It’s a much needed program for a very misunderstood breed.
Six Austin, Texas pit bulls have just completed an eight-week training course in a local program designed to help people in need, while at the same time restoring the dogs’ badly damaged reputation by proving pit bulls can work as therapy dogs with children, the elderly and war-weary veterans.
The program, nicknamed the “Pit Crew” is the first program of its kind in the country. The dogs and their owners will visit children and adults, including those with mental and physical challenges. All dogs in the Pit Crew have attained Canine Good Citizen status from the American Kennel Club.
??”Pit bulls are natural people pleasers, and originally were called ‘nanny dogs’ because they’re so good with children,” said Lydia Zaidman, a spokesperson for Love-A-Bull, a nonprofit organization that is training pit bulls as therapy dogs.
The training program is “very strict,” Zaidman said, and the dogs are tested for temperament under a variety of situations.
Zaidman also said that dog attacks are “unfortunate,” but that “you have to look at how the dog was raised. There’s a difference between a dog that was chained in the back yard, and one that is raised in the home with the family.” She said of 64 dog bites in the past 45 years, every one of them involved a dog that was not “fixed.”
Zaidman said her family dog Mocha is the essence of gentleness. She said the 9-year-old pit bull has been a certified therapy dog in Austin for two years, providing comfort and companionship to soldiers at Fort Hood suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The dog also has been a “Barking Buddy,” patiently sitting with elementary school students and listening to them read.
Mocha was one of the six dogs to complete the training program at Gullett Elementary School in North Central Austin, Texas and become the first members of “The Pit Crew.”
Zaidman said the reputation of pit bulls is just a progression from one breed to another. “Years ago it was the Rottweiler, and before that the Doberman Pinscher and the German Shepherd,” she said.
??”The Pit Crew is a way to offer a unique community service and also rehabilitate the reputation of pit bulls at the same time,” said Zaidman. “We hope that by showing the true nature of these loving dogs in a therapeutic setting, we can change minds for the better.”
What a beautiful face!
Beautiful face and soulful eyes….it’s as if he holds all of the secrets of the world in them!
How smart is Austin!? Such a fantastic idea, and about time!
My 76lb pit, Fergie, plays with my 4lb & 6lb chihuahua’s, and guess who wins every time?! She also lets her best friend Ozzy, a 16lb dauchsund, clean her teeth daily! Fergie also stays right next to me whenever I go outside or am having a “bad” day just to make sure she catches me; which she’s done on more than one occasion. God Bless You and your group for helping change such a negative outlook on a wonderful breed!
I agree 100% w/ Cesar Milan…..it’s not the breed…it’s the human behind the dog. If you are tense, inattentive, frustrated, violent, etc…..your dog is going to reflect your energy. It makes no sense not to neuter/spay your dog unless you are going to breed it. I have the MOST docile, sweet, pleasure giving loving Rottie one could ever ask for. She is as gentle as a lamb, and has no aggression. She is in obedience class and we practice our skills at home every day. She loves people, and she loves animals. It is ALL about how animals are raised. If you buy a pit, a rottie, a shepherd, a boxer…..and you want it to be a ferocious “drug” dog…..that is NOT the dogs fault. In my opinion, a human that destroys the soul and personality of a helpless animal in that fashion she spend many, many years in prison.
Hooray Austin!!!!
I’m 53 & adopted my first PB 1 year ago. Karma is 1 1/2 yrs old and the BEST BEST BEST dog I have ever had in my entire life!!!!! We live in San Diego and sure wish I could find a group like the one in Texas out here. My son and I saved Karma and she saved us right back!!! She would be a perfect therapy dog.
aw. how beautiful. reminds me of my baby. i want to get her to do that. shes an amazing loving dog. she loves my gramma so i know she would be great around other elderly. they need that in vegas!
This is a great program and kudos to Austin for working with these wonderful dogs. That said…putting credit where credit is due, there are a good number of Pitties working around the US as therapy dogs, and have been for years. They also work as service dogs, drug detection dogs, and search and rescue dogs. Many Pits have achieved CGC (Canine Good Citizen) titles-I have evaluated and awarded more than just a few myself. Pits are, and have been, valued,, hard working, kind and stable dogs for a long time. Austin deserves credit for joining a long line of people who have used these dogs as the human-friendly ambassadors they truly are. They just didn’t go first.
Hi. I started this program. I never claimed there are no other pit bulls therapy dogs (in fact, mine was a therapy dog for two years before the Pit Crew). What is unique about what we are doing is that we are the first ALL pit bull therapy dog program (we ONLY train pit bulls in our program). That is, we are the first exclusively all pittie therapy dog program in the country!
I have owed a lot of different breeds of dogs growing up and after hearing all the negative about Pit Bulls, I bought my first one and he was so loyal and good with my kids that I have had 5 Pit Bulls since and each one was from a different breeder and they all have been great dogs. I truly believe that they are not bad dogs but bad owner who teach them to be mean and the dog is only doing what they think their owner wants them to do.
What a beautiful dog and program. My two pit mix’s are also beautiful and sweet. They are loved by all in the neighborhood and dog park.
And Pit Bulls do not have to be ‘fixed’ to be nice dogs.