Bad Rap : Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls

We can mark 2006 as the year that shelters and animal welfare orgs around the country started talking openly about their pressing pit bull issues…The good (favorite dogs, program successes), the bad (lack of resources, community concerns) and the ugly (BSL, overpopulation). While this conversation is only just beginning, we were proud to be a voice at the table and very grateful to the supporters and donors who are instrumental in helping us get our message out. This Year End Report outlines our key activities in 2006, the donors who gave so generously so we could accomplish our goals, and our hopes for the coming year.

Above: Crash is alive and thriving thanks to the speedy support of donors this summer.

The Rescue Work of 2006:

It was a great year for happy endings with 40 orphans placed. Thanks to Pit Bull Hall, several found their perfect matches with families who'd never considered a pit bull as a pet until meeting one in person at PBH. These cases turned out to be some of our happiest adoptions. We received new dogs from New Orleans as well as these crowded bay area shelters: The Pinole and Martinez Animal Shelters, Oakland Animal Shelter, Berkeley Animal Care Services, Silicon Valley Humane Society, the Hayward Shelter, the Merced Shelter and Sacramento City Shelter.

Donor Dollars for Vet Care:

$12,300 went to vet costs in 2006, not including the generous care provided by the EBSPCA for Pit Bull Hall dogs. The biggest outpouring of donor support came with this summer's rescue, Crash (left), who needed surgery after a hit and run caused extensive injury. Campus Vet Hospital and Berkeley Animal Care Services came to the immediate rescue and supporters everywhere helped this big blue lug get the care he needed. Crash is repaying this kindness by proudly serving as a devoted family pet AND as a BAD RAP education/demo dog.

A special shout-out to Dr. Maggie and the staff of VCA Bay Area Pet Hospital this year for their kind help with our Louisiana heartworm cases. Sydney and Taz (right) are back to normal, and Sydney has since found a home.

Bullyhaven:
Susi Ming, who runs Bullyhaven, a home care hospice project for special needs dogs, welcomed this senior in 2006. Lila Mae was found running scared on the Pacific Coast Highway and a routine spay showed cancerous mammary tumors. She was well loved in her retirement home and enjoyed her last two months lounging in the sun, tearing around the house, and sharing her bed with the other senior bullies. Thanks to a very kind grant, Bullyhaven hopes to take in another needy senior in 2007 for his/her final dignity.

Placing homeless pit bulls into new homes is an all-volunteer effort involving a small team of experienced pit bull advocates who hand select temperament correct dogs, cater to their needs, screen applications and coach new homes. This time consuming task is truly a labor of love. See Happy Endings for the results of rescue efforts in 2006.

Passings:
Each year brings tears along with the celebrations.
In 2006, we said goodbyes to BR alumnae dogs Nike and Doe Koo who each died of natural causes, and to Lolly the Warrior Princess who died after an epic battle with a porcupine. Sadly, we lost BR alum Brigid in a traffic accident. Larger than life Buster was put to peace after suffering numerous health concerns and we let Eugene go after temperament concerns appeared during his adolescence.
Perhaps the hardest hit for many of us was the loss of the one and only PorkChop (left), who, despite his irresistible charms, could not overcome the burden of troubled genetics. In his case, resource guarding issues related to his breed mix surfaced at social maturity and caused the most difficult decision of all.

Rest in peace sweet friends ~ Until we meet up with you again.

Outreach and Education in 2006:
Our Key Mission

The name of the game in 2006 was outreach. We did more events and presentations in this past year than in years before, and we relied on private donations from our supporters to help us put good information in the hands of pit bull owners and animal care professionals. $9,775 of our budget went to cover conference costs and another $2,382 went to general event expenses, including tall stacks of hand outs, educational packets and the creation of this beautiful events banner.

As part of our goals, we were able to present our views to a large audience at the general session opening of the 2006 HSUS Animal Care Expo. Director Donna Reynolds (right) countered Ingrid Newkirk (PETA) in this session. Newkirk favors Breed Specific Legislation and the extermination of the breed. Of course we disagree and were happy to explain why! We met up with hundreds of people at this conference and were very proud to represent solution-based policy in a time of increasing breed bias.

In the fall of 2006, two BR reps traveled to Chicago IL to present info on BR's Pit Ed and CGC Prep class at the American Humane Association's Annual Conference. And finally, we enjoyed hosting our own annual BAD RAP Conference 2006 , 'What Do We Do With All These Pit bulls?' Organized by BR officer Bambi Banys, the event doubled in size, drew in dynamic speakers and fired us up for planning our third annual in Oct 2007.

PetSmart gave us a wonderful opportunity this year to reach a bigger audience via a 90 minute 'webinar' that outlined the Pit Bull Hall program and methods. Rachel Long, EBSPCA partner and co-creator of Pit Bull Hall, helped us present three separate webinars to shelter workers around the country who watched from computer monitors in their hometowns. This presentation will be available for public viewing shortly. We hope to do more webinars in 2007.

Public Outreach:

Reaching out has to happen outside of our normal, familiar surroundings of shelters and conferences. By far, the most gratifying work we were able to do this year was reaching high risk dog owners via four EBSPCA sponsored Shots Fairs in low income Oakland neighborhoods. Donors from all over the country sent collars and leashes so we could trade out heavy chains and ropes for proper equipment. This exchange, along with the help of free training, handling and care advice made a world of difference to hundreds of pit bull owners in Oakland. We're especially proud to support the EBSPCA's mission to provide a free and voluntary resource for spay/neuters.To date, over 1400 east bay dog owners voluntarily fixed their pit bulls.

In this time of breed crisis, we firmly believe non-BSL solutions are right at our fingertips.

Right: This young man signed on to spay his female at a recent Shots Fair. More Shots Fair Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Pit Bull Hall Year in Review

BR and the EBSPCA celebrated Pit Bull Hall's first year in August of 2006. The hall attracted national interest and was a highlight of our annual conference. We're especially proud of the volunteer crew that dedicates itself to helping the dogs stay comfortable during their stay. We hired talented dog trainer Sara Scott this year to help with our goal of keeping the PBH dogs happy and up to snuff on their manners. We've been so lucky to have her! Donations and a grant from Animal Farm Foundation helped with $16,200 needed to run this multi-faceted project.

So, how'd we do?
First Year Pit Bull Hall Statistics
Anniversary Press
Graduate Jonny Sue Highlighted.

Pit Bull Hall Photos:
Pit Bull Hall,
Derby and Friend,
Exercise Yard,
Playtime.

Best Practices Award
What a happy shot in the arm! We were honored to receive the American Humane Association's 2006 Award for Best Practices in Behavior and Training. This recognized BR's Pit Ed handling classes and CGC Coaching Classes as a model program for lowering the euthanasia of pit bulls. (Award News in AHA Journal) Donyale Hoye (left) joined us as an instructor this year. On her right is Tim Racer, then CGC Prep Coach Linda Chwistek and Donna Reynolds. Thank you AHA!

Special Rescue Projects - The Final Chapter on Katrina

The clean up from Katrina's ravaging injury to New Orleans' pit bulls kept us busy in 2006. Most of our storm orphans are now in new homes (only 2 left!). In April, we returned to Louisiana at the request of the HSUS to help unclaimed flood dogs sheltered at a prison outside of Baton Rouge (left). Because our program was already full, we only took 3 this second time back, but several rescue groups agreed to absorb dogs if transport could be arranged. Where Angels Run, K9 Rescue, Animal Farm Foundation, fosters Nicole & Steve, Dr. Lisa Brabham and the LA-SPCA all opened their doors to this lucky batch of left overs. This expensive project used almost $10K, most of which came from a grant from the HSUS.
Our 2007 Katrina Calendar highlighted the flood dogs we took in. We were very pleased to present five of our Katrina dogs this summer at a North Bay Ceremony set up to honor the survivors. An added bonus of the prison shelter rescue mission was seeing the party animal now named Hemi find his way into law enforcement work via Diane Jessup's LAWDOGS program. How cool is that?
On a not-so-happy note, we were unsuccessful in charting the fate of Katrina pit bulls that went to shelters around the country just after the storms. The bulk of the orgs contacted for updates were guarded about releasing final info on their dogs; an indication that most of their unclaimed pit bulls were put to sleep rather than re-homed.

Left: This pit mix went to Patricia Siems of K9 Rescue in Atlanta and has since found a great home. His caretaker at the prison, nicknamed 'Hollywood,' was instrumental in keeping the dogs sane and happy.

Breed Specific Legislation in CA
BSL was signed into Law in CA in 2006, allowing cities and counties to enforce mandatory spay/neuter laws on designated breeds. While speutering our pets is a GOOD thing and is encouraged and supported, the fall-out from targeting one breed for breed specific mandates is BAD and created increased difficulties for responsible pit bull owners in the two counties that embrace BSL (SF and Sonoma Counties). That fall-out took the form of negative press, resulting in landlord evictions and reduced adoption rates at the SF and Sonoma shelters. BR worked quickly this past summer to oppose a BSL proposal in Berkeley CA, and happily, the Humane Commission dropped their interest. However, while most counties in CA have decided against enforcing BSL in favor of all-breed spay/neuter ordinances to help with their overpopulation problems, it will take all of our efforts to offer better alternatives, specifically, spay/neuter programs that are accessible, voluntary and effective.

Craigslist Report
In recent years, we've been very vocal about a frustrating trend of backyard breeders who were using free advertising on Craigslist to peddle their wares. Thousands of pit bulls were being bred, mated, sold and even fought through this popular venue. We joined the East Bay SPCA, several other shelters and untold numbers of community members in asking Craig and his staff to make improvements that would deter this abuse of the Pet's section. We're very happy - and relieved! - to report that Craig did indeed agree to some significant changes that have greatly reduced the problem. The East Bay SPCA says it best: Craigslist Situation

What Next? Looking Ahead to the New Year
Shelter Services: A Growing Need
Our collaboration with the East Bay SPCA has shown us how much more can get done when like minded organizations put their heads and hearts together. We've been equally inspired by connections made with proactive shelter workers around the country who are grappling with similar breed issues and adoption challenges. Feedback from BR's Conference and from the PetSmart webinars has been overwhelmingly positive: So many want more information in order to help this breed in new and better ways. To meet this need, we've accepted invitations to present at key conferences around the country in 2007. Shelters can also tap in for online discussion about pit bull adoption issues through 'Pit Bull Symposium,' a resource created by BR for the sharing of information and practical adoption practices.
Shelter Services is a new and exciting focus for BAD RAP. We plan to be very busy with this work and look forward to updating our supporters with newest developments as they come to life over the next few weeks and months.

More Community Outreach
We're gearing up for more Shots Fairs and are fine tuning better ways to get more information to clients at these events. One of our greatest challenges has been bringing our pit bull training classes to these diverse communities. We're currently seeking a new locations for our classes so we can reach a wider audience, including high risk homes. We're grateful to those of you who've sent leashes and collars for the these events and look forward to your continued support in 2007.

Rescue 2007 - Keeping a Place for All Styles
We're happy to report that Pit Bull Hall is beginning to attract foot traffic homes for our dogs: That is, open minded families looking for quality pets in shelters rather than (or in addition to) adoption websites. Impressing shelter shoppers means offering easy-ish, well trained dogs that are typically better for first timers. But while we love showing off the marshmallows, we're still very committed to the side of the breed that is athletic and maybe even a little too bouncy for Pit Bull Hall! To accomplish the goal of helping a variety of breed ambassadors, we're constantly working to maintain a base of dog savvy foster homes who can offer a temporary safe haven to deserving candidates. For those readers that share our hope for great adoptions in 2007, please help us fill this need by supporting our foster home program with a donation or, better yet! a temporary foster spot in your home. Right: Rabbit appreciated getting a break from the Pit Bull Hall kennels with a few weeks of fun in a foster home just before her adoption.

Our Treasured Supporters

We know some of you by face and many only by seeing your name on a kind donation sent to help one of our dogs, but we feel a very real kinship with every person who cared enough to contribute to this project. Thank you for believing in the soul of this breed and in the work of this organization. We look forward to your continued support as we wrestle the many challenges that lie ahead.

A Bullish New Year to us all!

Donna Reynolds
Executive Director BAD RAP
December, 2006

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