A lot of times I sport a shirt that shows a large image of a yin yang symbol and says "Pit Bull Zen". This is my opening to a lot of people who normally wouldn't talk to me about dogs. After all, what would a crazy jewelry artist know about dogs, right? Most people would be surprised, let me tell ya.
Tonight I decided that I needed to honor Levi so I wore my Remember Levi shirt and in my own way I honored his existence by taking him to Chatham Sweet Corn Festival in Chatham, IL with me in the form of a T-shirt. To me this was a way to honor his memory and open the discussion to talk about something I fight against every day...dog fighting. Here in Central Illinois dog fighting is a true and very real problem. Being in a state that has no breed ban against pit bulls it has attracted a very large population to fight these dogs that I treasure. The evenings are numerous of how many times I've sat in the town I first moved to here in Illinois and hold dogs who are covered in scars and honestly I've taken on a few of those scars myself, mentally.
I had a teenage boy who was willing to throw a punch at me because of my shirt and because he misread it and thought I was promoting dog fighting. Then there was a lady who did the whole "That doesn't happen in my community" that I had to show her pictures on my phone of a very real little girl who was too battered to live because she had been too docile to fight so she became a bait dog to a cruel individual. Yes it happens in a lot of communities and yes it is a growing epidemic. How can I help against dog fighting? Simple, by sharing my journey and telling the stories of the dogs who have come across my path.
As the day wore on I met a woman who had a pit bull. She loves her dog and she is not someone you would think of as a pit bull owner. And then she started talking about training. You could tell by the way she spoke of her dog so lovingly that he was her world and she loved him to pieces, so I was baffled when she said the magic words. "Training collar" I know what most people refer to as a training collar. I refer to them as an archaic and barbaric torture device. I thought maybe she had a different collar in mind so I asked the million dollar question, "Uh, so are you referring to a prong collar?" She was and my heart broke. I will never understand how someone who claims they love their dog would cause their dog pain. I know, I know, if used correctly it is a wonderful training device...or so I keep hearing suddenly from people. Know what I see when I pick up the prong collar that lays on my mantle? A dog who will within seconds begin to shake and start to shut down. Yep, I used to use a prong collar. And, yes, Greyson would do everything precisely when wearing it.
And I was shown the correct way to use a prong collar. I was shown by someone who is certified in dog training to use this device. We spent tons of time using the prong collar and every time I put it on Greyson, he was the perfect angel. And why wouldn't he be, he was dealt a pinch in the neck every time he did something wrong, like pull on the lead. There's a problem with this though. A dog who learns that he is dealt pain every time something wrong is done will stop doing those things, but they will also stop signalling since when he would signal that he was going to do something was when the pinch would happen. So what was I teaching Greyson? Simple, do not show me when you are about to do something that you think I don't want you to do since that is when the pain would happen. Wonderful, what a way to create a dog who won't signal at all since signals is how dogs tell each other and humans what they are feeling.
It's extremely dangerous to teach a dog that showing teeth is wrong. Or growling! So if they go to bite, you will get zero signal and said dog will JUST bite.
So anyway, back to the woman and her training collar. I really felt bad for her dog after talking with her. She had zero idea what she is doing to her dog. She has been counselled that this is the only way to control her dog. When I tried to explain what I just explained to anyone reading her reaction was mind boggling. "I even had a K-9 Unit trainer show me how to give a swift correction with the leash so I don't have to worry about any disobedience." This was where I almost screamed "Oh for dog's sake, are you daft?!?" A K-9 unit is trained in a completely different way than a companion animal. WHY would anyone take advice from them for their own personal dog? I should have known when she told me she felt a strong responsibility to this breed by showing complete control over him at all times that this conversation was going to not sit well with me. I tried to offer to show her a martingale collar (I carry some in my purse for this reason) but she was not hearing any of it. She has been told by more trainers how wonderful these collars are so obviously my experience was invalid to her.
It's sad when someone loves their dog so much and doesn't see what they are doing to harm them. I feel horrible for that dog and I can only hope that he never does anything to get himself in major trouble. And for the owner, well I hope someday she takes off the blinders and stops believing everything people tell her. Also, please burn your retractable leash! Those things are a walking disaster and shouldn't be sold for anything over 10 pounds.
And, to the owners of the Australian Shepherd who lavished me with kisses, thank you for sharing Maggie's story with me! Thank you for loving a dog who had parvo, is scared of people, and is dog aggressive but yet you work non-stop with her to make her an amazing little girl! It's people like you that I love and adore!
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