The Houston Chronicle published this article on February 2, 2012. It started out about a dog bit incident that occurred 10 months ago in Houston, TX. The article also cited several statistics, which were inaccurate and misleading.
As part of our commitment to educate, Love-A-Bull Leadership wrote a brief letter to the editor (limited to 250 words). However, here is the longer version, a full response to the article.
Archive for February, 2012
Many of you have read about the recent tragic story of Nick Santino and his dog, Rocco. Nick, an actor in New York, committed suicide after putting down his 5-year old pittie, Rocco, in response to bullying, harrassment, and extreme pressure imposed by his neighbors and building’s breed-restrictive housing policies. There are many tragedies embedded in this story, and while it’s easy to point fingers and become angry, it’s more productive look for ways forward.
In response to this, many communities across the country held vigils last Saturday to send a message about the tragic consequences of breed discrimination. Love-A-Bull joined the movement and led our own march/vigil at City Hall Plaza. A strong group of supporters peacefully marched to Republic Square, shared remarks about breed discrimination, observed a moment of silence for victims, and lit candles for our march back to City Hall.
Thanks to all who came out in person, and to those who supported us with calls and emails. Together we can end breed-based discrimination!
Here is some coverage of our event — including video — from the Examiner newspaper.
UPDATE: CultureMap Austin also wrote a piece covering these events. Read the story here: Soap actor’s death spurs Austin animal lovers to join national protests against breed-specific discrimination.
Dear, sweet Adopt-A-Bull Peanut is doggone tired of flying solo. Sure, her foster mama is great and all, but she’s ready to make a match that will last all of eternity. She’s looking for a Valentine — could you be it?
Peanut would be a perfect valentine for an inexperienced dog owner looking for their first pet — she is so laid back and mellow! She would also thrive in a family with children of all ages. She has an incredibly calm, gentle, forgiving temperament, and her loving nature could be an amazing match for a family with young children. She also has a special place in her heart for bookworms, work-from-home-aholics, and Reality TV addicts — she would love to share her affinity for long naps on the sofa with a loving person who wants a dog to keep their lap warm. Her idea of a lot of exercise is an easy walk around the block, so she’d be the perfect match for somebody who just wants to lay low with their four-legged companion.
Peanut also has a real affection for people who love to sing out loud and off-key. She lost her floppy ears sometime in her past life, and though her hearing is just fine, she likes to think that her special “ear-do” makes her more appreciative of those creative melodies often belted by humans in the shower. On this Valentine’s Day (and every day!), she’d love to hear you sing the late Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You!”
Click here for more info on adopting Peanut!
The BeHive (formerly Heart House) is is an innovative afterschool program dedicated to providing a safe haven and academic support for elementary school-age children. It’s just one of our favorite partners that Love-A-Bull’s Pit Crew has the privilege to visit and work with. Many of these children reside in areas with higher crime, increased unemployment, lower income, and lack of affordable quality care.
Recently the Pit Crew went to visit with The BeHive at Marshall Apartments and wanted to share some photos of our visit. Check out the pictures here!
One of The BeHive’s goals is to encourage these children to become good citizens. So is it a coincidence that the Pit Crew dogs have to be Canine Good Citizens too? Sounds like a perfect match!
If you and your pit bull type dog are interested in becoming a part of Pit Crew, the first step is the Canine Good Citizen (CGC). You can find out more about CGC online here.
We generally hold CGC testing at least once a month with the next one coming up March 10th.
If your dog already meets the prerequisites for Pit Crew (also see Pit Crew F.A.Q.) — we’re registering new participants now for the next class beginning March 17th!
Links to Upcoming Classes:
• Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test – March 10th
• New Pit Crew Class – March 17th
After just 24 hours in her new foster home, Adopt-A-Bull Pocket Petunia was already feeling like a new dog. But sometimes first-hand is the best way to tell it– so here’s her new foster mama’s update on how the littlest girl of all is faring:
“We are doing great. I’ve never seen a dog smile so much. Her little body is going to lift off when she gets going wagging and flashing that humongous grin. The integration is done. We took our first walk this morning. I had a couple of friends help me walk her and my two youngsters. We walked 2 miles on this great nature trail and by the end, I was walking all 3 of them with grins and wags. No growling, no aggression of any kind. They respectfully smelled, ran circles and then got into the walk. Eventually, I let my two off leash to splash in the creek and even with just Petunia still on the leash, no issues at all. She had a great time and loved the water. All 3 rode in the back of the car together and since then, they have been a threesome.
Oh!!! AND, she has only gone to the bathroom outside today. I have her on a schedule and if I stay out there long enough, she will smell around, find the right spot and when I start praising her little tail wags so hopefully we are making new connections.
She continues to eat like a horse. I got one of those training meat logs and we just had a session. No big training, just a little sit and focus on the treat. We do this with all three dogs and they all line up and sit still to get a reward. I like this because it showed me that even with high value treats, she does not have food aggression in close proximity to the other dogs. I’m still trying to help adjust her tolerance. You can see that she is still trying to figure out what she should react to but it is coming along wonderfully.
I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful support system you guys have.”
For info on adopting Petunia, click here.
Click the image above for full-size flyer.
Our own miss Lindsey will be hosting this Valentine’s Date Auction along with The 512 Bar on Sunday, February 12th.
Beginning at 7:30 pm there will be:
– Great drink prices
– Love-A-Bull’s Kissing Booth
– Drawings
– Silent Auction
– Plus more!
Whether you’re single, dating, married, or “it’s complicated” this is for you! And for you single people…maybe a chance to find the one? Save the date on your calendars and don’t miss this fun event!
If you’re interested in helping out, and not a volunteer with Love-A-Bull yet, click on over here to submit your info! We’ll be looking for a few great people to come hang out with us.
And all proceeds go to benefit Love-A-Bull!
We love sharing good news, and boy do we have some today. Four of the five dogs who came in last weekend from the East Coast have found bliss in wonderful foster homes with other dogs. Only little Buster Brown is waiting, but we have high hopes of placing him with a foster family this weekend.
Little Callie, the largest of the three Florida dogs, was sweet enough to take a break from playing and send us some photos of herself and a little update. Check out this sweet thing:
“Hi Love-A-Bull!
Who knew that life could be full of soft, warm, coziness and fun, friendly, safe people and dogs to play with? I am having a blast in my foster home! My aussie mix foster-sibling is SO MUCH FUN to play with — I really tucker myself out running and playing all day. Good thing I have nice cozy beds to sleep on and even some nice cozy people, too. I’m proud to report that I haven’t gone potty inside at all, and I’m doing well in my crate, too!
I’m ready to leave the past behind, only my little happy tail — which I wag so hard that it bleeds sometimes — keeps chasing me, and sometimes I cry in my sleep. But with all this fun and love surrounding me, I’m feeling like a brand new dog!
Love, Callie-dog”
Our boy River has been through a lot. In the week before we got our hands on him, he had been pulled out of the Colorado River after having been likely hit by a car. He had a fractured hip, a broken toe, a chest full of BB pellets, a side covered in painful, deep abrasions, and an incredible will to wiggle.
Unfortunately, wiggling is not good for this guy’s slowly healing hip, and it turns out he has a severe allergy to the sedatives our vet had prescribed him to keep him calm. This means that he can’t go for walks or play, he can’t breakdance and wiggle, and he can’t take meds to keep him feeling snoozy. So what’s a guy to do?
Start a donations drive for himself, of course.
River has already received generous donations of this adorable monkey sweater, a couple of t-shirts, and a beautiful collar from Dress-A-Bull. But now he needs toys!
Dogs like River — who are on a regimen of strict crate rest — can benefit enormously from what we call “busy toys” — the kind that dispense food and treats and keep a dog busy and exhaust him mentally while he works. River has one busy toy to play with already, but he would do much better with a variety to keep his brain active and help him relax in his kennel.
If you’ve been looking for a small way to help out or love the satisfying feeling of donating something concrete, here’s a great opportunity to help a dog who’s down on his luck. The following toys are recommended by our trainer:
- Starmark Everlasting Fun Ball (size Large)
- Starmark Everlasting Fire Plug (size Large)
- Starmark Everlasting Bento/Beanie Ball (size Large)
- Starmark Bob-A-Lot
- Tug-A-Jug (size Large)
- Kong Extreme (size Large) and fillers (peanut buter, kong treats)
- Kong Wobbler
Donations can be brought or mailed to him at:
River c/o Research Pet and Bird Hospital 11679 Research Blvd Austin, TX 78759River has had a hard few weeks, and there’s nothing like opening up a couple of boxes with presents to lift a dog’s spirits. Thanks for your help!