Love-A-Bull is abuzz with excitement: we’re about to welcome nine sweet new dogs in our Adopt-A-Bulls program! All nine dogs are traveling long distances to come to us, and we can’t wait to give them a big Texas welcome. But we are in dire need of foster homes! Click here to join our all-star foster team.

Over the past few weeks, we have agreed to take in nine dogs saved from three different dog fighting operations in Florida, Ohio, and South Carolina. This is a first for us, and it may even be a first for any local rescue group — nine dogs from three dogfighting busts in three states — wow!

Here’s a little preview of the sweet faces to come.

FLORIDA: In mid-December, 2011, 45 dogs were confiscated from a dog fighting bust in Sebring, FL. The dogs were kept in horrible conditions, chained, and left with algae-covered water. Many dogs were severely ill. The State of Florida has gained custody of 16 of the 45 dogs, and Love-A-Bull has worked with Florida powerhouse Dolly’s Foundation to accept transfer of three of them. The dogs have been described as friendly with people and dogs, petite, and absolutely adorable. Dolly’s Foundation will be hand-delivering these three little sweethearts on Saturday. We can’t wait!

For a touching video by Dolly’s Foundation about the Florida dogs, click here.

SOUTH CAROLINA: In October, 2011, authorities in Richland County, South Carolina arrested five suspects and seized 27 dogs involved in a dog fighting operation, several of whom were in such poor health that they were on the verge of death. Animal Farm Foundation, a national leader in advocacy, training, and evaluation of pit bull type dogs, stepped in to take custody of the dogs. Some of these dogs have been lucky enough to live in temporary foster care, where they have had ample opportunity socialize with people and other animals — and they’ve done great! Two will be transferred to Love-A-Bull this Friday.

More info on the South Carolina case and dogs is available here.

OHIO: In late December, 2011, 27 dogs were found in a dog fighting operation in Cleveland, Ohio. Suffering from physical wounds in filthy conditions, the dogs were removed and placed in the custody of the City of Cleveland Kennel. Love-A-Bull will be receiving four of these dogs.

We are especially excited about the Ohio dogs because their second chance is only possible thanks to Cleveland’s recent reversal of Breed-Discriminatory Legislation that used to treat pit bull type dogs as dangerous dogs. Thanks to the very hard work of passionate advocates, Cleveland has changed its policy, and just in time — the dogs seized in this bust are lovely animals deserving of their second chance. We are so proud to offer it to four of them here in Austin.

For more info on the Ohio dogs, click here.

Love-A-Bull needs foster homes and is accepting donations to support the care of these dogs. We are especially in need of toys, beds, and wet and dry food. Donations can be dropped off at Oak Hill Veterinary Clinic at 7101 Highway 71 West.

More information on each adoptable dog will be posted as it becomes available on http://love-a-bull.org/adopt/adoptabull/.

Tagged: adopt, advocacy, dog fighting, foster, love, news media, pit bullFiled under: Adopt-A-Bulls, Media Coverage, Rescue

We are so excited to be presenting at Austin’s American Pets Alive No-Kill Seminar on Saturday, February 25! Speaking will be Love-A-Bull’s Meghan Turner, Aleksandra Gajdeczka and Jessica Anisman.

The subject of our session will be — naturally — pittie power! The presentation will include the challenging issues that pit bull type dogs face in shelters, and the damage suffered due to misguided media and myths. We will tackle some of these issues, discuss creative solutions, and host a constructive dialogue about ways to boost adoptions, support owners, educate the public, and build partnerships, to better serve dogs that often, and unfairly, get a “bad rap.”

We hope to see everybody there! Here are the details:

American Pets Alive No-Kill Seminar 2012

• Location: Radisson Hotel & Suites, 111 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX
• Dates of the seminar: Saturday (2/25) 9am-6pm, Sunday (2/26) 9am-6pm, and Monday (2/27) 9am-1pm
• Lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday

Hotel accommodations: Attendees can get a room at the Radisson for $119 per night by calling 512-478-9611 or 800-333-3333 and mention the American Pets Alive! Seminar. Or go to www.radisson.com/austintx and use the promotional code PALIVE.

Details for registration can be found at http://americanpetsalive.eventbrite.com. For any questions regarding the conference, please email info@americanpetsalive.org.

Tagged: adopt, adoption, advocacy, community, education, event, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Events

Ok, so even in our wildest dreams we aren’t foreseeing an end to all Breed Discriminatory Legislation in 2012. But it’s only mid-January and there are already some exciting bills stirring in a few states for pit bull type dogs.

Ohio

The most widely discussed and the furthest along is Ohio House Bill 14. HB 14 would remove dogs known as “pit bulls” from the classification of “vicious dog” in state law. As the law currently stands, a “vicious dog” is one that has killed another dog or caused serious injury to a person without provocation, or is generally thought to be a “pit bull” type dog. The proposed new definition of a “vicious dog” would be one that has caused serious injury to a person.

What we love about these changes is not only the removal of breed or assumed breed from the classification system, but the clear link between action and consequence — no longer will a dog be doomed simply based on its appearance. Rather, by practicing responsible pet guardianship, owners will, for the most part, be able to keep their dogs off the dog warden’s radar.

However, it’s important to note that HB 14 won’t be an end-all to breed discrimination in Ohio. Pit bull type dogs will no longer be considered vicious at the state level simply based on their appearance, but counties and cities that already have breed-discriminatory legislation on the books — and there are many in Ohio — will not be forced to reverse their breed bans. It is our hope that over time cities and counties follow the lead of the state and enact more effective and logical dangerous dog laws, but HB 14 is only a start. But a good one!

HB 14 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously this week, and heads to a vote on the full Senate floor within a week — then off to the Governor for signature. For more on HB 14, check out this story from the Toledo Blade.

Florida

Along a similar vein, late 2011 saw the introduction of Florida House Bill 997 / Senate Bill 1322. Florida law — like Texas law — prohibits municipalities from passing legislation that discriminates against dogs based on breed or appearance, but a loophole has allowed Miami/Dade County to continue to discriminate against pit bulls for the past 20 years. The state law grandfathers in any breed-discriminatory laws put in place before 1990 — like Miami’s.

Miami’s BDL has been the source of plenty of media coverage thanks to our celebrity athlete crush Mark Buehrle, a superstar pitcher just signed by the Miami Marlins. Due to Miami’s dog rules, Buehrle and his family — including his three vizslas and a pit bull type dog named Slater — bought a house in Fort Lauderdale’s Broward County (instead of in the Miami area) when Buehrle signed his $58 million, four-year contract. Buehrle has been plenty vocal in his feelings about Miami’s ban on pit bull type dogs: “It’s kind of ridiculous that because of the way a dog looks, people will ban it,’’ he told a prominent newspaper, “every kind of dog has good and bad, and that depends on the handlers.”

HB 997 would remove the grandfather clause, making it unlawful for any municipality in Florida — including Miami — to discriminate against dogs based on breed type or appearance. The bill was just introduced in the last week of 2011, and has not had a hearing set. For more on HB 997, check this link.

Indiana

Indiana is making moves for pit bull type dogs as well, although not through amendments to any rules about breed discrimination. In Indiana, it is currently a Class A misdemeanor to attend an organized dog fight. This is punishable by no more than one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. The new Senate Bill 0011 would up the crime to a Class D felony — equal to actual participation in the dog fight, and punishable by three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

There are a number of reasons that upping the penalty for attendance at a dog fight is critical: first, it is often difficult to determine and prove which attendees are the actual handlers of dogs being forced to fight; and second, most revenue generated through dog fighting is raised in attendance fees — by making penalities for attendance more prohibitive, it is the hope that dog fighting will lose popularity when revenues go down. By making attendance at a dog fight a felony, the state will be sending a strong, positive message to Indiana residents.

SB 11 was approved yesterday by the Senate Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters Committee, and moves to a full Senate vote soon. More info on SB 11 can be found here.

 

Tagged: advocacy, breed-specific legislation, bsl, congress, discrimination, legislation, legislative session, news, pit bull, representativeFiled under: Breed-Specific Legislation

We went to Log Cabin for just one dog, but we came home with two. You didn’t think we’d leave her behind, did you?

If you read our post yesterday, you may remember us mentioning Macky Mack’s girlfriend. This sweet little girl was picked up as a stray on Christmas Eve after the Chief got a call about a loose pit bull type dog running around behind the grocery store. She had reportedly been shot. So the Chief did what the Chief does, and he scooped her up. Just a few days later, she and Macky were playing in the yard together. Another day or two, and they were officially in love.

Chief Nutt slyly admitted that he had delayed sending the little girl — Minnie Mouse — to the shelter even though her stray time was up, hoping we would adore her silly puppiness and her enormous ears as much as Macky did. An hour later, she was in the truck.

Very clever, Chief Nutt — you nailed us for the suckers we are!

For info on adopting Minnie Mouse or Nutty Brown (formerly Macky), check our Adopt-A-Bulls page!

Tagged: advocacy, chain, community, news media, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Adopt-A-Bulls

Big news: Macky Mack is in the house!

Only he’s no longer a chained, starved, homeless dog picked up by Chief Wayne Nutt of Log Cabin, Texas before Christmas. Now he’s a Love-A-Bull, and he’s got a new name.

Before now, Macky’s life had not been easy. According to Chief Nutt, Macky lived his life on a ten-foot chain in a yard, with little shelter and no enrichment. Prior to this final visit, Chief Nutt had visited Macky a number of other times – to issue citations for an expired rabies vaccine, no dog license, and no shelter in the cold winter. Eventually, Macky’s caretaker stopped feeding him – her son had stopped sending money for his kibble, she claimed. It was about two weeks later that a kind neighbor called the police, worried that the dog kept getting skinnier and skinnier. The Chief came and whisked Macky away, and the caretaker was charged with animal cruelty/neglect.

A lifelong dog lover with four dogs of his own and an occasional foster, Chief Nutt had never been fond of pit bulls. But there was just something about Macky. Every day, the Chief became more and more attached. When the three-day mandatory stray hold was up, Chief Nutt couldn’t bear to send him off to the local humane society, where he feared Macky might be euthanized. “He’s just a big pussycat,” Chief Nutt told our volunteer. And so, Macky Mack stayed, and Chief Nutt kept hoping for a miracle. A widely-read Examiner article inspired more than 3,000 phone calls to the humane society pleading for help for Macky. About a week later, Love-A-Bull caught wind and mobilized.

When we arrived in Log Cabin on December 30th, Macky was prancing around in the large play yard, soaking up the sunshine and letting out an occasional confident, celebratory woof. He had not only won the heart of Chief Nutt, but of several other city employees who were not accustomed to falling for stray dogs. There’s just something about Macky Mack.

As we talked, Chief Nutt fondly scratched Macky Mack’s ears and boasted about how far he had come in just a few weeks. He brought out Macky’s girlfriend – also a pit bull type dog – to show us how friendly he is with other animals. He admitted that Macky was the first pit bull type dog he had ever really liked, but that he wouldn’t be the last – Macky had opened his eyes.

 

Tagged: advocacy, chain, community, news media, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Adopt-A-Bulls

As you know, Love-A-Bull is a 501(c)3 organization — basically the fancy way of saying we have our non-profit status. What’s it really mean for us? As opposed to a federally funded program or a local business, we’re more reliant on fundraising, membership dues, and occasional grants to sustain our programs and initiatives.

Sure we can stand there and give you the spiel about why this is so important and where the money actually goes until our lips turn blue.

But it’s much better when we can tell you an actual story when someone (Eddie) reached out to us for assistance, and we were able to help them (Eddie & Shorty), because of the support we receive — and of course our partner organizations.

December 21, 2011

My name is Eddie Diaz. Love a bull helped me get my dog Shorty fixed. I am mentally ill and will be using Shorty as a therapy dog/service dog. I am on fixed budget and in order for Shorty to start his training he had to be fixed. I found trainers to help with his training but no one could help get him fixed so he could start his training. My wife met love a bull at pet expo and love a bull was in touch with us in hours. I cannot thank you enough for helping me with my dog, because for me he is more than a dog. He is able to alert me when I am having episode, and he is always there to lick my face when I sad. I know y’all try to save pit bulls, but today you saved me. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough, but thank you truly.
– Eddie Diaz

Eddie ~ we’re so happy that we could help out!

Tagged: advocacy, community, nonprofit, spay / neuter, therapy, trainingFiled under: Uncategorized

On occasion, you receive an email or phone call that just begs to be shared. It’s a nice reminder of why we do what we do — and sometimes we need that. I’m very happy that Love-A-Bull has one of those stories for you. We know it’ll make you smile, but grab a tissue just in case!

About a week ago, we received an email about a recent donation that had been made. This note was from a mother about her son’s gift to us. She explained that her son, Tarak, chose to raise money for Love-A-Bull instead of receiving presents at his 10th birthday party that past weekend. And he made a donation of over $100!

It seems we all might have something to learn from this act of kindness and passion for a good cause. So of course we asked if we could share this story. We received a letter AND pictures! Aren’t Tarak and Huxley just adorable?

Dear Love-A-Bull,

For my 10th birthday, I raised money for Love-A-Bull instead of getting presents, because I have a pit bull terrier named Huxley, and he is the sweetest dog in the world. My family trained him at Love-A-Bull.

People shouldn’t be so scared of pit bulls. They should be scared of the people who train pits to be aggressive. Really, pit bulls are naturally friendly and gentle. When I had my birthday party two weeks ago, over 20 friends came over, and Huxley was kind to everyone. In fact, every night before I go to sleep, my 60 pound pit bull climbs into my bed and sleeps beside me.

I think everyone who cares about pit bulls should try and raise money for Love-A-Bull, so that people who are afraid of pit bulls understand why they should love and take care of them instead!

Sincerely,
Tarak

Tagged: advocacy, dog, friendly, gift, love, pet owner, pit bull, present, training classFiled under: Uncategorized

Pit Bull Confidential

Pit Bull Confidential is a short film produced by Linda Gunter. The film explores the side of adopting America’s dog through interviews with Washington Animal Rescue League CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman, Julie Paez of The Big Bad Woof, and pit bull adopters.

Click on the photo below to watch this short film…

Linda is self-described as a parent, partner, environmentalist, animal lover, and burgeoning short filmmaker. The video was intriguing, so I asked her for a brief Q&A.

Q&A with Linda Gunter

Naturally the first question, why did you decide to create this video? And why about pit bulls?
I noticed that the city/county shelters especially were full of pit bull mixes and pit bulls – I periodically drop in on shelters if I am in the area; I guess this is some form of masochism since then I want to take half of them home! But it’s also to inform myself more about shelter challenges. I also learned, in volunteering at my local shelter, that pits are generally really sweet-natured people dogs. So I looked on YouTube to see if there was a short video dispelling some of the many myths about pit bulls. While I found lots of mainly raw footage about people’s sweet pit bulls, I could not find an informational piece. So I decided to make the video. It’s my first video so it was also exciting to finally master the technology and accomplish a longstanding goal to make a short documentary. The main purpose was to try to encourage more people to consider adopting pit bulls when choosing a rescue dog and to answer some of the concerns they may have because of the adverse publicity.

How did you choose who to work with on the project?
I am a volunteer at the Washington Animal Rescue League – and two of our animals were adopted from there, a dog and a cat. So it was the logical place to start. They were also then able to put me in touch with successful pit bull adopters. I also knew that our local petfood store owners had a pit bull (Yaya). Originally, I was going to diversify more and shoot more “at home” footage and at city shelters, but expediency eventually decided the focus on WARL.

What do you see as the biggest challenge for pit bull type dogs?
The misconception that they are “bad” dogs that can sometimes be trained to be nice, whereas the reverse is obviously true and unfortunately the so-called pit bull problem is actually a bad people problem. So people are afraid to adopt pit bulls because all they hear about the breed is related to fighting rings so the assumption is that they are dangerous as a breed which is not the case. Consequently, pit bulls languish needlessly in shelters and of course many are euthanized.

How did you become involved in animal welfare?
I’ve been interested in this area since childhood (I won a prize at 6 for filling my doll pram with stuffed toy animals and making it a charity fundraiser for the RSPCA in the UK!) At about 9, I dragged my mother off to an animal rescue sanctuary – only to be crushed that the owner, who I idolized, was a rather bossy old battleaxe who clearly didn’t like kids! Undeterred, I’ve been a would-be animal sanctuary owner ever since. This has not turned out to be what I do, but I have volunteered on and off over the years at a couple of shelters. It’s a passion but not a profession for me, although I probably wouldn’t turn down the right offer in the field!

What is your relationship with the Washington Animal Rescue League?
I am a volunteer there. I help with the animals but mainly I have been making short videos on individual animals (mostly cats) that they place on the animals’ web site bios to help get them adopted. This has proven remarkably successful. I think all the cats with videos were adopted by people who “fell in love” watching the video. One person flew in from Puerto Rico to adopt one of the video cats!

How many animals do you have? How did they end up in your life?
Currently we have five animals in our family – two dogs and three cats. They are all rescues. (Our two children are also adopted). We also tried fostering a really sweet older cat, Agnes, but unfortunately my resident female cat decided to make her life miserable, so we had to stop which was sad for all of us. (She’s still on Petfinder in case you want to put a plug in for her!) There was a guppy until recently…)

So what’s your regular occupation? ‘Real job’ as we like to call it, since we know most of us do this in our theoretical ‘free time.’
I am an anti-nuclear activist. I founded a group called Beyond Nuclear and we work to end nuclear power and promote renewable energy. In fact, Pit Bull Confidential, which I had to do in what passes for my “spare time” was interrupted by the March 11, 2011 Fukushima reactor disaster in Japan so I had to delay shooting and editing for months because I had absolutely no free time outside of my real work.

What do you have planned for the future?
I am hoping to do a piece on why you should adopt an older cat. The “older” concept seems to start quite young – at 8 or so! But in shelters, the kitties over 8 linger, especially during kitten season when they are constantly passed over. It’s the reason we fostered Agnes, and while we had her it was depressing how little interest there was in an 8-year old cat who was sweet as can be. It’s a difficult story line to find substance for so I still need to map it out a bit and then clear some “free” time to make it. I shot some footage already of a wonderful “older” cat at WARL who was quite the comedian. So hopefully there won’t be any more nuclear catastrophes for a while (or ever, actually!) and I can get started soon. Another option would be to make Pit Bull Confidential, Part 2. There are a few owners and their dogs it would be fun to put on tape. I think seeing a dog in the home environment might actually be the best advertisement of all. So if you have suggestions for aspects I didn’t cover this time, let me know! I am also pondering whether I can get a celebrity owner to participate in Part 2, which might get both films a higher viewership. I was actually a bit disappointed that this piece did not get circulated as widely as I’d hoped.

Tagged: advocacy, breed specific, bsl, education, media, pet owner, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Uncategorized