Pit Bulls – Page 3 – Downtown Dog Rescue

PITStop Community Assist: DAMIEN!

DAMIEN: The NEW one eyed wonder!

We’re trying to find Damien a foster home!!!!! Read his appeal — remember STRUMMER (now Ahab)? Damien is now our new Strummer – the one eyed wonder!!!! Here is something about Damien!

Jay and his lady due to a family dispute last year lost their Section 8 and are now moving.

Jr (a red nose mastiff built pit) and Congo (a grey and white mastiff built Pit)have jumped over Jay’s fence twice and attacked Damien. The first time it was just facial. The second time, Damien lost his retina.

Damien is now a handicapped dog blind dog getting ready to lose his family because the owner of the apartment has a “NO DOG POLICY” and they are on the 3rd floor.

I was told that they only plan on staying there for a year and then finding another place. They are hoping Damien could be placed in a foster home until they can move . . . .

Damien is really a super kool dog non-aggressive, well trained by Jay.

CONSIDER DAMIEN as a foster love for you till he can be reunited with his guardians!

Contact LORI at lori@modernica.net

for more information!

DDR YOUTH MATTER: DDR Adoption Show Team Members: Katie & Carly Carrasco

The second installment of the DDR Youth Matter section of PITStop bring us two awesome sister siblings Carly: age 17, Senior (12th Grade) at San Dimas High School Katie: age 14, Freshman (9th Grade) at San Dimas High School!

They are part of our dedicated volunteer PETCO Show Team that come every Saturday to highlight our dogs to interested visitors! Having them there brings a youthful vibe that’s just plain fun for everyone involved! They are intelligent young women with definite opinions and viewpoints! Bravo!

We hope that they will continue to come back even when their school project is over!!!!! Thank you ladies for all your great work!

Carly & Katie

1)How did you hear about Downtown Dog Rescue?

Carly:I heard about Downtown Dog Rescue from our Dad, who first heard about this dog rescue from his parent’s neighbor, Celeste, a friend of Sandy’s (and her husband).

Katie: I heard about it from my sister Carly, who heard it from our Dad, who heard it from Celeste (a friend of Sandy and her husband).

2)What is this project you’re involved with and what is the purpose of the project? How long is the project supposed to run?

Carly:The project I am involved in is the San Dimas High School Senior Connection Project or SCP for short. The purpose of this project is unknown to me. I enjoy volunteering, but presenting it in front of a panel of teacher judges, and writing a research paper is a complete waist of my time. I started this project my Junior year of high school and it goes until May 26, 2010 (the day I present my project to the teachers).

Katie:The project I am involved in is the San Dimas High School Connection Project. There is not a specific purpose to this project. The project is going to run through my four years of high school.

Katie with Cosmo

3)What were your perceptions of pitbulls before volunteering […]

LORI’S CORNER: Neuter or Euthanize

On Friday I received a call from Robert, a homeless pit bull owner, who had been arrested, jailed for four months and was about to lose his dog “Boss” forever if I did not help, as he put it, “Right now!” I phoned him back immediately, but it was still after the shelter closed for the day, which was too late. Boss was scheduled to be euthanized on Saturday April 24th.

The only reason that the captain of the shelter had decided to hold on to Boss for four long months was because his owner had written eight letters, pleading with the Department of Animal Services to hold on to his beloved pit bull. This amazed me because the shelter is only required to hold any personal property dog, such as was the case with Boss’ impound, for thirty days. The DAS went to amazing lengths to hold on to him for an additional three months, even though Boss is not the coolest dog in town, temperament wise.

I spoke to Robert, heard his account of how the LAPD, for no good reason, forcefully took Boss from his Cadillac, smashed the windows and destroyed his personal property. This all went down in Hollywood, which is the service area for the North Central Animal Shelter. According to Robert, LAPD officers waited for two hours for an animal control officer to come and get Boss and take Robert to jail. The officer never showed up so LAPD delivered Boss to the shelter where he stayed for 120 days. According to Robert, Boss was never aggressive but the officer hit Boss with his Billy club and threatened to kill Boss if he became really aggressive.

I listened for about twenty minutes to Robert’s account of the day that he was arrested, how he had no money to get Boss out and the fact that this dog was his world. He had owned Boss since he was just a pup. Now almost two years old, from the Razor’s Edge Razor’s Edge line, he was a dog that he had planned to breed because, according to Robert, he had “a wonderful temperament and great confirmation”.

We agreed to meet at the […]

LA MAGAZINE: What’s a Dog Worth?

What’s a Dog Worth? – Los Angeles Magazine

Photo by Jennifer Leigh/Flicker

Los Angeles kills more animals in its shelters than any other metropolitan area in the United States. For that to change, we will have to figure out what to do with the pets none of us want

By Jesse Katz

Los Angeles Magazine, May 2006

His name is Roy. At least for now. Whatever it was before, whatever it might be again, he will live or die as he is known here. The staff of the South Los Angeles shelter came up with it, turned him into Roy, to help improve his odds—of winning someone’s heart, of leaving on a leash. Without a name, he would be just A774623, which has been written on surgical tape and fastened to a chain around his neck. He looks like a Roy. He is old and skinny, the color of faded cinnamon. He has a wrinkled brow and flabby jowls, a face that is weary but earnest. Whenever a stranger enters the kennel, Roy springs to his hind legs, pawing at the metal grate that covers his cinder-block cell. He wriggles his snout between the gaps, sniffing and snorting, his tongue a gush of sloppy kisses. He turns himself sideways, scratching his bony hide against the bars, inviting human fingers to join in. His tail wags. His eyes beg.

But nobody comes for Roy. Not an owner, if he ever had one. Not the people who found him on the street and called the city for help. Not even the rescue groups that scour the shelters for overlooked mutts, fostering them until they can be placed in a permanent home. Roy is not anyone’s idea of a pet. He is not cute. He is not fluffy. He is not tiny. He is not exotic. He is an eight-year-old pit bull, a mastiff-and-Staffordshire mix, whose singular misfortune is to belong to a breed for which supply exceeds demand. Roy is surplus. In our system of animal control—a system few of us have seen, a system most of us will never encounter—dogs like Roy are doomed from the start.

Los Angeles fusses over its pets. We primp them and we perfume them, we drive with them in our laps and we sleep with them in our beds, we […]

R.I.P. DEBO: South Los Angeles

RIP Debo and condolences to your guardian Big P.

(Debo was a service dog for a person with disabilities)

– from your friends in DDR

SSSUP, I’m was “Debo” and special.

I was born in mid fall of 2005. I had lots of brothers and sisters but they didn’t look like me – they were sooo gray compared to me.

I had a nice shiny silvery light bronze coat and light emerald green eyes. I later came to find out, that those aliens, The Humans, called my coat color Fawn. . . They said I was a Blue Fawn

As we started to get older, my brothers and sisters were being taken away by The Humans. . .what were these Humans doing with my bro’s and sis’s. . .having them for dinner, making wall hangings or rugs . . . then my day came on December 25th 2005

This tall lean dame reached down and grabbed me up. . . my feet weren’t on the ground . . . I was flying. . . then I heard her heart beat . . . it reminded me of my mom’s when I was just a little silver pee-fry, fighting and squirming to get to momma – but this wasn’t like my momma at all – this was a hot-momma . . . she was my Queen . . . I was in luv . . . I fell sound asleep only to wake in this place that had all kinds of rooms that I hadn’t ever seen before. . . I was alone . . . where was my family . . . I kinda started to dig this place.

It wasn’t too long after landing in my new pad, that I noticed this other Human dude started to muscle in on me and my dame, whatev, I’ll deal with that Human later; I’ll pee in his shoes, leave runny poos, wipe my butt and leave butt juices on his cloths when he leaves them on the floor . . . that’ll teach him. Humans have just got to learn their limitation – She was my Dame, my woman, my Queen. She gave me a nice soft warm bed; I didn’t have to fight for food; I get picked up, held, get lots of loves, play time without my brothers and sisters hoggin’ the action. Yeap, I was growing up into a good life . . . I hope my brothers and sisters have the same good life I was having.

LORI’S CORNER: BACK TO BACK DDR ACTIVITIES!

I had a very busy weekend. Saturday was our monthly Compton Clinic. We spayed/neutered 33 Compton dogs + collected over 50 names and contact information from dog owners who came up to our table in the park. Thanks to a grant from Petsmart, we can offer free spay/neuter for Compton Dog Owners. Our goal in 2010 is 700 Compton Dogs. Our focus is pit bulls. When we are in the park it’s not just about spaying and neutering dogs, we also offer information on dog care and training. People really want to learn.

I want to thank Ivania who comes out to every clinic and translates for us, since there are many Spanish speakers who are eager to comply with the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Second I would like to thank Edgar, Queeny’s owner, who came out and helped me speak to many people including a group of basket ball players who had some pit bull puppies that they needed information on getting off to a “right start”.

Forming these relationships within the community and offering free spay + neuter right in the park is the only way we will ever see a possible decline in the euthanasia rate for dogs at the Downey shelter (the shelter that serves the City of Compton).

(remember Chocolate? Now EVE!)

On Sunday, Downtown Dog Rescue hosted another CGC trial. This time, some of our class members who missed a couple of points on their last test passed! Judge, our class dog passed with flying colors and so did Eve (formerly known as Chocolate), so young, and on her first attempt. I was especially proud to see one of our DDR dogs pass on her first attempt. My friend Carole Pearson, leader of Dawg Squad, also passed a couple pit bulls. It was a really great day. Thank you again Lezle for being our evaluator.

Our next CGC trial is going to be the first week in June. If you own a pit bull and want to see if your dog will pass the Canine Good Citizenship Test, get in touch with me soon . Our Coliseum class is a great way to put the work into your dog that you will need to pass the test.

Our goal is to certify 100 pit bulls, something that has […]

MIA’S DOG TREATS: LEARNING ABOUT THE BREED

It was interesting to say the least to learn more about the pit bull terrier. I read many books and magazines and certainly learned a lot about behavior and temperament. When it comes to the breed name, the information is a bit confusing….

CLICK on COMIC STRIP

for an enlarged version

ACTIVATE: We’ve come to take your dog away! What is BSL (Breed Specific Legislation)? A Better Name? Breed Discriminatory Legislation!

by Irene Soriano Brightman

COOKIE!

Think of this…you raise this beautiful pit bull from puphood to full adulthood and spend countless hours filled with wonderful companionship, trips, tragedies and other life changing events. Pit Bull and Guardian live happily ever after, right?

Here in Los Angeles, it would seem to be the natural progression to be able to raise your pitbull or other power breeds to a ripe old age. That is NOT the case for many dog guardians of this misunderstood and maligned breed in the United States. To me, when I hear of states that have passed BSL (Breed Specific Legislation), they all seem like some faraway lands I hope to never visit. But it is a reality and I know that many DDR friends and family have connections to many of the states that have these types of horrible legislation in place! Florida has one in the works! Denver has had BSL laws in place for over 20 years! Read Stephanie Ernst’s (from Change.org) article at Denver’s problematic “profiling” and murder of pitbulls in The Killing of the Misunderstood 3,500: Denver’s Pit Bull Ban

When I looked up BSL in California , here are the cities listed:
San Francisco, Santa Monica, Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, Point Hueneme

Apparently an ordinance was in effect in Santa Monica, California, before the state prohibited breed-based laws:

4.04.410 Vicious dogs.
(a) No person owning or harboring any pit bull or any other dog subject to this Section pursuant to subdivision (b) shall within the limits of the City allow or permit such dog, whether licensed or not, to be upon the public streets, public sidewalks, public parks, or any other public place within the City, or upon any private property which is not fully enclosed by fence or other barrier, except when muzzled and held under leash by an able bodied person.
(b) This Section shall apply to any dog for which the Animal Control Officer has issued, based upon the vicious or predatory nature of the dog, a written notice to the person owning or harboring such dog to keep the dog muzzled and leashed in accordance with this Section.
(c) For purposes of this Section, “pit bull” means any pit bull terrier of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or American Pit Bull Terrier breed of dog or any mixed breed of dog which contains as an element of its breeding the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or American Pit Bull Terrier as to be identified as partially of the breed of Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or American Pit Bull Terrier. (Former section 4.04.410 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code.)

I’m just glad that bad dream is over but of course those […]

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