This is a follow up to our most recent post. It comes as no surprise that Remi is dead. The whole scenario had a very "Bones" feel to it. Anyone not familiar with the story of Bones can type the name into the search box at the top left of the blog. You will be here for a very long time. But I digress.
Per Baldwin's statement to the former owners of Remi, Remi killed another pit bull owned by Baldwin in a classic "yard accident." This is a term used by dog fighters when one of their pit bulls kills another. In order to avoid yard accidents, dog fighters (who fully understand the dogs they created) keep their pit bulls chained to truck axles in the woods. The new breed of pit bull owner, ignoring genetics and common sense, tend to dress their pit bulls in tutus and keep their pit bulls in crates that are not, and can't be created to actually contain pit bulls. Pit bulls escape from crates regularly and death may follow. Yard accidents are not rare. Even the pit bull experts at Best Friends Animal Society have had yard accidents and they are a multi, multi million dollar a year organization spending a great deal of that money attempting to prove that pit bulls are safe pets.
This is a quote from a statement made by Remi's former owner. "Remi has been Dead according to the paperwork that we did see from Rascal Animal Hospital which stated Remi was euthanized on Dec 28th 2016. Steffen claims that he came home and went to the barn and his dog Zack was dead and that he took Remi to the vet to get euthanized. He had the receipt from Remi's Euthanasia which we asked to take a picture of and he quickly declined. I also asked for a copy of the receipt from his dog's Zack's cremation to compare the timeframe to see if it was even close to Remi's euthanasia date. GUESS what he DECLINED that also. He said he didn't have that and he wasn't advised to bring it. I said no problem, call the crematory right now on speaker and let them tell me that Zack was euthanized. The receipt should have been dated somewhere between 12/28-12/31.Well Steffen became very UPSET and he REFUSED to call the crematory. Why??? Why wouldn't you want to prove with the one opportunity you had that this wasn't a lie???... It's very easy to fabricate a story that a "Dangerous Dog" had a reaction so he can be killed without any proof of it. I don't believe that story and NEVER will. Steffen claims that Remi escaped his kennel in the barn and said he killed Zack(Steffens personal dog). "... "Steffen has lied for 4 MONTHS about Remi's where about. He took it as far as to register Remi for his license on April 4th, a WEEK ago. Remi has been DEAD since Dec. He tried to keep his lie going as long as possible. Keep in mind I called the dog warden 3 weeks to see if Remi was registered for 2017 and was advised he was not nor were Any of his dogs."
Here is what Baldwin had to say. Headers are not mine.
Baldwin has admitted he made untrue statements. He states it a bit creatively "Those people (the pit bull haters in particular) pay close attention to my page, so in truth I have failed in always being completely transparent in an attempt to protect these dogs. I always show the success stories and I don't show the stories that do not wind up in success.
That is my fault 1000% and I will not make that mistake again. Transparency is absolutely critical, and it's one of the things that I picked up in Austin recently, is the importance of being transparent even if you're worried it's going to paint the dogs in a negative light. Please learn from this lesson as well, as I hope all the mistakes I've made over the years that I've been open about learning lessons for others as well that I've blogged about or discussed openly here in the past."
NOW he promises to be transparent, after he has been caught? He has NOT ever been "open about learning lessons" Preaching and learning are very different things.
He "lacked transparency" to protect his dogs from "pit bull haters" and blames the "haters" for his behavior? Has he ever considered calling his critics "survivors of pit bull attacks" rather than "haters"? He admits to avoidance regarding the revelation of unpleasant truths. This is an ego problem. Pit bulls are zero-mistake dogs, when things go wrong they go VERY wrong.
This is the last screen shot I'm going to include here and this one is huge. Baldwin drags his dogs into schools and playgrounds to "educate" children about dog safety, and pit bull advocacy.These are violent dogs and he is willfully exposing children to these dogs.
The dog in the photos below is "Belle the Bait Dog." Baldwin frequently speaks of Belle's abuse but may fail to realistically explain that Belle is from a dog fighting ring in Cleveland. Was she a "bait dog" or did she just lose? Here is a quote from extreme pit bull advocacy, The Animal Farm Foundation, on "bait dogs."
" WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH "BAIT DOGS"?
“Bait dog” is a term that is used to label dogs that have been used in dog fighting. Sadly, bait dogs do exist, but they are not commonly found in shelters. Law enforcement professionals have taught us that bait dogs are very rarely found alive in their investigations; however an unusually large number of dogs are being labeled as “bait dogs” based on nothing more than speculation about the dog’s past.
Pit bulls seized from dog fighters are game bred, pit trained and tested. Breed advocates tell clueless reporters "it's all in how you raise 'em." If this is true then dogs bred and conditioned for the pit are the most dangerous dogs in the world. This basic truth is lost on breed advocates.
Here is a photo of Belle and Baldwin teaching dog safety to a small town Ohio Girl Scout troop. I strongly suspect that the parents of these children would want to know about Belle's history in an honest and transparent manner.
Here is Bell with a school group.
Keep in mind what Baldwin has stated about his dogs. Three have killed other dogs, five had killed cats, and six have bitten humans. Three of this subset three are face biters, one sent the victim to the ER for reconstructive surgery after ripping off 2/3 of their ear. One is a child biter. Look at this photo. Is this a good idea? Do the parents of these children have a clue what Baldwin has brought for Show and Tell Day? This is not a joke. These are other people's children.
Here is a link to an Instagram photo of Steffen and Zack making a television appearance. A bit about Zack's history. Zack was a stray, placed by an Ohio shelter and returned within an hour because he bit his new owner. During the intake exam by the shelter vet Zack lunged at the vet's face. Zack was determined to be unadoptable at that point, municipal shelters are twitchy about liability for foreseeable attacks. Baldwin felt public safety advocates were unfair to Zack so he brought the dog home with the intent of tuning him up a bit and passing him on to anyone foolish enough to take him. Has he fully explained all this to the smiling reporter? In what world was this a good idea? At this point Baldwin intends to place a dog deemed too dangerous for a municipal shelter to adopt out into the community due to potential liability but Baldwin will do it with a smile.
Here is a link to video of Belle the Bait dog in the lap of a reporter while she is interviewing Baldwin. Is she fully aware that Belle is game bred, and almost certainly pit trained and tested?
This is Belle when she was picked up by Cleveland police.
Wouldn't it make more sense to concentrate your educational efforts on those who create this suffering and create the dogs that experience this suffering? News reports from reliable news sources make it clear that pit bulls suffer almost universally at the hands of their owners, They are abandoned and picked up as strays filling shelters and rescues across the United States. They are beaten and starved. Pit bulls attack and kill peaceful pets in astonishing numbers. Pit bulls attack and sometimes kill children and adults, unsuspecting passersby and their owners as well. Truth and transparency are ignored by breed advocates whining about local laws that might restrict their rights to own these dogs, or might require insurance and escape proof containment. Laws requiring mandatory neuter and spay for pit bulls would be the most humane thing that could ever happen for pit bulls but pit bull advocacy fights these laws with money, lawyers, and lies. Stop breeding dogs destined to suffer and die, languish in shelters for months to years, and drain taxpayer dollars.
Educate pit bull owners and advocates, not the long suffering peaceful public. Teach pit bull owners to neuter and spay their dogs, dogs not conceived do not suffer. Teach pit bull owners how to contain their dogs so maulings simply do not happen. Nobody pushes for laws to regulate Poodles or Pugs because these dogs are not a threat to the safety of the public. Pit bull advocates need to clean up their own mess, we can't do it for you.
Baldwin has promised that he has learned his lesson. I hope he will learn to actually hear the stories and opinions of others. Stunning intolerance toward victims and public safety advocates is a poor strategy for increasing public acceptance of your ideas.
If Mr. Baldwin is unwilling to listen to those who have been injured, lost a family member in a pit bull attack, a lost a pet in a pit bull attack, experienced financial loss, or are unable to enjoy their own property or community due to menacing pit bulls, possibly he will listen to someone who actually likes pit bulls but is able to clearly see the problem. Blogger Terrierman gives us "Pit bulls in the River." I recommend it.
