BSL, Little People and Saving America's Dog from being banned.

The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind.  As we enter winter months group classes in the park have wound down and we have been picking up more private sessions than anything.

A couple weekends ago we were at the St. Louis Pet Expo. It was my first huge expo and while it went well, events like this is a huge amount of stress for me. Seeing dog after dog in choke, prong and shock collars is rough on me. Seeing those dogs on tight leashes going nose to nose with random dogs they don't know is even more stressful.  I saw small dogs snapping at large dogs, and large dogs getting yanked and cranked on their leashes. Yes, I needed a shutdown protocol after all that.

I did get to talk to Shorty Rossi of Animal Planet's Pit Boss show though and meet a lot of people who want to remove BSL in Missouri towns.

Shorty, Hercules and me at the St. Louis Pet Expo

The next day one of the people here who had adopted a husky contacted me. They wanted to know if there way any way I could help a family in Missouri. The family lives in a town where there is a breed ban and they had been given a week to remove their dogs from the town. The dogs were rehomed and the family is doing everything possible to try and get the ban lifted. 

There is a reason BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) doesn't work. People who own pit bulls and pit mixes who use them for bad will simply just house them in a basement or where they can't be seen. Meanwhile, the families who have well behaved dogs, who have never hurt anyone or anything are ripped apart and have to rehome their family member. BSL doesn't punish bad owners, it punishes the good owners who have done nothing wrong. 

The cost to maintain BSL is very expensive. Animal Control Officers are constantly having to go on calls burning up fuel in their trucks, being paid after hours, and if they take a dog who is CLEARLY not a pit bull, then they have to fight a very expensive legal battle. Most owners, even who have done nothing wrong will simply hide the dog. Now you have a person who doesn't want to break the law breaking the law. The city now has to pay to euthanize healthy dogs. For every shot they use, every turning on of a gas chamber it costs money. Training is expensive for officers and animal control officers. 

To identify a pit bull dog is very difficult. Even people who have the breed can't agree. How is Animal Control and Police Officers supposed to identify a pit bull? What percentage of pit mix makes the dog fall under the ban law? Is every square boxy head going to be confiscated? Where does it stop? So a lab who is bulky will be banned? Most dogs are mutts and they obviously don't come with a pedigree. And DNA testing? DNA is not all that reliable. I've seen dogs who look like pit bulls and the DNA comes back that they are part Papillion. 

BSL started to stop dog bites. Responsibility stops dog bites. Education stops dog bites. Leash laws and Spay/Neuter stops dog bites. Banning an entire breed that can't even be recognized on sight does NOT stop dog bites. It's not the dogs who are dangerous, it's the person holding the leash (or in a lot of cases not holding the leash) is the danger. It starts with education and showing the public that these dogs are not demons. 

Talk to your councilmen. Show them your well behaved dogs. Talk to your community. Get out there and educate people! Bring in trainers who can show what fun a well trained pit bull can be. Teach your dog manners so when out in public the dog isn't a hot mess. And NEVER EVER bring a dog to a rally or an event who has the potential to be a headline in the making. I KNOW they can be good dogs! I see it ever day with clients, shelter dogs, and friend's dogs. 

Now, if you would like to see the dogs from Florissant, MO that have been removed from the city you can go HERE. And I caution you about EVER taking a banned dog into a city that has a breed ban. When I was trying to save two dogs in my breed neutral town here in Illinois, the Animal Control Administrator said to my client "If it was any other breed, we wouldn't be having this talk". Those two dogs are dead. 

Now, for fun....go to Pick The Pit and play the game. I got it right on the first try, but as the statistics state, the average is 9 tries to get it right! Leave a comment here on the blog and let us know how many tries it took you! 

Wedding bells and 18 hours in a car

So, a week ago Kayla and I packed our bags and headed to the land of Cleve. Otherwise known as Cleveland, Ohio. Also known as place I used to spend my misspent youth. Cleveland houses Pit Bull Zen and we were given a chance to take some classes, spend time with friends and their dogs and get some much needed vacation time in. So we drove 9 hours to my parents and crashed for a couple hours before heading into town to walk with the Pit Bull Zen.

Zen walks are always magical for me. I see dogs who are normally scared or shy transform and walk along proudly or in my case calmly with the people and dogs. The last time I walked my own dog, Greyson, it started off a little rocky (he paw slapped a blind dog in the face) and then walked next to the same dog with no problems. There's a reason walks are a "no leash greetings" zone.

This walk was magical for me for another reason though. Her name is Polly. I know her foster mom through Facebook. Hope has done amazing things with Polly and while Polly still has a ways to go, they took a chance and came to the walk. Now, Polly has never met me. She is still very nervous around new people but this was the end result of our meeting.

 Yep, that is a Polly on a leash with me holding it and the leash is loose. When we would start getting too close to the other dogs she would shy away and start to move in the other direction. I would stop, let her sniff and happily say "Let's go!" and off we would go again. She only started eating my treats at the end when we were all wore out and sitting in the grass. 

And here we are sitting in the grass! And look, there is another dog, Inara, within feet from us and Polly is too tired to care. (That and the turkey sausage that I lured her with.) So yes, the Pit Bull Zen walks are magical. And, you can read Polly's journey by visiting her mom's blog! 

So, in two days we saw dogs, worked with dogs, learned from Laurie Schlossnagle with Side By Side Dog Training, did some PBZ accounting, Kayla got to attend CLASS with Calvin (who wilted like the delicate flower he is from the heat), and saw two new PhD's for CLASS earned. Oh, and we drove 18 hours in there somewhere. Was a whirlwind weekend. Lots was learned, lots was done, and the best part of the weekend for me was meeting this guy...

BonZai!! Bonzai was one of the "27" who were taken into custody when they were found in Collin Rand's home in December of 2011. He was adopted by my friend Sandy Smith and while she fostered him for Pitty Love Rescue, Sandy fell in love and became a foster failure. I can't blame her after meeting him. He climbed right into my lap and licked me and licked me. I didn't mind one bit. When I went to thank Sandy for loving him I started to tear up. Watching his progress from a far has been amazing. He has made leaps and bounds. Sandy has used Positive Reinforcement with him and Bonzai had no problem welcoming Kayla and I into his home and showing us love while we loved on him. Again, thank you Sandy for loving him! And thank you Cleveland Police Department for acting on a tip! 

Well, the weekend was over and we came home safe and sound. While we were in Cleveland though Kayla decided that it was finally time to get married to her fiance of quite a while. Kayla's pit mix, Cupcake, was one of the first reactive dogs other than Greyson I worked with. I still remember meeting them in the park and we were just going to walk our dogs and see how it went. I couldn't get within eyesight of Cupcake without the lunging and barking happening. In the past year I've watched an amazing transformation happen. 

Through positive reinforcement and BAT, we were able to have Cupcake at Kayla's wedding. A dog who in the past was so human reactive you would think she was trying to eat your face off was able to flip on her back and ask for belly rubs from the guests. Her trigger which has always been males, no problem! Teenagers who normally terrifies her, no problem! Kayla has busted her butt working with Cupcake and following every crazy idea I've thrown at her and this is the result...

In the middle of the park, surrounded by strangers and things that have always been her triggers, she was calm and she was excellent. (I'm sure Kayla would appreciate if I mentioned the black lab, Sasha, has always suffered from Mange and skin allergies. She has been having a flare up and she looks 100 times better than she had in the past.)

I have to say I'm highly impressed with Kayla's drive to succeed with not just her own dogs. Kayla also finds feral kittens and brings them home, socializes them, gets them spayed and neutered and then finds them wonderful and amazing homes. It was suggested on my Facebook page that this was a wedding for a dog and a cat. Nope, Kayla just happens to give her heart to every animal she helps. While I can't bring another animal in my home because of Greyson's reactivity Kayla makes up for that by seeking out the feral strays in her area. AND she starts classes shortly with Dognostics for Professional Dog Training. Kudos to you Kayla and ignore the people who just want to rain on your parade. 

In closing I leave you a picture of Greyson. Greyson doesn't play well with most people but this picture means a lot to me. A reactive dog taking his toy to a child to ask for play. This is a first for Greyson. And while I am proud, I am still vigilant as any parent should be with a dog and a child.

Do or Do Not, There is no Try

Goals...do you make them with your dog in mind? I remember one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was "Go home, make a list of what you want to be able to do with your dog. Make an entire list. They can be anything short term, long term, what you want to do tomorrow with him or a year from now. Write them all down." I did just that. The list was rather short. 

• Pass Obedience 101.
• Be able to go in the car without being puked on.
• Be able to walk in the park.

I went back to class and showed them to the trainer. She giggled and told me to please take the lesson seriously. I thought I had. I made goals. I did what she asked. Well, okay so I didn't put a lot of thought into it. I looked at Greyson as being defective and that was how I was writing the goal list. Shame on me. Shame on me for not believing he was capable of more than just walking in a park. 

“[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.”

Have faith in yourself, in your dog and really reach for the stars. If I wrote that list today, over a year later, I'm pretty sure it would be a totally different list. In fact I know it would be. It would probably be a page and a half long. And now I know that Grey is capable of some very amazing things. 

See, it's all about putting what your dog is capable into perspective. By looking at short term goals and long term goals you have solid points you can cross off. They can be as simple as my "Be able to walk in the park" or as wild as "Gain a title as a champion trick dog". What I'm saying most though is, don't cut your dog short. Your dog is only limited by what you are capable of teaching him or her. Nowhere does it say you have to leave your house to gain a trick dog title. Nope, you can do that right from your living room! And if you think I'm kidding, I can explain further on how. 

The biggest lesson I learned though was to not cut Greyson short just by thinking he wasn't capable of things. I still remember how on a Pit Bull Zen Pack Walk I almost cried. Here we were, surrounded by dogs and other owners and Grey was just cruising along. Right next to other dogs and not a problem! People passing him on bikes, roller blades, people with their dogs and no problem! He did get tangled in his leash once and face planted but that was MY fault and not his. Here was my crazy, reactive dog and he was just being a dog, enjoying a great walk and was so exhausted afterwards he slept the entire way back to my parent's house. I was one proud mom! Granted he did introduce himself to another dog by slamming his paws into their face (AND that dog was blind) but the other dog just took it in stride and even spent a good amount of time walking with Greyson. He made me one proud Mommy ..and probably people thought I was crazy cause normally he just is a hot ball of mess with new people.

So, in short, make goals. Make them anything you want to. They don't have to be done in the next week, month or even a year from now. Now, take that list, and pin it to the fridge. You will be amazed at how quickly you start checking off those goals. Just keep at it. Keep working with your dog and see how many you can check off the list. 

And, while we're at it, here is some of the stuff on our list. :) 

Pass Obedience 101.
Be able to go in the car without being puked on.
Be able to walk in the park.
Go on a play date 
Learn focus protocol
Go an entire week without climbing into bed before morning.
Be able to complete day 15 of relaxation protocol in public.
Use focus protocol in public when necessary.
Learn 5 new tricks.
Learn 10 new tricks.
Pass CGC test.
Be left alone for 4 hours without dragging out my pajama pants.
Attend a party.
Attend a BBQ outside.
Attend a training clinic.

You get the idea...it's about making lists and then every chance you get to cross one off do it! Now, go make a list of goals and be as wild as you want to be! You never know what you'll be able to accomplish! 

Accidently reinforcing bad behaviors

A lot of times I see people trying to calm a dog who is clearly stressing by petting and loving on a dog. This has even happened in my own house. Dog barks, you acknowledge the dog and let him in; dog jumps when you walk in the door, you pet him and say, "Oh! You've missed me"; or, a dog growls when scared and you reach down placing your hand on his head muttering that the dog is okay. So, let's break it down and look at what you're doing when you do those things.

By petting or trying to reassure Fido when he's doing something bad, you are feeding him the attention he wants. You're showing him, "Okay, nip at me so I pet you." Or, "Okay, jump all over the place when someone walks in the door".

So what do we do instead?  I always ask for a sit. Some dogs are not comfortable sitting, so go with your dogs most comfortable position. When I walk in the door, I ask "Sit" and until I receive a solid sit, I turn away and ignore. I even avoid eye contact as some dogs can be intimidated if you stare at them and even watching them is contact at the basest form. So, I turn away and face my door. I watch carefully up in the reflection of the glass. Once Fido sits and has calmed, then I acknowledge him. If he starts to get up and move again to jump around, I turn away again.

Now, say I'm having company over? I start off by filling a Kong with a mix of what I call half and half of love. It's Greyson's favorite Kong treat. It's half peanut butter and half ground pure pumpkin. Grey loves it. So, I give him a fully filled Kong right before the first guest walks in. Now here's the hard part. Everyone who walks in my house has already been given instructions. It's the no contact rule. If you can't ignore the dog until he calms, well I probably won't have you over again.
Reinforcing proper behavior isn't as easy as it sounds. A lot of times it may feel like a battle of wills, but between management and ignoring and moving away until you can reinforce the good behavior, you'll be setting your dog up for success and not trying to correct failing behavior.

The picture is Greyson waiting calmly while we have company over.

Can't Save Them All

October is a hard month for me. It's the anniversary of putting down a dog who I was fighting to save. She was deemed "unable to-be rehabilitated " even though the vet gave her a 50/50 chance to survive. I wasn't willing to give up, but my opinion was ignored as I didn't have enough experience to mean anything to the courts.

Ever since then I've been on a mission to save the dogs no one thinks can be saved. I learned to assess behavior and read dogs signals. I've spent countless hours studying and sometimes it feels for naught.

I get a lot of phone calls and messages about dogs in need. I try to help as much as I can. I try to find rescues to help when I can or try to find qualified homes if possible. I network like a mad woman and drive my family crazy at times. In the end, I am just one woman trying to make a difference in a dog's life.

A lot of the dogs are well adapted creatures who through no fault of their own come into my world. Some have some baggage and some have behavior issues that need to be dealt with. Rarely is a dog perfect, but even rarer is there a dog who doesn't see me for being peace and light in their world.

I go armed with treats, hot dogs and peanut butter. I know how to approach a dog who is terrified and most times they end up in my lap. When I get a sigh of relief I know my job is done well.

The day I got a frantic phone call from an owner telling me she had just surrendered her pit bull and the dog bit the animal control officer is never how I want to start my day. But, I deal as I can and take the punches as they come.

When a dog bites a human there is a list of things that have to happen. If the dog is a stray, it never ends well. If the dog is owned and got loose and it happened it's a better situation, but still not good. When the dog is an owner surrender and then bites a human you can normally put it in the first category. I'm the person who goes in and deems the dog viscous or not. I have to then remove the dog from the county and should it bite again, it's done per the county.

I went in, asked to assess the pit bull and was told no. I asked how the officer was bit, how bad it was and if there was a bite report made. The officer's boot was scraped while the dog was on a pole. Red flags start going off in my head, but have to stay calm and try to not start screaming at people. After all, these are my access to continue doing what I do.

After a lot of arguing it was agreed I could perform an assessment. My first surprise was the little girl was NOT a pit bull. Sadie was a bull terrier and She was terrified out of her mind. I gave her my back and just sat there. She wouldn't budge. We had a locked (all dogs deemed human aggressive have to have a padlocked kennel door) door between us and I took out the spoon and peanut butter. Nothing. As long as I held it, She refused to look anywhere near me and just shook staring at a wall. I tried hot dogs. I slid them under the door to her and nothing. I turn away and give her my back and she started nibbling. We did this for a while. Slowly I was shifting my weight to have my side to her nose. She was now eating carefully out of my hand. My fingers were within her reach and she never tried to hurt me. I ended up facing her and feeding her the final two hot dogs. She was still shaking but she was now leaning again the door to me and letting me stroke her head.

I left to go talk to a rescue to see I could pull her, put her in a single dog home with no children or animals. I had a place she could go and I could rehab her. I got the papers drawn up which would give me legal ownership of her and started the wheels moving.

It takes a lot of paperwork and juggling when it's a dog who has a bite history. By this time animal control called the rescue and tried to talk then out of it. I was ticked at this point. Her bite history was over a scuffed boot! There was no bite record on file at the hospital. I felt she was being targeted unfairly and I wasn't going to take it lying down.

Sadly, I had to wait to pull her until the next day. I was ready though and took help because I knew I was going to have to crate her to remove her. She was too scared by all the barking and being left on her own. I was NOT prepared for what greeted me though in her kennel.

In less than 18 hours she turned into a lunging, growling, biting mess. I couldn't shift my weight off from giving her my back without her lunging at the door at me. I removed her padlock from her door and she jumped and lunged at my hand. No dog had ever truly made me nervous and a little scared until now. To say the pressure was on was an understatement. I went outside to get some air and walk off the stress. I had my helper call the original owner and talk to her. She showed up and Sadie was a different dog. She was loving and licking. She let me pet her and unlock her door. We had hot dogs and she was enjoying herself. She moved back and Sadie lunged for me. It only takes once. And when it happens with an audience the situation goes from bad to really damn ugly.

Sadie without the security blanket of her original owner was dangerous. She had to go to a different home from this owner because they had a strict no pet rule. From that time she got passed around from home to home until She was relinquished to the pound. That week of her world shifting over and over was all it took. Sadie decided that She couldn't trust and She lashed out at me who was her last hope.

I know the situation could have been handlesd better. Things could have been done differently, but I was left with the final word.

So October sucks because I lost my Melanie. I wear her collar in memory of her. November really sucked because I couldn't save Sadie. I have her collar I bought her that morning. I'd like to think that there will only be two collars I wear in memory of dog's I couldn't save.

In the meantime I keep repeating the words "You can't save them all" to myself as I try to heal from this. I know in good conscience I can't unleash a dog on a family I can't trust. I take what I do seriously and if I feel I can't turn my back on a dog because they make me nervous that they will bite me or someone else then I have to step away.