KC DOG BLOG

Helping urban youth

  When our group first formed, we began meeting with neighborhood leaders in some of Kansas City's urban neighborhoods. Our hope was to develop some programs reaching youth that would encourage them to spay/neuter their dogs, as well as to come to our low-cost dog training classes so they could teach their dogs the basic skills of walking on a lead, sitting, staying, etc.

One quote really stuck out at me from one of the leaders - -she said that whoever she helped would have to care more about the people, than the dogs.

Tio Hardiman has probably developed one of the best such programs out there. Tio works in Chicago's urban neighborhoods, working with inner city youth on how they SHOULD be caring for their dogs. He's built programs designed to give the youth other reasons to be proud of their dogs vs fighting them for pride. Through his programs, youth learn the pride of having a well-trained dog -- and the bond with the dog that comes from that work.

The USA Today covered Tio's program this week in what is yet another great read. I think it's awesome that the story focused on the reality that MOST of the kids in the inner city are not fighting their dogs -- however, some are. And they want to reach the ones that are.

I think Tio's program is great at reminding us that as much as we want to help animals -- it always still comes back to helping the people.

For more on Tio's program, including video - you can check out this old post.

Wallace the pit bull unable to defend world title

Well, the other dogs couldn't beat him. But a spatula sure did.

Last year's Purina World Free-Style Flying Disk Champ Wallace (and his frisbee thrower Roo Yori) will not be able to defend their world title in St. Louis next month. In an effort to lure Wallace into the pool for a training session, Roo had a some cheese on a spatula -- and in Wallace's gusto for cheese, he ended up eating the rubber end off the spatula. 

So last night, Roo had to undergo season ending surgery to remove the piece of spatula.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch had a good story on Wallace in the newspaper today.  I think Wallace is the perfect example of what goes wrong with so many bullies. He's a high energy dog -- and loves to play.  If you ever get a chance to watch him chase frisbees and jump and catch them you can see the joy and excitement he has for playing.  In many ways he reminds me a lot of my dog Stella -- who has the same fun and is very toy motivated.

I often think about a dog like this if it is left out in a small kennel for days at a time or on a chain for years and years - -with no one playing with them, and no positive outlet to channel their energy.  It seems obvious how they might channel it inappropriately if left unchanneled for years at a time. 

So with that, Wallace will not be able to defend his world title.  I hope the guy has a full recovery -- he truly is an example of what a great dog with a great owner can do.  So with that, I'll leave you with a video of Roo and Wallace's 2007 accomplishments with some awesome footage from his successful 2007 season.  Here's to a great 2009.

Great Program. Great Stories. Wrong Sponsor?

NBC Channel 5 in Chicagohas a great story on the work Tio Hardiman is doing in the inner city of Chicago. Several years ago, Tio was began going into Chicago's inner city and working with dog fighters, gang members, and others to change the way they perceive their dogs. Instead of being proud of their dog for being a good fighter, they are teaching the owners of these dogs to be proud of them because of how well they're trained.

Tio spoke at our Canine Legislation Conference last fall and shared many stories of his success. This video covers off on several other dogs that came out of fighting situations and are being rehabilitated for normal life. It's a great video (although warning, HSUS's dog fighting footage gets shown a couple of times and it's a bit more graphic than I feel is necessary for this feature). But if you can, you should watch the video.

Tio's program is an excellent one. Working not only on rehabiliting dogs, but on rehabilitating owners.  The biggest problem I have with this is the amount of attention HSUS is getting for this in the story -- and that Wayne Pacelle took credit for this in his blog today. 

Let's make no mistake on this. This is Tio Hardiman's program. Tio was doing this on his own because it was the right thing to do and because he has an amazing gift at reaching these people. HSUS saw what was going on, and decided to offer to help him. In many ways, this is great for Tio.  He is getting access to resources he never would have had without HSUS's help.  In other ways it is infuriating.  Infuriating because HSUS is now taking credit for the work Tio has been doing.  Infurating because even less than a year ago, HSUS recommended that all of Michael Vick's dogs be killed because they assumed they would be too dangerous to be rehabilitiated.  They weren't,*and the folks at Bad Rap, Best Friends, and the ASPCA (and other folks) are doing excellent work rehabilitating these dogs and finding them homes. 

* Be sure to watch the video behind that link --I actually somehow missed this one and it's really an awesome heartwarming video.

HSUS has not been a friend to fighting dogs over the years. Even the Vick dog in the NBC video above (that is currently a service dog bringing joy to cancer patients) was recommended to be killed by HSUS. Now they're taking credit for helping other fighting dogs.

So a huge tip of the hat to Tio Hardiman. Great program. Great work. You're awesome. And I hope you are able to continue your great work. And may your work do wonders in changing minds -- the minds of the public in how they view these dogs, in the minds of the men that your are helping educate on how to raise a dog, and the minds of the organization that is sponsoring you...

For more on Tio:

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/canine_legislation_conference/

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2007/08/clc-speaker-tio.html

Ending Dog Fighting in Chicago

This is a great video about work that is being done in Chicago to encourage young men in the inner city to take pride in their pit bull type dogs for reasons other than their fighting ability. Hat tip to Mac's Gang at Barking Mad for pointing to this.   I'm going to post it here too (sorry Mac), just because I think it's really important for a lot of people to see this.

The video features Tio Hardiman, who was a guest speaker at last year's Canine Legislation Conference that we held here in Kansas City.  He's running a great program in Chicago and it's great to see some of the video of what's going on up there.

On another note, we're also starting another session of "Pit Bull University" here soon -- I'll post the details once we get this all worked out.  PBU is our Kansas City version of helping high risk dog owners (we welcome all breeds) with basic obedience training. 

Second Chance to be Top Dog

So, hopefully Roo will get he and Wallace's video of their winning the Purina Dog Flying Disk Freestyle match up on Wallace's website soon so everyone who may have missed the showing of it yesterday will get the chance.

Meanwhile, here's a great article from Wallace's Hometown TV station on his victory. 

For those of you that don't know, not only is Wallace the best high-flying-frisbee catching dog out there (and the only "pit bull" in the competition) -- but he is also a rescue dog that was saved from doggie death row by 'Roo and Clara.   This is a fabulous piece, and a HUGE thumbs up for Roo and Clara for being such great ambassadors for Wallace and these types of dogs.  This story couldn't come at a better time for the folks in Minnesota.

There are a couple of great scenes in the video clip and some great lines.   Here's a sampling:

"It’s just some of the best times of my life just being out on that disc field with him; just having the whole world melt away and just have him and me connecting through the training that we've been doing. You just can't put words on it,” says Andrew.

Go, read the article and watch the video.

Weekend Plans?

Be sure to make time on Sunday to catch the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge -- it will air at 3:00 PM CST on ABC TV on Sunday, Jan 13. 

Not that I want to spoil it for anyone, but Roo and Wallace end up taking first prize in the Freestyle Flying Disk competition.  They certainly put on quite a show when they were in Kansas City for our Canine Legislation Conference back in September (a couple of weeks before the actual event). 

Wallace is a fabulous example of how great "pit bulls" can be when they are handled and trained and loved by good owners.  Everyone would love to have a dog like Wallace (I know that they inspired me to start tossing a frisbee to my dog).  So set the DVR or check them out live on Sunday afternoon.

If you miss them on Sunday, the event will be replayed on ESPN2 (also available on ESPN2HD) on Monday the 14th at 12:00 CST.    Enjoy the show.

Followup on fatality in Middleburg, FL

I have been waiting to post this information as I was waiting for the last of Jim's interview to be completed.  But given the discussions over the past couple of days, I think it's important to post what I know as of now, and I'll let Jim tell the rest of the story later.

Last week I got an email from Jim Crosby regarding the fatality of a 42 year old woman, Tina Canterbury, that occured the first week of October.  When this story broke two months ago, I was really shocked at the news.  It is very rare for a dog to attack and kill its owner -- and even more rare when the dog is kept as a family pet...ie not kept outside or in a basement on some type of tether.

This appeared to be an outlier of a case.  Quotes were what you would expect them to be: "It's a tragic and horrific situation that brings to light the danger of these type of animals," said county Sheriff Rick Beseler.  "These dogs had never bitten a human before, but they did today -- they did turn on their owner."

The image of the pit bull that could snap at any moment comes to the forefront. 

For those of you all who aren't familiar with Jim Crosby, here's the down and dirty.  Crosby is a retired police officer who goes to the scenes of as many of these types of incidences as possible.  He works with the dogs, interviews family, neighbors, friends, and tries to get to the true behavioral reasons of why a major dog attack occurred.    Crosby spoke at our Canine Legislation Conference last September and blew me away with the stories of major attacks, how they were reported by the media, and the stories behind the stories in these incidences that are seldom made public. 

Based on Jim's analysis of the situation from interviewing several members of the family and neighbors and friends, it sounds like this woman wasn't just one day randomly turned on by her dogs. 

While it is true that the dogs were raised as pups with the family and had never bitten a person before, they had been responsible for killing at least one cat and another dog within the past year.  They had also shown aggression toward several people, including several members of the family, and had fought with each other and dogs on either side of the fences that ajoined their property.  In fact, the couple had decided to get rid of one of the dogs because the woman who was killed "couldn't handle him".   It appears as if the woman had the two dogs together on leashes, they got into another fight with each other and she got caught in the middle of the fight. 

It's horrible that an attack like this hit this family.  I feel sorry for all the members of the family who sound like wanted to do the right thing.  I also think it's horrible that the media used this as an example of "the danger of this type of dog" vs using this woman's death as a way of showing people the REAL reasons why dogs attack...and the dangers of letting aggressive behavior fester in a dog and build over time.  Serious attacks are almost never the first sign of aggression by dogs, regardless of breed. 

By the way, I'm thrilled to note that Jim has started his own blog called Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby.  It's my hope (and understanding) that Jim will use this forum as a way of getting out real information about the reasons behind major dog attacks instead of us relying on people sititng behind desks and reading newspaper clippings about these stories making these determinations. 

Thanks Jim for the info -- and I look forward to more installments on your blog....including the final story behind the story in this case once you've completed all your interviews.

Congrats to Roo & Wallace!

ma Congrats to Roo & Wallace -- exhibitioners at the Canine Legislation Conference in Kansas City.

Roo and Wallace finished 1st in the Purina Incredible Dog Chalenge in the Freestyle Flying Disk event.  Yup, that's right, for the 2nd time in 3 years, Roo and Wallace are WORLD CAMPS!

VERY COOL.

Also, check out Wallace's website as they've updated pibble tv which has some excellent video footage that has recently been updated.  What's even more impressive than winning the World Championship is that Roo has become such an awesome spokesperson for "pibbles" and is taking his show on the road to share the very best in bullies to the masses...and is a great spokesperson himself.

Roo and Wallace Rock (and thanks so much for coming to our conference and showing off all you do)!  I'm proud to say I know ya.

Canine Legislation Conference Speaker Review - Bill Bruce

When it comes to speakers, movies, etc, I always try to temper my expectations.  Usually when I get excited about how great something, I leave disappointed.  I'm the only person who was disappointed by the movie Forrest Gump -- because I had built it up to be so great in my mind before seeing it that no movie could have met those expectations.

In spite of these efforts, I was really excited to listen to Bill Bruce speak at the Canine Legislation Conference.  Calgary has had a tremendously effective animal control program, and I couldn't wait to hear more about it.  Mr. Bruce didn't disappoint.

Calgary has a 90-95% dog licensing compliance rate.  Most cities hover between 10-20% licensing compliance....and 20% are the good ones.  Calgary has done this by providing benefits to people for licensing their dogs....for animal cotnrol being a SERVICE instead of a pain in people's butts.

Overall, they have about 95,000 licensed dogs (in a city with the population of about 1 million).  Licensing fees are $31 per year ($52 for an unaltered dog). 

In 1990 they raised the fines for getting caught with an unlicensed dog from $30 to $250 - -Bruce said that fines should generally run about 10x the cost of actually obeying the law in the first place in order to encourage compliance with the law.  They also made it very easy to license your dog -- online, via phone, at your vets office, and keosks at the animal control office, etc. 

Every dollar that they raise from animal licensing (and fines for non-compliance) go back into funding animal control -- not back into the city's slush fund.  So with an operating budget of $3.5-4.0 million, they are able to really do some things right with their animal control department.

They strongly encourage all people who license their dogs to also have them microchipped (which allows the dogs to be scanned and the owner determined immediately).  Every animal control vehicle is equipped with a scanner -- so if they find a stray dog, the animal control officer can instantly scan the dog for the chip, and deliver the dog home free of charge (although there are fines if your dog becomes a frequent flyer).   

This home delivery a) is a service for people who obey the rules and b) saves money in animal control costs because stray dogs seldom even make it to their shelter.   They are returned home where the dog belongs.  The city then doesn't incur the costs of putting the dog in the shelter, maintaining the dog while it's in the shelter, food etc.  Bruce's goal for next year is to gett 50% of the dogs returned directly home without ever reaching the shelter.

If a dog does end up making it to the shelter, its photo is taken immediately and placed on their webpage within 15 minutes of the dog reaching the shelter.  All the dogs in the shelter are treated for the basic diseases - -and if a dog is found injured, animal control will take the dog to a vet.  The vets treat the dogs because a) animal control is usually able to find the owner of the dog because they're all licensed and b) if they don't, animal control will cover the medical costs associated with treating that dog.  Wow.   

Calgary built a new shelter for their animals about 5-8 years ago that is state of the art...and has never been filled to its capacity.

Calgary also focuses a lot of its energies on education and encouraging responsible dog ownership.  They have a full time staff member, that is trained in education, that puts together a public education program.  They have six specific programs that are part fof their public school's curriculum that emphasizes respect for living things.   

Calgary also has 140 dedicated off-leash areas for dogs -- so that's 140 "dog parks".  Kansas City, MO is struggling to find a way to get a second one.  These off-leash areas provide a ton of areas for socialization for the dogs to learn how to enteract with other dogs and other people.

The net results of their efforts have been impressive.  Over the past 18 years, the city of Calgary has cut their number of dog bites and chases by more than 50% (all the while, the human and dog population of Calgary has doubled).  Last year calgary only had to euthenize 256 animals (Kansas City, KS alone euthenized 5,000 DOGS last year, the KC metro area kills in the neighborhood of 40,000 dogs and cats each year).   Almost all of the euthenizations came from dogs that had behavioral or health issues.  Bruce estimates that Calgary will become a true no-kill city within the next 3-5 years.

When Bill was talking it sounding like a utopia.  I hear stories about local animal controls breaking through locks to steal people's pets based on what breed they think it might be, the massive killing of dogs in our shelters, dogs that are put to sleep because they've been in the shelter too long but never made it up on the website or petfinder or anywhere so people knew where to find them.  I hear about dogs being taken out of someone's loving home and euthenized because someone was over the pet limit -- apparently death is perceived to be better for animals than having to live with 3 other dogs.

Calgary has accomplished so much by focusing on root issues of problems, providing service to their "customers" (it was so weird to hear an animal control officer refer to their constituents as "customers"), and getting people to obey their current laws.

They did it all without mandatory spay/neuter laws, breed specific laws, anti-tethering laws or pet limit laws.  And through paying animal control officers a fair wage -- as Bill said, "If you pay peanuts,  you'll only get monkeys."

I really wish that more cities (ahem, KCMO) would look at successful ordinances around the country (or in Calgary) and model their ordinances and enforcement efforts off of true success stories.   

All of the city administrators were invited to attend Bill's speach, unfortuantely only one city council person and two animal control officers were able to make it.  I'd have loved for them to hear Bill's message and start working toward Calgary as a model of success.

Canine Legislatioin Conference Speaker Review

This week, assuming that something crazy doesn't break out, I'm going to try to feature some of our speakers/exhibitors at the 2007 Canine Legislation Conference and some of the things I learned/tips that I think people will benefit the most from.

That said, I'm going to start with mostly a photo montage of the finale to our conference, which was an exhibition of some of the worlds top performing dogs. 

The first picture is of Roo and Wallace.  They are the 2005 World

Champion Frisbee team.  They put on quite the show of frisbee tossing and catching.  The performance kicked off with them on opposite sides of the "arena" and then running to meet each other in the middle (with a summersault by Roo).  It was a great performance and Wallace is a great jumper and catches some really high frisbees.

Tom Clements (photo #2) also came with several of his "ultimate canines".  His show featured a Jack Russell Terrier, a high jumping Collie, and the crown jewel of the show, Thumper.  Thumper was a rescue dog with local rescue group MABBR (at the time named Fly Girl) and was having a tough time finding a home because she was so high energy.  But through a couple of connections with MABBR volunteers, along with Roo, Tom and Fly Girl were able to hook up and now take their tour bus around the country entertaining the masses.

Tom did the MC'ing for the event and had a great message along with his show.  He talked about the value of positive reinforcement in training of dogs (vs the negative reinforcement most people gravitate toward) and also talked about how fun it is to take Thumper on the road so that he can teach people that "pit bulls" are great dogs and not at all what most people think when they only judge them off of what they see on TV.

It was very fun, and a good positive experience for everyone.

 

Also on the docket were Kathy Mills and Stewart "NOTSO" Little.  Kathy and Stewart are record holders in long-distance frisbee throwing and catching.  They put on an energetic show of frisbee flips, jumps and catches.  Stewart was definitely "NOTSO LITTLE" so it was quite entertaining to see this big dog show off his athleticism.  They're in picture #4 with Stewart making a jumping catch.

Also on display was KCDA Member Kim Krohn and her Staffordshire Terrier, Susie.  Kim and Susie put on a show in obedience training with Susie doinga perfect heal through walks and stops, in a figure 8 (which is very difficult because the Kim kept a constant pace and Susie had to walk more slowly or more quickly depending on whether or not her turn was bigger based on the figure 8).

Susie is in picture #5 all by herself showing off her ability to sit and wait until called (she is just breaking off of Kim's call in the photo).  I was amazed at Suzi's attention and desire to follow Kim's every command.

Overall, I think everyone had a great time (I know I did).  I think it was awesome that our conference participants, as well as a good turnout of dog people from around the metro were able to come out and see these "pit bulls" in action, and see what these dogs are really like.  Everyone also got a chance to meet the dogs after the show which was great fun as well.  All in all, a fabulous way to end a solid weekend conference -- and I'm so greatful that Kathy, Tom, Kim and Roo were all so willing to give up their weekend to be with us and to show off their special talents. 

And special thanks to Abby for taking so many great photos of the event.