DS: “The dogs called pit bulls are just dogs.” Hector the Pit Bull, Vic’s former dog a STAR?

Question by APBT Courage at its Best: DS: "The dogs called pit bulls are just dogs." Hector the Pit Bull, Vic’s former dog a STAR?
Citizens for a No Kill Philadelphia (CNKP) holds lecture series at Drexel School of Law and Hector the Pit Bull (Vic’s former dog) was STAR

A panel discussion was held last night at Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law titled The Importance of Creating a Safe and Humane Society for all People and Animals. It was hosted by Citizens for a No Kill Philadelphia (CNKP) and Drexel's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. The main point demonstrated by speaker Donald Cleary of the National Canine Research Council was "The dogs called pit bulls are just dogs."

The star of the evening was by no doubt, Hector the Pit Bull, a rehabilitated former Michael Vick fighting dog rescued from Bad Newz Kennels by BAD RAP a San Francisco based rescue group and adopted by Clara and Andrew "Roo" Yori. Hector delighted attendees with his gentle nature, loving attitude, and grace under pressure (of public appearances) in spite of his numerous eternal scars from his former life.

Certified by Therapy Dogs International, Hector has passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen exam (twice) and the temperament test of the American Temperament Test Society. He carries his own business cards in his vest wherever he goes and is free with giving affection and pets with any human nearby. His job is being a therapy dog and an ambassador for the pit bull breed. Hector has passed 10 tests to become a certified therapy dog. And no, Vick did not stop by to see how Hector is doing.

Cleary went on to point out that the words pit bull and dog are not used interchangeably; arguing they should be he clarified Dr. Randall Lockwood's position that dogs cannot be characterized without humans. He also defined the difference between family dogs and resident dogs. The former being a companion animal who is treated as part of a family, living indoors, cared for and loved with the latter being dogs used for guarding or protection, often chained and kept outside with little, if any human interaction.

Cleary also noted negative impressions about pit bulls have been perpetuated by the media and used the examples of two dog bite incidents. One, a fatal dog bite of a six year old child by a non pit bull dog received only two published articles nationwide while a story about a minor pit bull bite incident received thousands of articles written about it. All speakers were in agreement it is important to bring to the public's attention the positive stories about pit bulls, like Hector's.

Leigh Siegfried, certified pet dog trainer and owner of Opportunity Barks, a Jenkintown based
company, spoke about canine aggression and the fact it is situational. An example mentioned was highlighted in a picture shown of a pit bull chained to her whelping crate with an oversized sized chain and her nursing pups. Another was allowing a child (or adult) to try to engage an emaciated dog in interaction; this can be a recipe for disaster because a starving dog is much more likely to bite than want to play. She stressed it is people that need to control dogs citing the importance of training and the ongoing impact of a loving owner upon a dog. Opportunity Barks also holds classes in Philadelphia.

Next was Elise Van Kavage, Esq., Senior Legislative Attorney with Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. VanKavage explained breed specific legislation (BSL) is in fact discrimination and called for legislation outlawing the practice. Pennsylvania is one of only two states that does outlaw BSL practice, thereby preventing townships and other local governments from enacting BSL. She dispelled the myth of a dog bite epidemic and quoted statistics showing a fourfold decrease in reported dog bites from the 1970's to present time.

Moderator Stacy Coleman of the Animal Farm Foundation in New York stressed the importance of communities coming together to be the voice of the voiceless and reminded everyone to be respectful of each other's opinions and points of view when dealing with BSL. CNKP's Garrett Elwood introduced some local animal advocates including Dierdre Franklin of Pinups for Pitbulls, Allison Lamond from PAWS, Christina Voigt from ACCT, Claire Tillman, Humane Education Coordinator at CNKP and Alanna Burke from Saving Temple's Cats. Many attendees were able to pose for photos with Hector and Roo Yori.

Questions from attendees were answered and participation was interactive. It was clear that those in attendance were dedicated animal advocates who want to make a difference in Philadelphia.
CBS' Todd Quinones did the story "Vick's Victim" and Jim Melwert of KYW wrote “Hector Aims to Show the Softer Side of Pit Bulls.”

The following link shows a video of Hector visiting a room full of 3rd Grade children.

http://wcco.com/pets/hector.vick.dog.2.1386512.html

Thank you in advance. Star for your contacts.

What does this open debates for: That Vic was not such a bad guy? BSL? The dogs called Pit Bull are just dogs? The media’s motto,
The public's need for education, by just banning the bully breeds, the government has given the public a false sense of security. Leaving the communities open to a higher number of dog attacks.

Best answer:

Answer by UHave2BeKiddingMe
Certified or not, this is not a dog I would want visiting if I owned a facility or if I had a loved one in a facility.

This opens the debate that bunny huggers are inconsiderate, have no sense of reality, and are willing to put someones loved one at risk- people or animals.

What do you think? Answer below!

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