A Danish Man Has Committed Suicide After His Dog Was Seized by the Authorities and Euthanized

A Danish man has committed suicide after his dog was seized by the authorities and euthanized in compliance with the country’s Pit Bull legislation.

Under Denmark’s law, the dog’s owner, Dan, was given eight days to prove that his canine, Zanto, was not one of the country’s prohibited breeds.

When Dan, whose last name has not been released, could not prove that Zanto was a prohibited breed, the dog was confiscated and put down. Unable to cope with his dog’s death, Dan, 27, reportedly took an overdose of pain medication and died.

Denmark’s breed-specific legislation, titled the “Dog Act”, requires police to seize and euthanize dogs that “savage” a human person or another dog.

The Dog Act makes illegal the ownership and breeding of 13 breeds of canines, including the Pit Bull terrier, the Kangal, the South Russian Shepherd Dog, the Dogo Argentino, Boerboel and the American Bulldog.

The legislation does not take into account the behavior of any individual dog who falls into one of the prohibited breed categories. The legislation passed in 2010 raised the number of banned breeds to 13.

On April 19, the Facebook page Foreningen Fair Dog Fan side, wrote:

"Zanto (the dog) was ripped out of Dan’s arms, (Zanto’s owner) because he looked like one of the now banned dog breeds, or mixture of both.

Zanto had nothing done, he is a good, devoted and happy dog and has never done a fly mischief. The owner had 8 days to prove Zanto’s creator, but we all know that it is not a possible task.

Dan was given eight days to prove that his canine, Zanto, was not one of the country’s prohibited breeds, but was unable to do so.

There have been many attempts to change Denmark’s breed-specific dog laws, including a Change.org petition, none of which has succeeded".

The Animal Law Coalition has cited studies according to which breed-specific legislation and bans have not reduced the number of dog bites in the country. The organization has had this to say about the breed-specific laws Denmark continues to enforce:

Denmark is moving in the opposite direction from other European Union countries that have discovered breed discrimination does not work to prevent or reduce dog bite incidents.

Yet, Denmark’s Dog Act was upheld in 2014.

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Pit Bull Saves Domestic Abuse Victim: Michigan Town Lifts Pit Bull Ban

Isis is a Pit Bull. She’s also a hero, having saved Jamie Kraczkowski, her owner,from her drunk, abusive boyfriend.

Said Kraczkowski about the incident:

“Finally, when my head got hit against the wall [by my boyfriend], [Isis] just grabbed his pant leg and she was done. She was done with him abusing me – and abusing her.”

But when the police arrived on the scene to help Kraczkowski, they told her she had a mere five days to get rid of her dog, her baby, her hero Pit Bull, because Hazel Park (the Michigan town where she lives) had banned Pit Bulls in 2013.

Kraczkowski continued:

“Thank God they’re allowing me to do home quarantine now. But, you know, it’s been pretty traumatizing for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen with my dog. I definitely don’t feel safe without her.”

That was two months ago. In the time since, there’s been a pretty massive uproar from people in the Hazel Park community and across the country in support of Jamie Kraczkowski and Isis. It turns out that people aren’t too keen on dogs – especially hero dogs – being punished just for looking a certain way.

At last Wednesday’s city council meeting, many of those supportive Hazel Park citizens stood up in defense of Isis and Pit Bulls in general.

Suzanna Rondeau was one such person. She spoke to FOX 2 after the meeting:

“When I heard there was a ban on Pit Bulls [in Hazel Park], I was pretty upset. I have Pit Bulls. So I basically couldn’t live in Hazel Park with my dogs.”

Also at the meeting was Magan Bouchard, who said:

“I’ve got a niece and they have a Pit Bull and live up north and the dog protects the baby.”

The incredible support was enough to convince the City Council to lift the ban on Pit Bulls altogether, though City Manager Edward Klobucher did come out to defend the original decision:

“We can’t ban stupid owners, so we looked to try to address what was a serious public health situation when we had 40-something bites by Pit Bulls in the past few years.”

(It’s worth noting that studies have shown that visual identification of Pit Bulls is notoriously unreliable. Studies have also shown that, in places that have banned Pit Bulls – like Council Bluffs, Iowa – dog bites didn’t really decrease overall, and significantly increased among other breeds, like Labs and Boxers.)

While Pit Bulls are indeed once again allowed to live in Hazel Park, there are limitations – Pit Bulls have to be licensed, they have to be spayed/neutered, they have to have shots, they have to go through behavioral assessment to determine whether or not they’re dangerous, they have to have insurance, and owners have to have a fence.

It’s not a perfect situation for Pit Bull owners, but it’s certainly better than the alternative – having their dogs put to death for their appearance.

Though the fight against Breed Specific Legislation is ongoing, there’s no doubt that laws against Pit Bulls are softening in the United States. Moreaville, Louisiana tried to ban Pit Bulls back in November of 2014, but a public outcry (thanks to a girl named O’Hara Owens and her Pit Bull Zeus) got the ban overturned. Furthermore, more and more states are outright prohibiting BSL, like New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

It’s the sort of trend that might make stories like this one a whole lot more common, due in no small part to bonafide hero dogs like Isis.

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These Pit Bull Owners Have Something to Say

These pit bull owners have something to say: stop stereotyping us and stop stereotyping our dogs. A new video released by Animal Farm Foundation shows the real truth about pitties and their families — that they're just like any other beloved pet.

The video is part of "The Majority Project," an Animal Farm Foundation campaign showcasing pit bull-loving families who are tired of hearing negative stereotypes about the breed ... and the types of people who have pitties.

To read more on this story, click here: These Pit Bull Owners HaveSomething to Say

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Ohio Won’t Label Pit Bulls ‘Vicious,’ But Bexley Still Can

Bexley officials are not likely to welcome pit bulls into their community, despite passage of legislation yesterday to end labeling of the dogs as “vicious” animals under Ohio law.

Ohio is the only state with a law labeling a specific breed of animal as vicious. But the state’s shift from that will not affect local ordinances regarding pit bulls or any other breed of dog.

“Any city that is a charter city does not have to follow the state law and can continue to have their own ordinance,” said Lou Chodosh, Bexley city attorney.

“I will be very surprised if Bexley changes its pit-bull law.”

Bexley bans the breed.

“I think I can speak for the (police) chief,” Chodosh said, “that he feels very strongly that these dogs are dangerous.”

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Barbara Sears, R-Toledo, agreed that the change in the state law does not compel Bexley or any other community to change ordinances restricting pit bulls. A handful of other communities in Franklin County have laws about “vicious” dogs but do not specify a breed.

For instance, Columbus bans owners from allowing their animals to run at large off their property. Violators face misdemeanor charges and up to 60 days in jail, or up to 180 days if their pet bites someone, said Bill Hedrick, chief of staff in the Columbus city attorney’s office.

The state’s change, he said, “doesn’t prohibit us from dealing with dogs which are problematic."

Yesterday, the House voted 67-30 to agree with Senate changes to House Bill 14 and send the legislation to Gov. John Kasich for his signature.

Supporters say that Ohio’s 25-year-old law labeling pit bulls as vicious discriminates against a specific breed of dog and has required dog owners to carry expensive liability insurance for their pets regardless of their behavior.

“Breed-specific laws imply that pit bulls, by their very nature, are vicious and are the only types of dogs that can attack without provocation, but this is simply not the case,” Sears said.

The legislation allows dogs showing behavioral problems to be designated in one of three categories: a nuisance, dangerous or vicious.

A “nuisance” dog is one that has chased or attempted to bite a person while off its premises. A “ dangerous” dog has caused injury to a person, or killed another dog, without provocation. A “ vicious” dog has killed or seriously injured a person without provocation.

Owners of dogs placed in one of the three classifications would face penalties ranging from fines to felony charges.

The legislation also sets requirements for how dogs under each classification should be restrained, such as keeping the pet in a locked pen, and also bans felons from owning a dog deemed to be “dangerous” for three years after their release from prison.

Sears said the legislation had a 10-year ban, but it was reduced at Kasich’s request.

“Breed-specific legislation is not a viable solution to dog attacks, and such language does not solve the underlying issue of irresponsible ownership,” said Rep. Matt Szollosi, D-Oregon.

“Such laws are unfair to responsible owners.”

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Newark Might Delay Pit-Bull Vote

NEWARK, Ohio — Pit-bull owners and their supporters have filled the city council chambers for weeks, turning each committee meeting and council gathering into a passionate appeal for equality.

Currently, Newark’s law deems nearly all pit bulls as vicious, requiring their owners to take precautions that owners of other breeds don’t need to heed, such as registration, additional insurance coverage and confinement regulations.

A proposal before the council would eliminate that breed-specific designation. Supporters argue that current law punishes good pit bulls for the actions of the bad, and only dogs that act viciously should be deemed vicious. The catch phrase of those supporting the proposal is “punish the deed, not the breed.”

The council is slated to vote on the issue Tuesday, though council members acknowledged last week that the vote might be postponed.

Councilman Jeremy Blake, who appears to be the only Democrat supporting the proposal, will be in Thailand at a friend’s wedding and can’t attend Tuesday’s council meeting.

The proposal’s sponsor, 3rd Ward Councilman Jeff Rath, tried to delay the vote at the last council meeting. “Because of the outpouring of support that we have for this issue, I felt that it was necessary to have a vote from full council,” he said.

But in the first indication that things weren’t going well for those hoping to eliminate Newark’s breed-specific regulation, Rath’s attempt was thwarted in a 6-4 vote. In the two weeks since then, however, it appears that some of the city’s 10 council members might be second-guessing their decisions.

“I’d hate to leave Jeremy out of what is an important vote,” said the council’s majority leader, Democrat Carol Floyd.

The reconsideration, however, should not be mistaken for a change of heart on the issue itself. Interviews with council members seem to indicate that the proposal could fail by the same 6-4 vote.

The supporters, however, remain optimistic. Swinging one vote from “nay” to “aye” would force Republican council President Don Ellington to break the tie.

“I think he’ll help us,” said Niki Arter, one of the leading proponents of overturning the law. “ He was the first one to pat the pit bulls” when a number of pit-bull owners brought their dogs to City Hall.

Rath has focused on changing the city’s dog laws since he became a councilman five years ago. About 2002, his son, Jason, was bitten in the face by a Labrador retriever, requiring stitches. Thirty days later, the same dog attacked a 5-year-old boy at a Newark Catholic football game, resulting in an injury requiring nearly 200 stitches to reattach the boy’s ear. The owner was never charged, said Rath, and “that dog died of old age.”

“I want to make it incredibly difficult for a vicious dog to live in the city of Newark, and I want to make it incredibly painful for the irresponsible owner of a vicious dog in the city of Newark,” he said.

The current proposal does neither, he concedes. He said he plans to offer changes soon to strengthen Newark’s dog law. He got behind this issue first, he said, because the citizens demanded it.

“We had a council meeting, and 30 or 40 people showed up asking us to overturn our breed-specific legislation. The council president assigned the task to the safety committee, and 50 or 60 people attended that and had a civil discussion of the issue for more than two hours,” he said. Opponents say Newark just tweaked its vicious-dog law barely a year ago to give good pit bulls an out. A clause was added that said pit bulls that pass the American Kennel Club’s “Canine Good Citizen” test each year will not be deemed vicious and owners will be absolved of meeting the city’s additional requirements for vicious breeds.

Of the 118 pit bulls registered in Newark, only three have passed the good-citizen test since the law was approved in December 2013.

Floyd thinks pit-bull owners should take their cause to the citizens.

“If this does not pass, the people who believe in the issue should take out a petition from the board of elections and collect the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot,” she said. “I understand that the vicious-dog law affects their dog, but it affects everybody in the community as well.”

State lawmakers overturned breed-specific language in Ohio law in 2012, though the state’s home rule allows municipalities to adopt their own laws.

Bexley and Reynoldsburg have banned the ownership of pit bulls, while Dublin, Canal Winchester, New Albany and Upper Arlington classify pit bulls as vicious, with restrictions. Columbus, Gahanna, Grove City, Hilliard, Pickerington, Westerville, Whitehall, Worthington and some other cities are breed-neutral.

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Why Stop at Pit Bulls? Miami-Dade Must Ban Yorkies

Miami-Dade County has banned residents from owning pit bulls for more than 25 years, and voters reaffirmed the ban in 2012 with an overwhelming 63 percent vote. Despite controversy surrounding the law, politicians and citizens alike have time and time again shown that Miami is comfortable with breed-specific legalization regarding dogs.


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Pit Bull Vote Aims to Settle Disputes Over Breeds

Englewood, Colo. (AP) — Sharee Talbot wants her dog back. For now, though, she has to drive out of town to visit Buddy because the two-year-old pit bull isn't allowed in her hometown of Aurora.

"Look at him. He's funny. He's goofy," Talbot said on a recent visit with Buddy and his foster family at an Englewood dog park. Talbot had to give up Buddy last year after an Aurora animal control officer seized him for violating city's ban on pit bulls.


To read more on this story, click here: Pit Bull Vote Aims to Settle Disputes Over Breeds

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These Lovable Look -Alike Creatures Of Your Pet Also Help Rescue Animals

What devoted pet owner wouldn't want a plush replica of their real-life furry friend? Just don't let the little critters get their paws on one of these "sock dogs" as they're not chew toys.

"Sock dogs are for people only and are collectible art," says artist Stacey Hsu, who makes the animals out of new socks, buttons, faux fur and other materials.

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The History Behind the American Pit Bull

October is Pit Bull Awareness month.

Although good Pit Bull owners practice awareness and education about the Pit Bull Breed all year long, it is our hope that during this month, all non Pit Bull owners will pay closer attention to the truths about one of the most misunderstood dog breeds in American history.

Listen, learn, and grow your knowledge, so that you will be better informed and spread the truth instead of rumors that are so detrimental to the Pit Bull breed in society today.

Are Pit Bulls a true breed of their own?

Many dog fanciers argue the question of Pit Bulls being a breed all their own or whether the term Pit Bull encompasses several breeds that have characteristics of a square head and bulky body.

According to Wikipedia, “The term Pit Bull is often used as a generic term used to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics.” And they go on to name a dozen or so breeds that can be considered a Pit Bull including and mix thereof.

But is this true, or does the Pit Bull have a history and breed status of its very own?

Where do Pit Bulls come from?

Historical information indicates that the Pit Bull began its original development in Roman times.

The muscular dogs of the Greek Molossi tribes were used in warfare, guarding villages, and subduing large prey. These Molossian dogs, called Molossus, were fierce and known for their ability to intimidate enemies in neighboring tribes. This breed is believed to be the ancestors of modern day Mastiffs and is now extinct.

During war times the Romans discovered the Molossus noting their strong build and extreme drive. They began exporting the breed back to the Roman Empire to use as war dogs, guard dogs, and to satisfy their countryman’s appetite for entertainment in the Roman colosseum.

While in Rome the prized Molossus was bred with indigenous dogs and over time a distinctive breed began to form. As the Romans traveled and fought wars the breed was spread throughout Europe.

By the 1700’s two breeds had emerged and those became known as the Blue Poll from Scotland and the Alunt from Ireland. Both breeds were commonly referred to as Bulldogs. These dogs were used for a variety of purposes, including bull baiting, as they had been used by the Romans in earlier times.

Later, Bulldogs were bred with New England Terriers to develop attributes in the breed most desired by their owners. Two Terrier types most common for this breeding were the Black and Tan Terrier and the White Terrier of England. The White Terrier is now extinct.

The common belief that this sort of breeding between Bulldogs and Terriers began in Staffordshire England and the origins of the Bulldog gives way to the name Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These dogs were bred for herding and working, with the intelligence of a terrier, the tenacity of a Bulldog, and the strength of the Molossus.

By the early 1800’s a breed had been developed that resembles the American Pit Bull of modern times. It was during this time that the bull baiting began to die down and in 1835 the sport was officially banned. Pit Bulls were put to their original and more useful purpose as herding and working dogs.

The Pit Bull made its entrance into the US as their European immigrant owners crossed the oceans and onto US soil. Once in the country the Pit Bull was bred to become larger and was known as the American Pit Bull Terrier and was the all around farm dog. Not only was it intelligent and strong it was genital and loving and a favorite companion for children. Additionally, the size of the new American bred Pit Bull made it useful for keeping predators off the farm.

In 1898, Chauncy Bennett founded the UKC with the American Pit Bull Terrier as an official breed.

By the early 1900’s the American Pit Bull was the symbol of strength, loyalty, and dependability.

Big businesses like RCA Records and Buster Brown Shoes used logos containing the images of a Pit Bull.

In 1903, Bud the Pit Bull was the canine companion for the the first car ride across America. Bud travelled from San Francisco to New York City, in the company of Horatio Nelson Jackson, and Bud’s owner, Sewall K. Crocker, Jackson’s assistant. Bud became famous for his journey and his riding goggles were later donated to the Smithsonian Institute.

Sgt. Stubby, a Pit Bull that fought alongside American soldiers in the WWI war trenches of France, saved the lives of many soldiers and even captured a German spy during his tour of duty. He was the most decorated dog of WWI serving as the mascot for the 102nd Infantry, Yankee Division.

One of the biggest animal stars of all times was Petey, the ever faithful and fun loving Pit Bull which starred alongside the Little Rascals in the hit series “Our Gang”, in the 1920’s.

During the early 1900’s the Pit Bull was favored as America’s choice dog breed and considered a devoted and loyal companion.

It wasn’t until 1936 that the American Kennel Club finally recognized the Pit Bull as a true breed and even then called it a Staffordshire Terrier, setting it apart from the American Pit Bull Terrier.

So if Pit Bulls were once America’s favorite Dog, why now are they so feared?

Despite the fact that dog fighting was made illegal in all fifty states, the sport made a heavy comeback in the early 1980’s. And during that time the American Pit Bull became the favorite breed used not only for dog fighting but to guard drugs and other illegal contraband for criminals and thugs across the country.

Pit Bull appearance, intelligence, strength, and tenacity, made the breed the perfect watch dogs of the time and the favorite status symbol for the criminal element. Stereo typing turned the once revered family dog into the devil dog of the modern age.

For the next decade and a half it was an all out war on the American Pit Bull with legislators, media, and even some large canine organizations citing the breed as killers on four legs. Dog bite reports, by “Pit Bull type” dogs, became common in almost every media outlet. Myths and rumors concerning the breed cropped up out of fear and lack of knowledge about the breed itself. Even today, when most people hear of a major dog bite incident or mauling, they almost always assume the dog must be a Pit Bull.

While it is true that The American Pit Bull is certainly an intelligent, determined, and powerful breed, the demonization has come strictly from criminals using the breed as a status symbol, media looking for powerful headlines, and law makers fearful of what they fail to understand. Any dog can bite, but after all is said and done; the attack of a Yorkshire Terrier rarely results in serious damage and simply does not make sensational news.

Pit Bulls are on the receiving end of what has become known as the biggest breed discrimination in canine history.

Their ever present popularity, despite the bad press they receive, makes Pit Bulls one of the most over produced breeds in America, and one of the highest euthanized breeds in shelters today. Documented statistics, from shelter euthanasia reports alone, indicate that almost 3,000 Pit Bulls are put to sleep every day in the US. These numbers are not inclusive of the ones that die each day due to illness, starvation, and at the hands of abusive and neglectful owners.

And yet there are still hundreds of thousands of Pit Bulls thriving in family settings across the US, with no incident. They are family dogs that get along wonderfully with other animals and humans alike. Healthy, well cared for, and properly supervised Pit Bulls do make great canine companions. Like any other companion animal they are only as good or bad as they are allowed or trained to be.

In recent years fanciers of the breed have fought back against breed bans (BSL or Breed Specific Legislation) and the demonization of this fabulous breed. It’s a slow but grueling process but there does appear to be improvement in the general perception of the breed, today.

As sad as the circumstances were, cases of dog fighting and animal abuse like that of the Michael Vick dogs, brought more positive attention to the breed than ever before. It showed that even though the Vick dogs had been trained to fight and become extremely aggressive with other dogs, rehabilitation is possible in this resilient breed. The vast majority of the Vick dogs were rehabbed and later placed in home environment and many became service and therapy dogs, thriving in their new lives.

For Pit Bull lovers everywhere there seems to be hope, now more than ever, that someday in the future the discrimination of an entire breed will end, and that each dog will be judged not by its appearance or breed, but by its behavior as an individual. FOLLOW US!

Why Pit Bull Prejudice Is 'An Injustice' - In this Film, Documentary Maker, Jeff Theman, Looks at the People and the Animals Who Are Affected by that Cruelty, Including Himself

Documentary maker Jeff Theman thinks it's downright un-American to deem a dog dangerous due to nothing more than the way it looks -- which is what happens in jurisdictions across the country that ban pit bulls and dogs that merely look like them.

These "breed specific laws," as they're called, are "an injustice to the dogs who never did anything wrong and usually resulted in death, and the people suffered hardships as well when they are forced to turn over a family member or risk further penalties," Theman says. "They are disguised as a way to enhance community safety, but fail miserably at that task too. How cruel does one have to be to think these laws are actually helpful to any community?"

In his film "Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent," Theman looks at the people and the animals who are affected by that cruelty, including himself.

                                                                Jeff Theman with his dog Preston


Lakewood, the Ohio town where Theman used to live, enacted a pit bull ban in 2008. Faced with the choice between his pits and his home, Theman chose his three dogs. They, in turn, inspired his documentary.

The Huffington Post: What are you hoping viewers get out of "Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent"?

Jeff Theman: I mainly wanted to provide credible information to those unaware about the issue, and inspire them to be the change in their area. I just wanted to dissect the issue and seek the truth, no matter what the end result would be.

I believe we completed that task, and I am incredibly proud to say we represented the issue truthfully, which is probably the reason we have received the support from the national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society. They use our film to send as a tool to legislators around the country who are proposing to implement or repeal breed discriminatory laws.

We have also been contacted by a few other [lawmakers] around the country when they were looking to repeal their laws, so we are indeed getting the response we hoped for. And the satisfaction of it feels pretty good.

The general response has exceeded all our expectations, and we hope this is just the beginning. We have had people email, message us, post on our Facebook page, all the different emotions they felt while we took them on this journey.

Your film features a whole bunch of people whose dogs were seized, or almost seized, in jurisdictions that ban pit bulls. The dogs were given genetic testing -- and were mostly found not to be pit bulls at all. What lessons can we learn from this?

Yes, I think the most blatantly obvious thing about Lakewood and this film is all the dogs shown that were deemed to be pit bulls all have come back with little to no American Staffordshire terrier, or any other breed under the umbrella term "pit bull."

So what does that tell us about the shoddy enforcement of the law? There were only a handful of dogs where the people were able to get their due process. All the others they basically scared enough, where the owner complied and either re-homed the dog outside the city or moved.

To me, the title means the dogs and their owners were automatically guilty, which is of course goes against what our country is supposed stand for -- so it's our job to inform and prove innocence. The effect of these laws is felt on both sides -- the dog and the owner. It became clear early on one of the primary motivating factors for breed specific legislation was to target social and racial classes of people legally. The dogs were used as a tool and excuse of sorts to harass individuals in mostly the urban settings.

One of the politicians in the film says that he'd support a pit bull ban even if it stopped just one child from being bitten. What did you think of that statement? And why not just ban all dogs, then?

I think that statement made by former Ohio senator Neal Zimmers was completely offensive to the men, women and children who were bitten by other breeds. It shows a lack of compassion for those individuals suffering what is a traumatic life altering experience.

Banning all dogs wouldn't even be an option simply because America loves dogs! But, I will add, there are some policies in place that make it extremely difficult to have a dog, especially housing and insurance restrictions. It's not breed specific legislation, but it is often the same outcome: tearing families apart.

You yourself are featured in the film, along with some of your family members both human and canine. The humans can speak for themselves. Tell me all about the canines!

I now live with three dogs, all who came from shelter environments. Preston is the inspiration to the film, and I adopted him on October 4, 2008, from a rescue, after I left Lakewood because of the ban. He was pulled from a shelter in the Akron, Ohio, area. Some of his past is unknown, but he was saved during a drug bust where the owners allegedly used him for fighting. I could go on and on about him, he is my soulmate, but I've written about him a lot and his story can be found on the website.

One thing I will say that will help everybody understand why I say he is my soulmate is because, he was going to be killed on July 28, 2006. My birthday is July 28. His new life started on my birthday.

I decided to foster my girl, Era, on June 30, 2011. I named her Era because it was going to be a new Era in her life, I just didn't know at the time that it was going to be with me. The plan was to foster her for a couple weeks and then she would go on a transport bus off to somewhere in New England. Preston and her were best buds from the moment they met each other, so I couldn't lose her and decided to officially adopt her after a few weeks. She's a pretty girl and she knows it, let me tell you. I nicknamed her Violent Love because she has a knack for hurting me all in the name of kisses.

Fergie was also a Cleveland city kennel dog. In August of 2012, I decided I could do more for rescue, as most of my work was in advocacy, and open my home to foster another dog.

Fergie was very ill, she was diagnosed heartworm positive, among other more treatable ailments. She was scared, and it showed. I had to seclude her from my other two dogs for two months while she was in treatment. Any stimulation could kill her, so she was only allowed out for bathroom breaks and short term couch cuddling.

When it came time to introduce her with my other dogs, it went extremely well. It helped that they all had time to adjust, and it was done slowly. I really wanted to find her a new home, but everybody was begging me to keep her, including my own mother, who was against the idea of me having a third dog in the house since I am single and it is a lot of work when you pile it on top of the other commitments I have.

Needless to say, I gave it one year, and said if she did not find a home by then, I will keep her. I am no longer allowed to foster dogs.

Late start to my morning, making breakfast for me and the kids. Meanwhile, this is happening right now on the couch... I'm definitely glad my dogs all get along, but this is ridiculous!

I understand that you've come up with a bucket list for your dogs. How is it going so far?

I came up with a bucket list for Preston mainly. One night a few weeks ago, it became painfully obvious that he is getting old. I was on the couch with the girls, and Preston attempted to jump up too. He missed and fell to the ground. When he got back up we just looked at each other and he let out a little sigh.

I helped him up and thought about some of the others who started bucket lists for their dogs. But the thing that is possibly different with mine is, he is not diagnosed with any terminal illnesses -- yet, at least -- and I didn't want to wait until that moments does happen. It was my way to keep myself in check, so I don't go days without appreciating all that he brings me.

The following day we went and spent some alone time together visiting some of the local famous landmarks within Cleveland that I always wanted to go to, but just never had time. I was able to share those moments with him, which was extremely important to me.

I had wanted to mark off the second item on my list, which was to bring him to a GTPI function, and we had our second screening in Cleveland coming up, but the building we had doesn't allow pets unless they [are] service animals, and I didn't want to take advantage of a law meant to help people out of my own selfishness. Maybe one day we will be able to cross that one off, but not now.

The next item I have is we are planning a road trip to Michigan for an animal conference I am going to. All the details haven't been worked out for that yet, but I am fairly confident we will be able to pull that one off.

I'm constantly adding to the list, and we hope to cross off more in the near future. I just want to make sure I never forget the importance of him -- and my girls, for that matter -- and it is easy to just go on with life and it not hit until something tragic happens.

Do you think things are getting better for pit bulls lately?

Oh, it is day and night better for pit bull dogs. They have definitely become the trendy dog to adopt. Celebrities are shown with them, they are featured in positive news articles nearly every day, are in print ads intended to sell household name products. The comparison isn't even close to what it once was. We still have a little ways to go, and that goes for all dogs, but we have come so far as a society to finally get it.

As far as around the county, we are noticing a progressive movement where cities are repealing these laws at a much faster pace than they are being adopted. This tells me we are turning the corner about how we view the dogs -- and their owners.

If there is one thing I wish people understood about dogs we call pit bulls it's that they are just dogs. Breed simply doesn't matter.




This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.


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