Category: Pittie Party

Former Bait Dog Abigail Becomes a ‘Disney Princess’

Four years ago, when Abigail was just a pup, the Pit Bull was rescued as a stray off the streets of Miami. She had horrific injuries. Half of her face was missing, with the skin ripped down to her right eardrum.

Victoria Frazier, founder of Love Is Fur Ever (LIFE) Dog Rescue, fostered Abigail after she saw her photo on a Miami shelter’s Facebook page.

“We brought her to our vet and at first didn’t know what happened,” Frazier told ABC News in December 2016. When Abigail was shaved to treat her injuries, scars and puncture wounds were revealed on her head, neck and back legs.

“This was not a one-time thing,” Frazier said. “It was consistent with having been used as bait in a dog-fighting ring.”

Abigail herself proved to be a fighter, but in a very positive way. She endured several surgeries and skin grafts. During her weeks of recovery, the bandages on her face had to be changed several times daily. Frazier noticed that the gauze over her Abigail’s ear resembled a bow. Frazier bought some headbands for Abigail to wear. This inspired her to launch the Bonnets for Abigail page on Facebook, which now has over 31,000 fans.

People from around the world have sent bonnets for Abigail to wear as she helps raise awareness of the horrors of dog fighting.

In 2017, Abigail was adopted by Jason and Megan Steinke of Fort Myers, Fla. “She has settled in perfectly to our family,” Megan Steinke said at the time. “There really wasn’t any sort of a rough transition. She came into our home and knew that’s where she was meant to be.”

Based on what happened to her early in her life, you might think Abigail would be frightened of other dogs, yet she quickly became best friends with Tala, the Steinkes’ rescue Pit Bull mix. Both Abigail and Tala became certified therapy dogs.

Abigail was was awarded the top title of American Hero Dog at the 2017 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards, which recognize “extraordinary acts of heroism performed by ordinary dogs.”

As the Hero Dog Awards website stated, Abigail didn’t need therapy because she is the therapy: “She loves people and dogs. She has a mission to continue to teach forgiveness and end dog fighting.”

Three years later, Abigail is going to be “the newest Disney princess,” Megan Steinke told FOX 4. Abigail is starring in the May 29 episode of “It’s a Dog’s Life” on the Disney+ streaming service. This new series features working dogs as well as “hometown hero” dogs. In tonight’s episode, Abigail is the hometown hero.

“It’s just been so inspiring to see the impact a dog can make on people, and really advocate for the breed of the Pit Bull, and help rescue dogs,” Steinke told FOX 4. “Rescue dogs aren’t broken. They have so much love to give, and Abigail is an example of that.”

Congratulations to Abigail for overcoming a rough start in life and becoming a true hero.

Photo: FOX 4 Now/YouTube

Pit Bull Rescued from Dogfighting Ring Becomes K-9 Officer

It’s very sad that the four-legged survivors of dogfighting operations used to be given an automatic death sentence. Fortunately, the Pit Bulls who survived one of the most notorious of these operations, Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels, proved that these dogs could be rehabilitated and placed into loving forever homes.

Many of these “Vicktory Dogs” went on to become therapy dogs and loving pets —  even though former Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle, as well as PETA, wanted these dogs to be euthanized.

Fast forward 13 years, and some of the 31 dogs rescued from a dogfighting ring in Canada are also proving that these survivors can become heroes. In January, a survivor named Hansel became New Jersey’s first Pit Bull arson officer.

This month, another Pit Bull rescued from that same ring has become a K-9 deputy for the Craven County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

K-9 Nibbles graduated from the Police Canine School on April 12, earning a certificate in narcotics detection and basic obedience. He will work alongside his partner, Deputy Willis McCaw, to “fight against drugs being trafficked and sold in Craven County,” according to a Facebook post by the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.

“This dog comes to us at no cost to the [Craven County] taxpayer and is going to help us immensely in our fight in curtailing the illicit flow of drugs that have been coming into our county on a daily basis,” Sheriff Chip Hughes said at a press conference.

Like Hansel, Nibbles was rescued by the Throw Away Dogs Project, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that trains rescued dogs to become K9 officers and service dogs.

According to news reports, Nibbles, Hansel and at least two other dogs rescued from the Canada dogfighting operation are now serving in law enforcement. Others have become certified service dogs.

You can make a donation to help the Throw Away Dog Project rescue more dogs via its website.

Photo: Craven County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Hero Pit Bull Takes 4 Bullets During Armed Robbery (He’s OK!)

Todd Lane was walking up to his home in Wilmington, N.C., Monday night with Skylar, his 12-year-old Pit Bull, when a man behind them said, “Gimme that.”

The stranger was referring to the money Lane had just won from a scratch-off lottery ticket. But before Lane could reach for his wallet, the robber started shooting.

Grazed by a bullet, Lane fell to the ground. Skylar immediately took action to protect his owner.

“He charged after the dude with the gun and that guy shot the dog four times,” Lane told WWAY. “They found four different shots in him.”

The robber fired at least eight shots before running off. Two shots were fired into Lane’s living room, where people were watching TV. Fortunately, no one inside the house was hurt.

And fortunately for Skylar, the hero dog survived the shooting. Two bullets grazed him. One went through his upper lip. But the other bullet shattered his front left paw, requiring reconstructive surgery so he can walk. Because Skylar has arthritis in his shoulder, amputation was not an option.

Lane’s niece, Tina King, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise funds to cover the expensive surgery. As of today, it’s raised nearly $4,000.

“Right now with the coronavirus a lot of people are short with money and it’s hard,” KIng told WWAY. “So it’s hard asking people for money, but a lot of people have given $5 and my sweet friend Courtney gave $500.”

Lane is grateful not only for Skylar but for the community’s generosity in helping to pay the hero dog’s veterinary bills. “It ain’t me that’s saved his life, it’s this community,” he told WWAY. “All the funds they have given me, all the support they have given me, and everything they’re doing for my dog has literally saved his life.”

Skylar was able to return home from the animal hospital yesterday. He’s recovering but will need another surgery.

The hero pit bull “saved me,” Lane told WWAY. “I mean, you always wonder, would your dog take a bullet for you? And I found the case out. He took four for me. He’s a great dog.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Wilmington Police Department at 910-452-6120.

You can make a donation to help pay for Skylar’s vet bills through the Justice for Skylar – Vet Bill Assistance GoFundMe page.

Photo: GoFundMe.com

Denver’s Unfair Pit Bull Ban Could Have Finally Ended, But the Mayor Says No

People like me who have spent years advocating for the end of breed-specific legislation (BSL) — unfair laws, including breed bans, that single out dogs only because of how they look — were overjoyed earlier this week with the news that the Denver City Council had voted 7-4 to end the city’s 30-year Pit Bull ban.

Finally! It was so encouraging that the city officials of Denver, whose ban was one of the world’s most notorious, had realized BSL does not increase public safety. It’s also a big waste of money, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars to enforce. All BSL effectively does is punish well-behaved dogs and responsible dog owners.

But cancel those party plans. In a letter to the Denver City Council yesterday, Mayor Michael Hancock decided he could not “in good conscience support this legislation.” He claimed he’d heard from “thousands of residents” about the end of the ban. (And you can bet he heard from the hate group behind DogsBite.org, a website founded by a dog bite victim who wants all Pit Bulls destroyed.

Hancock claimed he talked to experts in veterinary care. That’s interesting, because the largest veterinary care group in the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, opposes BSL because it’s unfair and ineffective.

Although the Pit Bull ban could have been lifted, there still would have been special requirements for the owners of Pit Bulls, mixes and dogs that happen to look like Pit Bulls. The owners would have had to register their dogs with Denver Animal Protection, obtain a breed-restricted license, and have no more than two Pit Bulls.

Yes, these regulations singling out these dogs are still BSL (and B.S.), but removing the ban would have been an important, positive step.

“At the end of the day, I must ask whether passage of this ordinance would make our homes and neighborhoods safer or pose an increased risk to public safety,” Hancock wrote in his letter. “I have concluded that it would pose an increased risk.”

It would really be helpful to know what, if any, facts led the mayor to this decision. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), for example, states that it’s unaware that BSL makes communities safer for children or adults.

Denver’s Pit Bull ban was enacted in 1989 after a 3-year-old boy wandered into his neighbor’s yard and was fatally attacked by an unspayed Pit Bull who was chained to a carport, according to the Denver Post. Three years earlier, another of the owner’s dogs had bitten an 8-year-old boy. Because of that one irresponsible owner 30 years ago, thousands of Denver residents have had to make the terrible choice of finding a new home for themselves or their beloved dogs, or relinquishing their pets to the city to be euthanized.

“Breed bans usually come on the heels of a fatal dog attack, a knee-jerk reaction by city and county officials that might pacify a community for a while, but doesn’t do a thing to keep communities safer,” notes the Best Friends Animal Society. “It’s much easier to institute breed bans than to look at what caused those attacks.”

The potential good news is that Denver Councilman Christopher Herndon, who proposed ending the Pit Bull ban, promised he will introduce a ballot measure allowing voters to end the ban next November.

“I’m disappointed the mayor is choosing to disregard the science on the issue of breed-specific legislation,” Herndon said in a statement, according to the New York Times. “Research tells us breed-specific legislation is ineffective at keeping communities safe and experts in the field — from the local level to the national level — agree it is no longer best practice.”

So, Denver voters, please do the right thing in November and end your city’s unfair Pit Bull ban. You’ll not only be saving a lot of money but also the lives of countless dogs.

Photo: JussyD

The Pit Bull in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Deserves an Oscar (But Shame on Tarantino)

If you’ve seen “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” I’m going to bet that, like me, one of your favorite characters was Brandy, the Pit Bull belonging to Cliff Booth, the character played by Brad Pitt.

Without giving anything away, Brandy is truly a hero in the movie. She is played by Sayuri, who was snubbed for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination — probably only because dogs don’t get Academy Awards. They do, however, qualify for the Palm Dog award at the Cannes Film Festival. Sayuri deservedly won that prestigious honor this year.

“I’ve told everybody, I have no idea if we’re going to win the Palme d’Or. I feel no entitlement,” said Quentin Tarantino, writer and director of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” when he accepted the award on Sayuri’s behalf. “But I did feel that I was in good standing to win the Palm Dog. So I want to dedicate this to my wonderful actress Brandy. She has brought the Palm Dog home to America.”

As much as Sayuri deserves awards for her performance, Tarantino deserves no awards for casting this particular dog in his movie. Here’s why.

Instead of searching animal shelters and rescue organizations to find a Pit Bull perfect for the part of Brandy – and in the process probably finding that dog a forever home – Tarantino instead chose Sayuri from breeders Monique and Matt Klosowski of Wilmington, Del. Sayuri’s stunt double, Cerberus, was also obtained from these breeders.

According to USA TODAY, trainers flew to the Klosowskis’ home and offered them “thousands of dollars” for Sayuri and Cerberus. It’s heartbreaking to think about how all that money could have really helped an animal shelter or rescue instead. The trainers didn’t even have to leave Los Angeles — it’s a sad fact that the vast majority of dogs in all of the area’s shelters are Pit Bulls or mixes.

What’s also really disappointing is that Tarantino chose to cast a Pit Bull with cropped ears, like Sayuri’s. Okay, so mutilating the ears of Pit Bulls may have been commonplace back in 1969, but nowadays ear cropping is rightfully considered cruel and unnecessary. It is opposed by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and other veterinary organizations. Yet every Pit Bull on the About page of the Klosowskis’ Delaware Red Pitbulls website has cropped ears.

Even PETA — the only major U.S. animal organization that actually supports unfair and ineffective breed-specific legislation (BSL), including Pit Bull bans — has asked the USDA to investigate Delaware Red Pitbulls. PETA says the breeders are operating without a license, which is in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

To his credit, there are some things in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” that Tarantino does get right about Pit Bulls: specifically, just how compassionate and loyal these misunderstood dogs are. But it’s truly a shame that because of his unfortunate casting choice, unlike Brandy in his movie, no shelter dog had the opportunity to enjoy a fairy-tale ending.

Photo: YouTube

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