Justice for Bernie

Bernie came to Our Pack from a dogfighting case in Ohio. Our devoted volunteer and trainer, Anna Seekamp drove him out to us from New York! He was later adopted from us. His people Lark and John McIntosh and family have provided a wonderful and loving home for him and he has thrived. We love you guys!Today there is also justice. Bernie is upside down with happiness, his previous owner has been bro...ught to justice. Bernie never deserved his previous life. And thanks goes to The Humane Society United States and Animal Farm Foundation for helping the 200 dogs in this case! Thanks also goes to Christina Aquistapace for her loving and caring foster period that helped transition Bernie. Here's the link to the article http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/02/ohio_man_convicted_of_felony_dogfighting_activities.html#.Tz1_c0SZPis.facebook

Ohio and HB 14

These two are relaxing and peaceful because the Ohio House of Representatives agreed with the Senate amendments to HB 14 to remove the statewide "vicious" designation automatically placed on "pit bull" dogs. The bill now goes to the the Governor. His signature is needed next to make it a law. YES!!! Stay tuned.

Pit Bulls and Discrimination

I recently heard a pit bull advocate talking about some of the myths about
pit bulls. Another person asked him if a pit bull's jaws locked. He answered
that they did not lock but their PSI had tested the strongest. The PSI test is
an unsubstantiated test that tested the bite pressure in dogs. The study sets up
articficial circumstances. It doesn't include whether the dog is scared,
agitated etc. I'm assuming that the bite pressure in any test can change from
dog to dog or circumstance to circumstance. This study included a Rottweiler,
German Shepherd, & an American Pit Bull Terrier. In the test the American
Pit Bull Terrier had the weakest bite pressure out of the 3 breeds.
The advocate quoted the study incorrectly first of all, in so many
words indicating that the American Pit Bull Terrier had the strongest bite
pressure. Then he mentionied that it's proven that they're stronger and they
just "don't let go". Huh? Who are "they"? My dogs are pit bull dogs, I don't see
this. I don't see it in many of my clients' dogs. It doesn't mean that some of
our dogs aren't strong but some are weaker than others as well.
We need to look at what OUR dogs are doing, what we actually observe. A
dog's reaction to things in the environment is going to vary from DOG to DOG.
It's an individual thing. A dog "not letting go", as the advocate said, has to
do with behavior, individual behavior, not bite pressure as a constant.

Bite inhibition is the most important point here. This is where a dog
will lower his bite pressure so as not to cause harm. Again, this is a behavior
thing to lower bite pressure. Bascially bite pressure is meanlingless without
the concept of behavior and what sets an individual dog up for a behavior or any
problem behavior.

Please, even advocates need to stop promoting our dogs as some singled out
type, group or profile. It's very damaging, and many things seen in studies may
or may not be true for individual dogs. It does defame our dogs and they deserve
to be judged on their own merit, not a study, not what a famous person said and
so forth. We need to listen to what THAT ONE dog says he is.

Study link: http://dogfacts.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/national-geographics-dr-brady-barrs-bite-pressure-tests/