We all bear the costs of pit bull advocacy

We came across this article and found the subtitle worthy of note:

"THE ATTACK HOSPITALIZED EMILY RUCKLE FOR 32 DAYS, LED TO 12 SURGERIES OVER TWO YEARS AND CAUSED $3 MILLION IN MEDICAL BILLS."

We've all been bombarded with the smarmy, well known pit bull propaganda talking points, which use faulty logic, non-sequiturs and emotionally charged civil rights terminology in an attempt to make us all feel guilty for not wanting to expose our children or our pets to unpredictable canine IEDs.

To the average man, who doesn't know anything about the bloody and violent genesis and history of the bull-baiting and pit fighting breeds, this may all sound plausible, and invoke some sort of sympathy, but what the narcissistic pit bull activists don't tell us is that we all, as a society, pay the price for their delusion.

This poor girl, one of many innocents whose lives have been touched by pit bull violence, is a solid argument for the need for change in our laws. It's time to start holding the perpetrators strictly accountable.

Do we blame pit bulls for being and doing precisely what they were designed and bred for centuries to be and to do? That's irrelevant. The blame must be placed on those who lie about the facts, who attempt to obfuscate, shift the blame and hide the danger, and traffic pit bulls into unsuspecting neighborhoods.

If we were placed in charge, this would be the policy: In the event of a pit bull attack, the pit bull is to be put down, immediately. If a citizen at the scene of the crime is able to disable or kill the pit bull to save the victim, that citizen shall be held blameless. The pit bull owner or responsible party shall be charged with the attack, and punished accordingly - not token fines, but jail time and/or serious financial penalties.

Feel free to weigh in with your feedback on our thoughts, as well as the article in the link below -

Pit bull mauling launches Newark 8 year old on 2 year trek to save her arm

An open letter to Tia Torres

Mothers of children attacked by "family pit bulls" continue to speak out.

"Dear Ms. Torres,

Recently I was invited to be involved in an educational awareness table which was set up in Manchester, Tennessee at an event you were scheduled to attend. As a mother of a child attacked by a family member’s pit-bull, I seize every opportunity to speak with the public about what one bite from a pit-bull looks like, and spread awareness that the breed was NOT bred to look after children while their owners were busy, and that shelter workers/rescue groups should NOT be misleading potential adopters to believe they are “Nanny Dogs”. This is reckless misinformation that is a contributing factor as to why so many people are dying at the jaws of these dogs."

Read the entire letter at Daxton's Friends

An open letter to Tia Torres

"On January 17th 2014 my daughter Kara was attacked and brutally mauled to death on her 4th birthday by the very dog we purchased for her at x-mas the year before."

 "I bought into your theory of poor misunderstood dog, gentle giant, loving family pet, great with children, loyal, snuggly. Our dogs were every one of those things—until the day something snapped in him and he wasn’t."

Read the full letter at Daxton's Friends

Hounded - a grieving father tells his story

Jeff Borchardt, like many of us, had bought into the myth that pit bulls are just like any other dog, and that it's all in how they are raised. He learned otherwise, losing his son Dax in a gruesome nightmare that nobody should ever have to experience. While his son's babysitter was carrying him, her well behaved pit bulls attacked her, knocked her down to get to Dax, and mauled him for 15 minutes in a relentless attack, during which the babysitter was also badly injured as she tried in vain to save him.

This alone is a heavy cross to bear, but there's more. As difficult as it is to believe, there are organized groups of people dedicated to suppressing the bad news about pit bulls, and spreading dangerous propaganda - the sort of propaganda that got Dax killed. These people are without conscience or common decency, and will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who dares to speak frankly about the risks associated with pit bulls.

Read the full story at Daxton's Friends

Innocent victims of pit bull politics

"The pit bull owner did not face any charges in the attack, as he enjoyed the protections afforded by the new Ohio legislation. It's unfortunate that there was no protection for Zainabou"

Zainabou Drame, forever silenced by the neighbor's pit bulls

The injustice of Ohio's pit bull owner protection law is becoming more apparent as the victims pile up, and people are starting to speak out.

Dick Johnson weighs in - A remedy for Commissioner Philbrook
SRUV was first with the story - SRUV - A Remedy for Commissioner Philbrook
Scorched earth has also been speaking out - Scorched Earth: pit bull roundup

Beau's Tombstone Memorial

It pains us to present this message, but it is a reminder of why we work to raise awareness of the pit bull problem. 2 year old Beau Rutledge was mauled to death by a well-behaved family pit bull last year. His mother, Angela Provo Rutledge, speaks about what their family went through, and about the memorial she hopes to build.

On April 24, 2013 We lost both our beautiful son Beau Isaac and our family dog, affectionately known as Kissy Face. Kissy face had been part of our family for 8 years and lived up to her name, for she was compelled to overload you with kisses. Oh she was such a very loving and family oriented dog. Kissy face had been around since her birthdate, November 22, 2005, two years prior to having the first child, Bella. When Bella came into the picture, it was so much fun to have the dog around, because she acted as a companion and protector. Never was she aggressive towards Bella and played generously with other children. Therefore, we felt confident in our family's safety when it came to our family pet.

Then 4 years later Beau Isaac was born on April 4, 2011. Over the next two years Beau and Kissy Face loved on each other compassionately. Until shortly after his 2nd birthday I made a trip to the restroom. Just a few minutes later I came out of the restroom to find my son in a pool of his own blood. It was the most horrific day of my life and a day without warning. Our dog sat next to his body looking confused as if she didn't understand why he wasn't getting up. The screams from my voice were so loud and so terrifying that our neighbors (two doors over) rushed over and joined in with my horrific screams!

Rewinding back to the year 2005, I was told by some random person that pit bulls were aggressive and were bred to fight other dogs to the kill. Then I was also told by another random person at our dogs vet the very opposite. I was told if you raise pit bulls with love and care they are just as gentle, loving, and domesticated as any other household dog breed. Therefore, we truly believed that with love and proper up brining that the nurture factor would override the nature of this breed dog.

Our story is not about hating or loving the pit bull breed. Our story is simply this, any dog can bite and any dog can love like a human being, yes all dogs have the ability to display some strong emotions that resemble those of a human. The downside to a dogs thought and emotional process is simply this, it cannot process the chain reaction that comes of their nature. We regrettably believe, now that it is too late, that there is something extremely untrue to what we had once believed. The truth is this, there is not just this story, but 288 reported stories like ours since 1998 and 30 plus stories reported this year alone. There are countless adult fatalities and countless attacks leaving a person for dead because of this breed of dog and like aggressive breads.

In conclusion, we are not saying to take your dog out back and shoot it. We are not saying not to love your dogs. We are simply saying that even with tons of love and attention that our dog (and many dogs of her breed) still snap ped and killed our son in a matter of moments. Consider this, we as dog lovers, should ponder this one thing, if there was a one and a million chance that your dog could turn on you or your child, would you get rid of it and grieve for a moment or loose a child and grieve for a lifetime?

Love
Angela

Beau's Tombstone Memorial

Please help us raise the funds to give Beau the tombstone he deserves, as well as a beautiful place for his mother, big sister Bella and friends/family to visit and mourn.

News accounts of Beau's untimely death may be found here