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National Pit Bull Awareness Day 2024: When Is It & How To Celebrate

Written by: Melissa L. Kauffman, Group Editorial Director Catster/Dogster

Last Updated on February 23, 2024 by Nicole Cosgrove

National Pit Bull Awareness Day 2024: When Is It & How To Celebrate

What’s new with Pinups for Pitbulls founder Deirdre Franklin since we last spoke?

Pinups for Pitbulls 2018 calendar.
Pinups for Pitbulls’ 2018 calendar. Photography courtesy Deidre Franklin, Pinups for Pitbulls.
  • Pinups for Pitbulls’ 2018 calendar has been released this week and is available for pre-order!
  • “In 2016, we helped get 1,003 dogs adopted through our social media courtesy posts,” Franklin shares. “This year, we’re on target to match or possibly beat that number! Even though we’re not a rescue, we’re able to tap into our large social media following to help reduce the burden of marketing for rescues and shelters!”
  • Last October, Franklin released the book The Pit Bull Life: A Dog Lover’s Companion, with Linda Lombardi. The book is a guide to parenting and loving Pit Bulls and the pages are filled with colorful images of the breed! It’s a perfect holiday gift for dog lovers.
  • Franklin and her team are traveling to educate others on Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), especially in areas affected by BSL like Montreal, Quebec; Denver, Colorado; and Miami, Florida. See how you can help at pinupsforpitbulls.org.

It’s hard not to be moved by Deirdre Franklin’s passion for Pit Bulls. Founded in 2005, her 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Pinups for Pitbulls, Inc. (PFPB) hopes to restore the image of the pit-bull-type dog to his former reputation of America’s companion animal, war hero, and family member. If you’ve ever met Deirdre in person, you believe it can be done.

The organization’s mission is substantial: educate people about the history, temperament, and plight of the pit-bull-type dog and to raise awareness to rally against Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and Breed Discriminatory Laws (BDL).

Pinups for Pitbulls publishes an annual calendar.
Pinups for Pitbulls publishes an annual calendar.

Deirdre takes this seriously — she earned her master’s degree in public policy and wrote her thesis on breed discriminatory laws. When she founded PFPB, it changed her life.

“We have some of the most exceptional women and men on our team of volunteers, from surgeons and nurses to lawyers and shelter directors, and everything in between,” she said. “I’ve gained an incredible family of hard working, passionate advocates by running this organization. I am so proud of the work that we have done. I love working on a daily basis to achieve greater results against discriminatory laws/practices for families and their beloved dogs.”

In the last two years, her organization has helped nearly 2,000 dogs off death row and into foster and forever homes. “We’re very proud of our ability to rally support for animals in need through our social media and direct efforts,” she said.

PFPB has also helped remove and prevent bans on pit-bull-type dogs in both cities and shelters. In 2017, Deirdre hopes “to see BSL wiped out in Montreal, Toronto, and Miami-Dade. I’d like to see Aurora, Colorado, Denver, Colorado, and Omaha, Nebraska get rid of the breed-specific mandates as well. What we know is that breed bans do not keep people safer. They threaten the families of responsible dog owners while doing nothing to actually reduce dog bites in any community,” she said.

Deirdre believes communities would be served better by focusing efforts “on stronger anti-tethering laws, steeper fines for animal abusers, including dog fighters, and focusing more on enforcing leash laws. It’s cheaper, easier, and allows all dogs to be individuals while allowing families to remain positive members of their communities.”

Want to help? Visit pinupsforpitbulls.org. “Sign up to volunteer, apply to model in our annual pinup calendar (model call opens in 2017), purchase my books along with other PFPB branded merchandise, and/or donate,” Deirdre said. “We’re always looking for sponsors, and we love to form new partnerships!”

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