The Pit-Row Rescue Interview
A Voice For Pitbulls

Kylie Dubrich speaks to owner Jennifer Moye on the scapegoating of the American Pit Bull Terrier

Kylie Dubrich finds out the facts about pitbulls away from the bad rap they get from press and public alike. Here she interviews Jennifer Moye who started Pit Row Rescue 5 years ago and since then has done everything in her power to ensure positive placements for Pit Bull type dogs.

Kylie Dubrich: My first question is please tell us about Pit-Row Rescue and what you do there? Jennifer Moye: I founded Pit Row Rescue about 5 years ago. I had no idea how out of control the dog overpopulation was, specifically that of the pit bull type dogs. That was, until I acquired my first American Pit Bull Terrier, Tippy. We found her in bad shape and decided to bring her home. I began researching the breed and found out the reality of how badly they were treated, misunderstood, and over bred.

Jennifer Moye

Pit - Row Rescue Inc. is a very small scale rescue in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We try to help as many homeless dogs as possible. If we can not directly find a placement for them with one of our fosters we network to try and find other rescues who may have a suitable space available. We work strictly with foster home situations. This means the dogs are socialized, trained, and closely monitored in a family setting prior to adoption. We do not kennel or board our dogs. Our fosters are people just like the ones reading your article. They each have families and jobs. Taking in a foster dog is done completely on a volunteer basis.

KD: What are your views on the indiscriminate killing of pitbulls in pounds and so-called “shelters”. Shouldn't it be ‘Deed not Breed' for the small percentage of truly vicious dogs that have been brutalised beyond hope, surely?

Jennifer Moye: Yes, it absolutely should be by the deed and not the breed. It is much the same as with people, there are good and bad of every color, shape, and size. Each dog should be treated on an individual basis.

KD: How many shelters in the US today won't release pitbulls as companion animals but would prefer to destroy them?

Jennifer Moye: Unfortunately this number is ever increasing. According to the shelters surveyed by the ASPCA in 2000, a third do not adopt pit bulls out-some because it is against the law to have them in their communities, and others are concerned where the dogs will ultimately end up. Sadly, in these cases, the dogs are euthanized. Fortunately there are some shelter such as the one I work with, Clarke County Animal Control, that will allow these so called "unadoptable" pit type dogs to go into approved rescue where they can screen potential adopters for their individual compatibility with each dog. Sadly the number of homeless pit bull dogs is increasing rapidly. Many shelters take in 2-3 pit bull or pit mixes each day. Some of the larger shelters such as Los Angeles may be double or even triple that on a daily basis.

Dempsey. Former foster . At merely 4-5 weeks old he was tied to a light pole in the middle of the night at a kill shelter . He was found in the morning with his eye completely out of the socket. He is obviously living like a king now. He was adopted by a wonderful couple who have shown him the love he deserves

That means that in one week in addition to the other homeless animals a shelter can have up to 21 pit bulls per week come in the door to the shelter. Many shelters have as few as 12 runs to house the dogs. This high number makes it very difficult to properly screen and find homes.

KD: How would you lobby against that?

Jennifer Moye: I think it really has to start before the law is passed. This is not to say that once passed the regulations can not be reversed. It is with everything easier to stop before it begins. Stay on top of your legislators and your town council let them know your views on the subject. Be sure to let them know you vote and their opinion on animal rights specifically BSL, does affect your vote. Show them why such policies do not work and give examples of what is effective. Marcy Setter has devised a wonderful website, www.understand-a-bull.com that gives statistics and sample letters for the public to use in their fight against BSL. Her page also provides up to date listings of BSL alerts.

KD: Where do most of the dogs come from, what are their circumstances?

Jennifer Moye: The majority of the dogs we see in this area are "breeding machines" or "yard ornaments". We see dogs who are left chained 24 hours a day with little to no food or water, no vet care, dogs whose sole purpose was to breed a litter and when they are no longer needed to breed or to feed puppies they are dumped in the shelter. They are dogs who had complications with the litter and the owners couldn't afford or wouldn't provide vet care, dogs who have been abused, and dogs who people acquired because they thought it was cool to own a pit bull, but never realised the work that goes into having a companion animal. People so often fail to research a type of dog before purchasing or adopting it and get in over their heads.

Long John when he came into the shelter

Unfortunately, pit bull dogs are right now the fad as were Dalmations, Dobermans, and German Shepherds in the years past. We do see the fight cases, but generally those pour into the larger shelters more rapidly than here. Often dogs are labelled fighters simply because of scarring and that often is not the case and can be detrimental to the dogs. It is important to remember every dog potentially could be a fighter or not a fighter. Most often these are strays and we do not have a history on the dog and it is not fair to "create” a history based on the dog's looks.

KD: Why have people got such a fear about Pitbulls & how can we change people's perception of them?

Jennifer Moye: The media plays a crucial role in the negative image of pit bull type dogs. Many dogs are misidentified as pit bulls and it is common when another breed is involved there is no mention of the breed or no report at all. You can test your ability to identify an American Pit Bull Terrier by visiting

http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/AdultFindabull/findpitbull_v4.html

My own son was attacked by a neighbours Lab. Any animal with teeth can bite. All breeds from the tiniest Pomeranian to the large Presa Canrios can and have killed people. We just don't hear about the other breeds as often because those are not the stories that sell papers. When I think about the lady who lost her face to a Lab in France I also find myself wondering if she had not been the first facial transplant, would anyone have ever heard about this case?

Jennifer's son after he was attacked by a neighbours Lab.

This is the Bully, Marlin who helped Jennifer's songain his confidence back after he was attacked.

It is important as owners of these type of dogs to be sure our dogs are always well behaved. Creating a positive image for these dogs starts with the owners. Each and every owner is responsible for the breed on a whole. If the only thing the general public sees is the negative that is all they can base their opinion on. If you have a well behaved "bully" and get them into the public eye, you have created another side to the story. Here is a sample of just a few Bully's that are helping change the public perception.

http://www.pitrowrescue.com/brag_board.htm

I would like to share a letter that my rescue colleague, Tammey Deihl and I composed after receiving numerous questions about breeding American Pit Bulls

KD: Why is this breed used for fighting?

Jennifer Moye: First let me say that ‘pit bull' is not a breed of dog. Pit bull is a generic term used to describe several breeds with similar characteristics.

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a descendant of the English bull baiting dogs. These bull baiting dogs were bred specifically to hunt and bring down bulls, bears, boars, and other large animals in the wild.

Animal baiting was banned in the 1800s, so people decided to try fighting their dogs against each other instead.

As the "sport" of dog fighting developed, enthusiasts bred a lighter, more athletic canine. These dogs made their way to North America , the ancestors of today's pit bulls. The problems started when these dogs gained the attention of people looking for a macho dog-and to meet their demands, unscrupulous and uncaring breeders ( back yard breeders) are producing puppies that are not only aggressive to other dogs, but to people, as well.

Pit bull dogs were originally bred to be trustworthy and friendly toward people. In the fighting ring redirected aggression could not be tolerated. The handlers did not want dogs who would turn and bite them.

Jennifer's daughter and her American Pit Bull
terrier, Tippy, living the good life.

These dogs were actually nicknamed "nursemaid's dog," because they were so reliable with young children.

Although illegal in all 50 states, organized dog fights still secretly take place in many parts of the country.

KD: Do you know if these dogs are used for fighting as much in Australia as they are in the US ?

Jennifer Moye: Dog fighting is a problem around the world that needs to be effectively handled and stopped. It's an epidemic here in the US but, began in England . Honestly I'm not familiar with the dog fighting problems in Australia , I can only hope it's not as problematic as it is here in the States.

KD: What can we do to stop them being used for fighting?

Jennifer Moye: As a community we need to keep our eyes open to the signs that a dog fighting ring may be in our neighbourhood. If you suspect illegal activity please do not hesitate to call and file a report. You can do this anonymously.

Write your government officials and let them know this is an important topic to you and rather than seeing a ban on a breed of dog you would like to see stiffer penalties for those who own these dogs for illegal purposes.

Let your officials know where you stand and that you vote!

Do you get any assisted funding for what you are doing?

We do get a very limited amount of donations. Unfortunately we are such a small group many people do not realize that we exist. Sometimes this is why we are unable to help as many of the dogs as we would like to.

KD: What help do you get, if any & what do you do to raise funds yourself?

Jennifer Moye: We do get a very limited amount of donations. Fortunately when it has mattered most the email /rescue community has really helped us out. This year we have been hit harder than usual with dogs needing above normal vet care and many kind citizens have helped us be able to help the dogs.

Also, we have an online store and occasionally host online auctions on EBay in which all proceeds go directly to the rescue.

We are extremely grateful for all the generous people who have helped us out along the way.

KD: I imagine some of the dogs are not in great shape when you get them and vet bills must be huge, how can people help you out if they would like to?

Jennifer Moye: Yes, especially this year. We have had several dogs that needed different surgeries for injuries and neglect from the previous owners.

*You can make a donation to this rescue through Pay Pal *

Pit Row has a gift registry set up with www.valleyvets.com

Visit or Cafe Press Store at www.cafepress.com/pit_row

Thank you for the chance to show the pit bull breeds in a positive light.

Pitrow@gmail.com

Click Here to Read Kylie Dubrich's My Pitbull Story