I Heart Pit Bulls (and You Can Too)

I am a committed animal rescuer and pit bull advocate. Despite their undeserved bad reputation, pit bulls are wonderful family pets. Casa 26 is home to three pits - Heidi, Nemo, and Melanie - and life with them has been an eye opening and wonderful experience.

If you're uneasy about the breed because you've seen scary stories on the news, I encourage you to read the resources listed below. They outline the media's breed bias, statistics about bully breeds, and dispel commonly held pit bull myths. Most of all, I encourage you to keep reading and keep educating yourself. Don't just take my word for it, listen to all the fantastic stories of bully breed owners and educators. Forget the hype, the facts speak for themselves.

How you can help:
If you're already on the pittie lovin' bandwagon, but aren't sure what to do, there are LOTS of ways you can help.

-- Foster and volunteer. Every rescue is in need of more great volunteers. If you can, consider opening your home to a dog in need. (For some tips on how to do this check out my post Foster Dog Tips: Before You Bring The Dog Home.) If you can't accommodate a foster dog, that's okay too. Contact a rescue group and ask what other ways you can help them out.
-- Speak up! Hear pit bull myths being floated around the water cooler? Say something! One of the most important things we can do is stick up for the animals who can't stick up for themselves. Dispel the myths and direct people to reputable sources about the breed.
-- Donate. Your money can save a dog's life. It costs money to pull dogs from shelters, transport them, feed them, give them vet care, and promote their existence. Find a rescue group that does good work and help their cause.
-- Adopt from a shelter or rescue (and tell others to too!). Don't support disreputable breeders who only contribute to the pet overpopulation problem. Millions of animals are euthanized every year in shelters. Make it one less by adopting.

My posts about pit bulls and animal rescue:
The Honest Truth About Pit Bulls
Pit Bulls Won't Eat Your Children
Foster Dog Tips: Before You Bring The Dog Home
Reading: The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption
Pittie Love (or Why I Adopted A Pit Bull)

Other great pit bull related resources:
Bad Rap
American Temperament Test Society (bully breeds compare favorably with other "family friendly" breeds)
Best Friends Animal Society's Pit Bull Terrier Initiatives
The Cost of BSL/BDL
Are Breed-Discriminatory Laws Effective? (PDF)