Meryl Cohen and Nicole Maples are on a mission: their group, Bully Bark, aims to educate pit bull owners how to handle their animals, and to educate the general public that pit bulls are not the monsters Cohen says the media makes them out to be.
“We want to re-establish the breed as a family animal and a good pet,” Cohen said. “And we fight against breed-specific legislation.”
The two met in college, and found they were both “animal-obsessed,” Cohen said. It was also in college where she fell in love with the pit bull breed.
“They were everything I wanted in a dog. I wanted to make it my mission to re-establish the perception of the breed. They are friendly, outgoing, confident, social and loyal.”
They are also in the news a lot, and not in good ways. Just this past week, there were reports of pit bulls attacking young children.
Cohen admits that there are instances of pit bull attacks, but claims that she sees a “desire in the media not to cover attacks by other breeds. I know of a lab that recently killed a two-year-old, but no one covered it.”
She also claims that, after working in animal shelters, she saw other breeds go into bite wards with equal frequency as pit bulls. She has worked with pit bulls who go to pediatric oncology wards to help ease childrens’ suffering. She said her own pit bulls were recently attacked by two off-leash Malamuts, but park rangers refused to do anything about it.
Originally bred to nip at the heels of bulls in England, pit bulls were brought to America to care for the children of settlers, Cohen said, thus their nickname “nanny dogs.” The bad rap came when the breed got caught up in gambling and fighting.
“I believe that behind every dog bite, you can find a problem with the owner,” she said. “You are responsible for your animal. There is no excuse for a dog to get loose.”
If a dog has a shaky history, it can still be trained, Cohen said. Bully Bark has clients in most central county cities, including Martinez.
“It’s all about leadership,” she said. “I mostly train the owners. A lot of people with anxiety issues transfer them to their dogs.”
The Pleasant Hill resident has been working with dogs and their owners for the past seven years. She and her partner provide everything but basic training, and they also serve as ambassadors of the breed.
“I’m hopeful because I see the younger generation as more tolerant,” Cohen said. “There’s a rebellion against intolerance, more acceptance toward the breed. I’m hopeful that will mean changes in legislation.”
To contact Bully Bark, go to the website and send them an email.
Do you think pit bulls are the victims of negative media? Tell us in the comments.
More specifically, check out:http://www.scribd.com/doc/10150239/Breeds-of-dogs-involved-in-fatal-human-attacks which has a table showing the statistics of reported dog bite incidents by breed which directly contradicts what dogsbite.org claims.
Everyone knows somebody who has a sweet Pit Bull. I am not saying ALL Pit Bulls are bad, just that the breed has the most DBDB, by far. It's not really even close.
All I can say is to my fellow pit bull and bully breed owners, I will continue to fight for us and our dogs. It is my life's work and passion, and there is nothing that will stop myself, Nicole, or the rest of us. Here are truly unbiased, scientifically based dog-expert related pages with a lot of good information. Education is the key to combating ignorance. These are the TRUE facts regarding pit bulls, aggression, and the key to safer communities. http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dog-legislation/ineffective-laws/ http://atts.org/breed-statistics/statistics-page1/ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/facts/statement_dangerous_dogs_breed_specific_legislation.html http://www.aspca.org/About-Us/policy-positions/breed-specific-legislation-1 http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/nov00/s111500c.asp
It doesn't really matter though. All of the studies that I have been able to find that have researched dog bite FATALITIES confirm that Pit Bulls are the most common killers. They represent, in Hope's reference, about 25% of all deaths. Another study I read indicated they only represented about 2% of the dog population. So what does that tell you? They can kill and do it more often than any other breed. Who cares if it's due to handler error. When I see one of these powerful dogs being walked down the street, I honestly don't even stop to consider if the owner is a responsible pet owner. I avoid any possible interaction with that dog. I know that the Pit Bull type dog has been severely over-bred and their aggressiveness has been encouraged. That is unfortunate. Because clearly there are thousands of examples of these dogs who are gentle and loyal. They are beautiful dogs as well. It's simply top bad that the breed has been ruined in this way, both in reputation and in fact.
Look at the statistics in areas where pit bulls were banned. The severe bite numbers don't go down and often go up because animal control and police are busy chasing down pit bulls instead of the dogs people TRAIN to be aggressive.
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/05/18/Infant-dies-after-attack-from-family-dog.html And this one a toddler: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/05/09/news/16monthold-girl-killed-by-pit-bull-in-las-cruces.html And here's one where a dog was killed by a pit: http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/Passerbyer-saves-women-and-dog-from-Pit-Bull-attack-151460935.html And another dog: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/dog-killed-by-pit-bull-at-soccer-game I could do this all day. I haven't found any where a pit bull was killed by a collie though.
Unfortunately, many people who choose to own the so-called "most dangerous breeds", are not always the most responsible, nor do they adequately train and/or properly control their dogs. I do feel that the larger issue in this public safety concern is how can we do anything to see that socially responsible people fulfill their obligations as pet owners to their pets, as well as to the rest of us in the community.