Friday, October 8, 2010

Diane Jessup: grande dame of pit pundits

the pitbullguru paid a visit to my little blog and left a link to his 13 minute documentary in praise of wiggle butts. i encourage everyone to watch it. it features DIANE JESSUP and JANE BERKEY. what a treat! i know many of you have been unable to finish the pit bull propaganda videos that i post here. if it helps, think of the Pit Bull Hoax as a lost episode of Gilligan's Island.

Gilligan Jane Berkey

The Skipper Diane Jessup

The Professor Dr Nicholas Dodman

Mary Anne Drayton Michaels

Ginger Jean Donaldson

Mr Howell Ian Dunbar

Mrs Howell was tragically killed by a falling coconut.


DIANE JESSUP enjoys an unusually comfortable position as pit bull "expert". JESSUP is universally admired by all pit bull owners (except the game-dogger demographic). she has written books, trained sniffer dogs for the police, worked as an animal control officer and unlike her good friend KRIS CRAWFORD, she is not a deranged felon. Diane is in a unique position to lie and exaggerate with absolute authority. it seems no one ever questions her integrity or "expertise", until now.

let's take a closer look at DRAYTON MICHAELS' exaggerations first. this documentary, as best that i can tell, is at least one year old.

DRAYTON MICHAELS says: "DIANE has been working with pit bull dogs for over 30 years."


DRAYTON adds a minimum of 6 awe inspiring years to her resume, twice the number of years he has been a dog trainer.

DRAYTON MICHAELS says: "She has authored many books on pit bulldogs."

amazon.com says: Jessup has authored three books, actually two books. i am not sure that a novel about a talking pit bull counts as anything other than bathroom reading material.

DRAYTON redefines 'many' to further inspire the gullible masses.

DRAYTON MICHAELS says: "She is also a former animal control officer of 20 years."

(Jessup adding her 2¢ to the war on Tom Skeldon)

(this is JESSUP helping someone continue to violate animal law in tacoma. this is her "expert" response to a woman who has been cited for dog at large and told by animal control that she is over the legal limit with 6 dogs and 4 cats and she has to get rid of some.)

i can't really fault DRAYTON here, i doubt that he follows JESSUP as closely as i do.

as you saw above, pit bull advocates have two personas. the one they share with the public and the one they share with each another.

here's my favorite "just between you, me and the fence post" pit nutter comment. this is the pit bull expert DIANE JESSUP on the ATTS:
(woops, looks like that link has been killed. not to worry.)
click to view it at 100%.

what is really pathetic about this comment is not just that she knows these scores are skewed and she encourages people to skew them even further (ie CHEAT) but with her knowledge of dogs, particularly in the protection sports, she KNOWS that it is unfair to compare the ATTS scores of pit bulls, german shepherds, malinois, dobies and rottweilers to the ATTS scores of border collies, labs, dachshunds, cockers and chihuahuas. it's apples to oranges, plain and simple.

DIANE JESSUP states publicly that she admires pit bulls for their loyalty, stability, sensitivity, eager to please, never say die attitude but then names them:
Crazy Kate, Dread, Grim, Maulie, Bad, Freakshow, Amp, and Hellboy. she gets a vanity plate for her van that says "1BADPIT", has a "nocurs@comcast.net" email address and promotes insulting t-shirts like this
two faces.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to like Gilligan's Island, thanks a lot!! Mary Ann was amusing, though, as was Mrs.Howell (or did you mean Mr. Howell? You used Mrs. Howell twice). The t-shirt is just plain stupid.

flicka said...

This would be the same Diane Jessup who came up with the concept of "Lawdogs"? She trained pit bulls for police work but found that police were not interested in working with pit bulls. The "Lawdogs" program folded with a pitiful whimper when Jane Berkey withdrew her financial support.

Dude, I Bagged Ur Pit said...

More like;

The coward owns him

The bold have labs

Few respect or admire a mutant

Small Survivors said...

I WANT DUDE'S T SHIRT!

I love that the graphic includes the chain, so we know we're talking about game dogs!

Hilarious, craven!

Anonymous said...

I think its clear that no matter what the nutters say about there being responsible pit bulls owners out there, they simply do not exist. A responsible pet owner does not give their dog names like that, nor do they use their pet to intimidate others. No other breed rescue operates like this, and no other breed rescue has purposely infiltrated animal control offices. These people need doctors, not dogs.

Garnet said...

Ahaha, that shirt. I'm sorry, if I saw someone actually wearing that, my opinion of them would go down immediately. Who other than a complete cretin keeps a pit bull on a chain like that? The primary reason I say that is because it's usually the breeders and keepers of game (fighting) dogs, along with morons trying to cultivate a "tough" image, who keep dogs on chains like that.

It's not cowardly to be wary of a chained up pit bull. I most certainly would not approach one, not because I'm a coward but because I have some sense. A dog bred for unrestrained aggression kept on a chain is far more likely to maul someone than, say, a socialized retriever kept in a yard and house as a pet. In reality though, I wouldn't approach any chained dog.

I also can't say I have respect for someone who keeps a bunch of fighting dogs on chains. I more see them as pathetic, weak people who are trying to look tough by keeping dogs that a lot of people are scared of.

Trigger said...

Ooo. Recall that Diane rant about not being able to get a Vick dog due to her lack of insurance? I think Lassie wrote about that one. Jessup comes off like an insane pit bull!

Trigger said...

I don't think this was it.

http://lassiegethelp.blogspot.com/2008/01/pit-bull-junior-high.html

I think it was on a blue background...

Colleen Lynn said...

Nice work on Drayton. He did not contact DogsBite.org (that we are aware of) for a different viewpoint.

Garnet said...

Dr Dunbar (in that one video posted) really should know better with regards to what he's spouting there. Pit bulls are not simply the random victim of a media frenzy. "The media" did not just go out and pick a breed to focus on for the heck of it. Pit bulls are simply more likely to maul people or other dogs because they were bred to be fighting dogs. They never were "nanny dogs" or anything like that. They are the descendants of bull and bear baiting dogs that were further bred to never give up in a fight with another dog until the opponent is dead. Hence, a game bred pit bull may not react to or give "cut off" signals during a squabble. This is a bad characteristic for a family pet to have.

Then Dr Dunbar goes to promote them as pets by saying that they are exceptional around people and merely "tricky" with other dogs. NO! They are not just "tricky" - they are far more likely to fatally maul other people and dogs than other breeds. I think Dr Dunbar needs to read some of the first hand accounts that have been published out there about what a fight between two game dogs is really like. The dogs brutally savage each other for up to two hours - and occasionally longer than that. It's a grotesque quality to breed for. Game bred dogs have also fatally mauled people too - not just other dogs. One of Colby's dogs killed a two year old.

That "self-socialization" crap is utter crap. I say this as someone who has formally studied animal behavior for years. It is not difficult to create an aggressive pit bull. Some pit bulls who kill and maul other dogs and people were actually kept as family pets.

Now, I'm not trying to say here that every single pit bull is going to be dangerous. However, statistically, they are more likely to harm other dogs and people than other breeds. People who claim to be dog lovers have to stop claiming otherwise.

Now, I will concede that the pit bull problem is a people problem. People created fighting dogs through artificial selection and violent people are going to be attracted to owning such dogs. People need to make the choice to stop promoting and breeding these dogs, which were bred for a sadistic purpose.

Anonymous said...

What is amazing to me is the twisted logic these folks use, by targeting the victims of pit bull attacks, and the general public that (quite rightly) fear these dogs as being the source of the problem. They are right, the source of the problem is human...it is PIT BULL OWNERS AND BREEDERS who cause pit bull bans!

Not ONE ounce of energy, or any significant money or effort has been put into dealing with, educating, and regulating THEIR OWN. It is simply mind numbing.... it is so obviously political and dishonest.

To the "pit bull advocates"... you people don't give a shit about animals, children or even the fucking pit bulls themselves....you are simply promoting the dogs as pets, and protecting the rights of people to continue to breed, fight, and make money off these dogs. The whole pit bull advocacy movement is run by liars, grifters and the mentally unstable ...people with narcisistic personality disorders, and women desperate for attention.

Its absolutely sickening to me....I have such a huge contempt for the intellectually dishonest. The reality is, I am the type of person who has admiration and respect for some of the old working breeds like Rotts and GSD's, and have friends who train and compete with them. I would actually be fine with allowing pit bulls to exist as a rare breed, owned only by knowledgable enthuisiasts who control the breeds availability to the public. But its obvious that there can be no compromise with these lunatics....I would heartily support a total eradication of the bully breeds, because there is no hope of responsible breed stewardship.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

garnet, i completely agree with you, especially that last paragraph. this is a people problem. people created the pit bull, they continue to breed the pit bull and they continue to promote the pit bull as the all american dog that anybody and everybody should own. this is absolutely a people problem.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

anon 2:58

"The whole pit bull advocacy movement is run by liars, grifters and the mentally unstable ...people with narcisistic personality disorders, and women desperate for attention."

spot on.

i agree with your comment. the problem is the freaks like ledy and jane and donna who continually present these dogs as JUST DOGS. i could completely support the pit bull's existence as a rare breed only owned by knowledgeable people who must take special precautions with them.

Anonymous said...

"DRAYTON MICHAELS says: "DIANE has been working with pit bull dogs for over 30 years."'

What does this have to do with anything?

Cat ladies hoard cats for over 30 years, serial killers kill people for over 30 years, dog fighters fight dogs for over 30 years, child killers kill children for over 30 years

Time has nothing to do with sense, intelligence. empathy, or civilized behavior

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

my point is these people flat out lie and exaggerate about pit bulls and their word is not to be blindly trusted. they ALL do it because it is the only way to make the pit bull palatable to the masses. you know what they say "a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down." but yours is an excellent point too anon 3:39.

Anonymous said...

This was a great blog post, craven, because there is literally not anything that comes out of these fighting dog lobbyists but an endless chain of lies.

They know they are doing wrong, hence they must lie to hide the truth.

Anonymous said...

I'm tackling that documentary right now actually:

http://pitbullmuckracker.blogspot.com/2010/10/pitbull-hoax-part-1.html

Anonymous said...

i cant believe this person wrote this article that pilbulls kill people

www.pitbullattacks.net

BB said...

"I am the type of person who has admiration and respect for some of the old working breeds like Rotts and GSD's, and have friends who train and compete with them."

Then make damn sure that your friends understand that pit bulls are uniquely dangerous and represent a threat to their breeds. Pit advocates have managed to convince breeders of normal dogs that supporting BSL will somehow endanger their breed, when the truth is that it is the ongoing misrepresentation of pit bulls as "just dogs" that places other large breeds at risk.

"I would actually be fine with allowing pit bulls to exist as a rare breed, owned only by knowledgable enthuisiasts who control the breeds availability to the public."

It was. They were called dogmen.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

BB, there is a reason why i shifted focus from dog fighting to pit nutters like berkey, ledy, donna and jessup. these are the kooks that are putting people and pets at risk. i still disapprove of dog fighting.

i should have added that part of the "special precautions" entails mandatory insurance.

Anonymous said...

That is absolutely true: dog fighters, drug dealers, gang members are not the ones causing the problems. They know their dogs are dangerous and they keep them locked away. It is very rare that one of these dogs attacks someone that is not a criminal or a police officer raiding the criminals. Almost all pit bull incidents are caused by pet dogs - some dogs kept better than others, but pets nonetheless. These dogs come from two sources: backyard breeders or shelters/rescues. In almost all cases the situation causing the pit bull to attack comes down to some form of owner negligence/ignorance. Because only an ignorant owner would encourage biting and holding play (tog o war) in a pit bull, allow aggressive behavior, or not properly confine the animal. Where do owners learn about how to take care of their pit bull? From the many self-proclaimed experts on the internet, the pit-loving shelter staff, the rescues, the backyard breeder out to make a buck. All of these people are in a position where they are deemed knowledgable and trustworthy, and where they denounce true information on pit bulls as racism and hatred. Dogmen do not allow their dogs to get loose. Drug dealers do not seek therapy dog status for their guard dogs. Gang members do not bring pit bulls to street festivals or dog parks. Their dogs to not impact my life. And this is how things used to be, hence pit bulls were not much of a problem. The problems only began when pit bulls were pushed on society as a pet just like any other breed, and the more they push the worse it gets.

Anonymous said...

"BB, there is a reason why i shifted focus from dog fighting to pit nutters like berkey, ledy, donna and jessup. these are the kooks that are putting people and pets at risk. i still disapprove of dog fighting."

I do understand why you did this craven.

I just wanted to add that without the dog fighters, the game dog breeders and the rest, then the Berkeys, Jessups, Reynolds, and VanKavages and others would not be wreaking the damage they are. They would actually have to be honest, working citizens instead of shills for the game dog industry.

This problem originates still with the dog fighters and the ones who breed for the dog fighters and call themselves "game dog enthusiasts" or whatever other lies they use to hide what they are doing. Without the dog fighting, there is no need to breed these dogs. There's a lot more dog fighting out there than people realize, and where once they kept these dogs to themselves, now their pits bulls are getting into the mainstram public hands thanks to VanKavage, etc

These dog fighters also have an intimate relationship with many of these "rescuers" and "pit nutters."

The lies that the "pit bull rescue" community uses comes from the dog fighters, and their related lobbies. The "pit nutters" are PROMOTING pit bulls for the dog fighting comunity, whether they understand they are, admit to it, or whatever. They work with people from the dog fighting community, whether they are aware of it or not.

That is the sick thing behind all of this pit bull nuttery. It's actuually dog fighting lobbying.

If you look at the amicus brief that Best Friends filed to get the Vicks dogs, there isn't one other truly humane group that signed with them. It was all pit bull breeders and "game dog enthusiasts" in there with Best Friends trying to cash in on fighting dogs.

We would all be shocked by who exactly these "pit nutters" and "pit bull rescuers" have intimate, working relationships with.

Both sides are working on this scam together.

BB said...

Don't get me wrong, I disapprove of dogfighting too. What I'm saying is that it is probably not possible to have this breed exist in the hands of "knowledgable enthusiasts" because the only individuals knowledgable and enthusiastic about pit bulls are dogfighters. No one who is truly a fan of dogs can be a fan of pit bulls if they understand the truth about the breed.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

without the dog fighter, pit bulls would never exist.

i think there are people who are responsible enough to own pit bulls but they are statistically insignificant.

Trigger said...

[1996] The death of a baby boy in the jaws of a chained Rottweiler on the Fourth of July points out the unpredictability of some breeds of dogs that may misinterpret eye contact as a challenge to fight, experts say. The dog's calm demeanor after the mauling could indicate he attacked out of a feeling of dominance over the child, said Dr. Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts New England Veterinary Medical Center in Grafton. At a Fourth of July party in Orange, the chained dog, named Bruno, lunged at 1-year-old Matthew Pedercini's head, ripped him away from the woman who was holding him and dragged him toward the doghouse.
http://tinyurl.com/2f5zf7b

[1996] The interview was with Dr. Nicholas Dodman, the author of a new book called The Dog Who Loved Too Much, which is published by Bantam. Dr. Dodman is a behavioral scientist and, as you may have guessed from the title of his book, he is a dog psychologist. Nothing unusual, of course, in practicing canine psychology; like the makers of American Spirit cigarettes, Dr. Dodman is filling a genuine marketing need. No, what is truly brilliant about Dr. Dodman is his method of treating certain manifestations of extreme and disconcerting doggie misbehavior. Much of his research, for example, deals with rottweilers, a popular breed that nonetheless has the inconvenient habit of suddenly turning on their owners and tearing out their throats. In any case, Dr. Dodman's solution is infinitely more elegant. Dr. Dodman treats feral rottweilers, ferocious pit bulls and slavering German shepherds with Prozac.
http://tinyurl.com/2ay7rpy

CLASSIC

PSYCHOBABBLE: Nicholas Dodman, author of Dogs Behaving Badly, explains that dogs who bite small children aren't necessarily vicious. Instead, they are afflicted with "interspecies dyslexia" --ie, an inability to differentiate between genuine threats and humans who are harmless, or from the dog perspective, "pink and ouchy."
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gahr120500.asp

Bagheera Kiplingi said...

How much you wanna bet Berkey bankrolled Mary Ann's little video project?

The lure of the Berkey money is overpowering to mere mortals. Dodman, Jessup, Dunbar, Donaldson - had thinking brains at one time but could no longer resist the temptation. And Michaels was born stupid.

I used to have some respect for Diane Jessup, now she just mouths the same "dogs are individuals" shit that Ledy and Jane created. Maybe it is just sour grapes that the flakey artitsts in the bay area are the NEW experts.

Bagheera Kiplingi said...

Trigger, your third link references another wacko animal lawyer Stephen Wise. He and his wife, another nut job with a law degree, got a vicious dog off of death row and it went on to attack again.

Trigger said...

Who else would bankroll such a thing? (I especially love the crappy Powerpoint slides) The video appears to have been made 15 YEARS ago, not just one year or so ago. I agree about Jessup. I used to have some respect for her as well, but hey, her segment was short. Maybe Drayton CUT aspects of it? The writer of the Jewish World Review article [2000] really nailed some of the issues. I especially loved this:

MORAL RELATIVISM: There is no such thing as a bad dog; only a "good dog having a bad day" to use Steven Wise's description of a "client" who mauled a Lincoln, Massachusetts resident.

Evan Gahr hones "right in" on the ridiculousness of the American Dog Owners Association and the ASPCA's arguments too. Consider that Gahr is Jewish and is bashing these stupid arguments. Possibly Gahr had not heard of the Dog Holocaust Maul Talk term when writing his article? Imagine if he had? (Don't miss Interspecies dyslexia)!

Anonymous said...

"Possibly Gahr had not heard of the Dog Holocaust Maul Talk term when writing his article? Imagine if he had?"

This is unfortunately how some people in the media and politics have been tricked into helping the dog fighters and pit bull breeders.

They have no idea that the ones shoveling this fake "Holocaust" emotional manipulation at them to defend pit bulls are from the KKK side of life. The KKK pit bull breeder lobby. Even if they aren't directly KKK, they come from that general mindset.

And the Ben Konops of the world are too clueless to even know it.

Anonymous said...

BB....I do spend time talking to friends about this. Some people do understand this.....other breeds get cauight up in the sweep when BSL is proposed. And BSL is almost ALWAYS proposed on the heels of pit bull attacks. Personally, I have no problem regulating Presas, Filas, Boarbels, ect., as they have never been family companions in this country, and have no history of useful work to help mankind.

When I mentioned pit bulls being "rare", I imagined AmStaffs being kept by enthusiasts for conformation, or APBTs being kept to compete in formal dog sports like tracking, etc. By people who sell on a co-ownership, with very strict contracts, very tough screening for prospective owners. By people who are actively breeding away from dog aggression.

This, obviously, is a pipe dream....the sociopaths and miscreants involved in this breed make this impossible. But you should realize that there ARE rare breeds that are maintained this way, with very tight control by breed clubs and enthusiats who keep the dogs out of the hands of the general public...it is more common with hunting breeds whose owners/breeders want to maintain working ability and drive and don't want the breed to become just another pet.

Anonymous said...

"This, obviously, is a pipe dream....the sociopaths and miscreants involved in this breed make this impossible."

It's impossible because of your fellow breeders, not the street thugs you breeders always try to blame.

Pit bulls were always bred for aggression and fighting, and still are, by so-called "responsible breeders." Take away that, you have no pit bulls.

Conformation is a silly useless middle class ladies game, and pit bulls are useless in "dog sports" other than FIGHTING and the covers for it like "pulling."


"By people who sell on a co-ownership, with very strict contracts, very tough screening for prospective owners"

You breeders can't even succeeed at that now. What will magically change?

And your contracts are for the most part LEGALLY USELESS. Once the buyer buys the dog, it's their property to do with as they wish. This "contract" scam is just that, trying to convince the public that you have control when you have NONE.

This is why these pit bull breeders who try to pretend they are respectable with this contract crap ("we don't sell to fighters or backyard breeders") are so ridiculous. The contracts are LEGALLY MEANINGLESS and can't be enforced. Just like spay neuter contracts can't be enforced.


"But you should realize that there ARE rare breeds that are maintained this way, with very tight control by breed clubs and enthusiats who keep the dogs out of the hands of the general public"

And you know that is all crap. It sounds nice for the general public that doesn't know any better, but you know you don't succeed at that either. YOU HAVE ALL FAILED AT EVEN THAT. You bicker and fight with each other, and cash in, and each and every breed heads in the same direction. Down the toilet. Then you just move to a new one and screw that up too. It's a fools game.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:-F-eQEIqqdsJ:www.stonedance.ca/images/Registries.pdfPart1.pdf+akc+5+year+breeds&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShpm65zHkpxZ8j3tgw9oAz-aEHu6xwCbfGqVVTmWO5NN-qh68OZOtL2oTI5Ui5XqedUl7PyYHIBt42x-hwV7BmNDVjgpDn90t_BMGohrsmErUU5C_aO8O9DbjExnIgjq5MhGm_C&sig=AHIEtbSUUmmphyoqTJuMrdvMqf69h9unsA

One thing one can always count on with breeders. There is always the lies. They want so much for the general public to believe they are honest, upstanding, dog respecting experts, but quite the opposite is true. The dog breeding world attracts more disturbed and deceitful people per square inch than practically any little subset of America. It's a fake world of fake ideals.

FormerOhioGirl said...

"The dog breeding world attracts more disturbed and deceitful people per square inch than practically any little subset of America."

Thank you.

Talk about the simple truth. I don't have an explanation for it, but it is what it is and cannot be denied.

Anonymous said...

Love the way Jessup's fence is reinforced with steel bars to prevent a containment break....Yeah right..."Pits are just like any dog"

BB said...

I think Dunbar's segment irked me more than any other. First he tells us that we need to stop ascribing behaviour to genetics:

"a dog does not come fully trained and friendly"

"people in the dog fancy that have an extreme genetic bias on behaviour"

Oh, okay. So genetics DO NOT determine a dog's personality. I get it now.

But then Dunbar goes on to say these things:

"pit bulls have the most resilience and the quickest bounce-back time of any breed of dog, bar none"

"all the breeds of dogs fit into 2 categories: those which will desocialize as they grow up, and these are the normally standoffish dogs, all the shepherd dogs, all the hundreds of breeds of shepherd dogs, all the Asian dogs. And basically they won't actively go up and say hello to someone. Then we have the self-socializers, like all the retrievers and the top of the pile is the pit bull"

"I would be the first to admit that being a "terrier, and a big terrier, that they can be a little tricky around other dogs"

So resilience, social-seeking behaviours, and dog-dog aggression are all genetically determined behaviours? Aggression toward humans, though, is not genetic?

Which is it Dunbar, do genes determine behaviour or don't they?

And he knows he's lying. He looks sneaky and guilty in that video. What is his story, is he on Berkey's payroll too? Pathetic that this is an influential person in the world of dog behaviour, don't you think?

Claudia S. said...

I just want to point out the fallacy of a quote: DIANE JESSUP enjoys an unusually comfortable position as pit bull "expert". JESSUP is universally admired by all pit bull owners (except the game-dogger demographic).

Many, myself included, who have rescued pit bulls solely as pets, pretty much despise Diane Jessup. We know she is a crazy, egotistical hypocrite. Anyone truly in touch with the online pit bull community can easily see the writing on the wall.

Anonymous said...

this blog is bs