A pit bull champion at the DVG Nationals!

We were so incredibly excited to see that Ron Marshall of southern Maryland and his American pit bull terrier, Marshall's RCA (aka Whitehead), took top honors in the SCH II competition at this year's DVG Nationals schutzhund competition. Check out the results for yourself here.

This is the first time an APBT has been on the podium at this event, so this is big news not just for Ron and Whitehead but for the breed as a whole. This sport is dominated by herding breeds, German shepherds in particular (the breed for which the sport was created). So you often find yourself fighting an uphill battle when you're out there competing with an "alternative" breed dog--It can be tough to find trainers and judges who'll take you seriously if you're handling a pit bull in particular.

Hopefully Ron's accomplishment will make an impression on people who don't think pit bulls can do the work--great job, Ron!

Oscar says "het is over tijd"*!

(he already knows English and a little Scottish Gaelic - he's willing to learn Dutch for a good cause!)

Banning breeds doesn't reduce bites!



(*he says that's Dutch for "It's about time!")

Oscar got a kitten!

And the kitten got his bed!

Another pit bull conference--love it!

I'm loving the recent trend I've been seeing of pit bull groups putting on awareness conferences to talk about our dogs and their place in the world today. I just read about an intriguing looking one going on in Portland, Maine on June 14 called Judging the Innocent.

Among the topics to be discussed are: breed history, dog behavior, facts and fallacies about fatal dog attacks, dangerous dog laws, why breed bans don't work, and solutions to the "pit bull dilemma."

At $65 per person including lunch, sounds like a bargain to me. If you're reading this from Portland, Maine, go check it out and let us know how you liked it!

Change CAN happen!

Check out this post on Bad Rap's blog. It's about how the organization and community's concerted efforts to promote owner education, spay/neuter programs, free training classes, and shelter-dog adoptions has actually made a dent in the number of pit bulls showing up in the Berkeley Animal Care Services Shelter.

Amazing. We can only hope that someday B-More Dog can post a similar story on our blog.

Good work, Bad Rap, what an inspiring effort!

Pit Bull Conference on Long Island

Found this story in New York Newsday about a conference held on Long Island to discuss changing the pit bull's bad image. Wish the story was a bit more in depth about what, exactly, these folks are doing. But at least it's good press!

Dog Bite Prevention Week

Man, time flies--May is already here, which means it's almost time to start thinking about National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which is May 18-24.

The effort, which happens every third week in May, is designed to reduce the number of dog bites that happen in the United States--according to the Humane Society of the United States, 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year, ranging from nips to serious bites. A lot of those bites, of course, happen to children.

If you want to order a dog-bite prevention kit in honor of National Dog Bite Prevention Week, we hear the HSUS has a good one aimed at elementary-school aged kids called BARK (short for Be Aware, Responsible, and Kind), and you can get it online at the HSUS Youth web site. It's got worksheets, coloring books, a video, and a board game.