Inspiration

I am so inspired after my weekend at C.D.T. Rescue's booth for Pet Expo Indy 2013. I met so many animal advocates and had the opportunity to engage in real pit bull education. I countered so many people that said "It's all in how they're raised" with, "That's not really true, because your statement assumes every person who starts off  with a puppy will have a perfect dog" and they all agreed. Some people were speechless while they considered what I said. That's humane education - an honest conversation with someone, listening to what they say and providing non-judgemental feedback.

I don't expect everyone to think dogs that are identified as pit bulls are as beautiful as I do. That's ok. I just want people to consider the dog that is in front of them, regardless of if it looks like a pit bull. The media has over-sensationalized pit bull type dogs for almost three decades! We will not overcome the sterotypes overnight. It is through the small acts of advocacy all of us pit bull lovers perform everyday; talking to the person in line at PetSmart who asks what type of dog you have because it is so well behaved, or stopping to help the stray pit bull you see that is cold and confused on the corner of 10th & Prospect at 7:45a.m. on a Tuesday morning even though that means you'll be late for work, or going to your local shelter and rescuing an older pit bull who, for whatever reason, has ended up at the city shelter during their senior years a time when even we humans yearn for  the opportunity to retire comfortably.

I took this video at Day 2 of Pet Expo. Canine Stars selected Jude to feature in their afternoon show at the Indianapolis Fair Grounds. I was so nervous, excited, proud and humbled watching Jude have the opportunity to show all of us how great of a dog she is. She was dumped by her original family in a community with breed specific legislation (BLS) and here she shows all of us to judge the deed and not the breed. Please complete an adoption application to meet Jude today!

Halloween Pet Safety

It is important to keep you pet safe every day, but Halloween presents a unique challenge since strangers arrive over and over again and in costume. Remember to keep your pet crated or contained in a separate room and follow these tips.

Awareness

In celebration of National Pit Bull Awareness day, C.D.T. joins the march in downtown Indianapolis. This vide features photos from today's march and the song, March for the Pit Bulls, recorded by Midwest Contraband about 12 hours before the march.

March for the Pit Bulls as performed by Midwest Contraband at Lizards Pub and Eatery Friday October 25, 2013. This particular performance was after midnight, synchronous with the Saturday October 26 event National Pit Bull Awareness Day. This annual event in Indianapolis is hosted by Indy Pit Crew and includes a pit bull march through downtown Indianapolis.

Education

Teaching people and children about dogs (in general) is our first step in educating the public about pit bulls. Our outreach efforts have shown us that even though people live with animals (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles) some people lack a general understanding about the animal itself. It is not willful negligence, it is a breakdown in the dissemination of information. Here are two hypothetical examples.

Take for instance a couple, married for three years who do not own any animals of their own. Maybe the wife grew up with big dogs and the husband did not have pets as a child. Then a friendly stray dog comes along. The couple takes the dog in and treats it like part of the family. In about a month the dog is put outdoors for having behaviors (accidents in the house, tearing up the furniture) that are unacceptable to the couple. Eventually the dog learns how to get out of the fenced yard and the couple resort to chaining the dog outside "for its [the dog] safety". Now did the couple have the best intentions? Yes. Did they improve the quality of that stray dog's life? No. In fact in Indianapolis it is illegal to chain a dog 24/7.

Or consider the 9 year old whose family owns a dog and a couple of outside cats. Even though the dog is indoors during the day, it is put out for bedtime or anytime the parents deem it has misbehaved. Sometimes when the child walks to school he passes some chained dogs and occasionally may glimpse a stray in the neighborhood. As this child grows into a teenager and young adult there are no drastic changes to the animals in his household or that he is exposed to. Then when the young man moves out on his own he decided to get a dog. How can we expect him to treat his animal any different (put them outside or chain them up) if he was never exposed to it. 

In both examples the people (or children) just did not know any better. They were unaware of the work it takes to raise a pet. Dogs do not instinctively know how to sit, they must be trained. Those of us in rescue or who volunteer at a shelter also know that not every dog is driven to please its 'master'. Usually that type of bond develops through obedience training. Positive obedience training allows the dog to learn what the owner deems acceptable in a non-frightening or intimidating manner. This created a bond of trust between dog and owner. In the first example, if the couple had the opportunity to talk to someone about the dogs behavior they could have received information on how to crate train and house break the pet. In the second example, if the child was exposed to animals that were treated as part of the family (lived indoors, had owners that engaged the animals in their everyday life) he may started obedience classes with his dog and with crate training the dog could have lived inside.

We live in a disposable society and with burner cell phones, bottled water and Craigslist providing the opportunity to get or give an animal for free to anyone we must work even harder to educate people that pets are not consumer commodities. If you go out and get a dog because you want one and have no idea what you are doing. Then you get tired of the dog and surrender it to the shelter there are volunteers, like us, who will try to teach that dog to trust again and rehabilitate it so that it has a second chance at a happy life. However, we cannot spend all of our time trying to fix broken dogs, because they will never stop coming in if we do not address the owners. That is why we work tirelessly to educate the public.

Founders Day

Today as I prepare for our Founders Day event at Indianapolis Animal Care & Control I can't help but reflect back on the achievements of our kennel enrichment program. Cecilia was the first dog that I 'fell in love with' at the shelter. Through our enrichment program I was able to work with her every week for three months until she was adopted. That really made Cecilia my dog, because I spent more one-on-one time with her than anyone else for three months.

I found a young, scared stray alone in the investigation kennels and this picture of her is after her first bath. I named her Cecilia because it just broke my heart that we couldn't pull her from the shelter.  That was three years ago and even though I wonder where she is now and hope she's being taken care of, I know she wouldn't be where she is today without me. A little bit of compassion goes a long way. Please consider opening your home up to a foster animal.

Check  out our gallery to see pictures from the day.