Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 3, "The Professionals"

Pitbull Has Neighbors Worried

Before delving into the "professionals" and their evaluations/opinions of GRACIE, a few issues need to be addressed.

First, WAGMAN exaggerated the qualifications of the professionals who evaluated GRACIE in his brief and in the news story. Not a single one of the "professionals" that evaluated GRACIE qualify as BEHAVIORISTS. To qualify as an animal behaviorist requires an advanced degree; masters, doctorate or doctor of veterinary medicine. You can view the very short list of behaviorists in the U.S. HERE.

A Note About Animal Behaviorists: Many persons employed in the dog training field use the title "behaviorist" incorrectly. A Behaviorist is someone who has a doctorate level graduate degree. A Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist is a Behaviorist who is certified through the The Animal Behavior Society. Persons who do not meet these qualifications should not be using the term "behaviorist" to describe themselves - in this case, the terms behavior consultant, behavior counselor or behavior specialist are acceptable.

Second, Dogs tend to shut down when housed in the shelter. Can any useful data about a dog's temperament be acquired from an evaluation that has been performed on a dog that has been housed in a strange and stressful kennel for 2 weeks?

Third, Who hired and foot the bill for the King and Filson evaluations? And should opinions of friends and employees of the owner be admissible as professional in a legal proceeding?

Fourth, It is not possible to test a dog's reaction to every conceivable stimulus that it might encounter. A dog might interact well with 50 unfamiliar people or animals during an evaluation or during the course of its life, but that does not mean it will be okay with every person or animal that it encounters. Behavioral evaluations can not predict how a dog will behave in every scenario. That's why TRISH KING explicitly states on her evaluation that she can not guarantee a dog's behavior and she is not liable for future aggression.

Fifth, It is absurd to extrapolate the data collected testing a dog in an artificially controlled environment with a confident experienced handler to the real world where unforeseen variables are left to chance with people who are not well versed in dog behavior. I believe these tests performed by KING and FILSON are essentially worthless. GRACIE failed the only test that matters. Her real world temperament test. Once on her own and outside the reach and supervision of the artificial and controlled environments - the shelter, the "behaviorists", her home, her owner - all bets are off and as we know from DULCE REYES, GRACIE is a "bit off" when she is estranged from her loving TOMTOM.

TRISH KING CPDT (Certified Pet Dog Trainer), CDBC (Certified Dog Behavior Consultant)
KING is the only one in this lineup of "professionals" who even comes close to resembling a "behaviorist". I was so outraged by her report, that I entered all three pages. My comments are in italics.

Trish King, CPDT CDBC

Evaluation of Gracie Jorgensen

Evaluation:
Gracie is a young Pit Bull Terrier, evaluated following the killing of a neighborhood cat.

Observation:
During the evaluation, I evaluated Gracie for human sociability, handling, impulse control and arousal issues, and predatory instinct The evaluation was conducted in an outside yard, next to a chicken coop, and close to wildlife, including a feral cat that walked outside the yard.

Sociability:
During this test, the dog is allowed to roam in an enclosed area; the number and quality of interactions is analyzed. Gracie was moderately social, engaging with me when l initiated play.
Handling: During this test, the dog is handled extensively, from feet and head to a full hug. Grade tested out as extremely tolerant to handling, allowing me to manipulate any part of her body for extended periods of time (up to 2 minutes)
Note the use of adjectives "tolerant" for later commentary.
Impulse Control/ Arousal: During this test, the handler actively engages the dog in play, checking to see whether the dog tends to go out of control, to behave roughly, or engages in mouthy behavior. Grade's energy appears to be generally calm and relaxed. She engaged in play at a fairly high level of excitement, but calmed quickly when I stopped playing.
Note the use of adjectives "calm" and "relaxed" for later commentary.
Predatory instinct: During this test, the dog is exposed to other animals that commonly arouse the predatory drive. In this case, the animals included chickens and a cat. Gracie tested out as moderately predatory. Her attention was attracted by the animals, but she did not have a strong lock and was relatively easily distracted with obedience commands.
Exposure to chickens and cats in the presence of an experienced dog trainer vs a dog with a taste of freedom and away from her owner are simply apples and oranges.

Analysis:
Gracie was somewhat distracted during the sociability portion of the evaluation, and tolerated rather than sought handling. There appeared to be an element of owner searching" in her behavior. This is a behavior fairly common in shelter dogs recently separated from their owners. They tend to approach strange people and investigate them. Their body language changes from excitedly anticipatory to dejected when they discover they don't know the human. At no time did she appear to offer any threat, and was very friendly when a volunteer who had apparently interacted with her appeared.
Note the use of adjectives "anticipatory" and "dejected" and "friendly" for later commentary.

With regard to impulse control/arousal, Gracie scored very high. Her energy level was moderate, which is very unusual in a dog housed in a shelter environment Most dogs become highly energized, and are often out of control. The fact that Gracie was not was excellent.

Gracie's predatory drive would appear to be moderate. However, if she were to remember the location of a particular small animal. it would likely escalate with each sighting, much as a dog remembers other dogs in particular locations. This escalation could increase the predatory instinct.

It is very important to note that dogs are predators, and may tend to kill small animals, unless they are raised with them, much as cats will kill animals smaller than themselves. Humans should understand that these instincts are very strong, as they are connected with survival, and must be monitored.
First, dogs are SCAVENGERS and second, this dog lives right next door to small dogs. Pit bulls can live amicably for years with dogs and cats that they were raised with and then one day, the owner comes home to a blood bath. Survival in this case is the self rewarding flexing of her DNA.

Recommendations:
Management: Gracie needs to be managed around small animals, particularly cats. She would benefit from a well fenced in yard, as well as walks that are always on leash. Obedience courses, wherein she learns to follow the instructions of her owner, would be invaluable.
Managed around cats? duh! Gracie already has 3 years of obedience training and a well fenced yard! The problem is not so much that she does not follow the instructions of her owner, the problem is she can not be safely contained.

Conclusion: I do not believe that Gracie is a threat to humans. Although people tend to think of dogs as "aggressive" or "not aggressive," that is no truer of them than it is of humans. Dogs may behave aggressively or not. In any case, predatory behavior is not true aggression - there are no emotions associated with the behavior. It is an instinct, and not one that transfers from one type of animal to a human being.
Well, we finally agree on something. Aggression is INSTINCTUAL with pit bulls!

Trish A King, CPDT, CDBC

Okay, remember when I told you that the perversity of this case would get better? Well, here it is.
After TRISH KING finished whitewashing GRACIEPOO'S evaluation, either on her own initiative or at the request of "the Shyster", she "evaluated" a witness statement! Yes, that's right. A former news reporter turned DOG TRAINER, not only assesses GRACIE'S aggression towards a human nearly one month after "the Incident", TRISH KING evaluates the witness via her written statement to AC!

Dear Bruce: (ooh they are on first name basis, this ought to be good!)

I reviewed the statement from Kellie Meyers regarding Gracie Jorgensen. I am very sorry Ms. Meyers was frightened, and can understand why the sight of a stray dog in her immediate vicinity might have made her think the worst. However, there was nothing remotely like the "raging pit bull" in the dog that I evaluated. Gracie allowed me handle her extensively and intrusively, and showed no signs of any aggression at any time during the session.

Gracie's behavior on Nov. 14 as described by Ms Meyers appears to have been more excited and curious than threatening and angry. The rather hasty and hysterical behavior of Ms Meyers would likely make the dog even more excited. From a behavioral point of view, a hunting dog does not behave in the way Ms. Meyers described - rather, the dog would be focused and quiet. Nothing Ms. Meyers describes would be interpreted as aggressive or threatening to humans. It would appear that Ms. Meyers was anthropomorphizing - that is, attributing motives to a dog based on human emotions.

In addition, it is extremely important to realize that dog behavior is actually relatively consistent. Aggression does not jump from species to species, and predatory behavior is aimed at prey, and not random human beings. Gracie's prey drive that day was focused solely on the cat, as evidenced by the fact that she did not bother any of the people at the she went to. I am sure Gracie would not have attacked Ms. Meyers or her mother in this situation.

~Trish (aka Carnac the Magnificent)

The fact that this evaluation was addressed to "the Shyster" answers one of my questions, Who paid for these evaluations. Btw, defense attorneys ONLY hire "experts" that will support their client's case. But I digress... let's take this second evaluation apart.

1) Anyone who sees a loose pit bull and doesn't "think the worst" and prepare for it, is an idiot.

2) KING states GRACIE is "Nothing remotely like a raging pit bull", yet TRISH KING recommends "a well fenced yard" and EVEN MORE obedience training for GRACIE who has been in a perpetual state of obedience training for the last 3 years.

3) Why is Ms. Meyers anthropomorphizing when she described "the Mutant" as aggressive and trying to get into her home but TRISH KING is not anthropomorphizing when she uses words like calm, relaxed, anticipatory, tolerant, dejected, and friendly to describe "the Mutant"?

3) TRISH KING blames Ms. Meyers for creating a potentially dangerous situation or at least escalating it by referring to Meyers' behavior as "hasty" and "hysterical". Part of the problem with these lion tamers is they expect everyone to not only love all dogs, but trust all dogs and be an expert at reading their behavior. But the issue here is that any attempt for any so called "professional" to explain or assess the behavior of GRACIE or Ms Meyers at 2:00 pm on Nov. 14th is PURE SPECULATION and should not be admissible in any legal proceeding.

4) Aggression is not consistent. Pit Bulls are just fine right up until the moment that they aren't. And often after "the Incident" when AC or the police arrive, pit bulls are once again "just fine". How many times have the owners of attacking pit bulls expressed their shock and horror with "they've never shown any aggression before."

5) Aggression does jump from species to species. Often after a devastating pit bull attack, the investigation reveals that the pit bull previously killed another animal. Prior to the family pit bulls killing Jacob Bisbee, they killed a chihuahua, an akita and a parrot.

6) Pit bulls regularly prey on random human beings. Kelly Caldwell was randomly killed by 3 pit bulls as she walked to the store. One of those pit bulls was touted by the owner as being a loving nanny dog. I could go on, but this blog post is already running long.

6) Just because GRACIE was solely focused on the cat at the time of the mauling, does not mean she wasn't solely focused on Ms. Meyers or her home at the time she was menacing her and attempting to get inside.

7) "Nationally recognized behaviorist" TRISH KING misinterpreted and criticized Ms Meyers eye witness description of GRACIE'S quiet frenzied behavior. Apparently KING is not familiar with dog behavior in fox hunting or hog hunting or deer hunting. That's not too surprising. KING is not familiar with the content of the witnesses' statement either which has NO mention of barking or growling. TRISH KING, the only "heavy weight" in this sham is a FUCKING JOKE. Her ignorance and arrogance are truly astonishing.

And I just LOVE the disclaimer at the bottom of KING'S official evaluation.

The analysis and recommendations contained herein were made based on a verbal history and brief observation of the dog, and in no way should be construed as a guarantee of future behavior.  The client will not hold Trish King or her associates liable for any behavior which occurs prior to, during, or following any training, tutoring or consultation. The dog owner assumes all responsibility for the behavior of their dog.

Well, I guess Ms King, the Clairvoyant Diva is NOT so sure that Gracie would not have attacked Ms Meyers or her mother after all.

The pro-Gracie camp is targeting Ms Meyers because she puts another ugly blemish on the "the Mutant's" fictitious impeccable record. They have attacked Meyers at every opportunity and they have   completely ignored the fact that Ms Meyers was not alone that day and her witness corroborated her statement. "...at about 1:50pm I witnessed a dog (Pit Bull) pacing along the front of the house from one end to the other, over and over again. The dog was lunging and jumping at the front door and the kitchen and bedroom windows, clearly looking for a way into the house. When I got out of my truck I yelled "Hey" at the dog several times trying to get its attention. At one point the dog actually circled the whole house, jumping/lunging at every window and door along the way. After 20+ minutes of yelling and trying to distract the dog, it left the Meyers residence and went to the neighbor's house. Immediately after the dog left it attached and killed the neighbor's cat. The noise/screaming from the attack (the dog, cat and cats owner) was unbelievable and something I surely will not forget. In 33 years of going to people's houses to provide estimates I have NEVER witnessed anything like this before. I have encountered my fair share of scared and/or mean dogs (and owners), but I have never seen a dog so obsessed with getting into a house.
In my opinion this dog is clearly vicious and needs to be dealt with accordingly."


KELLEY A FILSON CPDT (Certified Pet Dog Trainer)
Another artificial test in an artificially controlled environment conducted by a biased hired gun to rubber stamp a dog that should have been euthanized for failing her Nov 14th real world temperament test.
FILSON evaluated GRACIE at the animal shelter on Nov 30th, 16 days into her quarantine. FILSON leashed GRACIE in the kennel, walked her through the shelter and out into the yard. yadda yadda yadda... But I will give FILSON credit for conducting the most absurd test ever. "I requested a towel from a cat cage and presented it to GRACIE. GRACIE sniffed it briefly, but showed no interest." At least we know that GRACIE is not mentally retarded, as she knows the difference between animate and inanimate objects. Seriously, how do these people get away with this shit? Oh, wait, BILODEAU, never mind I answered my own question.


ERIC DORFMAN (no titles but claims he has certificates in dog behavior counseling and dog aggression)
"My name is ERIC J. DORFMAN of Dorfman Canine. I am a canine behaviorist and trainer who specializes in problem behavior. I am Certified in Dog Aggression towards both humans and other animals." Woops, there's that incorrect usage of the behaviorist title again. ERIC DORFMAN was GRACIE'S first trainer. DORFMAN stated that he met JORGENSEN in October 2009, approximately one month after he adopted GRACIE. JORGENSEN wanted to make sure GRACIE was carefully evaluated for a safe, smooth transition into her new environment which included a pug. Hmmm, JORGENSEN already had GRACIE for one month, shouldn't that that kind of extensive evaluation occur BEFORE you bring a new dog into the home? And GRACIE'S previous owner had a pug. Smells fishy."The initial meeting consisted of an overall evaluation including: temperament, disposition, separation anxiety, reaction to human hand, resource guarding, territorial behavior, reactivity to noise, quick movements, sight stimuli and other dogs." My gut tells me that GRACIE was exhibiting behaviors that caused JORGENSEN concern. Why else would you take your dog to someone who is certified in dog aggression and specializes in problem behavior???

STERLING TURNER CHU
This bio has just left me dumbfounded. Can someone please help me to understand how a young woman in her mid 20's graduated as a dog trainer in the spring of 2011, currently has 400+ hours towards her certification as a dog trainer, has worked for over a decade with pets and has met "thousands" of dogs, (is it appropriate to include dogs you have met during your tumultuous teen years with all of those raging hormones? can we trust the judgement of a 15 yr old who states two of her interests are "crying" and "fighting"? and is a young woman who leaves a 7 yr old tantrum on a public forum to shame her drunkard mother capable of critical thinking skills?) PLUS, CHU admits that she is friends with JORGENSEN and "the Mutant", how can she be considered a PROFESSIONAL in this very serious legal proceeding? How is it that not only JORGENSEN'S bottom feeder lawyer saw fit to include her in his line-up but BILODEAU didn't immediately kick her ass to the curb? I did a little digging and found STERLING TURNER CHU sitting on her ass with a video camera at a dog day care center giggling. On her video uploads, she occasionally types out a description of dog behavior to impress her viewers, for example, "extreme piloerection".

"I met THOMAS JORGENSEN at the end of 2009. He had rescued GRACIE from Montery County, and we began working together training GRACIE. Tom wanted ongoing instruction to further his knowledge of basic dog obedience training and his understanding of intra dog play and socialization." First, JORGENSEN AND GRACIE had just supposedly successfully completed a 6 week BASIC OBEDIENCE class with ERIC DORFMAN, the aggression/problem behavior expert. There are really only two explanations here. GRACIE already forgot everything that she had literally just learned in her first basic obedience class OR she shouldn't have graduated (or possibly didn't). Second, JORGENSEN did NOT rescue GRACIE from the shelter, his good friend SUSAN ACKERMAN (the pug owner) adopted her in August 2009 and quickly realized that GRACIE was too much for her so she pawned her off on TOMTOM. Third, my translation of CHU'S double speak sounds more like obedience classes with DORFMAN did not address the subtle and dangerous body language of pit bulls that JORGENSEN needed to master in order to be a responsible pit bull owner.

CHU worked with JORGENSEN from 2010 - 2012, trying to channel GRACIE'S energy and prey drive. I suspect CHU does not offer money back guarantees for her pit bull clients as GRACIE failed her real world temperament test on November 14, 2012. "GRACIE was moved to a secluded, big, empty space with hardwood floors, (oh my god, did CHU just identify a new pit trigger - flooring?) far different from her comfortable petite carpet condo with bustling people and friends, dog and human. He no longer lived on the 3rd story up the elevator and down the long hallway. Now outside their door call nature and the Hillsborough neighborhood full of critters like deer, skunk, squirrels, and outdoor cats. All of which would appeal to a dog's natural predatory drive. Tom consulted with me after moving, and he installed the deep and high fence completely around the back yard to ensure her enclosure when off leash. Tom took extra effort in working on GRACIE'S recall in this new environment (often dogs needs to relearn under new context), making sure she could leave the new and exciting distractions the world has to offer when called." It is stunning, the number of references to GRACIE'S prey drive from the pro-GRACIE camp and yet BILODEAU ignores them. This letter of reference is a joke. STERLING TURNER CHU tries to play the pity card with a big empty house with hardwood floors and nature provoking her. Poor, poor GRACIE, taunted by wicked squirrels and spooky cats. What's a frankenmauler to do?!



DR MICHELLE WALSH DVM
GRACIE'S personal vet provided a written statement attesting to her wonderful temperament based on the FIVE times she has seen GRACIE in her practice since March 2010. It is important to note that veterinarians do not possess any expertise in the area of animal behavior by default of their DVM degree and there is nothing that I can find on the internet to indicate that WALSH is any kind of behavioral expert. "She has never once shown any fear of humans or any aggression towards humans or animals in our hospital whatsoever. She has sat in our waiting room with other dogs while awaiting her appointments." I will go out on a limb here and assume that THOMAS JORGENSEN was accompanying GRACIE during these vet visits and therefore GRACIE was on her best behavior, per DULCE REYES. Also notice that WALSH does not specifically mention cats, only humans and dogs. And it probably doesn't hurt that there are separate waiting rooms for dogs and cats. Additionally, any knowledge that WALSH possessed about GRACIE'S behavior in the waiting room would be via the people who work at the front desk, making much of her testimony based on hearsay. "She has allowed us to do full exams, injections, blood collections, rectal exams and radiographs without struggle, resistance or growling..." Neither has my dog but I never needed to ask my vet to testify about my dog's behavior in a legal proceeding but seriously, the only thing missing here is the classic pit bull platitude "pit bulls are great with people because the dogmen needed to be able to handle them in the pit and sew them up afterwards". WALSH wraps up her plea stating that GRACIE was just exhibiting "natural predatory behavior" and she feels that GRACIE should not lose her life over this "one unfortunate" event. (note the sanitized language again - EVENT) Again, according to Hillsborough 6.04.010, "the severe injury or killing of an animal" requires just ONE victim, not a slew of them.
* Cat owning clients of Dr WALSH would be wise to seek veterinary care with a clinic that does not devalue their pet of choice.
 
QUESTION: WTF was BILODEAU doing during this legal proceeding? A crossword puzzle?


Hillsborough  6.04.010
Definitions

"Vicious animal" means any animal, except a trained dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties, which meets any or all of the following criteria:
1. Any animal previously designated as "dangerous," that after investigation by an animal control officer and/or peace officer is found under conditions which constitute a violation of this title or applicable dangerous animal permit and which demonstrates a significant danger to the public health or safety;
2. Any animal seized under Section 599aa of the Penal Code and/or upon the sustaining of a conviction of the owner or caretaker under subdivision (a) of Section 597.5 of the Penal Code;
3. Any animal which inflicts severe injury on or kills a human being or another animal;
4. Any animal which has engaged in any aggressive behavior which demonstrates that the animal represents a clear and present substantial danger to the public health and safety and that due to substantial risk to the public health or safety, it is unlikely that the animals could be safely maintained under a dangerous animal permit.

"Dangerous animal" means any animal, except a trained dog assisting a peace officer engaged in law enforcement duties, which because of its disposition, behavior, training or other characteristic, constitutes a danger to persons or property, or which demonstrates any or all of the following behavior:
1. Any attack or other behavior which require a defensive action by any person to prevent bodily injury or property damage or that results in an injury to a person or property;
2. Any aggressive attack or other behavior that constitutes a substantial threat of bodily harm to a person or animal, where such attack, injury or behavior occurs in a place where such person or animal is conducting himself or herself peaceably and lawfully;
3. An attack on another animal or livestock which occurs off of the property of the owner of the attacking animal;
4. Any animal that has been deemed by another governmental jurisdiction as "potentially dangerous," "dangerous,: "vicious," or any similar designation.



Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 1, "the Incident" 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 2, The Appeal

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified:Part 3, "The Professionals"

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 4, The Brief - Lies, Exaggerations, Illogical Conclusions, Inconsistencies and Speculations 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 5, The miscreants, science whores, dirty hippies, kidults and philanthropic robber barons

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 5 The miscreants, science whores, dirty hippies, kidults and philanthropic robber barons

Pitbull Has Neighbors Worried

THE MISCREANTS
What's a pittie party without the po-po?

SUSAN ACKERMAN - "the Mutant's" second owner
records show that TOMTOM'S good friend, SUSAN ACKERMAN adopted GRACIE from the Monterey County SPCA on 8.6.09. ACKERMAN was "the Mutant's" second owner, that we know of. ACKERMAN passed her off to TOMTOM one month later.
On May 9, 2011 9:45 p.m., the police cited 33 yr old Susan Ackerman, for suspicion of battery.


JORGE GERMAINE MOLINA
I haven't found the specifics yet, but TOMTOM'S good buddy and tenant has some legal troubles. I'm working on it.


THE SCIENCE WHORES
The science whore is willing to twist real scientific facts and findings in order to protect the pit bull. The science whore can be motivated by greed. Wanting to keep making money on the very lucrative dog-talk circuit, s/he sells both soul and credibility for a few dollars. Some might be motivated by fear, since all who speak or publish the truth about the pit bull is subject to an organized smear and bullying campaign.

TRISH KING, Dog Trainer
Although she does not meet the definition of Animal Behaviorist, she does appear to be a nationally recognized dog expert. There is not much left to say about KING that I haven't already said in part 3, except that I am extremely disappointed in her. She has proven that she lacks honesty and integrity. She follows the herd for safety. She lacks the inner strength to stand up for what she believes in when the pit nutters start their harassment campaign. I actually had respect for TRISH KING prior to her involvement in BRUCE WAGMAN'S court mockery, but the white washing of GRACIE'S prey drive and aggressive behavior and the misrepresentation of all dog behavior coupled with the personal attacks on a victim are unforgettable and unforgivable. Like DODMAN, DONALDSON and many more before her, TRISH KING'S fragile ego could not withstand the onslaught of pit nutters.
See the language of dogs, normal and psychopathic


Oh, remember that "Dear Bruce" letter in Part 3? Well, it seems that their paths crossed at the Marin County Humane Society. BRUCE WAGMAN is on the Marin County Human Society Board of directors.TRISH KING was the director of training and behavior at the Marin County Humane Society from 1994 - 2012.
It sure does give the appearance to outsiders that a favor was called in. Why else would you hire someone 40+ miles away to evaluate a dog when JEAN DONALDSON could have been bought for half the distance?


LINDA JANOWITZ, DVM

Veterinarian's Oath

Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge. 
 
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. 
 
I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.

JANOWITZ is a disgrace to her profession. JANOWITZ shamelessly violated this oath. She has no dignity, no ethics. Her behavior in the case of Hercules is deplorable. She should be fired from PHS and sanctioned by AVMA. She has no business touching animals and no business serving the public interest. I hope her tie die business takes off so she can do no further harm.

THE HIPPIES
I find it interesting that so many of the GRACIE supporters fit the peacenik mold. These people are obsessed with peace but only at the most superficial level. Peace to them is an abstract concept only, they possess not the slightest notion of its real world applications. Peace to these people is nothing more than an emotional pacifier that allows them to stick their fingers in their ears and feel good about themselves in an uncomfortable world. Then there are the animal rights activists who also wear the pit bull advocate hat. It is baffling how this demographic can champion the cause of the pit bull which is responsible for more gratuitous violence against animals than any other animal except for man. Only man surpasses their savagery in quantity and quality. You can not care about the welfare of animals and fight to put these mutants back in the community.

LINDA K. JANOWITZ, DVM
JANOWITZ wears two hats in this mess. She is uniquely qualified to serve not only as a Science Whore but also a Hippie. JANOWITZ' dream job is creating hippy dippy tie die clothing. I hope she succeeds so she can get the hell out of animal care. The sooner the better.
A youtube video of JANOWITZ peddling her wares.

KENNY WHITE YOU NEED TO FIRE JANOWITZ ASAP!

GRACIE, CHU and her very dirty hands

STERLING TURNER CHU
Tie dyed shirts with peace signs don't make a bold enough statement for this little girl. Only conspicuously placed permanent ink will do. This little animal rights activist proudly proclaims her tutelage under TRISH KING. I am not a dog trainer but there is nothing in this video dated 8.21.11 that even remotely demonstrates that CHU is a sensitive, intelligent, experienced dog savvy person. In fact, I won't hesitate to call her out. She is cruel and ignorant. I should be used to it by now but I am always astonished (and embarrassed) at the insensitivity that AR activists demonstrate towards companion animals. (like everyone of these fucktards has demonstrated against Hercules) I think the AR crowd views animals the same way they view the peace sign, it's an abstract concept to them, without the slightest notion of real world applications, hence their attraction to dogs bred for mortal combat. Enough of my book of whines, BILODEAU, let's see some of TRISH'S fine handiwork:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jJfsmdeqkM&list=UUjxj1520324yuQ5GHE5ni4w&index=159
That looks like something that CESAR MILAN would do. Maybe some experienced dog people would like to chime in here. This is just fucking cruel in my unprofessional and inexperienced opinion. It would be difficult to refrain from punching her if this golden was mine.

MICHELLE BILODEAU
The hearing officer and "The Decider" of the fate of GRACIE and her victims writes on her twitter page "As a self-proclaimed geographer extraordinaire with love for GIS, llamas, and being outside, I am hoping to connect with others that share similar passions"
How about a similar passion for malfeasance? BILODEAU'S day job is Registered Environmental Health Specialist.

What duties does a Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) perform?
A REHS works to improve the quality of life and health through environmental education, consultation, and protection. Although a majority of REHS’s work for government, many are also employed by the private sector. Some typical program responsibilities include food protection, land use, recreational swimming areas, onsite septic systems, drinking water quality, housing, vector control, disaster sanitation, and solid, liquid, and hazardous materials management. Typical duties of a REHS in local government include inspections of various facilities such as food establishments, public swimming pools, community drinking water systems, landfills, and underground storage tanks in order to determine compliance with federal, state, and local statutes, regulations, and ordinances.

I fail to see how BILODEAU qualifies to oversee Vicious Dog hearings, well other than the fact that she is qualified because her boss Pam Machado says so. Sitting in a room listening to "The Shyster's" False Pleadings was quite a departure from her illustrious career of testing sewer water. BILODEAU, make that mbillygoat, must have thought this job was the dream of a lifetime since she just had to sit in a conference room and not put dipsticks in toilets or raw sewage. Anyway, even with the perks of her new job and not having to deal with radioactive waste, she still managed to fuck it up, so looks like it's back to the sewer, which is ironic because I doubt that any of her regular REHS duties smell as bad as the GRACIEPOO JORGENSEN FILES.

Seriously. This hearing officer needs to be investigated. San Mateo must look into the way she conducted Jorgensen case. They need to determine whether she is corrupt or incompetent (or both) and take the appropriate action.

I wonder if BILODEAU has seen what pit bulls do to her beloved goats and llamas?

Medical Geography anyone?

BRUCE WAGMAN "The Shyster"
Like JANOWITZ, CHU and BILODEAU, "The Shyster" looks like he emerged from a 1960 Haight Ashbury time capsule and in need of a good soak in the tub. "I was a nurse for seven years and switched species." And I'm sure the medical community breathed a huge sigh of relief. We certainly don't want nurses who have no respect for or understanding of the human condition, actually working on humans.
The next two paragraphs in the SF Gate interview are about the animal hoarding epidemic. (btw, I agree. It is a huge problem.) A couple paragraphs later, WAGMAN tells the interviewer that he has 3 dogs and five cats and the reason he has only 3 dogs is because of county limitations. IDIOT! These people have no clue how they contradict themselves and how stupid they appear to the rest of us.
I've got eight animals at home, in Stinson Beach, so I do have rescue animals, but none of them are from the cases I've handled. They've all come from local animal shelters. I have three dogs and five cats, currently, and one wife. The limit in Marin County is three dogs and that's why I have three dogs. There is no limit on the number of cats.
I'd say WAGMAN has a tendency toward hoarding.

As I watched and re-watched the news story and then read and re-read his brief, all I could think about is, how can lawyers get away with this? Anyone else would be charged with perjury but for lawyers, this is an art form. I despise this little man. I hate all of these people.



KIDULTS

TOMTOM JORGENSEN
His resume looks impressive. Asst Bank VP, Bank VP (possibly favors for daddy?) and a 2 year stint as the VP for the Katun Corp (his daddy's business), before launching his own self employed schtick involving investments and non-profits (whatever that means). His resume states he left Katun in 2003. It seems that around the time TOMTOM was playing VP, Katun was being investigated by the Department of Justice. The indictments for fraud against his father, his father's partner and several high ranking Katun officials were served one year after TOMTOM left. The fraud had been going on for years, at least a decade. All of the defendants plead guilty. Some went to prison. The company was fined $11,000,000.
In addition to his close connection to corporate criminals and his soft spot for cat killers, this 44 yr old man has some strange and creepy youtube activities.
But hey, he can't be all bad. He donates 30 minutes a week to the family business. Or could this be just a resume builder?

I would love to see the neighbors file a civil suit, depose JORGENSEN and force him to cough up the identity of the "senile" mystery meat responsible for the OOPS moment. MY psychic tells me the man is TOMTOM'S father. MY psychic tells me perjury charges might follow.


PHILANTHROPIC ROBBER BARONS

DAVID G. JORGENSEN
Before I bring this mess to a close, I think it is important to review a couple of terms so we are all on the same page.
philanthropic adj seeking to promote the welfare of others, esp. by donating money to good causes; generous and benevolent. welfare of OTHERS  
robber baron noun an unscrupulous business owner or executive who acquires wealth through ethically questionable tactics  

on Wednesday, David Jorgensen, 65, another founder and former Katun board member, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of mail fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Among the charges against Jorgensen are that he used Katun funds to buy five luxury vehicles, including a $139,000 Ferrari, and manipulated the transactions so that he avoided paying sales taxes in California where he lives.
Jorgensen faces a potential five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine on each of the six counts of the indictment.
In February this year, three other former executives agreed to pay fines and restitution in connection with this case. In January, the company itself agreed to pay $11 million.

My all time favorite robber baron is David Rockefeller. His philanthropic interests were education, public health, medical training, and the arts. Thanks to Rockefeller and his $80 million donation, we have the University of Chicago.

Not only do I have a favorite robber baron, I have a favorite 990 form. Let's compare Rockefeller's philanthropic interests to DAVID G JORGENSEN'S. In 2008, The DAVID and ANNETTE JORGENSEN Foundation donated ~$410,000 to libertarian think tanks. That same year, less than $3,000 was donated to the arts. But my favorite 2008 donation is way down towards the bottom, Assistance League of Los Altos. The JORGENSENS gave them a WHOPPING $38!! Of course, I HAD to explore this org further. The recipient of that $38 provides teddy bears to kids in the hospital, housing for family members of patients of on ongoing medical treatments, and powdered milk, glasses, backpacks and shoes and socks for needy kids. Thanks to this corporate criminal, some kid dying of cancer got to hug a teddy bear. I am all choked up.
Well, NOBODY can claim the JORGENSENS didn't give back to the community!

Let's take a closer look at those more deserving charities, the libertarian think tanks.
What sorts of projects does The Pacific Legal Foundation (David JORGENSEN is a board member btw) fund? Well, for one, they are working to delist the polar bear from the Endangered Species Act. Drill Baby Drill! The now defunct PR Chitester Fund appears to have been spun off into Free to Choose Media (where DAVID is the vice chairman) and izzit.org. izzit.org is propaganda at its finest. It targets children. They offer up the libertarian philosophy in fun easy to digest training videos for all grade levels. Some of the more popular titles: Eminent Domain, Freedom's Sound, The Foundations of Wealth and Pups of Liberty. They also have Teacher of the Year awards presented by none other than... DAVID and ANNETTE! The awards party is chock full of fun! MILTON FRIEDMAN puzzles and cakes and speakers from all of the other libertarian pet projects the JORGENSENS fund: Pacific Research Institute, the Hoover Institution, CATO institute, Free to Choose Network, John Stossel and Fox News Nutters. This looks like a way for libertarians to host parties for themselves, pat themselves and a few willing dupes on the back while they write it off of their taxes. GOOD JOB, SEE YOU NEXT YEAR BOB!  RICO has never been easier.
And the education grants are questionable. They seem to be primarily directed at libertarian leaning students, teachers and schools.

It is even more offensive when they thump their chests for some of these "generous" donations.

After hanging up his business spurs, the Katun entrepreneur and executive established the David and Annette Jorgensen Foundation, which focuses on educational, cultural, and community efforts. Recipients of the organization’s generosity include the American Education Reform Foundation, Stanford University, the California Academy of Sciences, and Summit Preparatory Charter High School. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the San Jose Museum of Art also have received foundation contributions, as have medical research projects at The University of California, San Francisco, and other institutions.

"After stinging from his federal convictions for tax and wire fraud, DAVID and ANNETTE found a safer, easier way to stiff Uncle Sam and fuck over Mother Earth..."

Funny, no mention of their libertarian pet projects in that blurb, you know, the $410,000 spent on those national libertarian think tanks set up to cripple regulations, make it easy to exploit the earth's resources and relieve the tax burden of the wealthy. But here is how well some of their cherry picked arts and education orgs fared in 2008.

• The SF Museum of Modern Art $250
• Fine Arts Museums of SF $150
• California Academy of Sciences $250

Pass the kleenex. I'm all fucking choked up again.

Question: Do you think the JORGENSEN foundation meets the definition of philanthropy? Are the JORGENSENS helping others or themselves? Is this foundation legitimate or has DAVID JORGENSEN found a legal way to avoid paying taxes?

economic research institute (990's available)
DOJ Katun Indictment (Jorgensen was added later)


Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 1, "the Incident" 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 2, The Appeal

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified:Part 3, "The Professionals"

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 4, The Brief - Lies, Exaggerations, Illogical Conclusions, Inconsistencies and Speculations 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Terrified: Part 5, The miscreants, science whores, dirty hippies, kidults and philanthropic robber barons

the language of dogs, normal and psychopathic

Trish King and the marin humane society held a very interesting seminar on dog introductions a couple of years ago and they were generous enough to share it with the world by uploading it to youtube in 7 parts. i have seen all 7 parts and i strongly recommend watching all seven. it is extremely informative. but for the purposes of this blog post, i am only focusing on the first minute of part 2 and from 6:10 to the end of part 3.

experienced pit nutters advise newbies to the breed never to take their mutants to the dog park, because even if their pit dogs didn't start the fight, they will finish the fight. every time the media reports that a pit bull attacked another dog, the pit nutters will rush on line and defend their mutants by claiming that the poodle started it. it happened last weekend in washington DC with the fiasco involving PARROT, LUCKY DOG ANIMAL RESCUE and AARON BLOCK. the question is which dog really started it?

the language that NORMAL dogs speak is much different from mutant pit dogs. one huge difference, normal dogs don't engage in direct eye contact. direct eye contact is considered rude in the world of normal dogs. pit bulls not only engage in this rude behavior, they often force it on normal dogs. this is scary to normal dogs and they very often respond the only way they know how, by growling or snapping a quick harmless message "hey, back off! you're out of line!". normal dogs are not threatened by a growl or a snap, pit bulls however interpret the normal dog's message as an invitation to fight. i have seen first hand the hard stare pit bulls throw at dogs, my dogs. thankfully my dogs ignored them but they are large confident dogs. i can see how a smaller or less confident dog would feel threatened and try to correct the frankenmauler's deviant behavior.

informing a psychopath that their behavior is out of line, should not be a death sentence.

"There is no direct eye contact or very little direct eye contact. It is very quick and over with. Which is one reason why with pit bulls and rottweilers, we have problems. Because they're bred to do direct eye contact and so they are off putting to other dogs and actually scary to other dogs." (you can stop here and go onto part 3 if you like)

at 6:10, King plays a short video of a pit bull being introduced to her german shepherd. King comments about how the pit bull cut off the gsd and attempted to force direct eye contact. at 8:14, turn up the volume and listen carefully to the pit nutter in the audience. "I get that with my pit bull, it's almost like he doesn't want to start the fight, he wants the other dog to start it. I'm not gonna start it but come on, you start it."

dog introductions

part one

part two

part three

part four

part five

part six

part seven

Trish King appears to be a pretty smart cookie when it comes to dogs. she is the director of animal behavior & training at the marin humane society. she is an author and has several videos available at tawzerdogs like "different breeds have different needs". from what i can ferret out, she is anti-BSL but she is also very honest about pit bulls which has gotten her into trouble with the pit nutter community. for example, in 2007 DONNA REYNOLDS received the following handout in an email from King. DONNA deleted it from the badrap website (i found it on another nutter site) but she left the disgruntled pit nutters' discussion up.

'Pit Bull Terriers and Other Bully Breeds'

Trish King, Behavior & Training Dept. Marin Humane Society

There is a lot of prejudice - even hysteria - in the U.S. right now with regard to Pit Bull Terriers and other dogs like them. Our shelters - especially in urban areas - are filled with pit bulls and pit mixes. Very few of them are adoptable, and even fewer are actually adopted. Those that are adopted are often the objects of fear and distrust.

There are several reasons for this, but the reasons are all controversial, and your belief depends a great deal on your view about behavior - whether it's caused by nature or nurture, and whether one can modify behavior that has already been in place through late adolescence or social maturity (between 1.5-2 years).

Many bully-type terriers were originally bred to fight other dogs, to bait bulls, or for other "blood" sports. Some breeders have been assiduous in breeding out the tendencies for aggression, but others actually breed for it - and the best way to get an aggressive dog is to breed two aggressive dogs to each other. The reasons for breeding aggression are varied - some people want their dogs to fight other dogs, some to guard their property, and some seem to want the "aura" of owning an aggressive dog.

Dogs bred as pets for several generations tend to lose the behavior patterns that are the most problematic. Unfortunately, they are still feared because of their looks, and because many - if not most - bully dogs still retain some of their undesirable behavior patterns.

Bully breeds have several desirable characteristics that build breed loyalty in their owners or guardians, such as:

extreme loyalty

affection to their owners

ease of training

Undesirable and/or anti-social behavior patterns include:

The tendency to chase things that move (animals, people, etc)

The ability and tendency to bite and hold on

The tendency to try and dominate other animals or people by body slamming, mounting and otherwise physically controlling them.

Uncontrollable arousal or excitement

The first two undesirable characteristics can be classified as "predatory." All dogs have some of this - some breeds more than others. But, in most breeds and breed types, the behaviors are inhibited. For instance, many dogs will chase runners or bicyclists, but they are unlikely to do anything if they catch up - and are easily trained out of the behavior. Truly predatory dogs go through a fairly set series of behaviors that can end up in a serious bite or worse. These dogs are not angry or vicious. Instead, they are obeying an instinct that was essential for hunting. Thus, they are not likely to give any warning and the chase can be amazingly fast. Sometimes they stalk before they chase; other times they don't. A dog that bites out of fear or anger will virtually always warn its victim - it normally has no desire to bite, it just wants to be left alone.

Predatory attacks are very common in the bully breeds - predation is the main drive used in dog fighting, and it can be lethal.

The third undesirable characteristic of these breeds is "dominating" or "bully" behavior. This stems from confidence. Oftentimes, confident puppies will bully their siblings, and may take away resources (food or toys). They will do the same to members of their own human families. And, if they're successful when they're puppies, they tend to repeat the behaviors when they are grown.

The fourth undesirable characteristic - arousal or excitement - is actually the most problematic. Many bully dogs cannot seem to calm themselves down once they get excited. And once they get excited all their behaviors are exacerbated. Thus, if a dog is over-confident and has a tendency to body slam or mount, he or she will really crash into the other dog or person when he's aroused, sometimes inadvertently causing injury. He may begin to play-bite, and then bite harder and harder and harder. When you try to stop the behavior, the dog often becomes even more "aggressive." In this way, play can turn into aggression fairly quickly. Research on the brain has shown that excited play has exactly the same chemistry as extreme anger. This allows a play behavior to switch quickly into aggression. And, once the dog has become aggressive a few times, the switch is much easier.

Our test includes scenarios that allow each of these behaviors to be manifested if they are there. We do not just watch the animals, nor do we try to make them aggressive. What we do is try to anticipate and replicate behavior that occurs in a normal home.

We observe the dog for a substantial amount of time to see whether he is attentive or affectionate toward us. We then show the dog affection (petting), to see if he comes back for more. We then do something the dog is not likely to like but that will not hurt (examining the teeth and hugging). We give the dog objects or food and then ask for it back, or we drop something and then attempt to take it. And we play - we see if the dog retrieves and if he gives up play objects readily when he's excited. We also run around, much as a child would, to see if the dog chases and what he does when he catches up. We then wait to see how long it takes for the dog to cam down, to relax. Lastly, we introduce the dog to one or two other dogs, to see whether he is social to them.

We try to see the whole dog, as much as possible, for the safety and well being of our clients. We do not expect perfection, and will "grade" a dog for different levels of potential owners. There are some behaviors that are unacceptable - mostly aggression. If the dog is aggressive towards people in any way, he is not recommended for adoption. In addition, dog to dog aggression is a big mark against the dog as - especially in this country - people want their dogs to lay well with others.

Pit bulls and other bully breeds fail most often in the areas of arousal and dog-to-dog aggression.

Each and every dog is tested on his own merits. We have and do put pit bulls up for adoption, after a knowledgeable person has fostered him or her for three weeks. We are cognizant of the power of this type of dog - plus many other big dogs - and would rather err on the side of caution than allow a possibly dangers dog into our neighborhoods.

Trish King

Director, Behavior & Training Dept. Marin Humane Society

part two of three

the early years

i grew up in small midwestern town. i never saw or heard of pit bulls until about the age of 9. the first pit bull i ever saw, hid under the chair of its owner when our 120 lb great dane growled at it. my father was amused, as the pit bull owner had just been bragging about his "bad ass" dog. i didn't lay eyes on another pit bull for a very long time. the next time i would hear the words pit bull, it would be in the context of dog fighting.

i was about 18 years old and an acquaintance from milwaukee was fairly obsessed with the topic. i didn't yet understand the brutality of dog fighting but i remember asking him why he would want to fight dogs, i don't remember his answer or if he even gave one. i tried to listen to him without judgement, but the topic was uncomfortable for me. i couldn't quite wrap my brain around why anyone would want to do this. outside of that brief friendship, i wouldn't hear about dog fighting or pit bulls for another 5 years.

one day as i was tending bar, some skinny little dirt bag of a redneck came in and sat down at the bar. it was early afternoon and he and i were the only two in the bar. before he finished his first beer, he started talking about dog fighting and kitten bait and newspaper ads for free kittens. although i still didn't know anything about dog fighting, this conversation was very different from the one i had with the guy from milwaukee, it was very graphic. the pleasure he derived from the violence was undeniable and disturbing. i was a little older and a little wiser. i knew this was a brutal "sport". i didn't need to ask why he fought dogs and i was incapable of listening to him without judgment. surprisingly, i was capable of masking my anger and disgust and i pretended to be interested. i had grand plans for this fucktard. i was surprised at just how easy he was to manipulate. i had him convinced that i was interested in him and his obscene hobby. a few more beers and we made arrangements to meet up at the bar on my next day off. unfortunately, i made the mistake of confiding in a co-worker who immediately blew my cover, citing concern for my safety. i never saw the skinny little dirt bag of a redneck again.

years later i worked part time in a shelter. there wasn't the 50%+ pit population back then but there were always a few. i never had a problem with any of them. they never growled, lunged, barked, curled their lip, shot me one of those creepy reptilian stares or acted in any way other than they were thrilled to see me. i never experienced a moment of anxiety or fear with the pit bulls at the shelter. they were just dogs to me. i did notice one striking difference between pits and the other shelter dogs and that was the amount of energy they had. i always exercised the pit bulls twice as long as the other dogs. my time at the shelter put the finishing touches on my pit nutter education with the "it's all how you raise 'em, nanny dogs, blame the deed not the breed" propaganda. i didn't go out and actively defend pit bulls like some non pit bull owning nutters but if the subject ever came up and anyone expressed negativity against them, i would come to their defense.

fast forward

i was dogless for a few years and then i adopted an older puppy. within two months, a neighbor's chow mix charged out and tried to attack him as i walked him down the street. less than a week later, another incident at a park with a lab and a chihuahua. they charged my leashed puppy full of bluster and empty threats, sniffed and retreated. although he wasn't bitten in either incident, my puppy was developing a fear of dogs, so i decided to take him to an offleash park. he snapped right out of his fear of dogs within 3 visits. he always had a great time playing with other age appropriate puppies, including one brindle pit bull puppy, which i have a photo of. one day a young bimbo came in with her fawn colored amstaff puppy. she was well dressed, bleach blond late 20's and professional looking. she looked nothing like the drug addled atavistic cretins that you see in the news in the aftermath of an attack. her staffy was about the same age as my puppy but about half the size. they played well for a few minutes. then my puppy froze as the staffy hung off of his cheek. the nutter giggled and said something to the effect "that's okay, that's his thing right now. he grabs a hold of the cheek and just hangs there". i proceeded to tell her that it was not okay and to get her dog. she minimized. i escalated. i said to her the same words that i would repeat to several other idiot dog owners over the years, "you will control your dog, or i will and you won't like it". i have had not so great interactions with dogs other than pits; gsds, greyhounds, akitas, lab mixes, a springer spaniel, rott mixes and a pair of whippets, yes whippets. only the altercation with the akitas was in the same league as the pit bulls.

at this point, i am still drunk on the nutter kool aid. i am not at all anti pit bull. i would often talk to the cult nutters with their ambassadogs, which by the way were always aged, overweight and tired looking. i would have many more uncomfortable or potentially serious encounters with pits and each time i would walk away still believing pit bulls were no different from other dogs.

then the pit bulls began to populate my neighborhood. the first one was an intact buckskin male. his owner: a 20 yr old male. the pit was contained in the front yard by a 4 ft chain link fence. i heard from other neighbors that he jumped out and went roaming on a few occasions but i never saw it and i never heard of any attacks. of course, they got rid of him before he reached the magical mauling age of 2. this was the first pit bull that i noticed with that creepy reptilian stare. even as a pup, he was demonstrating the look warren lane bred for, "a bulldog should look at you and through you". it is an eerie stare, especially in a puppy. it is as if they are somewhere else. that somewhere i imagine is some kind of mauling fantasy land. a few more pits moved in and out but my full awakening would not occur until the petey look a like took up residence in my neighborhood. this one is important in my pit bull education and needs a name, so i'll refer to him as petey. same situation as the other pit, intact male contained behind a 4 ft chain link fence with that bone-chilling stare (even as a puppy) and occasional escape without incident (to my knowledge). petey was critical in my pit bull education and he will be addressed in greater detail later. in the meantime, as petey continues to grow from puppy to dog, i continue to have close encounters with pit bulls and i continue to brush them off as owner issues.

my dogs have never been bitten. i suspect my dogs have escaped injury for one of three reasons. first is just good old fashioned luck. second, my dogs are very well adjusted and confident and they don't buy into the pit bull head games. they are very much like trish king's gsd strider. the other possible explanation why my dogs have escaped injury, when they are threatened, i become extremely aggressive. i have no fear of the owners or their dogs. dogs will never smell fear on me. i have only one emotion: rage. a few months before my epiphany with petey, i had 2 scary encounters very close together that prompted me to start questioning everything i thought i knew about pit bulls. there were just too many coincidences. i couldn't deny they were different and i started to view pits with a critical eye. the second one lead me to begin researching pit bulls.

i was walking my dogs in a very isolated wooded area. i turned a corner and there was a male, late 20's with 2 white with brown spotted pit bulls. i saw him and asked the question i ask all dog owners "are your dogs friendly?" he replied yes and so we proceeded. as our dogs got close to each other, things went downhill fast. lots of growling and quick maneuvering. his female was facing off with my malamute mix and his male was facing off with my pointer mix. i delivered a loud deep short sharp "HEY!" it startled all 4 of the dogs and all 4 dogs turned their attention to me for a couple of seconds, then started up again. i yelled "NO!" in a loud deep voice. it again distracted them for the second that i needed to step in between his male and my pointer mix. my pointer mix is behind me, the male pit bull is in front of me, a mere 2 inches, maybe less from my stomach and looking straight up into my face. i could feel his breath. the punk nutter is panicking now. he said to me, "don't yell, it makes them want to fight." huh? he starts to scramble towards the cluster fuck with me in the middle to leash his dogs and i keep glancing down at the ugly fucker who is now completely focused on me and then to his female who is still in a focused trance on my malamute mix while both of my dogs are focused on me. the punk then nervously starts rattling on about how yelling incites them to fight. i am thinking to myself, "wtf are you bringing dogs like that out into the public for asshole?" i am furious but doing my best to remain calm, quiet and motionless. the nutter is now close to me and all i can think about is how badly i want to strangle him with my leashes but this male pit will surely attack me. the punk finally grabs the male and he manages to break the female from her trance. i begin to slowly back away. i was in a rage for hours, it wasn't until much later that i realized how dangerous that situation was. i haven't been out with my dogs without some kind of deadly weapon since that day.

the pit nutter's comment about how yelling would incite his dogs to fight, kept looping in my brain and the the next day, my research into pit bulls began. i understand how high pitched continuous screaming mimics prey and incites dogs to attack but not what i did. i began to put together all of the pit bull problems that i had been experiencing and i began to pay attention to the media. prior to that incident, the only dog attack that made it through my news filter was the tragic fatal attack of diane wipple and that really had more to do with the creepy attorneys and their adopted racist dog fighting lifer son sitting in pelican bay.

the epiphany

a few months after the encounter in the woods, my experience with petey who was now 1.5 years old would be the final nail in the pit bull coffin. petey had been living on my street for approximately a year and then moved into the house next to me. after living next door to petey for just a few months, i developed a new and deep respect for this breed. i have always thought that the bully breeds were rather dumb. not anymore, not after getting to know this mutant. i am absolutely amazed what a brilliant predator he is and how quickly he learns and adapts. he doesn't just take advantage of opportunities to attack like normal dogs, he creates them. i was never in favor of breed specific legislation, until i met this dog. i had scary interactions with pit bulls prior to this dog. but this dog pushed me over the edge. i began to lean towards BSL based solely on my interaction with him.

petey is neutered now but when he first became a problem, he was intact and had just reached the age of 1 1/2 yrs old. he was chained AND kenneled INSIDE a 6 ft fenced yard. not only could he get out of the previous (electric) fenced yard where he resided but he destroyed at least one kennel and busted several chains and collars. my neighbor is a typical clueless idiot pit nutter. he used to brag about how many collars and chains he had to purchase because petey kept breaking them. my neighbor told me that petey discovered the one narrow window of the fence perimeter that lacked an electric charge in his previous yard and jumped the fence on more than one occasion. petey was kept outside during the day while they are at work and he comes in at night.

i suspected that the dog was potentially dangerous during the 6 months leading up to him crashing through my fence. whenever i walked my dogs by him, he had the creepiest coldest deadest stare. i've never seen another breed of dog do this. i broached the subject of dangerousness with my idiot neighbor and i quoted dog bite statistics. i cited the 1991 denver study which showed that biters were 6.2 times as likely to be male than female, and 2.6 times as likely to be intact than neutered and that biters were 2.8 times as likely to be chained as unchained. i am a spay neuter freak and am not afraid to tell people they need to fix their animals. i have strongly and many times told him to get the pit neutered but every time he says, "yeah, i got to get that done". i quoted another study that found most dogs that bite do so between the age of 1 and 2. i told my neighbor his pit is a perfect candidate for not only biting, but doing very serious harm. i would say that at that point in my life, i was not at all anti-pit bull. i still thought the crazy pit nutter nanny dog it's all how you raise 'em bull shit, even though i was not having great encounters with them.

petey and my two dogs have had a couple of minor "disagreements" through the fence. i can say minor on my side but not so minor on the other side of the fence. my dogs have never been allowed to fence fight and i always correct them. it takes very little effort to redirect them, they know it is not acceptable but occasionally give it a half hearted attempt after the other dog makes an issue of it. my dogs are never left outside when i am not home and i am always vigilant when they are out.

petey goes absolutely insane when i work in the garden. the first time, he was loose in the yard (the nutters were home) he hit the fence running and i thought he was going to come through it. the boards were bulging and the entire fence panel wobbled as he repeatedly hit the fence. i braced myself against the fence which caused him to hit it harder and go even crazier. one board came loose at the bottom. the pit nutter came out and got him.

the second time he was chained in his kennel which is a couple of feet or so from my 6 ft fence which runs the property line. i was pruning a large shrub and making a lot of noise. he was going nuts, barking, growling and making a disturbing frustrated screaming sound while trying to climb out of his kennel, at least that is what it sounded like. the owner came out and got him.

the third time, i was about 8-10 feet from the fence weeding with a hoe. my dogs were lying quietly in the shade 50+ ft from the fence that separates me from the pit. petey would bark and growl at me and charge the fence and pace along the fence line. and the pit nutter would call to him from the house. within minutes petey would start up again but a little quieter, the pit nutter would call to him from the house and within minutes the pit would start up again, each time a little quieter. this happened i would guess about 5 times over ~20 minutes. i could hear him running back and forth along the fence line. although he wasn't barking or growling (he figured out that he needs to be quiet to fly under the radar of the nutters), i could tell he was agitated with all of the huffing and puffing and heavy snorting to catch a scent of me. then suddenly all fell quiet. i thought he got bored and went inside or laid down in the yard. a few seconds later he burst through the fence near me. i jumped up and rushed the fence, while trying to keep my dogs back. i forced petey back with the hoe. he would retreat but only temporarily, then lunge back in. his head and entire neck were through the fence. he knocked one board out and split another board. the 2 boards that he knocked out didn't allow enough space for his shoulders to pass through. his shoulders would hit the sides hard and the boards would rattle, i charged him again with the hoe, he retreated. turning my back on him and going into the house was risky, so was fighting him back because acting aggressively towards him was making him even more aggressive and determined to get me. although it was only 3-5 minutes, it seemed like an eternity before the pit nutter came outside (he was inside blasting tv sports). he said, "i guess he knocked out another board". i haven't been in my yard without some kind of lethal weapon since that day.

petey knocked boards loose before between us and he ripped the bottom of a few fence boards out with his teeth between him and another neighbor to get to their 3 dogs but hadn't gotten hold of them, yet. petey actually understands the difference between the framed side and the finished side of fences and knows how to breach them. my neighbor responded by installing an electric fence around his yard. years later and petey still shocks himself when he hears me in the yard.

my neighbor was in complete denial about the threat his mutant posed until he finally witnessed what petey was capable of. about a month after he crashed through my fence, he ripped a board off of the fence between him and another neighbor and grabbed their dog. petey got a hold of the much larger dog's face and was trying to pull her through. both owners finally responded to the piercing screams that the much larger spayed mixed breed female was making. the pit nutter (a very large strong man) was straddling his pit and beating him. the pit would not let go. the whole thing lasted maybe 5 minutes. somehow, the two owners broke up the fight. i am not sure how. i didn't see it because i walked away in disgust. before during and after this attack, the pit was absolutely silent, he never growled, never barked, never snorted, huffed or puffed, he never touched the fence. i didn't even know he was outside. and i am sure that the other dogs didn't know he was there either because they bark at everything. and they always try to engage in fence fighting. this was different from the attempted attack on me. out of dead silence, there was a loud crack (the breaking of the fence board) and then a dog started to scream which became progressively louder and more frantic. i don't know if you have ever heard it but that is a hideous sound. petey quietly stalked the neighbor's dog and in rapid succession ripped a board off and grabbed the dog's face. this pit is a true psychopath and i have come to believe that he is not atypical of pit bulls. if you know anything about psychopaths, you know that they do not benefit from therapy. in fact, what the psychopath learns from therapy is how to continue engaging in his deviant behavior and avoid detection. btw, the pit nutter finally neutered that ugly fucker after the attack on the dog. but i believe he is just as dangerous without testicles.

i have many many many more stories about different pits trying to attack my dogs. this is the only pit that tried to attack me and my dogs. and this is the pit responsible for my epiphany.

my hater education

my negative opinion of pit bulls was not shaped by the news media or dogsbite.org. in fact, i probably helped to influence dogsbite.org. my realization that pit bulls were different and dangerous arose from my experience with petey and was reinforced by pro-pit bull websites and books. during the early period of my research on pit bulls, i would read "educate yourself!" in nearly every heated on line discussion. occasionally the nutters were generous enough to include links for the haters. one of the first links that i followed was BADRAP. (in the good old days, donna reynolds acknowledged that pits were naturally dog aggressive) i am an information junkie and once my need to know switch has been flipped, look out. i must read everything. after BADRAP, it was on to diane jessup, pbrc, pitbullforum, pitbulltalk, pitbullchat, game-dog, gamedogs and a few others that shall remain anonymous and of course pit bull books.

i have been a member of these pit bull forums for a very long time. when i first joined them, it was purely a quest for knowledge about pit bulls. i was not there to spy and collect damaging evidence on pit nutters but that is ultimately what occurred when i realized that what they say among themselves, even openly, is much different from what they say to the non-pit bull owning public. the more dishonesty i discovered, the deeper i went into their world. the deeper i went into their world of lies, the more i realized that the owners are just as corrupt as their dogs. my focus began to shift away from the dogs and towards the owners. i became a kind of cyber sociologist.

it is important to stress that i didn't just go from pit nutter to pit hater over night. it was a slow process. when i first came to realize that pit bulls were different, i thought they could be handled properly by responsible owners and i felt strongly that felons should be banned from owning them. but the more time i spent on the pit bull forums, the more exposure i got to the "responsible" pit bull owners. the more i learned about the true nature of pit bulls and their owners, the more restrictions on owners i thought needed to be in place to protect people and their animals. i eventually came to believe that few people can safely manage pit bulls and that truly responsible, honest pit bull owners were scarce as hen's teeth.

how could i have been so gullible?

i've asked myself this many times. few people that i know are less gullible than i. the only possible answer that i can come up with, i wanted to believe the propaganda. as a dog lover, i didn't want to believe that any dog was inherently bad or problematic. and my misanthropy made it easy for me to blame the human. i have come to realize that true dog lovers accept the reality of what dogs are, whatever that reality may be. true dog lovers acknowledge breed specific temperaments and behaviors. true dog lovers don't hide behind nanny dog myths, false ATTS statistics or rewrite dog history to suit their agenda. true dog lovers don't have the blood of the poodles, ponies, pigs or pit bulls on their conscience.

part three my agenda