Blog on Facebook or Best Friends Animal Society on Facebook.