My rescued pit bull now works as a Therapy Dog! (photo heavy)

[PitBullTherapyDog]

Hi there fellow dogexplorers! 

I rescued my American Pit Bull Terrier from www.badrap.org out of Oakland, CA.  An urban town with many dog fighting issues, Animal Control Officers believe that she was used as a "bait" dog, or a dog without fighting gameness used to bring out dominance in other dogs.  Most dog fighters don't kill their bait dogs a la Michael Vick, but simply evict them to live a life on the streets, alone.

Animal Control Officers in the area believed this to be the case with my Daisy Mae as she turned up in a neighborhood with known dog fighters who also breed for her color (called blue in pit bulls).  Described by the vet as "severely emaciated" and only 37 pounds, she quickly filled out to a robust and rather brick-like 53 pounds.  I feed her a raw food diet, sometimes called prey model and sometimes called BARF, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

During her first few weeks with me, she rarely came out of her cage (never locked) and would hide underneath her dog bed and stuffed animal toys.  Eventually she'd venture out for meal times and for 5 and 10 minute spurts.  A true isolation case, upon experiencing anything new, she would immediately "check out", get vacant eyes and cower on the ground with her tail between her legs.  This happened with every single encounter with something new like walking on a leash, hearing dogs bark, city noises, stairs, elevators, meeting people, going to the beach. . .



. . . but as most dog owners know, LOVE can cure anything, along with consistent exercise and training.  In just 4 months with me, she aced both the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test as well as the far more rigourous Therapy Dog test.  As a working Therapy Dog, she visits our local hospital weekly.  The pediatric ward is her favorite and she loves to lay upside down with folks in the hospice center too as she's a natural cuddle bug.  Some people even weep as they hold her because it's oddly similar to cradling a sleepy toddler.

Watching this dog blossom into the happy, wiggly bundle of fun and joy that she is now has rejuvenated my own heart and spirit.  She brings smiles to everyone she sees.  While some people are mean to her because of her stocky appearance and the terrible media stories that abound, most people encourage her.  At the beach, strangers will root for her to swim just 8 or 10 feet!  Plus, she's got the support of her team behind her including her everpresent mom (me), her grandparents, vets, her many "aunts" and "uncles", etc.  I make sure that she has supervised doggie playdates every single day too since she absolutely shines with happiness when with her doggie buddies & acts as a submissive diffuser if other dogs get ornery.  She's truly a uniting force for both people and dogs now.

To those in favor of breed specific legislation, I say that

any dog is simply a reflection of its current owner

.  Look at how different Daisy acted before me and after being in my care.  Two of Michael Vick's dogs are also Therapy Dogs.  Places like Denver will mandatorily euthanize any "pit bull type" dog, even those passing through the area under the care of non residents.  Ontario, Canada and the state of Ohio have similar laws that punish the wrong end of the leash. 

It's every dog guardian's duty and responsibility to raise them right.  Luckily, the unlimited joy they bring you is well worth the daily effort.  We have all seen our dog's huge smiles and bringing that side out of them is so rewarding.  The first picture is from her first week with me - look at that scared face as she takes a walk (AKA by boyfriend at the time carrying her once she freaked out and turned inward) The next picture is the first time I put her on the bed to meet one of my mom's cats.  The cat wasn't interested, but Daisy was very scared.  The other photos are from after her personality transformation.

Alison Hansen in Santa Barbara
you can see more of Daisy here: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/354737