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A New Year!
BAD RAP's Year End Report
What a year! It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. 2005 forced
us all to anchor deep as tough challenges stormed on through. If anyone had
told us that BSL (breed specific legislation) and media madness would be followed immediately by
damaging hurricanes - right in the middle of our Pit Bull Hall launch and BR Conference plans - ACK!
We might've just hid under the covers until the new year.
But thanks to the tenacity of BR's dedicated volunteer crew and pit bull supporters everywhere,
this difficult year was also rich with generous blessings and opportunities. In this report, we outline our activities,
high points and low points of the year, and a
list of donors who kept us going in 2005.
The image of Monte and his mom (above) and the dogtag (below) were captured by Diane Rondeau.
On the Rescue Front in 2005:
 45 dogs made their way into the homes of our foster parent team and
out into permanent families in 2005. See Happy Endings. We received dogs from New Orleans and Denver as well as
from these crowded bay area shelters: The Pinole and Martinez Animal Shelters,
Oakland Animal Shelter, Silicon Valley Humane
Society, Hayward Shelter, Stockton City Shelter, San Jose Animal Care Services, Sacramento City Shelter,
and a few of our dogs came from the streets as unclaimed
strays.
Donor Dollars:
$11,836.00 of your donations went to vet care this past year.
We're eternally grateful for this help.
Our spay and neuter costs were slashed
drastically starting in June thanks to surgeries donated by the East Bay SPCA. Several vet clinics offered their expertise along with a discount.
The VCA Bay Area Pet Hospital staff in Oakland was, as usual, a huge help in 2005. We're also grateful to the care given at Adobe Pet Hospital.
Dr. Tanaka donated emergency surgeries for two of our dogs rescued from the Oakland Animal Shelter (left: Holding Frankie just after her surgery),
Dr. Rue of Inglewood Vet Clinic donated general exams for our Katrina dogs, and
the EBSPCA donated bloodwork, x-rays and vet consults for Katrina dogs as well as our Pit Bull Hall dogs.
Tony LaRussa's ARF donated the heartworm treatment for three of our five heartworm positive Katrina dogs. We were blessed
with all this help!
 Abuse and neglect suffered against pit bulls is a constant. This year, we welcomed a handful of special needs cases
that
deserved better lives. Frankie (above) came to us hand shy with suspicious lacerations. Buster the Pup
made himself famous by growing up
proud with straight legs via the magic of
good nutrition.
and Brigid healed from her chemical burns to become a well-loved SF pet. We were inspired by the finders and
caretakers of Petey (now Luca!) for bringing this messed up dog back to perfect health.
Our beautiful Flower, now named Phoenix and living in a committed home,
continues to receive vet support from BR due to kidney failure that
resulted from extreme starvation and neglect in her former home. Katrina dogs Darla and Pearl (above) from Katrina had dangerous, Stage 3 heartworm and a series of health
problems due to their poor condition before the storms struck. They're now thriving and well loved.
Susi Ming's BullyHaven work found homes for three lovable senior pit bulls: The Elfin Emma, the late great Kiko, and the handsome Henry.
BAD RAP was very pleased to contribute to the creation of
the Pit Bull Rescuer's Code of Ethics in 2005. This
document sets guidelines for best practices in breed rescue and holds a high bar in order to encourage only the most responsible rescue efforts.
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Passings:
No year goes by without tears. We said goodbyes to our little champ from New Orleans, Miss Rita (left).
Sassy Rita survived Katrina but lost out to an aggressive course of heartworm treatment. A thousand hearts broke when this little girl passed.
We lost our old man Kiko to natural causes, and said
tearful farewells to pit mix Brutus, CJ, Zoe,
and Katrina dogs Red and
and Louis,
who each presented temperament concerns during their fostercare.
We made the difficult decision to let go of our wonderful Pat once we learned her hip dysplasia was too painful for repair.
Good bye little friends. You won't be forgotten.
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Outreach and Education in 2005:
It was the best of times...
Education work actually comes before our call to rescue. Thanks to the commitment of our supporters, we were able to do
more outreach/education in this past year than we've done in all the previous years combined...Very exciting! Opportunities allowed us to
reach out to a large audience of animal care professionals as well as general public. $12,830.00 from donors went towards educating
at conferences and workshops around the country and back home.
In April 2005, we presented our temperament
evaluation protocol at the Animal Care Conference in San Jose, CA and participated on a panel discussion about pit bulls that same day.
The following weekend, we traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to bring our message to hundreds of interested
attendees at the HSUS Expo.
In October, BR held it's own 'Pit Bull Perspectives Conference' in Oakland, CA and hosted professionals from
around the country.
And in November, we traveled to Denver, CO to attend the yearly conference of the
Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA).
We were
approved as members of SAWA this year and are honored to be a part of this growing org of movers and shakers.
By sharing our methods and program successes, we hope
to help shelters make good decisions for their own breed ambassadors.
Above: Our booth was a popular meeting place for hundreds of animal care professionals at the HSUS Expo
in Atlanta.
Pit Bull Hall
One of our happiest accomplishments of 2005
was the development of Pit Bull Hall, a one of a kind pilot program at the Oakland branch of the East Bay SPCA.
The launch party (left) was jammed with suprised and soon-to-be-impressed members of the media. It gave us an opportunity to bask in
positive press - A welcome feeling!
 We placed an average of 2 dogs a month from PBH.
Visitors receive education in form of classes, printed materials and personal contact with five kenneled BR dogs.
Up to 15 BR volunteers work throughout the week to exercise, train, socialize, tickle and love the dogs. It's a country club for lucky pit bulls!
Rachel Long, Operations Director of EBSPCA, has been instrumental in brainstorming ways to activate this project further, even going so far as
to foster pit bulls for BR in order to get a hands-on appreciation for the breed. The EBSPCA has been incredibly generous and great to work with and we're pleased to
announce that this partnership will extend into 2006 with more programs.
Left: Madeline was a favorite at PBH. Right: Volunteer Karen Karten teaches good manners to PBH dogs Kiki Dee and Zito.
Public Training Classes
The Pit Ed handling classes and CGC Coaching
Classes continued on full force this year. We added a Pit Ed Primer Class to help prep
participants in advance of the class (currently taught by Berenice Mora and Stephanie Davis in the EBSPCA community room)
This class has helped handlers make even quicker improvements in their skills and their relationships with their pets.
Dozens of pit bull owners wait for weeks and
sometimes months to
get into the popular sessions. After graduating from the Pit Ed class,
several handlers went on to take Linda Chwistek's prep class and earn their Canine Good Citizen Certificates.
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 Ruby the Agility Star!
BR's trainer Linda Chwistek and her girl Ruby managed to squeeze several agility competitions into their busy schedule this summer,
quickly earning a CPE CL-1 Agility Title.
Not bad for a seven year old pit bull from the shelter! We look forward to seeing these two Super Stars gain more wins and notoriety for the breed.
Linda generously devotes every Saturday to helping other pit bull owners train their dogs: CGC Training for Pit Bulls Photo Credit: Dog Gone Digital
A Man Made Disaster Hits:
A Mauling, then Breed Specific Legislation
It was the worst of times....
The SF Faibish tragedy in June set off a frenzy of anti-pit
bull sentiment and political grand standing. Days later, our world was rocked
when Senator Jackie Speier rushed a hastily written, gutted Medical bill to the capital
allowing for BSL (breed specific legislation).
Suddenly, all large breeds faced
the tragic possibility of mandatory muzzles and other discriminatory horrors.
BR's participation in the Pride Parade that following weekend shifted from
fun times to the urgent task of galvanizing public opposition to the bill.
We distributed over 2000 fliers while we marched our dogs that day (photo below),
doing
our best to
smile brightly and ignore rude comments and icy stares from some of the spectators.
 As SB861 catapulted through the political process and lawmakers
clung to party line votes (Democrats tend to favor BSL, Republicans typically
vote against it), it became clear that we were in
big trouble. The bill had wide support in Sacramento, fueled
by a string of media-hyped summer attacks by ill-bred dogs owned by irresponsible homes.
Emergency meetings with policy makers and the SF Animal Welfare Commission proved fruitless; while many
agreed that BSL was wrong, few were willing to champion against it.
Our group made the difficult decision to work with legislators to switch tracks
of this runaway train so that damaging legislation wouldn't hit us head on
and create a disaster for responsible dog owners in CA. While we refused to
remove our official opposition to SB861, we worked steadily to amend the condemning
language, specifically the preamble which outlines the bill's intent...all the while hoping outside opposition would prevail.
Sadly, the
bill we hoped would die was passed and signed by Governor
Schwarzeneggar. (See this page for details on what was approved.) Our dogs are safe
from muzzles, unreasonable insurance mandates and containment requirements, but
the wall of comfort responsible dog owners have enjoyed in CA has fallen.
Our breed now wears a scarlet letter - No thanks to the politicians who
fist pounded out warnings and tough talk to an eager media.
Righting this will take years of work and commitment from dog advocates everywhere.
In other parts of the world, BSL brought a state of crisis for thousands
of homes and their pets. Denver's breed ban hit hard with the No Mercy Policy
of
confiscation and destruction of any dogs showing pit bull-like traits.
Our own Joey (right) was a near victim of this shameful policy. He was rescued
and sent here by a BR volunteer, Stephanie Baigent, who settled just outside
of Denver. Stephanie works tirelessly with others in a group (called 'BEND') to find safe havens for deserving
dogs and to educate those who will listen.
Copycat discrimination is cropping up all across the country and breed advocates
are running themselves ragged trying to defeat BSL in their towns. Now more
than ever,
owners of pit bulls and other large breeds are being called to educate their
lawmakers and defend the value of good decent dogs and good common dog sense.
Visit www.Understand-A-Bull for info on fighting BSL
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The Year of Hurricane Katrina
Pit bulls
proved to be some of the strongest survivors as well as the biggest victims of
2005's disastrous floods. Historically, they've been the breed of the
disenfranchised and nowhere was that more apparent than in New Orleans, where
thousands of underprivileged families were forced to
face death if they dare try to escape with their dogs (62% of the rescued flood
dogs that came into Lamar Dixon were pit bulls). Later, as shelters
from around the country filled their rescue vans and planes, the dogs that were grabbed up for rescue
were the highly desirable puppies, small dogs and non-pits.
Organizers soon recognized that they weren't going to be able to find safe havens for the adult
pit bulls, so created a rule that every shelter export had to include at least 10% of that breed.
Our decision to go to NOLA was easy. Bully angels appeared immediately to make sure we could manage it: Nancy Perata offered up
her airline mileage and our fairy godmother Roma-Dakini Alexander made a large gift to ensure that we could afford to buy badly
needed supplies, vet care and transport for dogs.
 Donations came from all over the country when we announced our plans. We contacted shelters everywhere and offered to hand select highly
adoptable pit bulls for their rescue exports. Only a handful responded, but it was all the encouragement we needed.
We pulled together a team of volunteers, announced our plans to the organizers of Lamar Dixon, and headed into Louisiana just in
time for Hurricane Rita
to bite our behinds. This was one of the most physically challenging projects we've
ever taken on (Photos Here).
We can't even imagine the emotional toll this has taken on the flood victims that lived this nightmare.
Photos: The dog above grew more depressed as the long days of stress and confinement dragged on. She was set to come home with BR when happily,
her person found her (left). Most pit bull owners were not so lucky and thousands lost their pets to the flood or, sadly, to the system.
Once out of the grip of Rita, we focused on temperament testing and dog care at the crowded mash unit of Lamar Dixon.
But we couldn't avoid the grief of pit bull owners who came in to search for their cherished family pets.
Some were reunited while we were there while others walked out empty handed. It was excruciating. One kind gentleman fought back tears as he
tried to describe what his
dog looked like. He broke down and, embarrassed at his show of emotion, whispered "I'm sorry, but you know how these dogs get to you."
Yes sir, we most certainly do.
It was an honor to have BR's efforts reported in this
HSUS Article. We worked
closely with the larger orgs to deal with the pit bulls and to smooth export details
so as many dogs as possible could go to responsible pit bull programs (thanks
for the help, ASPCA!).
Our own export included 23 dogs.
Thirteen went to willing shelters and rescue orgs,
and 11 came into our foster program. One of our dogs was reunited with his home,
one died from heartworm treatment, two were euthanized for fearful temperaments,
five are currently being adopted and two lovely girls are still waiting for permanent homes. In total,
we spent $12,478.00 on expenses related to going to NOLA and caring for our rescued dogs.
Out of this number,
BR sent a $500.00 donation to a reputable AR based pit bull rescuer that deserved support and
$3000.00 (made from CafePress t-shirt sales) was donated to the LA-SPCA to help them rebuild their
pit bull friendly shelter. Above: After a long week of 18 hour days, our exhausted team compares notes before beginning the trek back to the Houston airport with our dogs. Barn leader Randy from
Oregon Humane Society is pictured on the left.
Ah Katrina - You raging demon. You pushed us to our limits and demanded that we recognize how precious life and friendship are.
We'll never be the same since you brought your
furious lessons of death, destruction, hope and undying love.
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Craigslist Pets - An Ongoing Frustration
In 2005, more attempts were made to work with Craig Newmark in hopes of
curbing the number of pit bulls offered for sale on his website. Back in 2003,
we posted this public letter to Craig outlining our concerns. Online
advertising of animals is a huge problem now that the Net is widely used; its
popularity has skyrocketed the number of dogs irresponsibly bred and irresponsibly
sold. BR joined a round table discussion with bay area shelters in Spring 2005
to brainstorm around the high number of pit bulls pouring into shelters. Craigslist
was on everyone's lips. After the Faibish mauling, Craigslist's contributions
to the problem of ill-bred dogs was voiced by Carl Freidman (Director of
the San Francisco Animal Care and Control) on many occasions, including his address
to lawmakers in Sacramento. It is no secret that free online advertising has
hurt our
breed in substantial ways.
Twenty four shelters joined forces and signed this impassioned
plea to Craig .
The situation attracted
media interest
and hundreds of letters from people who recognize the connection between free advertising and the damaging trend of
backyard breeding (bybs).
Looking Forward to 2006:
The course for the new year has been shaped by the events of 2005. Breed bias seems stronger than ever right now, and we're
obligated to address that concern where and when we can. In March, we'll be presenting on a panel abut pit bulls at the HSUS Expo in
Anaheim, CA with PETA president Ingrid Newkirk, who's called for
a pit bull ban.
800 animal welfare professionals
are expected to be audience to that discussion.
 The real work will come with addressing pit bull challenges head on -- at the source. Bad breeding and over breeding
are our biggest enemies. We've committed to supporting the East Bay SPCA in four scheduled free shots clinics
in Oakland neighborhoods. Owners can sign up for free spay/neuter for their pit bulls at the fairs
(via the EBSPCA’s Pit Fix program), get microchips and helpful breed information, responsible management and training advice.
Low income dog owners will receive free collars and leashes.
Photo Right: A pit bull owner brings his two young males to be neutered during
the EBSPCA's Pit Fix Day.
Our work at Pit Bull Hall is a bright spot of the new year. We aim to bring more foot traffic into the hall
so more public can connect with great dogs. Our classes will continue and expand, including 'Pit Ed Camp' for
animal care workers who want focused intensives on pit bull behavior and care.
We'll also be working closely with the EBSPCA and municipal shelters to track the numbers of adoptable pit bulls
now dying for lack of responsible homes. Hard data will give us a better handle on what we're dealing with and how to best attack the problem.
In response to the worrisome trend of breed bias in the north bay, our volunteers are gearing up to bring our message to
Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties. Lots of work to be done there. (North Bayers, please join us!)
We're very interested to know what's happened to the majority of pit bulls that shelters took in from Katrina. A team of BR volunteers is
beginning to contact orgs to learn how the dogs made out and to offer our educational materials and support for those that are
willing to offer unclaimed pit bulls for adoption. We will report what we learn in next year's report.
BAD RAP belongs to every responsible pit bull owner who believes in our mission. Because the breed is in such crisis right
now, it's an all-hands-on-deck kind of year. We're so grateful to the good people that volunteer their time to this cause
and to the folks who keep us going strong with their donations.
Wishing everybody a drama-free and fun filled New Year with your favorite bully pals.
Donna Reynolds
Executive Director
BAD RAP
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Donors of 2005:
 Below is a list of the donors who kept us going in 2005. Our mission is alive and
growing because you cared enough to stoke the fires. THANK YOU!
Karin Adams,
Roma-Dakini Alexander, Regina Allen-Schafer,
Bruce Ambler,
Animal Advocates of the Finger Lakes,
Ericka Ashley, the ASPCA,
Diane Aspostolaskos,
Shawn Baker,
Mick Balaban,
Trudy Balston,
Bank One (for Phillip Kenny),
Della Bankert,
Willard & Della Bankert,
Maaike Banning,
Diana Barnes,
Anne Barron,
Kimberly Baumback,
Jonathan Baus,
BayBookScout (Jacqueline Phillips),
Tom Becker,
Joy Bergstrom,
Portia Bernaldez,
Best Behavior Dog Training,
Robby Beyrer,
Patrick Bible,
Monica Biller,
Hilda Blakeney,
B of A United Way Campaign,
Carrie Boyd,
BP Foundation Inc.,
Nicol Brickman,
Lauren Briskin,
Fayshon Brown,
Meghan Bruns,
Tracy Burger,
Tracey Burton,
Celeste Busch,
Jaime Cabudol,
Helen Marie Capps,
Sheri Cardo,
Lisa Carestia,
Carol Carrubba,
Debra Cauble,
Stephanie Cauble,
Susan & Ryan Chambers,
Chunsiew Chan,
Charles Schwab Matching Gifts,
Tiffany Chiero,
Christine Chun,
Linda Chwistek,
Jack Clark,
Joyce Cole,
Community Health Charities,
Shelby Cook,
Lisa Cooke,
Felicia Cornella,
Susan Costella,
Anita Epler Crotty,
Christine R. Davis,
Karyn Dawes,
Laura Delahunty,
Lydia Desroche,
Patricia Disiena,
Rena Distasio,
Dory & Richard Eckstein,
Stephanie Elliot,
Jesse Ellis,
Earl Emery,
Environmental Federation of California,
Mary Epstein,
Jennifer Evans,
Sandra Ewell,
Jaclyn Ewing,
Frances C. Farmer,
Elizabeth Farnham,
Elaine Fiddler,
Mary Finch,
For The Luv of Dogz Rescue,
Robin (Windy) Foster,
Julie Freese,
Susan Furukawa,
Stephanie Gangl,
Sara Gann,
Erin Garrett,
Maria Garza,
Michelle Geary,
Steven Gere,
Greg Glassman,
Lauren Glassman,
Heidi Goldstein,
Robin Gosney,
Matt Gougler,
Emily & John Graham,
Jacqueline Guerrero,
Guru Ramnath Kathiresan,
Rachel Hall,
Tracy Hammond,
Heather Hanly,
Traycee Hanvy,
George Harris,
Karen Hata,
Lily Hearst,
Lori Himes,
Dina Hitchcock,
Aimee & Thomas Hofstra,
Beth Hoh,
Annie Holderby,
Sarah Holmberg, /Red Carpet Pet Care,
Stephanie Hopkins,
Karen Horning,
Becky Horton,
Teresa Hoxie-Keough,
HP Employee Charitable Giving Program,
HSUS,
Laura Hudson,
Nick Hunseder,
Amanda Hurd,
Anna Hutchinson,
I Do Foundation,
Teri Ibarra-Uyeda,
Irwin Home Equity
Nydawi Jai,
Alexandria Jain,
Maheesh Jain,
Laura Jaklitsch,
Carol Jawor,
Melissa Jennings,
Amy Jersey,
Jody's Jungle/Jody Stickney,
Susan Johnson,
JP Morgan Chase Foundation,
Jennifer Kane,
Lee & Abigail Kaster,
Jennifer Kaster,
Molly Kenneth,
Phil Kenny - via BankOne Chase,
Philip Kenny,
R.C. Kevlin,
Brian Key,
Adrienne Khan,
Laura Kilmartin,
Laurie Kilmartin,
Laura Kinsman,
Caryn Kralovansky,
Rosemary Kubeck,
David Labowicz,
Janet Lamm,
Linda (Lindy) Latham,
Nicole LeBow,
Sheila Lechner,
Susan Ledlow,
Libby Lee,
Matthew Lemley,
Catherine Leone,
Christine Lin,
Elizabeth Lind,
Alyce Lindquist,
Ingrid Llewellyn,
Vanessa Lopez,
Amanda Lorich,
Lou Bank/Ten Angry Pit bulls,
Sarah Ly (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab),
Janet Lyons,
Morgan Macdermott,
Macy's United Way Campaign,
Macy's West United Way Campaign,
Alexis Madrid,
Dale Magee,
Stacy Magerkurth,
Jason Mann,
Mary Carol Manz,
Joshua Martin & Ngan Kim Ngo,
Kathleen Matz,
Royce Ellen Maxwell,
Kate McGinnis,
Shawn McIsaac,
Rich MacLellan,
Rob McWhinnie,
Jennifer Messing,
Anne-Marie Moggan,
Ariana Mohit,
Marcia Molina,
Krista and Corey Moore,
Berenice Mora,
Denis Morella,
Mark & Maria Lee Muramoto,
Cynthia Murphy,
Susan E. Murray,
Lisa C. Murray-Clinton,
NanoBusiness Alliance,
Jennifer Aleah Nesteby,
Roger Ng,
Judy Nguyen,
Marcia Nguyen,
NJ Animal Rights Alliance,
April Nockleby,
Jennifer Olsen,
Terry Osburn,
John Osvald,
Maria Paladino,
Susan Palmer,
JuLyn Park,
Marisa Parsons,
Patti Paul,
Pit Bull Rescue Central,
Amanda Percival,
Cynthia Perry,
Carolyn Pettigrew,
Lynn Pfeiffer,
Jacqueline Phillips,
Christine Planellas,
Scott Plantier,
Beth Plumley,
Amy Ponsetti,
Stacy Pray,
Shirley Pruitt,
Rita Radtke,
Farah Ravon,
Remy and Me,
Donna Richards,
Ted Ridgway,
Jane Robbins,
Luz Romero,
Victoria Ronchette,
Christine Rossetti,
Noelle Rossi,
Debbie Rubel,
Deborah Rubel,
Sacramento Area Animal Coalition,
Lesley Sailor,
Maria Salceda-Nunez,
Warren Schiele,
Stuart Schwertok,
Matthew Scoble,
Erin Secrest,
Luisa Serrano,
Emily Sieger,
Sarah Sieger,
Teresa Simpson,
Debby Sinarahua,
Earl Smith,
Georgia Smith,
Ellen Smyth Staples,
Leslie Smyth,
Sarah Sontheimer/Schwab Campaign,
Lisa Soon,
Lauren Sphar,
Yvette Stahr,
Kate Stephen,
Laura Stevens,
Michelle Stewart,
Donna Stickler,
Lisa Paul Stiles,
LLC DBA Still,
Sharon Sundy,
Rosemarie Tarampi,
Pauline Taini,
Maho Teraguchi,
The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation,
Terry Thomas
Victoria Thompson,
Elizabeth Tioupine,
Kim Toci,
A.J. Trombetta,
Kamie Turpin,
United Way,
Anneke Van Couvering,
Lynn Virgilio,
Jody Vollmer,
Christine von Drachenfels,
Wells Fargo Community Support
Aja Wells,
Joanne Wells,
Don West,
WF Community Support Campaign,
WFB Community Support Campaign,
Justin Whitney,
Lara Williams,
Laura Williams,
Jennifer Wills,
James Wilson,
Nicole Wilson,
Caroline Wineta,
Jennipher Wood,
World Reach, Inc. (HP Charitable Giving),
Tracy & Sullivan & Leslie Yarlott,
Rachel Young, and
Carol Zimmerman.
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