Can we make a difference

I am reading multiple blogs and been on numerous websites about how responsible pit bull owners need to raise awareness about the pit bull breed.  However, I am not seeing much action that is being done on a large scale.  We hear stories of individuals raising awareness or combatting breed discrimination, but I am not seeing a whole lot of group action that is being done.  There are also many websites and local organizations that are focused towards pit bull advocacy, however it seems as though only pit bull owners are attracted to these websites or events.

With that said, how can we significantly raise awarness to the general public? Major advocacy groups attempted something extreme that caught media attention.  A perfect example of this is Relay for Life where a man from California ran on a track for 24-hours to help raise awarness for cancer research.  I am not saying to run a track for 24-hours, but I think in order to reach out to a larger population, we as pit bull advocates need to perform some “outrageous” action to catch media attention.  This is probably idealistic, but why not attempt this for our best friends?

13 thoughts on “Can we make a difference”

  1. Hello everyone, I wanted to

    Hello everyone, I wanted to share some ideas my friends and I came up with.  Since we live in varying geographical locations, I hope we can all do our part in our communities to spread anti-BSL education and pit pull advoacy nationwide.  Here are some ideas:

    –> Idea #1: Hold an anti-BSL Walk-a-thon where every type of dog and responsible dog owner can take part.   Encourage people to set up booths in which BSL literature can be disseminated to educate people on the futility of these laws.  Also, there should be booths that cater to advocating any breed that BSL discriminates.

    –> Idea #2: Join or create a community (local) anti-BSL group and write as many letters to your State legislators (and local government officials if need be) to either STOP BSL being passed or REPEAL current BSL laws in your state and/or community.  Also, try to send the same message (concern) to all news media outlets (both print and and local-TV) to not only voice your opinion, but include emperical evidence (i.e., statistics, research articles, etc.) that explain why BSL does not work.  It is always good to send in stories along with the message so people will make a positive connection with your message.  Try one step further and see if your anti-BSL group can speak during a city meeting to drive your message to the community.

    Idea #3: Hand out flyers to your local pet stores, groomers, vets (even the bulletin board at Panera Bread!) explaining why BSL is discriminatory, futile, and just plain cruel!  Include resources (websites, anti-BSL groups, animal advocacy groups) that people can go to for more information.  Make sure to include this website, and other pit bull advocacy sites to further show people that BSL dwindles any chance of a good, loving pit bull finding a forever home, finding a good life, and more importantly, having the chance to live a life at all. 

  2. Reading through these

    Reading through these comments I am thrilled to see the variety of different mediums to get something rolling!  I will be seeing my family next weekend, so I will talk to my step mom about what sort of advocacy actions can be carried out that will grab media attention.  I think it is also a good idea for all of us to ask our local vets, pet stores, and animal control departments if they can take part in our effort!  Please post as many action-oriented ideas as possible, we will go through them all and keep going until we see some results!  

    Thank you all for taking an active roll, it really will go a long way 🙂

     

  3. The Animal Control officers

    The Animal Control officers in my city are very Pit friendly. Maybe they have some insight.

  4. I will do what I can in my

    I will do what I can in my neck of the woods. There are alot of Pit owners in and around my community, so I’ll ask them what ideas they have.

  5. omg! lol im moving to mobile

    omg! lol im moving to mobile alabama what is it like there??? How is the pitbull respect please tell me its good! im heading there friday 😀 lol so happy 🙂

    • I don’t know much about

      I don’t know much about Alabama, but any state could use another responsible Pit owner. Be interesting to know what kind of response you get when people see you and your Pit. I hope you enjoy it there.

    • Where you are moving to, will

      Where you are moving to, will you have any Breed Specific restrictions on your dog, like extra insurance, muzzel, etc.? Is the community in which you will be living even discussing BSL?

  6. I’m in Orlando…it was a

    I’m in Orlando…it was a high of 76 today 😉 

    Given all of our varying geographical locations, attempting public relations work will be challenging, but not impossible.  Some of my family members have worked in the media, so I can ask them what kind of ideas we can do to grab some media attention.  I think when we have some ideas planned, we should all contact our local TV stations to see if any of them could be an interest peice.  What do you all think?

     

    • That’s great! Thank you.

      That’s great! Thank you. Getting feedback from media “insiders” could be very helpful. I’m looking forward to hearing this.

  7. I like the way you think.

    I like the way you think. Anyone have ideas or suggestions? Herman and I live in Minnesota, so winter weather can be a factor, but I’m certainly up for some positive public relations work. Where are ya’ll from?