Why Pit Bulls?

As an advocate for bully breeds I am often asked the question, “why pit bulls?” Some people come right out and ask if we wouldn’t be better off without these “dangerous” dogs, as if extinguishing all dogs with short haired coats and sturdy muscular bodies would solve some great social ill.

I don’t respond with anger to such questions because I used to be one of those ignorant people. When my cousin announced she was bringing home a baby pit bull from Brooklyn as a gift, I was horrified and dismayed. I prepared for the worst. From what I’d heard, his brain would outgrow his skull; he would go crazy and snatch babies off the street and feed on them with his double-row of shark teeth...

Fast forward eight years as “my little boy,” that former baby pit bull from Brooklyn, lay dying on a table after a botched surgery. I put my cell phone to his ear as I called all of the friends we had made - human and animal - to say goodbye to him. After his passing I received more cards, flowers and letters of condolence for him than I had seen for some people.

That “dangerous, unpredictable” dog opened the doorway to eight years of laughter, friends, fun, hope and a life lived with unbridled gusto. His passing broke me with grief, and his life changed mine for the better. Without him, today I would probably cross a street upon seeing a big, domey head and goofy toothy grin. Because of him, I always return the grin and ask if I can pat the solid head. And if the guardian is clearly kind, I thank them. I thank them for not twisting the best qualities of these incredible, sporty dogs for brutal selfish means. I thank them for giving back the love these dogs so freely dispense when given even half a chance. I thank them for shedding some light on the darkness that preys upon such a maligned “breed.”

Why pit bulls? Because when they are loved and raised as ordinary dogs, they demonstrate extraordinary examples of loyalty, love and sheer living joy. Because even after being burnt, knifed, shot, used as bait, lynched, electrocuted, abused and hated by this world of human beings, most of these dogs come in and still have a lick and a wag left in their giant hearts.

Because when you see someone trying to extinguish the light in a dark tunnel, you want to kick down the walls and let the light shine out.

Doc Has Left the Building!

A beautiful thing happened this past weekend at B.A.C.S.: Doc was adopted by Don and Becky! We remembered when about two months ago Doc arrived at B.A.C.S. He was a horrible mess: covered in orange mange from his nose to his tail, open soars on all his feet, skinny and cowering at the approach of others and shaking in his skin by himself.

Something about him made us come over and meet him. Maybe he was so darned cute through all of his physical ailments. As soon as he became available for handling, we started his spa treatments. He became our personal project. We washed, walked, and played with him every weekend. It took him 13 days to stop shaking.

We gave him lots of love and affection and attention.

Many thanks to all of those who have helped Doc along the way. We want to give a special thanks to Suzanne for taking him home and making him happy. It was a privilege being there to show Doc to Don and Becky. And, thank you to Don and Becky for adopting Doc!

Submitted by Mike and Summer Vodnoy

Black Dog Syndrome

When I first heard that black dogs are difficult to adopt out because of their color, I was astounded. I had always found black-colored animals beautiful and never in my dreams would have thought it detrimental to shelter adoption but apparently it's true: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23472518/

So if you're a black-colored "pit" bull in a shelter, well, you really have life stacked against you. But don't tell that to Misty. She's one of my shelter favorites - with her floppy ears, joyful personality and loving eyes, Misty's cheerful energy is anything but dark.

Sure she looks like a tasmanian blur when she's in the kennel, bouncing off the walls with puppy-impatience. Once you get her out of that environment, though, she is a sweetheart. She walks easily on leash, sits beautifully and absolutely loves to play. I got these shots of her in a few precious moments of freedom where she ran zoomies around the play area and then spent much-needed decompression time cuddling with me, letting me rub her belly and leading me on a gentle chase round the pen.

After spending time with this love-bug I feel anything but gloomy. I wouldn't care if she was purple and green, let alone gorgeous shining black.

Queen for a day

Queenie has become a new favorite of mine. If I can't walk her for some reason or if she was lucky enough to already have been walked - I'll still go in and visit with her for just a few minutes. I don't know what it is - but there is something about this big ass gal that I simply adore!

Perhaps it's how loving she is? She can't resist being close to you - it's like she's a magnet to your side. She'll nuzzle up next to you, give you a gentle nudge with her nose, and snort with glee when you scratch her belly.

Maybe it's because she's so playful? She has a BLAST playing in the dog run at the shelter. It is hilarious to watch this 90lb beauty romp around like a puppy, chasing after tennis balls and rope toys.

I wonder if it's because she's just so friendly? She wants to be friends with every person and every dog she meets. Being in the company of humans and canines is heaven for this angel.

Do you think it's because she's so enthusiastic, but mellow at the same time? She'll play and play and play until the cows come home, then drink a gallon of water to refuel, then gladly come and rest by your feet while you pat her head.

You know - it could be that she just flat out makes me laugh when we're together...

Like the other day -- Queenie and I took a special walk over the pedestrian bridge to a small private beach. We're walking side-by-side in the sand when all of the sudden: WHOOOSH!

A gigantic bird lands in the water not 4 feet away from Queenie when she becomes overcome with excitement and charges right after the bird. She jumped into the high-tide water without a single hesitation. SPLASH!

For a moment it looked as if Queenie had disappeared! She'd fallen to the ocean floor like a 90lb rock before she burst from the surface of the water. She howled the entire time that she came paddling out of the water, swimming for dear life to the shore. She shook off every last drop of water and for the rest of our walk on the beach, she wouldn't go anywhere near it.

Silly Queenie. Take my advice - take Queenie for a walk before she gets adopted. you won't regret it.

What's up, Doc?

Doc is a sensitive, but friendly guy who has had enough of the Berkeley Shelter. He wants a home and he wants it now! He's ready to give and receive love from a caring family who will cherish his company forever. At first glance in his kennel, Doc seems like a rowdy and noisy dog - but once he steps away from our shelter doors he becomes a happy, mellow, groovy kind of dog. The kind of dog that'll go with the flow.

Want to sit on a park bench and watch the sunset? Doc is glad to sit by your side. Go for a jog around the estuary? He can keep up with you! Stroll through the park without a care in the world? Doc is your boy.

Doc is an affectionate young dog who is good with cats, dogs, and children. All he needs is a home to enjoy these things for good...

We love you, Little

Little, now Carmelita, was recently adopted. Here she is in her new forever home!

This is what her new 'Mom' had to say:

Here are a few photos! She is very photogenic but also doesn't always sit still! She has a funny thing about burying her rawhide bones around the house so we are finding them in odd places - like in my gym bag yesterday! She is a great, great dog! ...

She is so sweet, we are very happy we brought her home with us! She seems happy too! oh yeah and I like the names Carmelita or Little Carmela possibly!!

Wuchi's first walk!

It's been three and a half long months, but today was the day: Wuchi's first walk!

For the first few moments outside, Wuchi looked so confused.

Why is it so quiet?
Why is there grass?
What is that SMELL?

The majority of Wuchi's walk was spent with her nose on the ground. I'll be the first to admit that if I hadn't been outside in over 3.5 months, I'd probably sniff everything, too. When Wuchi wasn't focused on the new and exciting smells outside of the shelter, she became the fun, playful, affectionate dog that she was when she first walked through the shelter doors.

We played fetch in the play area and took a long, relaxing walk through the park. On our way back we stopped for a rest in the grass where Wuchi rolled to her heart's content.

I'm so glad that I had the chance to share a walk with her.

A Dog Returns to Life

The image is still indeliby etched in my mind: a stunning red brindle dog is curled up into as small a ball as possible, as though she could will herself away from the place she now found herself by making herself as small as possible: in a municipal shelter surrounded by barking, restless dogs and unfamiliar human faces. Maizie clung to the corner walls of the kennel, shivering with fright, leaving the treats pushed into her kennel untouched, and avoiding the attempts by staff and volunteers to unfurl herself and come closer.

But gradually, Maizie did begin to let people in: one staff member in particular, Tim took a special interest in her. He would sit at the other end of her kennel and patiently wait for her to come to him. A volunteer did the same, stroking Maizie tentatively at first, and then shortly thereafter, tenderly and without disruption to soothe her wounded soul. What had happened to Maizie to make her so terrified? With gentleness, Tim and the volunteer were able to win her trust, and she would wag her tail with delight at the sight of them. Progress.

And then a miracle happened, just six days after she had arrived at our shelter: a prospective adopter came in to look at another dog and was instantly smitten with Maizie. Tim brought her to the meet-and-greet area at the back of Kennel A where the prospective adopter and Maizie could take the time to get to know one another. He came every day for a week, still torn between a dog at another shelter and Maizie. By the following Monday, the decision had been made: Maizie would be the one to come home with him.

It was not easy going at first. Maizie had lots of fears-- mostly of certain people. But she bonded with her new human, trusting him quickly and easily. He took her to training classes to help alleviate her fear of new people, and carefully introduced her to new and different experiences. The day she jumped in his car without hesitation was a banner day! Now Maizie goes to dog parks and frolics with other dogs, is comfortable around most people, and in truth acts like the puppy she was probably never permitted to be-- with an adorable and endearing underbite that suggests a Boxer heritage.

How fortunate that Maizie was rescued so quickly; how her life now, filled with good food, access to the best medical care, soft pillows, an array of squeaky toys : ) and lots of t-l-c is so different from what it must have been like before. Would that all our dogs would have such happy endings.

Jeffrey, a happy ending!

A few months ago, a sweet elderly gentleman known as 'Jeffrey' walked through the shelter doors, incredibly underweight and what appeared to be in very poor health. He had bald spots all over his body and the fur that he did have was so matted that nearly all of it had to be shaved off. Within only a few weeks, however, Jeffrey was adopted! And today his new forever guardian came to the shelter for a visit.

Jeffrey, now Pablo, looked wonderful! This hair has completely grown back - his health has returned - he's put on a number of pounds and most importantly, he's happy. Truly happy. Seeing him walk through the doors with a wagging tail was so satisfying.

Happy endings are my hopes for all of the dogs at the Berkeley Shelter. Perhaps there is a dog here that could be your Jeffrey. Come down and see. :)

***We're interested in hearing about your happy ending!***

If you adopted a dog from BACS, we would like to hear how it's going.
Please send any pictures and comments to sam_shan19@hotmail.com to be posted on our blog!

A day at the beach

Very rarely do the shelter dogs get an opportunity to be away from the shelter for an afternoon. But when they get the chance their spirits instantly lift and they flourish into the dog that they would be all of the time if they had their forever-home. I simply love watching this transformation and I had a front row seat this afternoon when Avea and Higgins went to the beach.

If you remember Jody's pack walk from a few weeks ago, you'll also remember that dog trainer, Kathy K. , agreed to let me come along. Today was also the case and I am so glad that I did!

Today was not the first pack walk that Avea has attended - in fact, Kathy took her for a walk a few weeks ago and it went SO well that she wanted to take her again. This is what Kathy said about her last walk:

I took Avea out for a pack walk and what a delight! she was on a long lead and I soon let her drag it and she played with every dog she met- small, large, very small, etc. she loved every dog she met and every person she met- she was so full of affection and happiness- that everyone we came across commented on her enthusiasm. and she stayed with the pack the whole time- a perfect off leash girl.

I'm happy to report that today's walk was also a success. Both Avea and Higgins were very well-behaved. They had a blast!! They ran off leash, played fetch with sticks, wrestled, swam, played with other dogs - it was AWESOME to watch these two great dogs have so much fun.

Both Avea and Higgins simply adore humans and canines, alike! And, I'm glad to say that they adored each other as well. Where Avea went, Higgins happily followed. When Higgins fetched a stick, he pranced around Avea trying to impress her. What a cute couple!

Today I was surprised, but happy to learn, that Higgins LOVES playing in the water!! On our field trip last month, Higgins was hesitant to play in the water (I think the waves were just too much for him!), but today he charged for the water without a single hesitation: happy to retrieve a stick and bring it back to me.

In the video below, you get a glimpse of Higgins and his new-found love for the water and you see Avea frolicking along the shore line towards her new doggy friends.

I can't say it enough: these dogs are fantastic.

BACS Rainy Day Fund: a reality!

Thank you, everyone! Look at all the toys!

In total:

12 lrg. KONGS
4 lrg. KONG biscuit balls
2 Nylabone Double Action Chew bones
2 Squeaky bowling pins
3 lrg. rubber bones
15 rope toys
2 Galileo bones

Hurray!

Next Volunteer Orientations:

Sign up for next month's volunteer orientations!

Wednesday,
December 2nd
5:30pm - 7:00pm

and

Saturday,
December 5th,
10:30am- 12:00pm

Stop by Berkeley Animal Care Services to pick up an application today!

The Story of Wuchi

There are a few ways that a dog finds itself in the Berkeley Shelter:

One, they're a stray that is found by one of our Animal Control Officers (or left in the 'night box').

Two, they're owner surrendered - whether it's over the counter (the owners come into the shelter and surrender their dog), in the field (an animal control officer visits the owner's residence and the dog is surrendered there), a dog is left in one of the shelter's 'night boxes' (perhaps the owner was too ashamed to come in during the day, maybe they work during the shelter's business hours and could only surrender the dog after hours, etc).

Three, the dog is confiscated for abuse or neglect.

And four, one that is often overlooked: police confiscation.

Wuchi arrived in our care through police confiscation in mid August and she is being held at the shelter until the court proceedings against her previous owner are over. I do not know if I'm at liberty to discuss the case, so details will be left out for now. But for three months, Wuchi has been stuck inside her kennel - not even allowed to leave the building.

I know that I worry if a dog hasn't been out in one day - can you even imagine 3 months?

Wuchi is one of the smartest dogs I've ever worked with (perhaps even smarter than my favorite, Jody). She knows not only ALL of her basic commands, but even fun ones, too! Like 'shake' and 'roll over'. She's happy. And playful! And is super, super affectionate. She loves to cuddle and LOVES taking baths.

Her favorite toys? Anything she can chew to smithereens. She loves raw bones. If you want - bring some in for our dogs and save one for Wuchi. You can pick some up at your local super market or butcher - ask if it's possible to cut up femur bone - and most likely, they'll be happy to sell it to you. I bought nearly 7lbs worth of bone the other day for only $10.

I hope that someday soon I'll be posting about the day she leaves the shelter with a new forever family that will love her unconditionally. But until then, we'll play together and I'll bring her yummy treats.

Goal reached!

Thanks everyone who made a contribution to the BACS: Rainy Day Fund in honor of our shelter pups.

I'll be sure to post pictures of what we purchase - and how much the dogs enjoy them!!

It's not enough

I've become discouraged lately, I won't lie. Usually I am optimistic, very hopeful, a positive thinker who looks for the best in things. But within the last few weeks I am beginning to realize that there is only so much I can do.

So many dogs and so many different needs.

One dog that I am thinking of for example is Queenie - a wonderful dog who I love to take for walks, cuddle with, and play fetch with. She's incredibly gentle and very sweet - and simply loves to be close with you. However, with each passing day Queenie is slowly losing herself to the shelter. With each passing day, she loses part of the dog that I've come to love spending time with.

Some dogs surprisingly thrive during their stay at the shelter - because it's better than whatever situation they had originally come from. Perhaps they were chained to a tree in the back yard and now for the first time in years they can go for a real walk. Or maybe they were starving, barely surviving and now there is food to fill their bellies. Maybe they were abused, truly neglected and now they are shown love and kindness. And then there are others, like Queenie, like Doc, Little, Blue - SO many dogs - who slowly deteriorate.

It's unbelievably sad to watch these dogs, these breaking dogs. I can only help them so much, you know. I can help them for the hour or so that I take them for walks....treat them with love, shower them with affection, give them baths, and lie in the grass with them. But when that hour is up they go right back to their kennel where I can't help them anymore.

I love volunteering at the shelter, but there are times when it's almost too much to bear. Like I said at the beginning of this post though, I am an optimist at heart....so here's the bright side:

I'm not doing it alone. There are so many wonderful volunteers at the shelter who take the time to help these dogs, too. Today there were dozens of people coming in to walk the dogs - some of the dogs even got out for 2 or 3 walks! And I can't say thank you enough.

There are other ways that you, our readers, can help these dogs, too -- you could be a foster for some of the dogs that are particularly struggling in the shelter environment. Even if only for a weekend. You could donate to our BACS: Rainy Day Fund! to help buy toys to keep our dogs busy in the kennel. You could spread the word - tell people about this blog, about the shelter. Or even better - you could come in and meet your new best friend and take one home for good.