Michael Vick gets an award???

Interview with Michael Vick here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7309186

Leo

Interview here with Leo - formerly owned by Michael Vick:

Interviewer: Tell us, Leo, what is your life like now after all you've been through?

Leo: Well, I feel loved and I have a job that I feel I was born to do. Before, I didn't have this job or such a feeling of self worth.

Interviewer: Leo, many people feel that you have courage. You won an award called the Animals are Kind to People Award. Do you feel it took courage to achieve this after everything you've been through?

Leo: Yes, I feel that many dogs would have such a tough time living the life I once lived. They wouldn't be able to handle and endure what I have. I did bounce back and I don't hold any grudges against anyone. I'm just simply proud of who and what I am now.

Interviewer: Leo, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today. We are proud of you and hope that life just continues to go better for you now that you've achieved so many goals and have gotten back into the swing of things.

Leo: Thanks so much for taking the time and caring enough to interview me.

Dog Safety Tips

Our Pack training class

Sunday morning we had our usual training class. Then we had a play date with a couple of dogs that have played together many times. All were having fun.

Then one dog stopped playing, vomited and collapsed. After vomiting she laid down and literally would not get up. It was warmer than normal and in fact I was sweating a bit, so we thought she was overheated. There was a little wading pool so we splashed her with some water which seemed to help. We noticed her gums were extremely pale.

She started to come around a bit after splashing her with water. She was rushed to an emergency vet and was kept for several hours for observation. By the time she got to the vet she had come out of her collapse quite a bit. She's doing fine now and all back to normal. It turned out that it was most likely a bee sting or spider bite. So watch out for those buggers. Dogs don't tolerate bee stings and some bug bites very well.

The reason for this blog is the vet told us all something that we didn't know. If a dog is overheated, his gums are bright red. If he's in shock, as was this case, then the gums are pale.

Either way we were told that splashing the water on her saved the day as the water would get adrenaline going to aid in circulation for shock and if she had had heat stroke this would have cooled her off. However, I found this info empowering so immediate first aid may be more effective.

Marthina McClay, CPDT Animal Behavior College Mentor Trainer
Certified Tester/Observer for Therapy Dogs Inc.
AKC Certified CGC Evaluator

Denver Post Column on Breed ID Study Misses the Point

Scary. This Denver Post article makes the point of not banning breeds that have been ID'd the 'eye ball' way BUT "needlessly killing....". Gaw, do we need to needlessly kill ANY breed? There is NO aggressive BREED! Not! Are they saying if they WERE Pit Bulls then it wouldn't be needless?

Read the article here:http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14005785#ixzz0ZqP9mhIm

Pit Bull introductions

Here's a little update on our MO dog, Jakob, from his foster person. This is what we like to see. Lots of intros and very well-managed play before getting to this point. We make sure that play sessions aren't rude free-for-alls. These guys have picked up good habits from each other and have taken cues from their wonderful foster people too.

Pit Bull intros.
Video by Phil Boucher

Beautiful Video of the Missouri Bust Dogs

Here's a wonderful video of the Missouri dogs. One of my favorite photos of all time is of our Stella being cuddled by Gale. Stella.....innocence. Beautiful photography by Lynn Terry.

Educate, Educate, Educate

Rescue, rescue, rescue. All well and good, but without education, we'll be rescuing till the cows come home, and then maybe we'll have to work on them too!

Today I talked to a woman from a major publication about doing an article on Our Pack and our former Michael Vick dog, Leo.

Here is Leo educating.

I can't say which publication, the article is not through editing yet and won't be out until March. But during our conversation she told me that she had always thought Pit Bulls were those "bad" dogs. She said that before she talked to me, this is what she thought but that she has completely changed her opinion about the dogs after our discussions and looking at the articles on our web site.

I have realized that the media has been "educating" our public on the Pit Bull breed. Well, ok, not "educate" - but 'ya know. One reason Our Pack rescues out-of-state dogs is that it's an opportunity to educate the world about how wonderful these dogs can be. I see that the media NEEDs to be educated so they in turn can educate their audiences with the correct information.

I'm hoping with all my heart, after hearing what this woman had to say, that this is happening.......REAL education. She writes for many, many publications and there is an opportunity to change perceptions. Ok, lots of work to do, but I hope things are getting better.

Likewise, I see wonderful pics of people and their Pit Bulls on our Facebook page, and this is education in and of itself. I would like to thank all of you who post your pics, and share your thoughts and stories about your dogs as family members. This IS true education, as it's not preaching, it's just showing the world the truth.

Our bust dogs are showing the world the truth, which is why we do this work. When you guys speak out on our blogs or Facebook page, you show your support for the dogs. Thanks everyone for your support and help in educating the right way about this breed.

I hope we can keep up the good work and keep telling our positive stories of our loyal, faithful companions. I don't see many other channels to help the breed. Also, I think if we are willing to learn from our dogs we can go far.

Marthina McClay, CPDT
Animal Behavior College Mentor Trainer
Certified Tester/Observer for Therapy Dogs, Inc.
AKC Certified CGC Evaluator

Teddy Kiriakidis, Ronald Creach, Michael Morgan, Robert Hackman plead guilty to dog fighting

By Mike Garrity

KSDK -- Four eastern Missouri men have been sentenced for federal crimes involving dog fighting.

The convictions resulted from the largest coordinated multistate raids on dog fighting in U.S. history.

Teddy Kiriakidis, 50, of Leasburg, and Ronald Creach, 34, of Leslie, were sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in federal prison.

Thirty-eight-year-old Michael Morgan of Hannibal and 56-year-old Robert Hackman of Foley each were sentenced to one year in prison.

Each man pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Read the full article here.