The Ohio Pibble March, trivializing death, support from a non existent organization.

Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination promoted their Ohio Pibble March to bring publicity for their planned five million dollar effort to snatch home rule rights from Ohio communities by creating an amendment to the Ohio Constitution prohibiting any city from enacting or enforcing breed specific legislation.  The reason for this tactic is the stubborn refusal of several Ohio cities to surrender to breed specific advocacy.   Click here for a news report of the event.  

Pit bull owners were met by the sight of a long row of crosses, each representing the human victim of a fatal pit bull mauling since January 1, 2014.  This was the exhibit created last year for display at an outdoor art competition in Michigan.  The piece is titled Out of the Blue and the exhibit was clearly marked, each cross represented an American killed by pit bulls.





 The post below was made by pit bull advocate April Bolton asking for "back up."  Please note her explanation "crosses and pics of ppl that had been bitten or hurt by bully dogs." What part of fatal attack was not clear to April?  A high number of the dead were adults, some killed by their own pit bulls but Karen Fairhurst warns "don't leave your babies unattended AND FEED YOUR DOGS."   She thinks all these people were killed by pit bulls because the pit bulls were starving?  What ??



Here come responsible and respectful pit bull advocates.  They pose with their pit bull in front of a memorial for Americans killed BY PIT BULLS.  What ??




We have already covered the message for the day from speakers representing the host organization, Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination, constitutionality.  The denial of rulings by the Supreme Court of the state of Ohio was a stunning display of refusal of reality.

Here is the response of Steffin Baldwin, founding member of OABD.

Steffen Evan Baldwin "Then they said: 'Well...the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Bar Association, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the US Safety Council, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Dr. Sophia Yin, Victoria Stilwell and State Farm, who collects more data than the U.S. Government, are all credible and well respected experts that don't support BSL...but according to what I read on that dogsbite website and a few blogs'...and I just threw up my hands and walked away guys."---story time at my house smile emoticon #oabd#dontbullymybreed #endbsl Like · Comment · Share · June 9 near Broadway, OH · Edited

Lets look at Steffen's list of authorities.  AVMA?  In the business of working against any form of regulation against dogs.  The American Bar Association?  Infested with breed specific advocate lawyers.  The Association of Pet Dog Trainers?  Not an unbiased source.  Victoria Stillwell?  A reality show personality who got her accreditation online from an online program run by PetCo.  State Farm Insurance simply does not collect more data than the United States Government, that is just silly.   The one I find most interesting is the US Safety Council.  I went looking for a statement from them against BSL.

Here is what I found.

NOTHING.

THERE IS NO US SAFETY COUNCIL, or United States Safety Council, or U.S. Safety Council. There is an American Safety Council, primarily concerned with traffic safety and workplace safety.  Zero connection with dogs.

There is a National Safety Council, if you type "pit bulls" or "dogs" or " breed specific legislation" into the site search box the only result is an "Odds on dying from" chart which lists the odds on dying from a dog attack as 1 in 103,798 but this must be taken with a grain of salt, look at the crosses displayed on May 30th in Columbus.  All those people died of attacks from pit bulls.

The closest that the National Safety Council comes to any dog breed discussion at all is an article on dog bites as an occupational hazard for outdoor workers.  "A dog’s breed is not necessarily an indicator of aggressiveness, experts say."... "However, Robinson notes that each dog is different. “You can have the most lovable, sweetest pit bull in [one] yard,” she said, “then go three doors down and run into Cujo pit bull.”

Somehow I don't see this as a resounding breed endorsement, or a statement against breed specific legislation. If one is working as a registered lobbyist for an organization attempting to change state law one should be very careful with misstatements.

Here is a post from the OABD Facebook page with the same reference to an organization that does not exist.

Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination

Perspective is very, very important. This chart of the things most likely to kill you in any given year was provided by the United States Safety Council and you can see where dog bite fatalities fall on the scale (you're twice as likely to be killed by a bee than a dog). While every dog bite fatality is an absolute tragedy; education for both youth and adults, owner accountability, increased spay/neuter programs for economically disadvantaged and breed neutral, dangerous dog ordinances are the keys to dog bite prevention...not discriminatory, ineffective and unenforceable laws that focus on general appearance rather than individual behavior.

Like · Comment · Share · June 8 · Edited

Below is what Baldwin posted the the day after the Pibble March. He was apparently sobered (at the time) by the numbers of deaths by dog attack.  This is appropriate.  Going on to trivialize these deaths with comparisons to hotdogs, ants, football, jellyfish, icicles, deer, and HIPPOS? Wildly inappropriate. Baldwin has used a site called Fark for parts of this list.

Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination

May 31 · Edited · 

Children are the number one group to be bitten by dogs and the number one group to require hospitalization when bitten. As a father of an 8 year old son, I am adamant about the fact that we need to do a much better job educating both children and adults on dog bite prevention, canine body language and behavior, and a dog's daily physical, mental and behavioral needs to be happy, healthy and whole. For example, the terrier class of dogs, which range from the Jack Russell Terrier to the American Pit Bull Terrier to the Airedale Terrier are all known to be both intelligent and very physically active and every dog in this class needs an owner who isn't a couch potato that can be a responsible pet owner and provide for their needs which goes beyond just loving your dog. There were 42 dog bite fatalities last year, and each one was a horrible tragedy that should not be undermined. With visual breed identification being proven ineffective (only 8% of shelter professionals could accurately identify breeds when shown them visually and compared to DNA tests), it's truly impossible to know what sorts of mixed breed dogs were involved in these statistics but it's safe to say with so many mixed breed attacks being reported that irresponsible backyard breeders are more of a problem than any particular breed and the solution is more complex than scapegoating and banning. Perspective however, is very important when dealing with public perception and fear based public policies based on data that is proven to be inaccurate. With 42 dog bite fatalities out of 83.3 million owned dogs, your family has a 0.00000012% of being killed by a dog. Subsequently, high school football killed around 20 people. Ants kill around 30 people each year. Jellyfish kill 40 people each year. Tornadoes kill 60 people annually. Hot dogs killed 70 CHILDREN alone a year (‪#‎banhotdogsnotrealdogs‬). Icicles killed 100 people in just Russia last year. Deer kill 130 people annually. Peanuts killed around 200 people last year. Falling out of bed kills 450 people annually. Autoerotic asphyxiation kills 600 people annually. Hippos kill 2,900 people annually. Lightning kills 10,000 people annually. Obesity kills 30,000 people annually.--Steffen Baldwin ‪#‎dontbullymybreed‬ ‪#‎endbsl‬ ‪#‎oabd‬

 It should be noted that per the ASPCA, volunteers are able to identify pit bulls 96% of the time. If the professionals are only able to identify pit bulls 8% of the time they might consider asking a volunteer for help.  Deer do not attack and kill Americans, fatalities associated with deer are automobile accidents.  Peanuts are an allergy. HIPPOS?  HIPPOS? Want to drop your chances of being killed by a hippo to absolutely zero?  Stay in the continental United States.  There are zero hippos roaming the streets of  American communities. I was curious about the 2900 hippo deaths but only found the statistic on websites with titles like "Weird stuff that can kill you." There are lots of these sites but none of them had any documentation and the language was always the same.  Eventually I found a website with some critical thinking and they, having found zero documentation on the hippo death numbers, theorized that one of those shock-value websites misplaced a decimal and the number was likely closer to 290 than 2900.  Who can say? Want to drop your chances of being killed by a shark?  Stay out of  the ocean. Want to drop your chances of being killed by a cow? Look for a career in some field that does not include farming.  Cows do not walk the streets of American cities killing passersby. Peaceful people don't have the opportunity to reduce their chances of being killed by a pit bull by avoiding them except by living in a city with a breed ban. Baldwin tells us that "breed neutral, dangerous dog ordinances are the keys to dog bite prevention"  but your chances of being killed by a pit bull are highest in states where breed specific legislation is prohibited by state law.  California, Texas, and Florida top the lists of pit bull fatalities, all prohibit BSL by state law.  

Back to the Fark website.  Baldwin missed this post on Fark "Pit bull's reputation takes a new hit." the post is a review of the actual opinion of actual doctors who treat the victims of pit bull attacks, or pronounce those victims dead. Spoiler alert - the doctors are not impressed with pit bulls.
Using hokey material like this

to reassure the public of the safety of dogs that are clearly unsafe puts blood on the hands of breed specific advocates. There have been an additional nine fatal pit bull attacks in the United States since the Pibble March at the end of May, including two fatal attacks during the joyous week long celebration of the Huffington Post Pit Bull week.  The last update on the 18 month old baby mauled by a family pit bull during Pit Bull Week tells us he is still in critical condition.   Is there enough soap to wash away the blood?

Wait! Here is the soap delivery for the executive restroom at Ohioans Against Breed Discrimination.



Trivializing death for the purpose of breed specific advocacy is poor public policy.  Possibly the public is aware of this.  That five million dollars in expected donations to fund the assault on home rule on Ohio has raised $635 so far.

 Here is a reminder of the point public safety advocates are trying to make.

This is John Harvard, he was killed by his neighbor's pit bull.  He is one of many. I include John here because this bittersweet photo touches my soul.

Pit bull roundup 9/7/2015, there is still a huge backlog but this is just a sample of Ohio pit bull insanity.

Here we go with another stab at clearing up some of the backlog of Ohio pit bull insanity.  There is a LOT more to come.

8/19/2015
Piqua Ohio
Miami County

A young girl answering a call on her cell phone was attacked by one of the family's  pit bulls.  The girl's  father jumped in front of her to protect her and he was attacked as well.  The 15 minute attack was still in progress when police arrived.  Tasers and pepper spray were used to subdue the attacking pit bull.  Jeremy Bayless was bitten on his foot, ankle, and leg.  His heavy leather boots were credited with protecting him from more serious injuries.
The pit bull was, wait for it.... very recently rescued from an animal rescue that deals in dogs rescued from dog fighters.    Could anyone see this one coming?  Think the rescue has insurance to cover this?  Think the dog was micro chipped so everyone involved in this could be identified?  My guess is no for all three.

But wait, we are not done here.  The family still fully supports the breed.  Jeremy Bayless uses a curious choice of words to describe himself.  He calls himself a "dog man" in an interview with the Daily Call.  This is a self descriptive term used by dog fighters.  Was he clueless?  Was he saying more than he was letting on?

The Bayless family only had Riley a few weeks but Bayless believes that the attacking dog, two year old Riley was "unstable" due to his history and claims that Riley was a "bait dog."  Any pit bull with scars is commonly referred to as a "bait dog" without thought.  Pit bulls fight back, actual bait dogs are far more likely to be stolen pets and they do not survive.

More twaddle from Bayless " Bayless suggests that anyone wanting to purchase any dog, “do their research” into not only the breed, but the bloodline of the dog they wish to adopt into the family.

Bayless believes that the pit bull breed is the current scapegoat for dangerous dogs. “In the ’70s it was the Dobermans, the ’80s it was the German Shepherd, ’90s was Rottweilers.” He believes that popularity of those breeds at times led to over-breeding.

He also said that the media is partially responsible for the reputation of pit bulls as dangerous.

“Probably the reason why I stand strong behind the pit bull is because, if that dog is raised right, (it is not a danger),” said Bayless. “I would almost go the pound and get that dog back … if I knew that I could control it.” 

Chandra Bayless, Jeremy's wife had this to say“It’s the way that they’re raised,” said Chandra, who has lived around pit bulls most of her life, in speaking about the belief that the pit bull breed is dangerous. “They are very protective,” she went on. “I wouldn’t think twice about if my daughter wants to go take a walk (with the pit bull).”

Riley will be euthanized at the end of his 10 day rabies confinement.


Look at the police assisting with removal of Riley from the Bayless home.  These officers are serious
here.

A much less serious Jeremy Bayless and his 11 year old daughter Madison pictured the day after the attack by Riley. I do not get any warm and fuzzy vibes while looking at that massive pit bull on this child's lap.  I wonder how the neighbors feel when this dog is walked by an 11 year old child?


                                                               * * *


8/24/2015
Painesville Ohio
Lake County

A Painesville woman was attacked by her next door neighbor's pit bull.  She was trying to bring in her garbage cans "when her neighbor's pit bull darted out their front door.  “Basically the dog tried to rip my leg off,"  This is not a first for this pit bull, it also menaced the son of today's victim just a few weeks ago.  Jamie Firley was treated at Tripoint Medical Center for wounds to her thigh and her calf.

The pit bull will be held in quarantine for 10 days at the owner's home with periodic checks by the Lake County dog Warden.  It is to be hoped that Lake County Dog Warden Rodney Shelton will make sure the pit bull is declared dangerous.







                                                                          * * *

8/24/2015
Akron Ohio
Summit County

An Akron pit bull owner lost his appeal to save his dog from euthanasia after the Ninth District Court of Appeals ruled that the pit bull poses a threat to the public.  The Akron Municipal Court had previously ordered the pit bull put down.  Here is the case per The Akron Legal News.  "Case summary states that Peterson’s dog, Baby, was running off-leash outside of his residence on Aug. 14, 2014.

The neighbor, Shannon Wade, owned a Shitzhu named Yogi who was outside with Wade’s daughter and niece at the time.

Court documents state that, when Wade returned home from work, Yogi left the home’s front porch to greet her in the driveway.

That is when Baby ran up, grabbed Yogi with her mouth and began shaking her from side to side.

Yogi did not die as a result of the attack, but she did suffer a proptosed eye and required veterinary care for which Peterson was ordered to pay as part of the sanctions for his violation of Akron City Ordinances.

Peterson entered into an agreement with the prosecution and ended up pleading no contest to a violation of A.C.O. 92.25(B)(4), which prohibits the possession of a dog that has caused physical harm to another domestic animal.

Peterson was found guilty and sentenced to 180 days in the Summit County jail, which was suspended on the condition that he obey all laws for two years, pay a $150 fine and pay restitution for Yogi’s veterinary expenses."

The City of Akron does not ban pit bulls but does regulate them.  Despite Peterson's excuses, it was noted that Peterson's pit bull frequently was frequently allowed to run at large and did not wear the day glo green identification collar.  Akron City Animal Control staff members were sent to Peterson's home on several occasions to drop of printed literature on the city's pit bull regulations.  This material was ignored by Mr. Peterson.

In addition, per the Akron Legal News " “Moreover, the trial court’s order contained a second rationale for finding that Baby poses a continuing threat of harm to the public,” Schafer wrote, noting that Peterson had trained his dog to “sic” or attack other dogs on command.

“However, Mr. Peterson fails to address this second finding by the trial court in his appellate brief,” Schafer wrote. “We therefore decline to address the trial court’s second basis for finding that Mr. Peterson’s dog, Baby, presents a continuing threat or danger to the public.”

Peterson went on to argue that the fact that Baby caused physical and economic harm to Yogi and the Wade family had no bearing on whether Baby posed a threat to the public."  

Peterson was given multiple opportunities to change the course of Baby's life but failed miserably. Baby's euthanization order has been upheld. No one other than Peterson is responsible for this.

                                                          * * *

8/24/2015
Bellefontaine Ohio
Logan County



Two pit bulls charged and attacked a Bellefontaine police officer, and a neighbor who attempted to assist the officer.  Per the Bellefontaine Examiner "Officer Michael A. Loehr responded to 402 W. Sandusky Ave. at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday where one pit bull was reported running loose in the neighborhood. The dog was located at 412 W. Sandusky where another adult male pit bull was tied to the home.

The second dog charged the officer, breaking free of its restraint.

A neighbor, Matthew A. Kerns, 45, attempted to aid Officer Loehr, but was bitten twice on the legs by the dogs. The officer used pepper spray on the dogs and was also bitten on the leg below the knee." 

"The dogs’ owner Paul E. Dick, 35, of 412 W. Sandusky Ave., returned home shortly after the confrontation and accused officers of provoking the dogs. He was cited for allowing dogs to run at large."

Dick is a classic pit bull owner, not home when his pit bulls are at large and attacking police but happy to accuse the officer of "provoking" his maulers.   Newsflash, the system is complaint driven and the officer was called for a complaint of a pit bull running at large.  Provocation was not involved here. Dick is fortunate his pit bulls were not shot.

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9/7/2015
Patchoge NY
New York



This is not an Ohio story but it illustrates a point, very well.  A family with a sixteen year old daughter adopted a pit bull from a local shelter.  This family was just delighted with the prospect of giving a pittie a second chance.

The ads for the dog assured the public that Alex would be "perfect for any family."  Alex attacked the sixteen year old AS SOON AS THEY GOT THE THING HOME.

Father Steven Neira makes the absolutely classic victim's emotional statement "If I could prevent someone else from going through this tragedy I would do it."  Mr. Neira, that's why we are all here.

 The shelter, and a rescue group that had previously owned Alex the pit bull did not return calls from News 12.  Not surprising. Alex was promptly euthanized.  Watch the video, please.

Shelter documents show the city shelter system had transferred ownership of the pit bull mix on Thursday to a Vermont group, Carolyn All Breed Rescue, which had highlighted Alex's plight on the rescue website Urgent Pets on Death Row.  Animal lover Stephen Neira, 40, had found Alex Thursday on a website to rescue "death row" dogs and had 22 minutes to save the brown and white pit bull mix before he was to be euthanized at the Animal Care Centers of New York City. It was Neira's first time taking in a pit bull, and he felt like a proud father when he decided to foster the dog and welcomed the 42-pound addition home on Sunday.  Click on the link for details of the attack.

Alex the pit bull after he failed his big chance.

This item was included after I got a heads up that Ohio pit bull advocate Steffen Baldwin rescued a
two time recidivist pit bull listed as "not good with children, not good with dogs, not good with cats." AND a second pit bull labeled as "very bad with other dogs" on the very same day last week. Baldwin's intent is to tune these two known problematic dogs and place them with families, just like Steven Neira's family.



I sincerely hope Baldwin considers the safety of potential adopters before he places these two dogs, and the pit bull named Zack that he brought home earlier this year.  Baldwin's Zack was a "rescue only", not safe for a municipal shelter to place with the public so Baldwin took it home to do just that. I have zero interest in Baldwin or his business but I have a great deal of interest in public safety.

Steffen Evan Baldwin

September 1 at 12:56pm · 

Codley is 4. He has spent 3 of those 4 years in a shelter. Adopted twice and returned twice with a year wait in between. Time to come home, pal. Codley will be up for adoption through ACT Ohio following a decompression period and pack integration but his shelter days are behind him. ‪#‎dontbullymybreed‬

Steffen Evan Baldwin .

September 1 at 9:22pm · 

Rescue #2 of the day. Jersey is high energy and my kind of longboarding dog! She was in foster with a good friend's rescue and the foster stated that she was very bad with other dogs and they needed help. They've done a lot for me so I agreed to go get her. Jersey won't meet the other dogs at all for a while but in the meantime we'll work on our bond and get that nervous energy out! And yes, those are sandals. Wouldn't recommend everyone wearing them on a board... If you haven't been here long I was bit on the feet pretty bad about a week and a half ago and shoes still hurt 😣

Poor public safety decisions by those who should know better.

Before we get back to the Ohio Pibble March, and beat through the backlog of Ohio pit bull attacks, let's take a look at some current events and some events that are not so current but pointed out serious problems.  Pit bull advocacy does not see these problems and people die.  This post will wander a bit but I promise, it will end in Ohio.

In February of 2014 the Courier (Findlay, Hancock County, Northwestern Ohio) published an article titled Volunteer seriously injured, Humane Society sets new safety rules.  The Hancock County Humane Society added safety protocols after a volunteer was seriously injured by a pit bull mix.  The shelter director, Paula Krugh minimized the attack by stating  “He really didn’t attack her. He just kind of decided to turn her into the chew toy.” Krugh said the injuries were serious enough that the volunteer had to seek medical attention. The dog, which was on the adoption floor, was euthanized and a rabies test was conducted on the remains. The test was negative.
 "Decided to turn her into a chew toy?"

Krugh went on to say that the staff "felt defeated" by this event, "the volunteer really loved this dog."
The Hancock County Humane Society has 30 to 50 volunteers at the shelter on any given day and all have received safety training and each has signed a liability waiver form in the event of injury to the volunteer.  The liability waiver forms appear to be convenient for the shelter, three volunteers were bitten by dogs at the shelter in the previous year, all by pit bull dogs.  Only one of the biters was euthanized, the others were adopted out to families?  This significant detail is not explained within the article and is the point of this post.  

Some dates are pertinent here, the article was written in February of 2014, the previous year time frame takes us back to Feb of 2013.  Ohio law was changed by HB 14 in the spring of 2012, freeing shelters that had previously euthanized pit bulls to promote these dogs as family pets and send them off with unsuspecting families.  It did not take long for the failure of HB 14 to become evident.

The new shelter safety protocols at the Hancock County Humane Society include panic buttons, additional cameras, and a buddy system for volunteers.  These protocols sound exactly like the protocols in a power-point done by the ASPCA for the purpose of protecting shelter volunteers from serious injury, and the shelters from serious liability issues.  Please click here to read the power-point program titled The Care of Pit Bulls in the Shelter Environment, you can read the whole thing but please focus on pages 8 through 11. The ASPCA did not share these warnings with the public but have presented this material in hopes of protecting shelters from liability in the case of pit bull attacks upon shelter volunteers.

The Hancock County Humane Society is also not being completely honest with the public.  Looking at the photographs of dogs available for adoption we find at least 18 of the 42 available dogs appear to be pit bulls.  Most have only photographs but a few have the classic shelter bios.  We have Cashmere, in the shelter for 1621 days on the day the photo was taken.  A quote from the shelter's bio for Cashmere,"Living in the shelter is just too stressful for me. I hated being behind bars like I was a criminal. Once outside the kennel, I became the happy girl I was meant to be. I also have learned that I do not want to share my affection with other 4-legged pets. I need to know I am the only dog in my owner's heart and home. I also need an owner who is patient, understanding and knows how to give positive reinforcement to good behavior. A harsh, strict disciplinarian will only make me tense and afraid. Hey, I may be an out-door-lover but I am still sensitive!
Translation, she is animal aggressive as hell, reactive, and you must be 21 years old to adopt this mauler.

We have Gunner, Johnson Type American Bulldog. In the shelter for 186 days at the time the photo was made.  Here is part of Gunner's bio " My family and I just didn't seem right for each other. I am not the type of guy that likes to spend hours by myself. I am a people person! So being bored is sheer torture for me. Also, I really do not like other animals. At all. Under any circumstance. Ever. No kidding. End of story.  Obviously, I do not think of myself as a dog and I have never met an animal I like. But people are my aces in my book! 
Translation, Gunner is wildly animal aggressive and likely wildly destructive in the home.  Kiss your couch goodbye, your neighbors as well.  When Gunner gets out and kills the neighbor's Poodle police will be called.  The shelter is not requiring an over 21 adopter for Gunner.  Poor planning here.

Here is Hercules, here is a quote "Smart, funny and full of personality Hercules has one request. He must live in a home without smaller animals. He has a naturally high prey drive and looks upon small dogs and cats as something to chase and capture! Dogs his own size or larger are just fine with Hercules."  You must be 21 to adopt Hercules.
Translation, Hercules will kill the neighbor's cats and dogs.  Get used to police knocking on your front door.

How about Oliver, in the shelter for 485 days.  "I do have an abundance of confidence and may try to assert my authority on folks who are unfamiliar with bully breed dogs. I like to be the "top dog" when I meet new canines. That is why it will be important to do a thorough test visit with your current dog(s) to make sure we all get along. I'd be happy to be the only dog as well. I do not like cats one little bit!  You have to be 21 to adopt me and I will be best suited to an active home with kids older than 14.
Translation, again, cat killer and likely any to kill any available dogs as well, don't get confident that your children will be safe either.

Rizzo is a recidivist, the shelter has labeled her a "Shepherd/Terrier but is write up indicates the 21 years old requirement for adopters, they know this is a pit bull mix.  " I am 3 years old and familiar with this shelter life. I was picked up in Potter's Bridge Park in the spring 2013 and was adopted in September. My family really loves me a lot and I love them. However, I cannot live with cats. I was surrendered to the HSHC June 2015. 
Translation, too many pit bulls on the list so we will just make something up for Rizzo's breed.  Rizzo is a cat killer and the family chose peace and safety in the home over this mauler.  Smart.

Would you like to look at Ruben?  In the shelter for 503 days, here is part of the bio "Here are some facts about me: 
o I am strong.
o I love people.
o I need to be the only pet in your family.
o I am house-broken.
o I know how to walk on leash.
o I know the commands sit and stay. 
o I am working on my manners and obedience but overall I am friendly, sociable, tolerant, happy and curious.
o I can get pretty worked up and excited when playing so I need kids 10 and older who can handle my strength and energy.
So in conclusion, I need an active family who will give me plenty of exercise, long walks and playtime with toys and tennis balls.
Because I was what they call "a stray" nobody knows much about my past. But I am very hopeful about my future! 
You must be 21 to adopt me.Have good insurance and feel lucky?  Ruben might be just the dog for you, but God help your neighbors.


But I have digressed.  After you have read through the ASPCA's material on pit bulls in shelters you might read material put out by the AVMA Professional Liability Trust with the same goal, protect kennel workers from violent dog attacks.  Pretty much every possible scenario in the book is illustrated by an actual pit bull attack.  Click here to read the Does and Don'ts Concerning Vicious Dogs.  This book was done in 1993, before the AVMA sold out to pit bull advocacy.  For an impressive list of attacks, and fatal maulings by rescued pit bulls please click here.  Please note that there are live links on each story to actual news sources, the NCRC does not cover these attacks so pit bull advocates have apparently missed them.

So, Hancock County is experiencing a pit bull problem, and this is just inside the shelter where presumably trained staff is caring for the dogs.  Lets look at what is happening in the communities of Butler County Ohio.   In July of 2014 the Journal-News ran a story with the title "Recent pit bull attacks raise about breed, dog laws." This quote comes from the Journal-News "No doubt, pit bulls and mixed breeds with the pit bull’s traits are popular in Butler County, according to Deputy Dog Warden Supervisor Kurt Merbs.  “Eight out of 10 dogs I pick up are pit bulls.” 
Pit bulls keep dog warden Kurt Merbs very busy.  Last year Merbs called to the scene of a fatal attack by a family pit bull upon the mother of the dog owner.

 In August 2014 Merbs was called to investigate an attack by a pit bull upon a 67 year old woman while she was peacefully walking in her own neighborhood.   Merbs said the dog in question was a pit bull.  “Oh yes, there’s no doubt,” Merbs said of the breed of the dog.
It is refreshing to find a dog warden who is competent enough to freely identify a pit bull. At this point it should be noted that the attack upon the 67 year old woman was not the first attack for this particular pit bull.  Merbs says he responded to an incident two years ago where Sapp's pit bull attacked a woman as she walked her dog on Grand Boulevard in Hamilton. He was reportedly charged for that incident as well.
The two year time frame brings us to a few months after HB 14 was passed, why wasn't this dog declared dangerous and removed from the community?  HB 14 was sold to Ohio legislators as the way to "finally give dog wardens the tools to deal with dangerous dogs."  Why wasn't this one dealt with at the time?  

Merbs was also the spokesperson dealing with an attack upon a Black Labrador by a pit bull that ripped the Lab's ear off.  What action was taken against the pit bull owner?  The same pit bull was running loose two weeks later requiring two dog wardens and two police officers to round up this two time offender, taken to a local shelter this time. Hopefully this dog was not returned to the owner.

This quote comes from the Dayton Daily news August 8 2014 “Almost every call I did (Thursday) was for a pit bull,” he said.  Merbs added that for first-time dog owners, he would not recommend any breed of pit bulls.

“I would recommend them for experienced dog owners,” he said. “They’re high-energy dogs, definitely not for lazy people to own.”

A pit bull’s level of aggression comes down to both natural temperament and training, he said.

“You can get a pit bull that is aggressive just by being bred that way, as with any dog. But if they’re stuck on a chain their whole life and don’t socialize, that will have a lot to do with it,” he said.

 
News reports dated July 7, 2015 show that pit bulls remain a problem in Butler County.  Merbs is interviewed by WCPO Cincinnati regarding the case of a pit bull that severely injured a nine year old girl, was ordered into a 10 day home quarantine and, in a classic move, was trafficked to an unknown location before the 10 day quarantine was complete.  The child will have to undergo rabies treatment if he dog can't be located.

Pit bulls in Montgomery County?  Please type Montgomery County, Dayton, or Mark Kumpf into the site search box.  You will be here all day.  I am MILES behind on the Ohio Pit Bull Roundup as well.  Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging but look forward to MANY more pit bull stories soon.  Pit bulls are a huge problem in Ohio but still pit bull advocates hope to talk Ohio voters into throwing away their home rule rights to regulate pit bulls via an amendment to the Ohio Constitution to prohibit any community from passing or enforcing BSL.

Pit bulls in the Greater Cleveland area?  Please read the Greater Cleveland Pit Bull Roundup post.

Moving on to current events, extreme pit bull advocacy, the Animal Farm Foundation, has decided to solve the problem of pit bull attacks by hiding the breed when pushing pit bulls out of shelters rather than making any attempt to solve the problem.  Here is how they do it, check out Labels and Language on the AFF website.  Please note that the motto for the AFF is "Securing equal treatment and opportunity for "pit bull" dogs" but the AFF has decided that we shall call these animals "American Shelter Dogs" in the future "since “pit bull” is not a breed of dog recognized by any kennel clubs and there is no agreed upon definition for what a “pit bull” is, it is impossible to apply breed traits to this genetically incoherent group of dogs."

They want equal treatment and opportunity for dogs that they can't define or identify?  Is there a support group for those who might search for leprechauns or unicorns?

What is the result of mindless support for dogs that are irresponsibly bred, irresponsibly owned, dumped wholesale into tax supported shelters?  Death, death is the result.

Ashville North Carolina, already partnered with the wildly pro pit bull Best Friends Animal Society, proudly announced in June that it was  joining forces with Deirdre Franklin of  Pinups for Pit Bulls to run a pit bull advocacy and education event.

  
Ms Franklin and friends.

Here is a link to a group of photos of Pit Bulls and Pinups.  Serious public policy makers?   I have googled Ms. Franklin's "What is BSL and Can it Keep Us Safe" talk and find broken links and cancelled events, nothing on the actual speech.  




We don't know how many attended or how many pit bulls were placed but we do know that after the Project Pit Bull campaign kickoff the Asheville Humane Society went into overdrive with pit bull adoptions.  One of the pit bulls placed during the frenzy at the Asheville Humane Society killed Joshua Strother just two weeks after the pit bull was placed with Joshua's neighbors.   This was not the first aggressive pit bull placed by the Ashville Shelter.  A comment was posted by a woman who had adopted a pit bull from the very same shelter and returned it in less than 24 hours because it attacked her son.

What was the response from Ashville officials after a child was mauled to death and another was injured by pit bulls placed by the municipal shelter?  Glad you asked!  Pit bull placements were put on hold until procedures were reviewed but it was decided that "it's all good, carry on as usual."  For more on this disgraceful episode please read the posts at DogsBite.org  and Animals 24/7.  More information on the mauling death of Joshua Strother is available here.  For excuses offered by Pinups and Pit Bulls please click here. For an after-the-fact review of the placement of the pit bull that killed Joshua Strother please click here.   For a revealing look inside the shelter handling of pit bulls please click here.

What does any of this have to do with Ohio?  Glad you asked!  Here is a plea for rescue of a pit bull that was housed at the Franklin County Shelter.

COPS-Central Ohio Pit Savers

74016: “Zack” 1 year 1 month old neutered and chipped male Pit Bull mix. He has been here since March 9, which is over well over 100 days in the shelter. He has now been pulled off of the adoption floor due to notes about his behavior. In June, our vet examined him to check a patch of hair loss on his head and wrote: Examined area of hair loss on head. Appears to be a healing scab. No active bleeding or signs of infection. No treatment needed at this time. When I bent down to look at and palpate wound he growled and lunged at my face. This interaction was likely perceived as threatening to Zack but his reaction is concerning in case someone, especially a child, were to bend over him and pet his head. This dog is a feature dog and has been in the shelter since 3/5/15. He is likely understimulated and frustrated from being in the shelter for such a long period of time. He would benefit from more physical and mental stimulation and one on one training. We have not received any other reports of aggression but Zack is showing signs of stress from being here so long and could really use a loving home or foster home if rescue could pull him. Zack is a playful, active guy who gets along with other dogs and loves tennis balls! He may leave at any time for a license fee only. Zack was adopted a few days ago but returned after less than one hour for snapping at the adopters. They did not provide much detail about the snapping but stated that it did not break skin. He is timid with new people and is very stressed in this environment and needs a rescue to pull him where he will be adopted into the special home with an experienced owner. RESCUE ONLY

 

So, Zack is a young pit bull, roughly 465 days old with over 100 of those days spend inside the shelter.  He finally got his big chance but was returned in LESS THAN ONE HOUR DUE TO AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR.  Zack also growled at the shelter vet and lunged at the vet's face.  Zack is no longer eligible for direct placement to the public and may only be removed from the facility by a rescue group.

Who could resist this stick of dynamite dog?  Certainly not Steffin Baldwin, of ACT Ohio and Ohioans Against Bred Discrimination.

Steffen Evan Baldwin

Off to evaluate Zack! Pulled from the adoption floor after lunging at the vet and returned within an hour for nipping but not breaking the skin of an adopter and harassed by the DBO tin foil hat crowd who blog about me...at a year old he's a prime candidate for my reactive rover rehab program! Longboard in the back, hot dogs in my pocket, let's ‪#‎savethem‬!‪#‎banhotdogsnotrealdogs‬ ‪#‎showmeyourpitties‬

 — with Connie Mckee.

Baldwin has taken this dog, apparently, on a dare.

Steffen Evan Baldwin There's a small number of cult like pit haters and they started harassing the COPS page when they were honest about why Zack was returned. Those looney tunes already hate me and for good reason so when they jumped on Zack my poppa bear instincts kicked in to save him.

Like · 19 · July 31 at 7:57pm

Life goes on at ACT Ohio.

Steffen Evan Baldwin

July 30 at 10:25am ·

Dirty, happy dogs playing in the rain/mud yesterday smile emoticon Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio will be at PetPeople in Powell this Saturday from 10-12 with some adoptable dogs! As a responsible rescue, ACT has a set limit on intakes and a growing waiting list of dogs in need so if you're looking for a forever friend, try one of my misfits out!!! smile emoticon Zack (front and center) was taken off of the adoption floor in Franklin County last week because he was returned within an hour of being adopted for nipping. He's having a BLAST playing with the other pups and is very gentle around Evan and not too shabby running alongside my longboard either. Zack will be placed up for adoption in a few weeks after we get him out to experience more of the real world. Roxie, running up behind Zack, came out of a cruelty case in Logan County where she was attacked by another dog and is currently up for adoption. Bree, to the right, came out of a cruelty situation in Delaware County and Finn, the cream colored dog on the left was transferred from another rescue after being a little too rowdy and they are both also up for adoption. If you don't know Bullwinkle and Belle to the left of Finn, you must be new here smile emoticon ‪#‎actohio‬

Baldwin has taken a dog, on a dare,  that the County Shelter has deemed unsafe for direct placement to the public and he intends to place the thing with the public after a few weeks of tuneup.  It is claimed that ACT Ohio carries a 2 million dollar insurance policy, this might be useful.  A question remains, is the insurance carrier aware that ACT Ohio intends to place a dog deemed too dangerous for a county shelter to place?  

Central Ohio Pit Savers is not done either.  Let's look at Vinny!  Vinny is another recidivist pit bull, returned for snapping at a new adopter and also displaying aggressive behavior back at the shelter.  You can tell he is just a sweetheart because he has been photographed with a tutu around his neck.

COPS-Central Ohio Pit Savers

79284: “Vinny” 2 year old neutered and chipped male Pit Bull. He was adopted in early July but returned four days later for snapping at the owner when he corrected him for defecating in the house. He did not display aggression towards our staff upon being returned and passed his behavior retest and moved back to the adoption floor. He has been here over a month now and today one of our kennel attendants reported that he was stiff, growling and hard staring her when she attempted to enter his real life room to clean. He is currently still available for adoption but these behaviors are concerning and we will have to pull him off the adoption floor if he continues to display these behaviors. Email copitsavers@gmail.com if interested in him!  



Meanwhile, back at the ranch, ACT Ohio is moving to a new location, farther out in the country with a building that can be renovated so more pit bulls can be "rescued."  This is how Steve Markwell got his start,   

Steffen Evan Baldwin

July 30 at 3:54pm · Edited ·

I'm moving further out into the country next week and putting kennels into my new outbuilding in August/September. I have a lot of work to do in the outbuilding including pouring concrete, fixing water access, adding insulation, tacking up FRP (fiber reinforced plastic) to the walls for cleaning purposes, increasing air ventilation, piping music in and more! These 5'x15' and 10'x10' kennels would let a couple dogs hang out together during the day while I'm gone instead of being confined separately and I'm hoping to find five generous kennel sponsors that can donate a kennel to us and help us, help more dogs! Your name or business' name will be added to the kennels if you are able to help!!

Steffen Evan Baldwin

July 14 ·

For the 29th time in 34 years, I'm moving again at the end of the month!!! A little further out in the country (still in Union Co) with an outbuilding I can renovate to rehab and help even more dogs, and I can save some money there...soooo I can help even more dogs lol. Papa was a rolling stone and I go where the wind and the tails take me! I don't need any help, I have this moving thing down to a science...but I'm up for a housewarming party in August

 Living dangerously, with the peaceful public at risk.