Today we are excited to publish a guest posting from Meghan Turner, a Board Member for Love-A-Bull:
If you’ve been reading APA’s blog for the past week or so, you have been receiving various informational tidbits about pit bulls – the myths that surround their temperament and behavior, the difficulty in identifying them, and insight into the distortions that occur with media reporting. Love-A-Bull is a nonprofit based in Austin that was formed to address all of these issues and more, in order to promote responsible ownership and provide a community resource. Our group is composed of over 450 members who believe strongly that pit bulls should be treated fairly and with love, with a passion for supporting rescue, adoption, spay/neuter, training and socialization, eliminating breed-specific legislation, and reducing the homeless population. We partner with APA! to try to re-home pits, and our missions are closely aligned in trying to increase live outcomes from shelter environments.
As some of you may know, National Pit Bull Awareness Day is celebrated each year on October 24th to bring pit bull issues to the forefront and expand awareness of the positive attributes of these dogs. We are supporting this national effort by bringing in a special guest to Austin for the weekend – John Garcia, the rehabilitator of the Michael Vick Dogs, from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. If any of you have seen National Geographic Channel’s “Dog Town” on Friday nights, you’ve gotten a glimpse into the work that John does, and we are proud to have him share those experiences with us next weekend. The highlights will be: A Family Fun Fest and Movie Night at the Zilker Hillside Theater from 5-9 pm on Saturday, October 24th (facepainting, games, crafts, contests, food/drinks, dunking booth, and a screening of “Dog Town” at 7:30 pm); and a Pet Parade/Howl-oween Costume Contest at 2 pm on Sunday, October 25th at City Hall (a short stroll around the 2nd Street District, ending up at Austin Java for costume prizes and tunes by DJ Yoshi).
The emphasis on next weekend’s events will be fun, but also education and opportunities to learn from knowledgeable owners and experts on pit bulls. Come out and bring your dog, your family/friends, and your open mind – we are eager to share our pride in being responsible pit bull owners, and our loving, loyal, lick-happy dogs! More information on our events is available at www.love-a-bull.org.
