Tails in the News
By Laura Oppenheimer
Vick Pit Bulls finding Bay Area homes
Two Bay Area rescue groups have taken in some of the country’s highest-profile pooches, the Pit Bulls rescued from Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (BADRAP) in Oakland is currently rehabilitating 10 of the Pit Bulls, while San Jose–based Our Pack has one.
BADRAP became involved with the rescue operations early on in the case. Donna Reynolds, executive director of BADRAP, contacted Virginia authorities after hearing about the bust. The organization was able to work with ASPCA and other groups to help care for and develop plans for the rescued canines. The dogs whom BADRAP is now caring for arrived at the end of October, and the ones who have made the most progress have already begun to be put up for adoption.
Reynolds says that one thing she learned from working with the rescued Pit Bulls is that every dog must be regarded as an individual. “Some walked into homes and could have been adopted immediately,” she says when describing the varied temperaments of the 10 pooches. “It’s going to be a little different for every dog.”
Reynolds says she was also surprised by the unaggressive nature of the dogs BADRAP took in to foster. “We expected to see much more dog aggression,” she says. “[For] the majority of the dogs, the problem was being unsocialized. What we walked into was more of a hoarding case. That was a huge surprise for us.”
Although Our Pack took in only one pooch, Leo, the organization’s president, Marthina McClay, shares many of Reynolds’ observations.
“You can tell Mr. Michael Vick didn’t take his dog to puppy socials or use positive reinforcement training,” she says. When Leo arrived at her house on Dec. 16, he lacked all the social skills and training that adult dogs normally have. “We used a lot of positive reinforcement to train him,” she says. As she worked with Leo and evaluated him, McClay determined that he would be a great therapy dog.
“He’s already registered with Therapy Dogs, Inc.,” McClay says. “I really do feel that he enjoys his work.” Leo currently makes weekly visits to a South Bay hospital to spend time with patients. McClay would like to get him involved in working in schools as well.
It’s a testament to the hard work of Our Pack as well as the temperament of the breed that Leo could go from a fighter to a helper in such a short amount of time. “Their core temperament is rock solid,” McClay explains. “These dogs are so resilient and have so much bounce back. He loves people and loves to play with my other dogs.”
Although McClay is currently fostering Leo, she has no plans of adopting him out to the general public. “An [Our Pack] volunteer has expressed interest in him,” she says, “and we want him to stay within the organization.” For more information on the rescued Michael Vick Pit Bulls, visit BADRAP.org and OurPack.org.
San Jose pooch named dog of the year
The Animal Miracle Foundation has chosen Maya, a 5-year-old Pit Bull from San Jose, as its hero dog of the year for 2008. While many Pit Bulls have a reputation for being violent and aggressive, it was Maya’s protection of her guardian, Angela Marcelino, from a violent human predator that earned her the award.
Marcelino was entering her San Jose house in June 2007, when a man came out of the shadows and attacked her. The man was choking her—Marcelino says she was sure he was going to sexually assault her—when Maya came running from another room and latched onto the man’s hand. As Marcelino was able to escape and grab Maya’s collar, the man left her house.
“[Marcelino’s story] really touched my heart,” says Colleen Paige, Animal Miracle Foundation president. “With all the bad press that Pit Bulls get, I thought this was a great opportunity to show the nation that Pit Bulls are heroes and can be sweet and loving.”
Although the attacker didn’t cause any permanent physical harm to Marcelino, he did leave behind a small drop of blood, which DNA analysis tracked back to 37-year-old Anthony Easley, a convicted felon with prior sexual assaults on his record. His preliminary hearing is pending. Marcelino doesn’t know what might have happened that day if she hadn’t adopted Maya.
Labrador tops AKC’s popular breed list
The American Kennel Club (AKC) has released its annual list of the 10 most popular dog breeds both nationally and in San Jose. San Jose’s top four breeds—the Labrador Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier, German Shepherd, and Golden Retriever—are identical to the first four slots on the national top 10 list. San Jose residents, however, aren’t following all the national trends. The Dachshund, Poodle, and Beagle, which are all on the nation’s list, are replaced in San Jose by the Chihuahua, Doberman Pinscher, and Maltese.
Although many people turn to breeders in order to find a purebred pup to take home, Laura Fulda, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley’s vice president of marketing and communications, says that purebred pooches frequently make their way to the shelter—about 25 percent of the dogs who come in. “We work with people who have been approved to adopt from us, and let them know when a particular animal comes in [whom] we think they would be interested in meeting,” Fulda says. “We also refer people to rescue groups that specialize in certain breeds if they want that particular breed right away.”
SF Board of Supervisors supports cage-free eggs
A resolution opposing the sale and consumption of factory-farmed eggs in San Francisco was unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor Gavin Newsom on Jan. 15. In passing the resolution, San Francisco becomes the fourth city in California to do so (joining Berkeley, Santa Cruz, and West Hollywood) and the 10th nationwide.
Grocery stores including Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joe’s, and Andronico’s already exclusively sell cage-free eggs in San Francisco, and area universities have moved to eliminate factory-farmed eggs on campus. In the resolution, San Francisco called upon its reputation as a city that “values social responsibility and humane treatment of animals.” The San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare had previously passed a resolution condemning the practice of confining egg-laying hens.
California residents are currently gathering signatures to put on the California ballot the California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which would prevent cruelty to calves raised for veal, pigs during pregnancy, and egg-laying hens. For more information, visit HumaneCalifornia.org.
