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Sunday, January 20, 2008


Packed parenting class teaches pit bull care

Knoxville Residents Attend Free Pit Bull Parenting Class
Knoxville County, TN - In reaction to the violent killing of Jennifer Lowe by two pit bulls, the local animal control shelter began offering classes for pit bull owners. The goal of the class is to teach people how to be a good parent for the potentially violent pups.

Kristen Hill and Matt Turner, who recently rescued a whole family of pit bulls, were among those in attendance. She said the class has given her a new understanding of the breed.
"You have to raise them together and teach them to love each other,” she said. “Keep them spayed and neutered and if you socialize them, you shouldn't have any problems."
The class at Young-Williams Animal Shelter had such a good turnout that the shelter has scheduled another class that's already full with a waiting list. Parenting classes of a variety of breeds are something the shelter does all year. In January, they focus on pit bulls, next month they will look at hounds.

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4 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous  |  1/21/2008 4:49 AM  |  Flag  
What?!!!

Breed Specific training classes?

Isn't this Unconstitutional?!!

"You have to raise them together and teach them to love each other,” she said. “Keep them spayed and neutered and if you socialize them, you shouldn't have any problems.

Hill also learned that pit bulls rarely attack people for no reason.

"They'll bite you because they're scared, not mean," she said.

This explains the many instances of Pit Bulls chewing through fences. They must fear what is on the other side.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  1/21/2008 11:15 AM  |  Flag  
Exactly, and in this article, they really bite themselves in the foot:
More cute parenting tips

"These dogs [pit bulls] are now used as service animals, like Amber, she's a pet therapy dog," Wendy Hendricks explains.

RIGHT, like the SPCA trained "therapy pit bull" that attacked a police horse in Golden Gate Park. The owner, Anna Klafter, suffered a fractured skull and other injuries (the horse kicked her) after she tried pulling her "therapy pit bull" off of the horse.

The dog, Nettie, had been tested twice:

"Nettie was given basic behavior evaluations by Animal Care and Control in addition to an aggression test for pit bulls.

She was tested again by the SPCA and trained for animal assisted therapy, a 22-year-old program in which dogs are taken to homeless shelters, children's hospitals and nursing homes to interact with people.

Netty received references from eight people after Klafter adopted her, including animal trainers from the SPCA and Animal Care and Control, and received no negative reports."

SPCA volunteer's dog attacks police horse

Anonymous Anonymous  |  1/22/2008 7:47 AM  |  Flag  
"Though Nettie's response to children and seniors was tested, she had never met a horse, Crain said. The novelty may have caused her to give way to her aggressive instincts, he said."


Nettie must have feared the Policeman's horse.

Anonymous Anonymous  |  1/22/2008 9:35 AM  |  Flag  
I am troubled by the cutesie term "parenting"...it encourages people to anthropomorphize dogs and treat them like "babies". Strong, athletic, dominant dogs, from poor breeding stock, (as most dumped shelter pit bulls are) need careful training and handling by someone who knows what they are doing. Not just "love" and basic commands.

I hope the shelter workers do not sugar-coat the challenges owning this breed presents to novice owners...especially serious dog aggression, which often does not manifest itself until the dog reaches full maturity (2 to 3 years old). I fear there is an attempt by many shelters to "oversell" these dogs to people, and down play the negative aspects of the breed.

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