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 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

Hey, we’re in the newspaper and online! The Statesman’s Austin360 published a quick note about the main event this weekend. Yep, it’s really only a few days away now.

But wait — before you finish reading, don’t forget we also still have tickets available for the exclusive VIP Party on Saturday evening. A BIG thank you goes out to Austin Speed Shop, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Independence Brewery, ZuZu’s Handmade Mexican Food, Love Puppies Brownies, Waialua Soda Works, and Red Bull for making this event awesome!

From Austin360
Published: 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011

a360blast:recreation

SUNDAY

Todd Heisler/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Texas-Sized Pittie Parade and festival. Love-A-Bull, the Austin nonprofit that advocates for the dog breeds commonly known as pit bulls, is behind the local event that’s part of National Pit Bull Awareness Day. The day starts with a parade; gather at 11:30 a.m. in the Statesman parking lot, 305 S. Congress Ave., if you want to participate. Adults, kids and dogs of any breed are welcome (all dogs must be on leash), with costumes encouraged. The parade will leave at noon and march down Congress Avenue toward Republic Square Park, where a festival will run from 1 to 5 p.m. With animal rescue groups, trainers, food and drink, games, music, giveways and more. Celebrity guests include Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed,” “Pretty Little Liars”), musician John Shipe and Austin 101X DJ Deb O’Keefe as master of ceremonies. Canine celebrities include YouTube star Sharky, flying Frisbee dog Karma and the Love-A-Bull Pit Crew, an all-pit-bull therapy dog group. Both events are free and open to the public. A kick-off VIP party and fundraiser is Saturday. That event, with special guests, music, food, drink and a silent auction, will be from 7 to 11 p.m. at Austin Speed Shop, 1414 S. Lamar Blvd. More information: www.love-a-bull.org.

Read the online story here: A bunch of (pit) bull? Find it at the Texas-Sized Pittie Parade and festival.

Tagged: calendar, community, national pit bull awareness day, news media, VIPFiled under: Events, Media Coverage

Hey folks! It’s Jessica from L-A-B guest posting!

HI!

We are frantically pulling the last details for the BIG, HUGE, FANTASTIC, AMAZING, ALL PIT BULL (and their friends), ALL THE TIME , FESTIVAL AND PITTIE PARADE  in November!  And getting SO excited!  It is going to be fantastic!

You are all coming, right?!  Still on the fence?  Well, we have several confirmed guests (Holly Marie Combs, BAD RAP, John Shipe) and just confirmed another one!  SHARKY the Pit Bull!  I bet you are coming now!

No offense, but if you have not heard of Sharky the Texas pit bull – you do not have access to the internet.  Or, like my grandmother, computers scare you.

I digress – Sharky the big, beautiful, gentle PB type dog and YouTube favorite has confirmed with us that he is attending the festival!  In costume with his mom no less!  They will be walking in the parade and col’ kicking it with us and our doggies at the festival!  By the way, there will be a costume contest – so get your dogs ready!

You can find his YouTube movies here: SHARKY THE SUPER RAD PIT BULL FROM TEXAS.

I can’t decide which is my favorite.. Is it the bunny ones?  Or the chick ones?  And, who doesn’t love a cat pestering a dog video?

They are all great!  What a fantastic breed ambassador!

So, get those doggie costumes ready and come on down on the 6th!  Meet and mingle with all of our special guests, including Sharky.  And, let’s celebrate our pit bull type doggies in front of the whole city!  Hell, in front of the whole state!  No, wait – in front of the whole country!

Oh!  And be sure and check this out!  Sharky and his mom, Helen made a special video just for little ol’ us!  Dogs in hats are awesome…Jus’ sayin’

See you in November!

XOXO – Jessica

Tagged: #Austin, #BadRap, #costumes, #HollyMarieCombs, #JohnShipe, #Love-A-Bull, #SharkyThePitbull, #youtube, advocacy, calendar, dog, event, family fun weekend, free, friendly, fundraiser, national pit bull awareness day, news media, nonprofit, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Events, Media Coverage, PBAD

Okay, so we’re about a month behind, but check this out — The ad campaign for Gap 1969 Jeans features a Pit Bull as their “Denim Mascot.” Another positive publicity publication (wooo alliteration!) for our pit bulls.

While dogs in mainstream advertising campaigns always tend to get that “aww” factor, companies that are unbiased in their choices for these canine counterparts get a double ‘thumbs up.’

Please note that the content below is reposted from a blog. Any views or opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Love-A-Bull, Inc.

from Passion for Pits
Winner and Loser of the Week

Winner: Gap, Inc.
Pit Bulls in Main Stream Advertising
In an effort to “democratize fashion” and boost authenticity of its 1969 brand (launched in 2009) the Gap has gone behind the scenes — showing their offices in recent advertisements and even including their office-dog, Louie, a caramel-colored pit mix! Their new market? “Downtown, semi-hipster, artsy folk” (might I also add, Pit bull owners?)

Louie, now named the “Denim Mascot” has received mostly positive press. While 238 people “like” his commercial on facebook (below), one user wrote “I don’t think a Pit Bull in a Gap commercial is a great idea for an international company as it’s illegal to have them unmuzzled in public or breed from them in the UK.” (Funny thing because this article from the dailymail.co.uk doesn’t seem to have a problem featuring an adorable shot of Louie in its article.) Luckily, her comments was met with rebuke and the rest of the comments were all positive.

Read more about the campaign here.

 

Loser: Pitbull, the Rapper
Mis-using the Mis-understood
This man sadly has chosen the name Pitbull for himself. Singer/Rapper Pitbull (aka Armando Christian Perez) is said to have chosen the name pitbull because, “…they bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they’re outlawed in Dade County. They’re basically everything that I am. It’s been a constant fight.” (Washington Post, 2004.)

All completely false. First of all, they do not bite to lock — no animal’s jaws can actually lock.  Also, they are not “too stupid to lose” — they are dedicated to their owners and will do what they are told when manipulated with drugs, starvation, and lack of companionship. TheRealPitBull.com writes, “The truth of the matter is that the Pit Bull is one of the most versatile of canines, capable of excelling at just about any task his owner asks him to complete. This breed is routinely used for: obedience training, conformation showing, Schutzhund (a German sport which requires dogs to perform in obedience, tracking and protection phases of a competition), agility, and have even been known to participate in herding trials, search and rescue work, and a variety of other tasks including police and armed services work. But fanciers will argue that the task this breed performs best of all is that of beloved companion.”

The long and the short of it? Buy Gap and not Pitbull’s music!

Tagged: activism, advocacy, discrimination, dog, news mediaFiled under: Uncategorized

Before I adopted Kimbo from Town Lake Animal Center, I unknowingly stereotyped pit bulls. I based those opinions partly on what I saw in different neighborhoods I lived in, but mostly on what I saw on TV and read in newspapers.

The media often portrays pit bulls as monsters. After working as a journalist for the past six years, I understand how that could happen.

When the white pit bull mix with black spots came into my life in March, I joined Love-A-Bull and have recently become active as a volunteer.

The more I learn about pit bulls, the more I want to help dispel the myths that surround this beautiful, fun-loving dog.

Before Kimbo, I thought pit bulls were hyper dogs that are prone to aggression. Why else would they have such a bad reputation? Read about how Kimbo changed my mind about pit bulls.

The answer is complex, but it has to do with the popularity of pit bulls, socioeconomic factors, ignorance and the news industry. Karen Delise chronicles those factors in her book The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression.

Searching for pit bulls
Do an Internet search for the words “pit bull” and you’ll find countless articles about dog attacks, some fatal. Predictive searches, such as the one Google produces when searching for news articles, offer a snapshot of what is associated with any given search term.

Of the 10 suggestions shown above, six are associated with pit bull attacks and only one is sort of positive: pit bull rescue. Even then, there is a negative undertone, because a pit bull can’t be rescued unless it’s in trouble.

Google doesn’t hate pit bulls; the search engine simply shows the most frequent searches and can only offer what others have published online.

Tough business
I worked as a newspaper reporter and news producer for such news organizations as The Seattle Times, The Frederick (Maryland) News-Post and Community Impact Newspaper. Now I make and update web pages for a living.

I left newspapers because the pay was lousy, the hours were horrible and the work load was insane.

The two things I miss most are finding and telling stories, which I now do on my own.

It’s difficult to criticize an industry that helped me travel the nation, learn about so many different topics and find my voice as a writer. Many friends and respected colleagues continue to work for the media and they do good, meaningful work.

Mass media will always play a vital role informing and entertaining the public, but it’s a tough business.

A reporter’s job is to gather and distribute information about current events, people and issues. It’s not easy and it’s not always the whole truth.

Reporters are paid to write what they find, not what they think about those findings.

I was assigned to cover such diverse topics as crime, technology, business and education. I knew very little about those subjects. Like all reporters, I often had to rely on what other people said.

The people reporters interview are not always the best sources. Sometimes, a key person may be unavailable for comment, often deliberately. Other times, the person being interviewed isn’t being honest.

There are language barriers, equipment failures and assignment changes — all before a reporter even begins to write the story.

Dwindling revenues have forced many newsrooms to either slash their staff or close altogether. These days, one person often does the job that three or four people used to do.

A reporter may need to tell a story in 300 words or 25 seconds. Sometimes copy editors make changes without the reporter’s knowledge. Other times, an editor will change the focus of the story to make it more interesting.

It frustrated me to report on a story, then see how a tiny fragment of that story actually made it to the public.

Selling stories
The most surprising thing I learned about the news industry is how it makes money. I thought selling newspapers paid the bills, but, even when newspapers were profitable, advertisers are the ones that pay salaries.

Reputable news outlets do not let advertisers sway coverage, but the bottom line depends on making people pay attention.

News organizations make money based on the volume of eyeballs on the page or screen. They sell those captive eyes to advertisers. The more engaging the story, the hotter the sell.

When you drive by a road-side car wreck, do you slow down to look? It’s an instinct mammals developed to protect them from danger. Gazelles stare as lions eat one of the herd, a brutal reminder to be swift.

We want details about that fatal pile up on the nearby highway or the wildfire that destroyed countless acres of landscape. News people know most of us can’t help but gawk and use that fact to sell stories.

Add a muscular, misunderstood dog in the wrong hands and you’ve got a story people will follow for a long time.

Tagged: discrimination, kimbo, news media, pit bull, pit bull placeboFiled under: Uncategorized

After 3½ years and a very rough start to life, T-bird is ready for his chance at living outside of a cage. T-Bird was part of eight-state dog-fighting raid in 2009 that turned out to be the largest in U.S. History. After his “rescue” this sweet boy spent the next two years in a kennel as “evidence.” T-Bird has finally made it out of a kennel but is now facing serious health issues and needs surgery to have a large mass removed. After spending his entire life a victim of a dogfighting ring, and locked in a kennel, like Vick’s Victims, he deserves a chance. T-Bird just needs a chance to fly…

Please help Love-A-Bull raise the funds to get T-Bird his second chance. You may donate via Chipin or donate directly by calling Oak Hill Veterinary Clinic at (512) 288-1016. Please specify that you would like your donation to go towards Love-A-Bull’s fund for T-Bird.

Please pass along and share the link to T-Bird’s ChipIn with your friends and other supports: http://loveabullsadoptabulls.chipin.com/t-birds-second-chance

Read more about T-Bird and his case by clicking on the links below:
http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/07/dogfighting-raid.html
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2009/09/guilty_plea_dogfighting_091409.html.

Tagged: adopt, dog fighting, fundraiser, news media, nonprofit, pit bull, rescueFiled under: Adopt-A-Bulls