Highlights From the Second Annual:
BAD RAP Conference 2006
'What Do We Do With All These Pit bulls?'
Our second annual conference
doubled in size from last year's event and drew in shelter staff, shelter volunteers, rescue groups and leading animal welfare orgs from across the country -- as far north as Alaska and as far east as New Jersey!
We're very grateful to the presenters who provided top notch material, and to the attendees who brought their interest, support, and enthusiasm. All hats off to BR Officer Bambi Banys, who sewed this shin-dig together with the added challenge of brand new baby Piper to attend to!
Left: BR Trainer Linda Chwistek and her dog Aldo help explain the ins and outs of working with drivey pit bulls using games, handling techniques and practical rile/recovery tips.
Photos Copyright 2006 Rachel Young.
Great Topics, Great Speakers:
Conference Topics covered by BR's officers included: Evaluating Pit bulls In a Shelter Environment, The Pitfalls of Puppies, Assessing Dog Tolerance Levels In Shelter Dogs, Working with Drivey Dogs, Identifying Pit Mixes, Adopting to Homes with Children, and the ever-popular Pit Ed Class Demo.
Other Speakers: Stephanie Davis of Kadillac Kennels discussed pit bull body styles and breeding trends. Rachel Long, Operations Director EBSPCA, presented a run down on what went into developing Pit Bull Hall, and Kirsten Park, Marketing & Development Director EBSPCA, outlined Outreach Strategies and Challenges for Spay & Neuter Programs. We were fortunate to have Jane Berkey from Animal Farm Foundation discuss her org's goals for funding pit bull related projects, as well as Holly Bukes and Arlene Larsson, who presented for Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC.net). Amelia Funghi from the Berkeley Animal Care and Services discussed their pit bull adoption program and finally, Ledy Van Kavage ASPCA fired us all up with her 'State of the Nation' address on Breed Specific Legislation trends.
Right: Last year, Monte attended the conference as a newly orphaned Katrina storm survivior. This year, he's in a committed home and is eager to show off his excellent manners and newly earned therapy dog vest.
Pit Bull Hall Reception:
A highlight of the conference was a Saturday night reception and tour of the East Bay SPCA Oakland shelter, with Pit Bull Hall in the spotlight. Guests networked, enjoyed finger snacks (thank you Kim!), viewed a dog training demo by PBH trainer Sara Scott and met the pit bull residents.
In this photo, Crikey tries his best to flirt his way out of his kennel and into the party action (of course, it worked!).
Special thanks to the staff at the EBSPCA for being such great hosts!
It's Gone to the Dogs:
Dogs accompanied nearly every presentation. 'Gamey Amy' charmed the crowd and did a great job reminding everyone that dog aggression is very workable and "No big deal" when it's understood.
She also gave attendees an up close and personal look at game bred lines and the deserving dogs (like her) that come from fight busts.
Amy photo by Karen and Marie.
Hands On Demos:
BR's Tim Racer led a group of dogs and handlers through fast-paced exercises in the Pit Ed Class demonstration. This hands-on workshop gave conference attendees the opportunity to practice leash techniques used in BR's popular Pit Ed classes.
Conference Follow Up
Times are TOUGH for pit bulls and their advocates right now, and response to this event was overwhelming. It's clear that shelters and rescues are hungry for guidance and practical information to help them make smart adoption decisions for the adoptable pit bulls in their care.
To help meet this need, we'll be posting some of our conference materials on this website, specifically information from the Assessing Dog Tolerance Levels workshop and Identifying Pit Mixes workshop. Stay tuned as we get those webpages ready and announce other ways we plan to bring pertinent info to those who need it most.
Left: A favorite activity at any dog event...Stopping to remember why we do this work in the first place! This conference goer is greeting Betty from Kadillac Kennels after the workshop on Pit Bull Body Styles.
Input? Ideas?
This year's conference sold out. Next year, we'll be expanding the event and moving to bigger facilities in order to accomodate the demand. If you have suggestions for speakers or workshops you'd
like to see covered at BAD RAP's 2007 Conference, please drop us a line: Conference Suggestions