CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The crowd at Divisoria Plaza here was celebrating a hero but this was no warrior, no peace worker or anticorruption advocate.

“Chief” died on February 12, saving two women from a cobra attack. He was a pit bull terrier.

“Chief saved 87-year-old Liberata la Victoria and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras, the wife of his master, from a cobra that snaked through an opening in the family’s kitchen shortly after 2 p.m.

“The snake struck twice at the women. Twice, the dog dashed from a corner and shielded them.

“Marlone Fronteras, the terrier’s owner, said Chief seized the venomous snake in the neck with its teeth and repeatedly slammed it on the floor until it died.

“But the cobra managed to bite the dog’s jaw. Chief died a few minutes following their battle, after giving its master a farewell gaze.

Read the rest of the story here:
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/feb/24/yehey/top_stories/20070224top6.html

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Another excellent article arguing against breed bans - specifically pit bulls (as usual). This time written by Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point and Blink:

A Georgia-based group called the American Temperament Test Society has put twenty-five thousand dogs through a ten-part standardized drill designed to assess a dog’s stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness in the company of people. A handler takes a dog on a six-foot lead and judges its reaction to stimuli such as gunshots, an umbrella opening, and a weirdly dressed stranger approaching in a threatening way. Eighty-four per cent of the pit bulls that have been given the test have passed, which ranks pit bulls ahead of beagles, Airedales, bearded collies, and all but one variety of dachshund. “We have tested somewhere around a thousand pit-bull-type dogs,” Carl Herkstroeter, the president of the A.T.T.S., says. “I’ve tested half of them. And of the number I’ve tested I have disqualified one pit bull because of aggressive tendencies. They have done extremely well. They have a good temperament. They are very good with children.” It can even be argued that the same traits that make the pit bull so aggressive toward other dogs are what make it so nice to humans. “There are a lot of pit bulls these days who are licensed therapy dogs,” the writer Vicki Hearne points out. “Their stability and resoluteness make them excellent for work with people who might not like a more bouncy, flibbertigibbet sort of dog. When pit bulls set out to provide comfort, they are as resolute as they are when they fight, but what they are resolute about is being gentle. And, because they are fearless, they can be gentle with anybody.

Then which are the pit bulls that get into trouble? “The ones that the legislation is geared toward have aggressive tendencies that are either bred in by the breeder, trained in by the trainer, or reinforced in by the owner,” Herkstroeter says. A mean pit bull is a dog that has been turned mean, by selective breeding, by being cross-bred with a bigger, human-aggressive breed like German shepherds or Rottweilers, or by being conditioned in such a way that it begins to express hostility to human beings. A pit bull is dangerous to people, then, not to the extent that it expresses its essential pit bullness but to the extent that it deviates from it. A pit-bull ban is a generalization about a generalization about a trait that is not, in fact, general. That’s a category problem.

Dan Savage is irritating me pulling out stories and manipulating feelings instead of facts.

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In an exciting collaboration with Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue (SPDR), the Seattle Humane Society is providing FREE spay and neuter surgeries for ALL pit bulls in the Puget Sound region for a limited time!

You can view the PDF here.

Direct from the flyer:

Pit bulls account for approximately 30% of lost, stray, and abandoned animals in our community's shelters today.

TOP FIVE REASONS TO SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR DOG:

1. Your dog will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying and neutering virtually eliminates breast and uterine cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate disease if performed before six months of age.

2. Your spayed female won't go into heat.
Females in hear vocalize, urinate, and produce a foul discharge.

3. Your male dog won't roam away from home.
Intact males are highly likely to roam, risking injury in traffic or fights with other males.

4. AND he will be much better behaved too!
Unneutered males mark their territory with urine (inside the house and out), mount your family and guests, and are more likely to develop behavior problems.

5. Spaying and neutering your pet will NOT make your dog fat or lazy.
Your pet will remain fit and trim as long as you continue to provide exercise and monitor food intake.

In addition to the FREE spay or neuter, dogs will be microchipped for FREE during surgery.

If you have an unaltered Pit bull, or know someone who does, call the Seattle Humane Society at 425-649-7560 to make an appointment.

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Ken Foster is the author of two great dog books, The Dogs Who Found Me and Dogs I Have Met. To celebrate the release of his most recent book, he hosted a Pit Bull party in New Orleans.

He's also a pit bull activist and recently posted some great information about the dogs that were rescued from Michael Vick's property. Most dogs that are used for fighting are destroyed, however, these dogs were allowed to be rescued and many are now in foster and adoptive homes after spending months in shelters.

Plus his dogs are adorable!

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From Sonya Dias, Leader of the Pit Bull BAND:

Our lawsuit to stop the Pit Bull Ban in Denver was just filed in federal court last week. Lead attorney for our court case is David Lane, one of the top constitutional lawyers in the region. The suit that has been filed has just three plaintiffs illustrating some of the constitutional violations, but more are going to be added. Our expert witnesses are all at the top of their fields ( the best canine geneticist in the country, experienced veterinarians and well-known animal behaviorists) with more to be added before the case is heard in front of the judge.

What you can do to best support our efforts is to send donations. As you can imagine, all of these witnesses and legal fees cost A LOT! More funding is needed to ensure we can afford to bring in every expert witness we need for the trial. The more factual evidence we provide, the stronger our case becomes!

If you can donate to strengthen our efforts, please send checks to the below address or use the paypal option located on our website:

www.pitbullband.com

The Pit Bull BAND Legal Trust
c/o The Progressive Law Center
2301 S. Wadsworth, suite 3H
Lakewood, CO 80227

Any donations you send will be strictly used for attorney fees, legal fees, expert witness fees, and court costs. We don't have an organization to support since we're volunteers, so 100% of all donations will go to the above.

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Published in the 4/18/07 Tacoma News Tribune. See it here.

Robert Shirley’s letter regarding dog attacks in his neighborhood unfortunately puts the blame on the wrong party – the dogs. He complains of loose, dangerous dogs, and asks that “aggressive breeds” be banned.

The problem lies not with dogs, but with irresponsible owners. Most cities currently have Animal Control laws in place that allow for the pickup of loose dogs, especially those that are aggressive. Any dog that attacks is impounded.

The idea of banning “aggressive breeds” is a slippery slope. Pit bulls are typically the primary focus of breed specific legislation (BSL). To some, banning the breed that statistically bites or attacks most often makes sense. However, it is only in this decade that Pit bulls have received this dubious distinction. The Center for Disease Control statistics show Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and even Great Danes have topped the list in previously. Labradors, Dauchunds, and Yorkshire Terriers also make an appearance.

BSL does not address the root of the problem - any breed can be made aggressive if mishandled and/or abused. The same dogs that are considered “aggressive breeds” in some areas are celebrated for their sensitivity and intelligence in others. German Shepherds are one of the three breeds used by Guide Dogs for the Blind.

At a time when a large percentage of adoptable shelter dogs are crossbred in some way with Pit bulls, banning “aggressive breeds” from one neighborhood and moving them to another makes no sense. Requiring spaying and neutering and strengthening current dangerous dog laws are better solutions.

Read the unedited version in the extended entry more...

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