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