KC DOG BLOG

Leaving a legacy of second chances

Over the weekend, I was saddened to hear the news that Leo had died of natural causes. 

Leo is one of 51 dogs rescued from Mike Vick's dog fighting operation.  Unlike almost all bust dogs before him, and because of the work of many advocates around the country, Leo was given a second chance. While other bust dogs have for decades been systematically killed and deemed "unable to be rehabbed", the dogs from Vick's operation were given a chance for an evaluation.

Nearly all passed their evaluations.

Leo was one of about 20 that were sent to various rescue groups for rehab.  And his successful rehabilitation is truly an inspirational success story.

Leo quickly adapted to his new, good surroundings, and became a therapy dog. For the past few years he has been visiting schools, and cancer patients, serving as a therapy dog. In the process, he touched a lot of lives.  And in the process, he changed a lot of them too.

It was through the successful rehabilitation of Leo and several others, that a lot has changed for bust dogs over the past 3 years.  HSUS, who should have been advocating for the dogs for years, had recommended they be killed without an evaluation. However, after seeing the successful rehabilitation, finally changed their tune.  They've helped change the narrative about 'pit bull' type dogs in this country -- and the role environment plays in their behavior.

So, today, it is sad to write about dog that's life ended too soon -- but it's a happy story. One of rehabilitation, second chances, and making the most of them. It's about a dog with a tough life that managed through it to improve the lives of others. It's about a dedicated trainer and rescuer who worked to help make it happen (thanks Martina).  And it's about leaving a legacy that really has made a positive impact. 

RIP.

Click Here  for a video of Leo in Action

Click here for a blog post about Leo from Our Pack, the group that rehabbed Leo.

It's a good thing HSUS believes in rehabilitation

Yesterday, the animal welfare community shuddered.  Twice.

The shudder was when the headlines came out that Mike Vick, who had been involved in a dog fighting operation and served 19 months in prison in connection with his dog fighting operations, announced that he would really like to have a dog again.

Apparently his daughters miss having a dog and it's hard telling his daughters that he cannot have one any more because of his actions.  This certainly isn't the first time Vick has said these sentiments....but it was probably the first time his words appeared in mainstream media.

For Vick, it's hard to have empathy. Clearly he was involved in cruelty to dogs, and the act of torturing and killing dogs.  At some point you have to accept that your actions were so terrible that you lose the privilage of participating in that activity again.  Vick has regained the opportunity to play in the NFL. He has regained the opportunity to be cheared by thousands of fans (even though many sports fans disagree with his 'right' to do that). He has regained the opportunity to make large amounts of money. But giving him the opportunity to own a dog again sort of fits under the same idea of allowing a child molester the opportunity to work at a daycare or a drug addict to have a job as a pharmacist.

You just have to draw the line somewhere.  Or at least you'd think.

But the CEO of the world's welthiest 'humane' organization disagreed.  "I have been around him a lot and feel confident that he would do a good job as a pet owner," said Humane Society of the United State CEO Wayne Pacelle. Shudder #2.  Pacelle also went so far as sort of excuse Vick for his behavior because as a society we give a lot of "mixed signals" about our concern for animals -- even going so far as to compare those who hunt and raise animals for food (you know, to help people survive), and to experiment on (you know, to cure diseases to kill people) to dog fighting (you know because torturing dogs for the fun of it is sort of similar to those others). 

Today, Pacelle "clarified" (or backtracked a bit) his position on his blog:

"There may be some who would forever deny Michael Vick the opportunity to have a pet. I understand that sentiment. But there is a larger principle at stake here. We at The HSUS are about the business of change—personal and societal change. Our work with Michael Vick is helping to change the view of pit bulls in urban communities from fighters to friends. We must be open to the possibility that rehabilitation is possible, and faithful to our hope that people can change. When that rehabilitation succeeds, it’s to the good for all involved—people and animals alike."

Now, let's put this comment in perspective.

Three years ago, Pacelle called for the dogs from Vick's fighting operation to all be killed....with no chance for rehabilitation. "Officials from our organization have examined some of these dogs and, generally speaking, they are some of the most aggressively trained pit bulls in the country," said Pacelle. "The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them, and believe, they will be put down."

So, let's put aside that by all accounts, the dogs were mostly fearful, and not aggressive, when actual evaluators came in and judged them. But how is it that the leader of the world's largest 'animal protection' organization believed that there could be no rehabilitation for the dogs (the victims), but they now completely believe in rehabilitation for the person responsible for victimizing the dogs.

Who the hell's side is HSUS on?

While Vick has been getting a lot of positive press and accolades, even HSUS is siding with the person that just 4 years ago was fighting and killing dogs.  

The continued support for Vick by HSUS has pretty much everyone with much sense questioning them.

K9 Cuisine: Why I can no Longer support HSUS

Bad Rap: File this one in your "Have you been smoking crack?!" category

YesBiscuit!: No, you haven't accidentally clicked on The Onion's site?

In fairness, HSUS has changed their policy on 'pit bulls' rescued from dog fighting operations -- and are now giving them the opportunity for rehabilitation. This is a great first step. I'm not sure the second step in believing in rehabilitation should be the person who victimized (and often) killed them.

I hope that Mike Vick is indeed rehabilitated.  And I want to hope that his work in talking to kids in schools is making an impact and ending abuse in inner cities. But I think he can still do his work without owning a dog -- and without the unwavering support of HSUS. 

But it could be a good  sign if HSUS is embracing rehabilitation...but hopefully they will focus the need for it not on others, but focus it inward. HSUS needs to get back to putting animals first, instead of giving priority to fundraising, political positioning, and propping up their PR mouthpiece of Mike Vick. They could use the embrace of new thinking that would allow for all animals to be saved instead of supporting the very organizations that are senselessly killing shelter animals.  They could use siding with the animals first, instead of siding with the abuser first.

In many ways the Vick fiasco has helped a lot of animals. It shed the light on the realities of dog fighting and also that first and foremost, dogs are a product of their environment and they are rehabilitatable. It's shown people that the dogs are the victims, and worthy of being saved, and has led to literally hundreds of dogs being saved over the past 3 years.  It also has shed light on HSUS, and led many to realize that the organization's first priority isn't the animals.

Rehabilitation is possible in most cases....and hopefull for HSUS, the rehabilitation they now say they believe so much in can come from within.

More Positive Press -- Leo gets highlighted on local San Francisco News

Yesterday was a good day for the dogs -- as author Jim Gorant made his tour promoting his book the Lost Dogs and Hector, Jonnie, Uba and other dogs rescued from Mike Vick's dog fighting ring made national TV appearances and Hector was also on NPR's Fresh Air yesterday afternoon

Not to be outdone, Leo, another dog from Bad Newz Kennels that was taken in by Our Pack, made an appearance on the CBS & CW affiliates in San Francisco last night. Leo is a certified therapy dog who regularly goes to hospitals visiting cancer patients and offering them love and support.

It's a great clip -- and worth watching the 2 minute clip. Many of these dogs have shown an amazing ability to overcome their struggles and become not just good pets, but shining examples of the love that has made dogs Man's Best Friend. 

Here's a link to the video if for some reason the embedded video doesn't work for you.

The good news spreads - Jonny Justice & Hector on the CBS Early Show (and why dogs matter)

This morning, two of the dogs from Bad Newz Kennels were on the CBS Early Show  to not only have their owners tell their story, but also to help promote Jim Gorant's new book, The Lost Dogs.  And here's the video from the segment (the video is incredible -- and well worth the 6 minutes viewing time -- Roo and Hector do a great job in the studio with the CBS folks).

The story is more positive press for the dogs that were once championed as the "most aggressive dogs in America" and to show how they were able to adapt to new environments -- with several even now working as service dogs.

The story is just more in a string of positive stories about the dogs - -reaching millions of TV viewers, newspaper readers and magazine readers.

And hopefully changing some hearts and minds along the way.

There is one really interesting piece from Gorant's book that I was planning on posting at some point, but has now popped up in its entirety on CBS News' website.

But when Gorant wrote the initial article for Sports Illustrated, SI received hundreds of letters about the article - -most were very positive. What surprised Gorant most was that the few letters they received that were negative were centered around the idea of why the big story, "they're just dogs".

In Gorant's Prologue, he addresses why it is that dogs matter so much to us as a society -- and I think does an eloquent job of doing so.  Please take the time to read the short clip.

Gorant isn't an advocate, per se, but is just a writer who is observing what he sees and I think has done a brilliant job of capturing the story of the dogs, the bust and why dogs matter to our lives.

BTW, for more reviews on the book, here are a couple more reviews:

The New Yorker

The Christian Science Monitor

The Huffington Post

 

 

 

The Lost Dogs goes on sale today

It is seldom that I get really excited about a book release -- but today is different.

Today, The Lost Dogs - Michael Vick's Dogs and their Tale of Rescue and Redemption goes on sale today.

The book was written by Sports Illustrated Writer and Editor Jim Gorant -- who wrote the cover story on the Vick dogs for the magazine back in December 2008.  The story received the 488 emails and letters in response to it -- nearly al positive - and was the most response of any article in SI that year.

20 months later comes the book -- which has also received a lot of great press.

I confess that I'm not completely finished with the book -- my vacation schedule and the US Postal Service crossed paths and I wasn't able to take the book on my trip -- but thus far I'm nearly 1/2 through it will be well worth your time and money to read.

The book is written in 3 parts. Part 1 "Rescue" is an extensive dig into all of the details surrounding the investigation into Mike Vick's dog fighting ring, and how the feds, not the county, ended up prosecuting the case. For people looking for the warm fuzzies of feel-good stories, this section will be a bit of a shock to you. It was at times heartbreaking and saddening to read, but I thought incredibly interesting (particularly in areas where reports of dog fighting on the property had been made to authorities at least twice over a two year window prior to the final raid, but authorities took no action).

Part 2 "Reclaimation" takes a look then at how the dogs went from death row to available to go to rescue groups and all of the legal pieces that that entailed, including the evaluations. It addresses how the assumption was that these dogs would be far too aggressive to ever go into homes -- and yet, several people in high-powered positions were willing to take a change at evaluating the dogs - -and how the dogs, themselves, all had responded differently.

Part 3 "Redemption" takes a look at the stories or recovery for the dogs -- and in particular the rescuers who took in the dogs and worked on their recovery. It shows the challenges and triumps. Many of the stories you're likely familiar with - dogs like Hector,   Georgia, Gracie and Leo are certainly part of the book. But the stories of all of the dogs are there.

Throughout the book, Gorant also provides a possible look at the entire situation through the eyes of the dogs as the story unfolded around them - which gave some great insight into the dogs as the victims - and victors - in this situation.

For more on the book:

The video trailer

The Seattle Kennel Club Review

Bad Rap's Review (and they should know, as they are key players in the book).

Enjoy the book - -and thanks to Gorant and Sports Illustrated for taking the time to tell the stories that need to be heard.

 

 

I think the book is a fascinating read -- and I learned a lot about a story I already knew a lot about. I also think that it's interesting that in so many ways, Mike Vick has become an afterthought on the total story.  In so many ways, our learnings about the dogs, and their ability to adapt and still love in spite of beng initially surrounded by humans that failed them has transcended the story of the celebrity athlete that used to own them....and that's pretty cool.

And I think that the book does an awesme job of driving the story home.  From the book's press release:

"At it's core, The Lost Dogs is a lesson in the distrssing folly of discrimination and fear-driven hype -- the unfortunate fact is that most people are afraid of pit bulls, when in reality, they are some of the most loyal, playful and loving dogs around. Not all the stories have happy endings, but every one of them features acts of selfless devotion on behalf of the people, boundless perseverance on the part of the dogs, and inspiring hopefulness by all. Amazingly and contrary to even the highest hope, almost every dog survivd the ordeal and many went on to become loving pets, therapy dogs and adored members of their communities, proving that even when exposed to atrocioius abuse a dog still wants to be man's best friend."

And it delivers on that promise.

 

The Changing Narrative

  A couple of weeks ago, I began my presentation with some photos. I began with some photos of large national magazines from 1987 -- and how 'pit bulls' were portrayed in those magazines at the time.

I then skipped ahead 22 years, and once again showed the pictures of how the dogs were portrayed in these very same magazines.

The changing image has been dramatic.

On Sunday, the cover to the left will show up in 32 million homes delivered in Parade magazine.

Hardly the image of an intimidating dog - in fact could he be more cute?

The accompanying article is "Can you teach a bad dog new tricks?"

The article covers the journy of the dogs from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels and the success, and the struggles of the dogs as they have gone through rehabilitation. Some have had great success -- getting Canine Good Citizen Certifications, becoming therapy dogs, living in homes with other dogs and with children. Some still struggle.

But what they are proving is what most bahaviorists have known all along -- that dogs are individuals.

"Some are better than others, but overall these are happy dogs, says Dr. Frank McMillan, director of well-being studies at Best Friends (which took in the 22 toughest cases). "At the same time, it's hard to make blanket statements. The results are very individual to each dog."

The article also features more information for 19 of the dogs - including some awesome photographs.

My how far we've come.

This is the new image of the American Pit Bull Terrier. While the local media largely remains pretty bad (although there are notable exceptions) in their coverage of dog issues, the narrative in the national media is beginning to change.  The dogs are being seen as individuals. They're being seen as dogs that have been failed by humans -- but who are individuals and can be molded and shaped into good, loving dogs.

And this is what they are.

And on Sunday, 32 million homes -- nearly 1/3 of all US Households -- will see these images -- and will see the 'pit bull' as just a dog. One that is an underdog. One that is worthy of rooting for.

I am a firm believer that the narrative is changing. Nationally at first, but I do think other media will follow. I think they will begin to listen to the experts out there - -who all, almost unanimously, think dogs are individuals and should be treated as such. People realize that broadly generalized laws that target types of dogs instead of based on individual dog behavior do not work. And the breed identification issues and legal challenges of such laws make them impossible to enforce.  

We're making progress. And this is a great article that will help in changing the narrative.

Speaking of narratives -- also publicized in the article is a new book: The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption. The author of the book is Jim Gorant -- who was the writer of the article that ran in Sports Illustrated 18 months ago. I'm excited for the book, and excited for the changing image portrayed by the media of the American Pit Bull Terrier, because America needs to see these dogs the way the way we see them.

Hector - one of the dogs formerly of Bad Newz Kennels - On Good Day New York

Nice job by Stacey and Roo -- and of course Hector - -on Good Day New York.  I can think of no better way to show people that a dog's environment is a huge factor in the behavior of the dog. Good homes make good dogs.

You can find the full story here.

Weekly Roundup - Week Ending 1/17/10

I apologize a bit for missing a couple of days on posting this week...I've gotten into a busy stretch with my real job and have been pulling some numbers together for a couple of cities for 2009. I'll get that all out soon I hope.

Anyway, here are some of the week's top stories:

Cities/States and Laws

Stop BSL has an update on Florida HB 543 which got moved to committee this week. The bill would removed the state-wide prohibition on breed-specific policies. If you life in Florida, be sure to let them know that you do NOT support this bill.

St. Mary Parish (LA) has tabled their discussion on breed-specific legislation in the Parish.

Southgate, MI has updated their proposed vicious dog ordinance so that it no longer singles out specific breeds of dogs.

Bark the Vote is a campaign in South Dakotathat is calling for legislation that would make animal cruelty a felony and thus carry a harsher punishment. South Dakota has some of the most lax animal cruelty legislation in the country and this would be a good step in holding people accountable for their actions.

Some efforts are in place to end Dog Auctions in the State of Ohio.

A project in Riverside, CA that offered free spay/neuter for all pit bull owners was a huge success -- and due to the overwhelming response, they have decided to expand the program.

One month after Putnam County, WV passed a new vicious dog ordinance targeting 'pit bulls', the council announced that they planned to revisit the proposal and get more expert and public input.

Fargo, ND has a new dangerous dog ordinance on the table that declares dogs dangerous or potentially dangerous based solely on behavior.   The Fargo Lt. Greg Lemke wrote about the ordinance: "This is a well-informed group. Breed specific laws are not successful; they are difficult to enforce, costly and discriminatory."  As you can see from the cases above, and here, this is clearly the trend in the way we deal with dangerous dog issues in this country. Well done by the people in Fargo.

No Kill News

Some great news out of Utah:  The Humane Society of Utah (which supports most of the state, but particularly Salt Lake City), did not have to euthanize one single adoptable dog in 2009 -- adopting out over 4,000 dogs last year.  HSU was not able to save all of the adoptable cats in 2009, but has made that the goal in 2010 as they continue to increase adoptions. Great job!

Dog Bites and Attacks - Because all dog bites are preventable, and no one breed is responsible for them all

A two year old girl in Elizabethtown, KY was bitten in the face by a Doberman Pinscher. The girl and the dog were "playing in the kitchen" when the bite occurred. No word on whether the pairing was supervised at the time.

A 7 year old Rock Hill, SC boy was attacked by a neighbor's "pit bull" that had apparently gotten loose. When police contacted the owner of the dog, she said she didn't know what had happened but assured them that the dog was "back on his chain".

A Rocky Mount, NC man was seriously injured when he was bitten by a Labrador Retriever that charged him and bit him in the face.

A Longview, TX Toddler was apparently bitten by four 'pit bull' puppies when the child's mom sent the three year old child out to play with the dogs by herself. Even officials note that the girl "must have been provoking the dogs to have been bit so many times" -- and the girl's mother may be charged with child neglect.

The UK Dangerous Dogs Act

An article from the Oxford Mail-- where Oxford officials are concerned about the increasing number of aggressive/out of control dogs in the community. The 19 year old Dangerous Dogs Act continues to fail in the UK.

An 8 year old girl in the UK was attacked by a St. Bernard-Rottweiler cross --the dog's life was spared.

A UK Professor, Dr. Bateson, has issued an independent report on dog health and welfare and called for a change in the UK Dangerous Dogs Act saying it "should be amended to apply to all dogs that have shown to be dangerous rather than to specified breeds."

Abused Cases - because humans are the more dangerous species

A Pittsburgh, PA area woman was charged of two counts for cruelty to animals after she moved out of an apartment but left her two "Pit bulls" behind. One was found dead and the other was badly emaciated.

Two Orlando boys, aged 10 and 12,were charged with dog fighting, baiting and cruelty to animals this week after the boys were caught fighting dogs in their back yard. A neighbor had called deputies after the boys dumped a dead don on his property and when deputies arrived, they saw one of the boys beating a small puppy. Let's hope these boys get some significant psychiatric help and the parents are no long allowed to have children in their home.  A sad story that shows what can happen when we glamorize the despicable act of dog fighting.

Media Irresponsibility

A couple's small Vizla puppy was attacked by two dogs this week. Apparently a "pit bull" and a St. Bernard jumped a fence, and attacked the smaller dog. The headline of the article reads "Dog attack sparks debate on banning breeds"- -but it seems that the only debate is the one being created by the newspaper -- as the owners of the Vizla don't sound like they are pushing for anything breed specific nor are the animal control officers or the Humane Society. Just some media-related "hype" trying to sell a few newspapers.  For the Pits has a good write-up on this story as well.

Positive Press

Dogspired has a good follow-up on Handsome Dan-- another one of the dogs from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels that has found a forever home.

A veterinarian in Sylvania, OH held a "Pitty Party" where 'pit bulls' and people were interacting with a group of 'pit bulls' to show off how misguided breed specific policies are in Ohio and to show off the good that is in 'pit bulls'. This is a really good article and really speaks well of these types of dogs and the need in Ohio to repeal the state wide BSL.

 Blog Postings you should check out

YesBiscuit! has a great post with a link to a video clip that shows a man getting bitten in the face by a German Shepherd that is a police dog. It is pretty amazing to watch the video and see all of the visual clues that the dog was giving the reporter (ears back, licking lips, head dipped) as the reporter patted the dog on the head. When the reporter then leans over the dog (a very dominant positioning), the dog lashes back. It is a great example of our need as humans to understand canine body language so we don't force them to bite us to get the point.

One Bark at a Time has some advice for the Toronto Humane Society -- an organization that has had all kinds of problems of late. Most of the advice would be excellent advice for ANY shelter -- so it's worth reading even if you are not involved in Toronto in any way.

Lassie Get Help has a good article on Temperament Tests -- and the ridiculous use of them in declaring dogs aggressive and thus needing to be killed. In the article, she also touches on the situation with the ASPCA involving Oreo -- a dog that was killed by the ASPCA for being unpredictably aggressive even though there was another group that was willing to take Oreo in. I don't necessarily agree with her conclusions in the Oreo case, but the post in its entirety is worth reading.

A blog posting over at the Huffington Post by Pam Spalding about why breed specific legislation is an ill-advised idea.

More information on the continuing chaos at the Memphis Animal Shelter-- a shelter that has had at least 3 dogs that have been starved to death while at the shelter -- from chang.org's Animal Welfare Blog.

Miscellaneous

A 'pit bull' burglar broke into a Houston homeand ended up having a heck of a time it sounds like. The dog got in the house, played with the owner's Chihuahua and Yorkie dogs, ate some dog food, left a puddle on the floor and knocked over a stereo. Sounds like the dog was very friendly (but ill-behaved).

A report from the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Mike Vick got "adrenaline rush' while killing dogs. Punk.

Hector, one of Mike Vick's rehabilitated dogs, teaches 3rd Grade Class

Earlier this week, Hector, one of 51 dogs rescued from Mike Vick's Bad Newz Kennels, visited a 3rd grade class in St. Paul. Hector is a registered therapy dog, and one of his owners, Clare Yori, was with Hector and teaching the kids about careing for animals and not abusing them. The students' teacher said she hopes the lessons they learned from Hector help the students to treat animals -- and people -- more compassionately.

The video is well worth watching. Teaching kids how to care for animals is important if we are to solve, long term, the problem with abuse. Meanwhile, children also don't carry with them the same stereotypes and prejudices that adults do -- and teaching them about 'pit bulls' is also valuable.

NFL Season Starts Tonight

The NFL season begins tonight.  So much of the NFL off-season has been centered around the league's reinstatement of its now-most-infamous player, Mike Vick -- who will now be suspended for only 2 games and will be allowed to make his league debut in week 3 vs the Kansas  City Chiefs.

A couple of weeks ago Vick and his new spokesperson Wayne Pacelle did a few interviews to "celebrate" Vick's reinstatement back into the league and his supposed involvement with HSUS's inner city programs to try to stop dog fighting in the inner city. 

LA Animal Watch had a couple of great videos at the time -- one on Pacelle talking about Mike Vick, and the other on Vick talking about himself.

Here are the two videos:

Meanwhile, Vick also did an exclusive interview with 60 Minutes -- which is worth watching. While his interview seemed very scripted and not sincere, I will note that one thing did give me some reason for hope in this is that when he stood up to speak, Tio Hardiman, who is someone I do admire for doing great work in the inner city of Chicago, was in the background. I do believe if it is possible for a man like Vick to be himself, rehabilitated, then Tio is the kind of man who can do it. 

Here's part 1 of that interview:

And Part 2:

All of the hubbub is enough to drive me to watching solely the college game of football this year. For the life of me, I have no idea why the most successful sports league in the world wants or needs Mike Vick And I have no idea why the the world's wealthiest animal welfare organization (HSUS) would be so quick to push authorities to have all of Vick's dogs killed after they were rescued, but then also so quick to grant the man responsible for terrorrizing and abusing these dogs a second chance.

  But there is some good news in the story. Many of the rehabilitated Vick dogs got second chances for exposure. Inside Edition ran a story on some of the successfully rehabbed dogs that are living at Dogtown.  KQDS TV in Duluth, MN ran an article on Hector - former Vick dog -  now serving as a Therapy dog in the hospitals in Rochester, MN.

There were other stories. But in all, the dogs showed themselves to be the great loving pets they had become....not the monsters often portrayed in the news media.  Dogs that even though they really were "bred and trained to fight", have learned to love from their new homes. It certainly makes a very strong case of nurture over nature in aggression -- and providing a trail for other dogs who are rescued from similar circumstances to follow -- and not be doomed to death by the likes of HSUS...who is so quick to offer second chances to dog fighters, but not to the victims themselves.

At least there is a happy ending....or happy new beginning....for the victims of Bad Newz kennels.