Pit bull puppies being housed at the emergency shelter.

Linda Campbell plays with dogs at an emergency shelter.

In July the largest dog fighting raid in US history took place, hundreds of dogs were rescued.  Sadly 160 of the rescued dogs had to be put down due to illness, behavior, or injuries. The good news is that 120 of the dogs are now going to foster homes, and hopefully the remaining ones will get to do the same.

Here are the details from the Associated Press.

They are not a vicious animal. They are the victims of abuse,” said Debbie Hill, vice president of operations for the Humane Society of Missouri. “That face and their eyes tell the story. They only want to be in someone’s home, on a couch, or sleeping at someone’s feet, maybe chew up a rug or two for entertainment. They’re learning for the first time how to be a dog.”

Once at the Missouri shelter, dogs were tested by a national team of certified animal behaviorists, taken on walks, and allowed to chew on bowling balls stuffed with peanut butter. Some finicky eaters were treated to home-cooked chicken breasts to supplement meals of dog food.

The Human Society offered The Associated Press first access to the site Tuesday. During the tour, puppies born since the raid took turns playing tug of war with a chew toy in a play room. Humane Society staff members pulled a catering cart down a long row of dog cages, calling animals by name as they slid them bowls of food.

This is such a great story because usually all the dogs involved in dog fighting get put down, they’re never even given a chance.  Maybe this is the foreshadowing of changes that are going to be put into place so the victim, the dog, isn’t the one punished for the perpetrator’s crime.

*Courtesy AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

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I received a letter from a volunteer at the North Mecklenberg Animal Rescue about a beautiful girl named Hope, a throwaway who survived against the odds.

She is currently being fostered at a wonderful home but needs her own permanent loving forever home.

Hope was neglected and abused until, as a 6-8 month old puppy, being thrown into a rock quarry in an attempt to drown her. Her spirit and determination allowed her to fight for an indeterminate amount of time, acquiring significant injuries to her feet and legs as she tried desperately to free herself. Somehow, she found a small ledge, where she huddled for another indeterminate amount until Fire and Rescue rock climbed and rafted her out. By this point, she was totally catatonic and responsive due to her fear.

The reason my home was chosen for foster care was because of the very special pack of rescued animals who lives here. There is a rescued fighting dog who was used as bait and subsequently lost a rear leg and underwent 3 surgeries, another dog that was abandoned twice before the age of 3 months who is now a Therapy Dog for humans and other animals, and three elderly cats who were abandoned at various stages in their life. They now work together to help other animals adjust and recover from bad situations. One of these cats keeps all arriving foster dogs company by spending the night sleeping in front of their crates, as well as by engaging in boxing matches with the dogs regardless of their size.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Sadly 12 of the 25 pit bulls that were rescued from the dog fighting ring in Buffalo, NY have been put down.

(AP) According to WHAM 13, officials at the Buffalo City Animal Shelter say they had to put 12 of the dogs down because they were extremely aggressive. Authorities say many of the dogs were covered in scars from fighting.

Out of the 13 surviving dogs 8 are puppies.  Hopefully all the others will be adopted into loving homes. Once again we see the victims paying the ultimate price for the abusers crimes.

* PIC NOT RELATED TO ARTICLE:  There was no pictures with the story so I put handsome TJ up to see if we could get him a home, he’s a very gentle and loving boy. He’s a lover, not a fighter. This cutie is being fostered in NY, check out his homepage.

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Michael Vick was given the chance to visit some of his former dogs who are housed at Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, also known as BAD RAP.  He was going to be in the Bay Area this weekend when the Philadelphia Eagles are in town to play the Oakland Raiders.

Here are the details from The Associated Press.

“We understand Vick is trying to right his wrongs and is very interested in redemption, but you can’t find redemption without acknowledging your victims,” Racer said. “Making amends to the dogs themselves would have helped to create some closure for many of us, especially those people who worked so hard to keep them from being destroyed. It seems that Vick is not ready to go there.”

The visit would have taken place at a location where Vick could view the dogs from a distance so that it satisfied the conditions of his parole that bar him from being near animals.

Despite the fact that Vick claims he is trying to ‘right his wrong’  he declined the offer.  Maybe he was afraid the dogs would recognize him.

*Ollie is available for adoption, he’s on Dogster’s Adoption & Rescue Center.

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In Houston a pit bull  that had been roaming the neighborhood broke into a home.  What happened next should help change the bully breeds’ tough reputation.

The dog  played with the Chihuahua and a Yorkshire terrier who live there. He  didn’t want to hurt anyone, he was just looking for a little fun.

Unfortunately,  the dog  did  cause a bit of a mess in the home, ripping through a bag of dog food and scattering it around, knocking things over, and leaving a little bit of himself in the dining room.

Here are the details from UPI.com. Read the rest of this entry »

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The new Supreme Court term started on Monday and there is a very interesting case to keep your eye on, United States v. Stevens.

It’s about Robert Stevens who was found guilty of violating  a statute by selling a commercial video that includes footage of dog fighting.

Here are the details of the case from The Washington Post.

United States v. Stevens

Robert J. Stevens produced videos he says were intended to show owners how to train their pit bulls to ward off predators, such as coyotes, or help in hunting expeditions involving wild boar. As part of his self-styled instructional videos, Stevens included footage — admittedly gruesome — of some of these endeavors gone terribly wrong, including one passage that showed a pit bull mauling a hog. The federal government charged Stevens with violating a statute that prohibits the sale or possession of material that depicts a live animal being maimed, tortured, injured or killed. The statute in question was passed during the Clinton administration, presumably to combat the proliferation of videos showing high-heeled women crushing small animals for the prurient enjoyment of viewers. Yet during the past decade, it has been invoked only three times in prosecutions involving those involved in some way with dog fighting.

Stevens was convicted of selling videos of dogs fighting each other and attacking other animals.  The law includes a provision stipulating that those who produce “serious” material with a journalistic or educational bent are exempt from prosecution. It is now up to the Supreme Court to decide whether the law passes constitutional muster or whether it violates the First Amendment by prohibiting speech that may be offensive but perfectly legal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Michael Vick spoke against dog fighting yesterday at a church in Washington, D.C., the appearance was sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States.

Since his release he has partnered with the HSUS to help bring national awareness about this sadistic “sport” and bring an end to it.

Here are the details from the Associated Press.

“I got caught up in the culture,” Vick told an audience at the Covenant Baptist Church, per the Associated Press. “I never thought that I would get caught.

“I used poor judgment. I had people around me who didn’t have my best interests at heart,” he said.

“Who knows what could have happened at 3 in the morning when you’re fighting dogs?” he said. “It’s almost like being involved in the streets, dealing drugs, in criminal life.”

I’ve got to tell you,  I’m not hearing a lot of remorse in his statements. Not once does he actually take credit for what he did, he blames it on others and is glad he didn’t get hurt while involved in dog fighting.

Several dozen people showed up to hear him, about half were teens or children.

* Pic courtesy McIsaac/Getty Images

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A number of  Marine and Army bases have banned pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other dogs they deemed dangerous.

By implementing this ban some dog owners are going to be forced to give up their dog or leave base housing.  Now, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island has agreed to try something new, they’re allowing animal behavior experts from the ASPCA to give temperament tests. The ban started in 2008 after several dog attacks happened on the base, one killing a 3-year-old boy.

Over 100 dogs will be tested and those who pass will get a waiver to stay on base until 2012. Here are the details from the ASPCA press release. Read the rest of this entry »

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This is one for the record books, a day care center that was also used for dog fighting.  When the center in the Chicago suburbs was raided on Tuesday children were found playing near battered and malnourished dogs, blood was splattered on the garage floor.

According to the New York Times nine battered dogs, four of them puppies, were removed by the police. During the raid 10 children were at the day care center, which is now shut down.

In the article it doesn’t state what prompted the raid. Read the rest of this entry »

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Kelly Modzelewski, check out her great tips on our Daily Dog Tip blog, went to a fundraiser last weekend filled with information from shelters and rescues and anti-fur groups, etc. At the event she saw something she had never seen before and wanted to share it with us, dog kissing booths.

Kelly told us the French Bulldog was adorable and the pit bull was such a great example of his kind – funny and friendly. And he’s a therapy dog, too.

What a cute idea, would you kiss a dog? Give me a bark.

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