They're also required to post signs around their house, take an obedience class with the dog, and keep the dog in a locked, fenced-in area. Also, the dog must be muzzled and leashed when outside the enclosure, according to the Oakland Press.

Officials say the move is in reaction to the number of attacks last year, with 32 reports of dog bites and “vicious” incidents reported to police.

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Bernese Mountain Dog by Shutterstock.

According to officials, a dog will be considered dangerous if the dog bites or attacks a person, or causes serious injury (disfigurement or impairment) to another domestic animal. The law won't apply if the dog bites someone committing a crime (like assaulting the owner) or trespassing on the owner's property. Nor will it apply to dogs who bite someone provoking or tormenting them. 

However, there's a gray area, and a nasty one at that -- dogs who are deemed "potentially dangerous" also fall under the law. According to the Oakland Press, a dog can receive that designation if he or she poses a threat to public safety by:

• Causing an injury to another domestic animal that is less severe than a serious injury.
• Chasing or menacing a person or domestic animal in an aggressive manner without provocation.
• Being impounded by the animal control officer three or more times in a 12-month period.
• Acting in a “highly aggressive” manner within a fenced yard or enclosure that the dog appears able to jump or escape.

An animal control officer can designate a dog as dangerous or potentially dangerous. The potentially dangerous designation, however, can be removed if the dog isn't involved in any incidents in 18 months, pending a review of the case.

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Dog behind a fence by Shutterstock.

Lori Wosnicki, who owns a Bernese Mountain Dog, believes the law goes too far.

“Look at this dog, who goes to schools and has kids lay all over him," she told CBS. I have a really hard time with [the ordinance], because how do you decide what’s dangerous?”  

Royal Oak resident John Scott, however, supports it: “If you’re a dog owner, you know that dogs are protective of their territory. There’s an old saying that there’s no bad dogs, just bad owners.”

While we have yet to see how this law will play out, it's amazing to us that a dog who simply acts "highly aggressive" in his own yard can be hit with the label, simply because he "appears" able to jump over or otherwise escape his enclosure. The potential for officials to abuse this law is staggering. 

Via the Oakland Press and CBS

It was probably inevitable that I would write a book about a boy and his dog -- and also that the dog would be a rescue. The house I grew up in was a menagerie. My mom was an animal-lover to the nth degree, and my older brother, Matt, and I were carried along. She had a passion for adopting animals, and we had as many as eight at a time. About half were cats and half were dogs; half were rescues and half the pick of someone’s litter (often our own).

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With Winston, a canine pal, in New York City.

The cats included an uncommonly loyal Maine Coon and a truly devious Siamese, but it’s the dogs I remember best. Growing up among so many made an indelible impression on me -- sometimes literally. Running to get the phone one afternoon, I made the fateful decision to hurdle a dog gate protecting the front of the house from the soggy depredations of our latest arrival.

I was a freshly minted teenager and thus convinced that the call was vitally important (and for me). The decision seemed sound, and the leap was more than adequate, but our house had been built in the 1800s, when life was simpler, people were shorter, and doorframes lower. I hit the crossbeam mid-skull and was knocked out cold.

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I came to on my back in the living room, with Fluffy heroically licking my face. She was a Poodle my mom had coaxed off a street during the year we spent living in a rough patch of Hartford. Her fur had been so filthy that we didn’t realize it was white until she’d had a thorough bath and clipping. Now this rescue dog was attempting to return the favor, using the only medical equipment at her disposal.

Fluffy was the exception among my mom’s rescues. Most of the others, canine or feline, came from the Little Guild of St. Francis in West Cornwall, CT. That’s probably where mom got Max, too, but I can’t be completely sure because I was in college at the time.

Max had some enormous paw prints to fill. He was replacing a black Lab mix named Little Bit. For my brother and me, “Boo Boo” had been the great dog of our childhoods. He was our Lassie, our Skip, not to mention an escape artist for the ages. His back legs had finally given out (a phrase that still guts me) shortly after I’d left for New York University. It was as if, after seeing two boys up and out, his job was done.

Max was a Brittany -- at least he seemed to be (he was suspiciously large for the breed). More to the point, he was a rescue who’d been abused. My third young-adult novel, Rotten, is dedicated to both of them -- “To Little Bit and Max, two great dogs, two good boys” -- but it was Max who made it possible for me to write the book.

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Max made it possible for me to write my book.

Rotten is about a troubled teen named JD and a rescued Rottweiler named Johnny Rotten. I had long known that every dog has its own personality, but Max opened my eyes to how years of abuse can both shake and shape those psychological foundations. One example: He responded to the first safe, loving home he’d ever known by constantly trying to escape. That first summer Max was with us, we practically had to build an airlock on the front door.

At first, his escape attempts made no sense to me, but then I realized that, after years of wanting nothing more than to get away, Max couldn’t just walk into a new place and flip a switch. He had to learn to trust us in order to feel safe. And we had to give him the time he needed, and to try to understand not just what he did, but why he did it. It took a while, but we got there. Max became a prince of a dog, and a tremendous comfort to my mom during her final battle with cancer.

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In Rottweiler Platz in Germany. Ironically, dogs are not allowed.

Maybe I could have learned those lessons earlier, from Fluffy. She’d also had a rough go of it, but I’d been too young to fully grasp the changes in her -- from tiny dog shaking in the corner to valiant face-licker -- and I was always hitting my head back then, anyway.

When the time came to write my third novel for teens, I decided it would be about a rescue dog. I knew early on that I wanted to write about one of the so-called “bully breeds,” because they are subject to the same sort of knee-jerk suspicion and distrust that teen boys often encounter. Here in NYC, I’ve seen people cross the street to avoid both.

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Showing some Rottie love with stickers and shirt for the book.

And, frankly, the idea that some dogs are inherently dangerous based only on their breed drives me a little crazy, as do breed-specific laws. It’s worth remembering that when I was a kid, German Shepherds were still widely vilified.

For this book, the Rottweiler jumped out at me (so to speak). Less overtly politicized than Pit Bulls these days, Rotties still get a bum rap. But dog-lovers know that the breed is famous for its courage, obedience, and devotion. They have huge hearts and love to work. They were bred to herd. They’re also my dream dog, for the day I no longer live in a fourth-floor walkup.

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Rottweilers are still my dream dog. Many Rotties by Shutterstock

I did a lot of research on Rotties -- I met some amazing dogs, quizzed their owners, and even visited their home turf in Germany -- but I also thought a lot about Max and Fluffy and the rest of the menagerie. I thought about how much they changed and grew, based on nothing more than their own personalities and some decent treatment.

Seeing those things with my own eyes and then hearing about supposedly irredeemable dogs was a disconnect I needed to explore. A young adult novel seemed like the perfect venue. Teens have an acute sense of right and wrong. It’s a dramatic and not always fair age -- and, of course, they love an underdog.

How to win a signed copy of Rotten

Would you like the chance to win Michael's book? If so, please do the following:

1. Create a Disqus account, if you haven't already, and include a valid email. It takes just a minute and allows you to better participate in Dogster's community of people who are passionate about dogs. If you already have a Disqus account, check it to ensure the account includes a valid email.
2. Using your Disqus account, comment below using your Disqus account and tell us how a dog changed your life when you were a teen. Our favorite three comments win! Note: You must be a resident of the U.S. or Canada to win. 
3. Check your email for a “You've Won!” message from us after noon PST on Monday, April 22. We'll give the winner two days to respond before moving on to our next favorite comment. 

Michael Northrop's Rotten is published by Scholastic and available at your local independent bookstore or online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Michael tweets doggedly at @mdnorthrop.

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Baby Axle in a rare "sit." Most of his non-blurry baby photos were taken when he was sleeping!

From everything I read, I learned that Axle had to be trained. I don’t mean just basic training, either. I’m talking full on sit/stay/roll over/bring me my slippers/count-to-five kind of training. He should never jump on people, should always sit before being petted, and should never ever show any sort of dog or human aggression (barking, growling, snapping). If he did any of those things, he would be a bad dog, and people would hate Pit Bulls because of my dog.

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Baby Axle on a play date. Too cute for words? You wouldn't believe the number of people that were scared of him, even at this size!

I trained him as much as I could, and then enlisted a professional to curb his worst habits and kickstart his career as a breed ambassador. We had a great trainer named Victoria. She didn’t say anything about his breed. She didn’t tell me anything special I had to do with him, but I was still convinced that Axle and I had to go above and beyond to PROVE he was a good dog.

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The proud graduate, who wasn't too thrilled about the graduation cap. He's also sporting his first EasyWalk harness, which has been a lifesaver!

With her help, we curbed his jumping habit. He mastered "sit" and "down," and he learned the take it/leave it/drop it commands like a champ. He graduated second in his class of two and sat semi-still for a graduation photo.

We would take him to local pet stores and Tractor Supply for social time. He did great with almost everyone he met. The few people he didn't like would be greeted with a distrustful stare and a low growl. Of course, I would get onto him for this behavior.

I decided it was time for him to move forward with his training, so I signed him up for a therapy dog course. If he was a certified therapy dog in nursing homes, hospitals, and perhaps with children, no one could say he was a bad dog, right?

We went to the first therapy dog class with high hopes. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned. There was another large dog in the group who kept staring at Axle, and he would growl in response. The trainer was quick to point out that he was “behaving like a Pit Bull” and used him for a lot of what-not-to-do examples.

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Axle and Fry taking it easy. Axle is wonderful with cats!

When I took Axle to the vet for his yearly vaccines and the required tests for becoming a therapy dog, he cowered at the sight of the thermometer, the stethoscope, and the vet’s flowing skirt. He also showed fear when they changed the trash bag in the room. That quickly ended his career as a therapy dog.

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Axle and Remi playing outside. Just look at that face!

Still hoping that Axle would be a breed ambassador, I decided to continue home-training and sign him up for the Canine Good Citizen course next time it was available in my area.

One day, I was walking Axle and Remi through our neighborhood when I saw one of our newest residents coming out of her yard with her dog. It was too late to turn around, so I quickly let her know mine weren’t dog-friendly. She kept her distance, but she wanted to chat since we had never had a chance to meet before.

Axle and Remi were both straining against their harnesses toward the dog, and he was straining back. Being that my two were on a coupler, every time Axle or Remi pulled on the leash they would crash into one another.

All of the stimulation became overwhelming for Axle and he turned on Remi. He didn’t hurt her, but he sure yelled a lot in dog language. The woman and her dog moved on, and her husband came outside to offer his help. Axle quickly let him know he didn’t need any help, and that he would appreciate him maintaining at least a five-foot distance. I was incredibly embarrassed.

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Axle with Remi and two fur-buddies on a play date.

“He looks like he has some Pit in him,” the man commented. I replied that he was an American Pit Bull Terrier, and quickly apologized for his behavior. The man would hear none of it. “I have no problem with a dog protecting his owner,” he said. He went on to say that they hadn’t had their dog very long, and he had just recently been neutered, which could account for some of the reaction, but certainly not all.

I took my dogs home feeling like I had a very bad dog indeed.

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Axle doesn't know he's not a breed ambassador, or that he failed being a therapy dog. He's carefree, and happy to be himself!

I was mulling the incident, as well as everything that Axle has been through in his life (including multiple attacks and watching helplessly from his crate while a thief repeatedly took things from our house) when it hit me.

Axle is still a great dog. He listens to me, except in a situation where he believes there is danger. He makes my safety a top priority, he’s great with the friends and family we have over, and he gets along great with the circle of dogs who he trusts. Wouldn’t any dog behave just like him, if not worse, if they had experienced the same things he had? Of course they would!

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A tired and happy Axle in the car.

Axle is a dog. There’s no reason he should have to be perfectly behaved. I do the responsible thing -– I let other dog owners know that Axle is a Dog in Need of Space, and we avoid dog parks. All things considered, I think Axle is a jam-up dog. He gets along great with our other dog and cats, and he’s learning not to overwhelm guests with his affection. He finally graduated his crate and has only destroyed part of the couch.

He’s not a breed ambassador, but he’s mine, and I think he’s perfect!

More articles by Meghan Lodge:

• I Used to Think Pit Bulls were Monsters -- Until I Got One
• I Love My Dog More Than My Husband
• I Don't Like Cats -- Except Mine
• Southern Cats Get a Second Chance at Miss Kitty Feline Sanctuary

Got a Doghouse Confessional to share?

We're looking for intensely personal stories from our readers about life with their dogs. E-mail confess@dogster.com, and you might become a published Dogster Magazine author! 

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I have been a passionate Pit Bull advocate for more than 20 years, from Pit Bull education to campaigning against BSL to being very active in Pit Bull rescue and placement. Very few dog issues spike my passion more; not because they are my breed (they aren't), but because they're big-hearted dogs who merit far more compassionate concern than they get.

So when Michael Vick came along and was placed under the public spotlight, I felt relieved. Finally, this was an opportunity to put these issues front and center. Michael Vick, unlike every other fighting case to involve a gang member or good ol' boys network, was less apart from the average American citizen. He was a cultural icon. A remarkable and charismatic athlete, a success story out of the projects, someone many wanted to be.

Through such familiarity, the case would surely be seen as striking closer to home and thereby rally more interest. People would listen. For a time, Pit Bulls could be seen as victims, they would have champions, and average America could learn more of the fight industry and be able to personalize it. Because this was Michael Vick.

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Michael Vick. Photo copyright Reuters.

Humane forces in this country knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the media itself was more than willing to oblige, for this was Michael Vick. Not all that long prior, the Boudreaux family of Louisiana had been indicted on dog fighting charges, but this registered barely a blip in the media. Featuring a multigenerational family with the most-prized fighting bloodlines in the world (Floyd Boudreaux himself was known as the “don of dog fighting”), the case was far more significant than Vick's.

But it was less palpable to our senses. There was little promotion of this landmark arrest, no particular public outcry, no picketing, no demands from our country that justice be served. And so it was not. The famed Boudreauxes were acquitted, and the operation is back up and running. Once again the Boudreaux yard is filled with dogs, and it elicits no sense of urgency -- whereas Michael Vick bringing his pet to a PetSmart puppy class does? 

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Pit bull behind bars by Shutterstock

Michael Vick did horrible things, and there is nothing that ought be allowed to diminish that. However, nothing he did (which includes the cruel and torturous killings of dogs) is anything but commonplace in inner-city Pit-fighting culture. Dogs who don't fight fearlessly enough are often dispatched in retribution-style killings, in which the wrath of the owners descend upon these poor dogs full force.

We must be far more strident in ensuring dog fighting is brought to an end in this country. Just because Michael Vick got busted doesn't mean it has stopped. It hasn't. This must remain the point of concern, for if it doesn't then we have missed the point entirely.

Nothing underscores this more to me than our misplaced anger at the Humane Society of the United States. Granted, it made a bad judgment call to partner with Michael Vick, but it remains the front line in shutting down dog fighting in this country, via strong lobbying to get tougher laws passed, developing an informants' network and infiltrating operations, maintaining a hotline with fat rewards for tips leading to convictions, and instituting Pit-positive programs to influence the upcoming generation.

And yet partnering with Michael Vick matters to us more?

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We cannot be angry at Michael Vick, fairly, for the sentence he received. We must rather be angry at laws and the judicial system that handed such a sentence down. Those who feel Vick received preferential treatment for being who he is are sorely in need of education. Do you know how many similarly accused get off scot-free or with very light sentences? 

And we cannot be angry at Michael Vick for subsequently being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. The team did that of its own volition. It knew the decision would inflame dog lovers -- and it didn't care. This is a wake-up call. We need to boycott more, protest more, articulate ourselves with our votes more. We need to have more voice.

Finally, we cannot be angry at Michael Vick for getting another dog; he was within his legal rights to do so. If we are to be angry, our anger must be toward the state of humane law in this country. Many convicted of animal abuse have only short-term restrictions towards owning animals again. If we need to be restless over something, let it be that.

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Sad pit bull puppy by Shutterstock

This was a wake-up call, and we need to take it as such. Anger at Michael Vick is understandable. But not allowing it to be an admonishment against ourselves as well is a tragic waste. We are dogs' voice. We need to stand up, be counted, and fight for these animals far more than we do. Not liking something is one thing, but striving to bring change is quite another.

About the Author: I have been a passionate animal welfarist since age six with an interest in many animal issues. I share my life with three breeder-purchased dogs, a Giant Schnauzer and two American Cocker Spaniels, and I'm never without foster dogs in my pack. I have maintained an active presence in rescue for the past 17 years and am co-director of the transport based rescue Southpaws Express. I also share my life with a feral born cat, Cheza, who is sassy enough to live among them all.

Read more about Michael Vick and BSL:

• So, Apparently Michael Vick Has a Belgian Malinois Now
• Seven of Michael Vick's Rescued Dogs Reunited
• Can We Have a Discussion About BSL Without Seeing Red?
• Michael Vick, Even if You're No Longer Banned from Having Dogs, You Don't Deserve Any

• Howard Stern Blasts Michael Vick

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Dangerous dog? Dangerously adorable. Photo by Jimmy Benson 

But what people who only focus on the breed's negative reputation don't know is that the German Shepherd is also a keenly intelligent working dog. Their strength and willingness to learn comes in handy on search and rescue missions, and according to the book The Intelligence of Dogs, the German Shepherd is the third-smartest breed.

One of our favorite German Shepherds is Dunder, whose time-lapse video brought a smile to thousands of faces as it went viral across the Internet. Dunder is totally adorable, but his cute videos also serve a purpose: They help break down breed-specific stereotypes.

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It's DUNDER!!! Photo via Dunder's Facebook page

So here are more German Shepherds acting like total goofballs. We think all dogs should be treated with respect as creatures capable of some wild tendencies, but we also think they shouldn't be subjected to willfully ignorant prejudice or legislation.

"Who? Me? Scary? Naw."

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Photo by Magnus Bråth

The tongue of happiness!

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Photo by Maurice Koop

"MAN I LOVE THE SNOW!"

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Photo by Martina Rathgens

Now that's a heroic pose.

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Photo by tlindenbaum

"When are you going to get off the phone and plaaay with me?"

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Photo by laura271GSD1

"How much longer do I have to wear this hat?"

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Photo by SamTheShepherd88

"Seriously … how much longer do I have to wear this hat?"

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Photo by daniela.magallon

"License and registration? Aw, naw, not for real -- I'm just humping your leg."

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Photo by Jimmy Benson 

"Chew toys taste better in the throes of back-wriggling ecstasy."

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Photo by aegidian

Read about more German Shepherds defying stereotypes on Dogster:

• Good Dog! A German Shepherd Stops His Person from Attempting Suicide
• What's Cuter Than a Pile of German Shepherd Puppies?
• German Shepherd Stands Watch Over His Owner's Grave -- For Six Years

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When I tell people that my new book, I'm a Good Dog, is all about Pit Bulls, the reaction falls into two possible camps. First there are the people who say, brimming with enthusiasm: “Really?! That’s fantastic. They deserve it.” Often these are Pit Bull owners or friends of Pit Bull owners. The other group says, with confusion, “Really? Are there a lot of people who read that kind of thing?”

(A third group rests comfortably in the middle, asking, puzzled, “Is there some big deal about Pit Bulls?”)

Of course, when I set about to write it, I already knew that there were Pit Bull lovers across the entire country. I was convinced of that back in 2006, when my memoir The Dogs Who Found Me was published with a portrait of my dog Sula on the cover.

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The author reads to one of his pitties.

The first printing was fewer than 2,000 copies, a minuscule number that reflected my publisher’s lack of confidence in the title. And then a funny thing happened: They had to do a reprint the first week it was on sale. In the end it was reprinted 14 times, with larger quantities in each order.  

As I visited bookstores to promote it, I found crowds of strangers waiting for me, only because the dog on the cover -- a Pit Bull -- looked like their dog, and they’d never seen their dog on the cover of a book before. By the time I appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air, I had decided already that my next book would be all about Pit Bulls. But getting it done wasn’t so easy, because in the publishing world, people were still “afraid” of Pit Bulls.

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Cartoonist Alison Bechdel immortalized me.

Six years later, I was on the road again, with I’m a Good Dog: Pit Bulls, America’s Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) Pet. Combining history, science, and anecdotes with full color photos throughout, it's a book no one wanted to print six years ago. Times have changed, and publishers have realized what the rest of us have always known: Pit Bull owners love their dogs, too.   

This time, my travels started in Las Vegas on October 25 and covered most of the country before Christmas. I traveled up and down the West Coast, visited the Midwest, and managed to hit Boston for a Nor’easter and New York City while it was still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. Touring to promote a book can be draining, but when there are dogs waiting to greet you at each stop, it helps an awful lot.  

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Happy dancing pitties photo copyright Karen Morgan Photography

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Copyright Karen Morgan Photography

Denver has a ban on all Pit Bull-type dogs, which means that any dog who might look like a Pit Bull can be euthanized. Because of the zigzagging boundaries of Denver's city limits, it is possible for the people across the street to be able to keep their dog, while you may not.  

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Copyright Karen Morgan Photography

Given all of this, I wasn't sure it made sense to go to Denver, yet I also felt that in spite of this, it didn't make sense to avoid it. On Tuesday morning, I handwrote notes to each of Denver's city council members and then set out to deliver a copy of I'm a Good Dog to each of them. It was a bit of a scavenger hunt. I also stopped by the city's lavish but strangely empty animal shelter.

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Copyright Karen Morgan Photography

The event, at the Tattered Cover, was a huge success, with exiled Denver residents attending accompanied by photos of their outlawed pets. Westword, the weekly newspaper, posted three stories on the book and my appearance. My favorite of these is the last of them, which features a gallery of photos, which includes photos of dogs who could not attend. 

In Chicago, I met, for the first time, Karen Morgan, the wonderful photographer whose work fills the book. The packager who designed the book found her through her work doing portraits of people and their animals; in particular, people and their Pit Bulls. A Pit Bull owner herself, she fell in love with the breed after her first dog passed away and she went to the shelter to find someone who might fill the whole that was left in her heart. She hadn’t planned on adopting a Pit Bull, but that’s what she drove away with.  

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Copyright Karen Morgan Photography

“I took him outside to sit in the sun with me,” she told me. “He was skin and bones, mange, missing hair, and couldn't walk upright from being in the crate so long. Lenny stretched out on his back and put his arm around my legs. He was coming home. I remember thinking on the way home, wow, my parents are going to be surprised when I tell them I adopted a Pit Bull!”

One of the last pieces I worked on for I'm a Good Dog was the story of Hamsa, the jazz-singing Pit Bull in an East Village bar. I was in NYC last winter, putting the frantic finishing touches on the manuscript, when I walked past Louis 649 and saw the photo of Hamsa perched behind the bar with a welcoming paw gesturing to the camera. I decided he had to be in the book.  

Hamsa sang at our publication party in November, just hours after the bar's electricity was restored from flooding during Hurricane Sandy. He signed, or pawtographed, every book that was offered. And just before Christmas, he passed away. He was a good dog. You can watch him sing a tune here:

I’m a Good Dog is a celebration of Pit Bulls. Their friendship, their lessons, and their love stay long after they have gone, just like any good dog.  

Ken Foster lives in New Orleans with his dogs Brando, Douglas, Paul, and Bananas. In 2008, he founded The Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible Pit Bull ownership through low-cost training, vaccination clinics, and spay/neuter. He is also the author of a collection of stories, The Kind I’m Likely to Get, which will be reissued in a special digital edition this spring.

Do you know of a rescue hero — dog, human, or group — we should profile on Dogster? Write us at dogsterheroes@dogster.com. 

Read more about Pit Bulls:

• Everybody Wants to Adopt Lucy the Rescued Pit Bull
• Battered by Sandy, NY's Rescue Ink Shelter Seeks Donations
• Missouri Town Is Outraged Over Pit Bull Roundup 

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“People say that, and I just don’t see myself as [a celebrity],” she says. “I’m not. I just pick up dog crap and play with dogs.”

Torres is the star of Pit Bulls & Parolees, an Animal Planet series that just finished its fourth season. The show follows her family, a revolving cast of ex-convicts looking for a fresh start, and the more than 150 Pit Bulls at the Villalobos Rescue Center in New Orleans. The dogs and their handlers are metaphors for one another: misunderstood, marginalized, the most deserving of a second chance, and the least likely to get one.

Torres' compassion for underdogs began with a hardscrabble upbringing in southern California. “Without getting into all of the details, I ended up crossing over to the wrong side of the tracks, and I ended up hanging out with a rough crowd,” she says. Torres joined the Army to straighten her life out. When she was discharged, she worked as a counselor for the city of Los Angeles, helping gang members leave the lifestyle she also craved as a teenager. “This kind of genre of people has always been in my life,” she says.

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Torres knew the myths surrounding Pit Bulls were bogus.

An enduring passion for animals led Torres to initially found Villalobos in California in the early 1990s as a sanctuary for wolves and wolf-dog crosses (the name translates to “village of wolves"), but that all changed after a chance visit to an animal shelter.

Tatanka was a Pit Bull who was brought in from the scene of a double homicide -- she was the guard dog. She was bound by “ropes and an entourage of animal control officers, like she was some African lion,” Torres recalls. The dog slipped free and ran toward Torres’ young daughters, who were sitting on a wooden bench. Panicked, Torres tried to reach her daughters. The dog tackled them onto the grass -- and started licking their faces, eliciting a chorus of squeals and laughter from her daughters.

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Torres would do anything for her dog friends. Photo via the "Pit Bulls & Parolees" Facebook page

Instantly, Torres knew the myths that surrounded -- and, to a large degree, still surround -- Pit Bulls were bogus. She added the animals to her sanctuary's population. Eventually, the breed became the sole occupants of the Southern California shelter. After meeting her husband, Aren, through a prison letter-writing program, Villalobos began employing parolees to work for the organization.

It turned out to be a great premise for a reality TV show. Production companies came calling in 2007 after LA Weekly profiled Torres and Villalobos, which was then operating in Los Angeles County, with offers of creating a reality show. The shelter’s finances were especially tight at the time, so Torres gave the project her blessing -- as long as she was kept out of the spotlight. When a network representative became captivated by the novelty of a woman running a Pit Bull rescue that employed parolees, Torres knew she had to step in front of the camera to get the show sold. “Very reluctantly, pissed off, hiding behind dark sunglasses, I’d go to these meetings and act like I cared,” she says. “And here we are.”

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"Pit Bulls & Parolees" documents life for one of the largest breed specific rescues in the country.

Pit Bulls & Parolees depicts life in what is perhaps the largest Pit Bull rescue in the country: The dogs whose hard-luck stories brought them to the kennels, the eager adopters who want to take them home, the parolees' successes and setbacks, and the day-to-day existence of Torres, her daughters, and adopted sons. 

While Torres accepts that her show might have played a small part, she credits the rehabilitation of the dogs from the Michael Vick case for the changing public perception of Pit Bulls. Still, she says more Pit Bull owners need to be honest about the traits inherent in the breed. “Contrary to what the people who wear rose-tinted glasses seem to think, it is not all in how you raise them. It's genetics. That said, I'm not saying [certain traits] can't be curbed or can't be managed. With any breed of dog, temperament is based on so many different factors.”

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What dog wouldn't smile around Torres? Photo via the "Pit Bulls & Parolees" Facebook page

Pit Bull owners also inherit a unique set of responsibilities. By virtue of their power and presence, Pit Bulls -– even the well-behaved ones –- are easy targets for blame in dog-park scuffles in ways that Dachshunds and Chihuahuas never will be. “We have a saying in the Pit Bull world: Our dogs may not start the fight, but they're definitely gonna finish it,” she says. “So why set them up for failure?”

For Torres, being part of the Animal Planet line-up has drawbacks as well as upsides. There's the amount of time that goes into filming each episode, which might otherwise be devoted to running Villalobos itself. “People think that the cameras just follow you around. It is sooo not like that,” she says.

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Torres with one of her beloved Pit Bulls. Photo via the "Pit Bulls & Parolees" Facebook page

There's also the fame that Torres could do without. She's not comfortable talking with large groups of people. And sometimes, fame can be scary: Torres says that once, while she was out walking one of the dogs, an overzealous fan tackled her to the ground and had to be physically pried off. Those aren't the sorts of things that get mentioned in pitch meetings. 

But there are upsides to being a reluctant celebrity. The adoption rate at Villalobos has gone up “tremendously,” Torres says. The money from the show -- and from gifts like Animal Planet's $50,000 donation from last November's You Watch, We Give event -- helps keep the lights on at the shelter. And then there's the underlying message, delivered to millions each Saturday night: Whether you have tattoos and a criminal record or cropped ears and a wet nose, you deserve a second chance. That's a message worth stepping in front of the camera to make. 

Follow the show and the rescue center on Facebook. And if you missed the latest season, catch some full episodes on Animal Planet.

Do you know of a rescue hero — dog, human, or group — we should profile on Dogster? Write us at dogsterheroes@dogster.com. 

For example, the dog trainer and behavior consultant describes dominance training -- a controversial method that uses fear as a motivator -- as “the greatest tragedy to happen in dog training today.” Quite simply, “It’s bullying. Dog bullying.”

But Stilwell is not all in-your-face all the time. She's active in working with rescue groups and shelters, among other groups, and she has adopted two dogs of her own. Stilwell's most prominent role is host of the Animal Planet show, It’s Me or the Dog, which she describes as something of a fluke.

“I was lucky enough to come up with an idea that took off very quickly,” she said.

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Victoria Stilwell and myself look at the camera while Sadie (the Lab) and Jasmine (the Chihuahua) look at each other.

Stilwell explained that as she watched an episode of the TV show Super Nanny, she thought, “I do exactly the same thing with dogs.” So she contacted the producers, shared her idea for a dog training show, and a few months later they were filming the pilot. Eight years later, the show is still going.

I recently visited Stilwell at her home in Atlanta. While I wanted to learn about her show and the numerous projects she’s involved with, I also wanted to get her opinions on some more controversial topics that affect people and their dogs.

Stilwell explained her overall approach on working with dogs as “taking a firm but fair approach.”

“I don’t believe in physical punishments,” she said. “Discipline is used to guide rather than to instill fear. I want my dogs to follow me because they are encouraged, like it, and are having fun because it’s based on play, rather than this ridiculous dominance and submission methodology which is prevalent in society now, and which is so sad.”

Early in the interview I felt her passion for dogs and all animals. What followed was a frank and direct conversation on the topics that affect all canine-loving people.

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Victoria Stilwell, visiting the Search Dog Foundation, stands with Ben and his handler, Eric Darling.

I believe there’s a shift happening with people and their acceptance of positive reinforcement training versus dominance training. Stilwell agreed but said it’s happening slowly.

People are “creatures of habit,” she said, “and people like to be in control. When your dog is behaving badly, it almost validates your behavior towards your dog.”

She said she and her daughter recently attended a charity event where they noticed a woman with her three dogs, and each dog was wearing a shock collar. One dog was cowering because the lady continued to shock the dog, trying to get the dog to obey her instructions. Stilwell approached the lady, politely explained that she didn’t have to continue to treat the dog in this manner, and offered to provide her with some free training techniques that would allow her to dispense with the shock collar. Unfortunately, the lady was either offended or embarrassed and left abruptly.

Stilwell is direct with people who insist on using shock collars, especially if they have children. She will ask them, “Why don’t you take your shock collar off your dog and put it on your child?” As they gasp and state they would never do that, Stilwell replies, “Then why put it on your dog?” A dog has a central nervous system just like a child does. A dog has the same ability to feel emotion like we do, and a dog has feelings. She explained that emotions are biological reactions to our environment. Feelings are human interpretations of our emotions. A dog’s outward expression of emotions is very similar to humans. Getting that information to the general public is really hard. But, she said, the scales are tipping, and we are getting wiser.

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Victoria Stilwell poses with members of Operation New Hope, a jail-dog program in Savannah, GA.

We discussed responsible breeding versus animal rescue organizations, and the challenges of each. We agreed that backyard breeding and puppy mills are, without a doubt, unacceptable. On breeding by registered American Kennel Club breeders, Stilwell said people have a “hilariously narrow-minded view” of the organization. The American Kennel Club does great work in humane education, influencing kids, and charitable work. But she believes there’s “plenty of room for improvement in the areas of breeding standards.”

“Also,” she continued, “there are those who hide behind the guise of the American Kennel Club, registering and breeding dogs in no better than a puppy-mill environment.”

She shared a similar view of the Humane Society of the United States, characterizing some of its work as good and some as not-so-good. We concurred that the two organizations will probably never wholly agree on most matters and, unfortunately, will probably not work better together as a result.

Rescue organizations and county shelters also face great challenges, said Stilwell, who works closely with numerous rescue groups and has two adopted dogs. The number of animals being brought into shelters daily continues to grow. There are shelters that are too small to house the animals and, in some cases, the facilities are very outdated.

“Setting aside the egos of the employees and volunteers that run the shelter or organization in order to focus on the bigger picture of helping the animals should always be the objective of any shelter or rescue organization.” Stilwell said, “I don’t know if it’s changing. I don’t think it’s getting any better. No-kill sounds wonderful. [It suggests that] all the animals are going to be saved. In reality, though, some animals are in little kennel runs for weeks, months, years. What kind of life is that?”

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Victoria Stilwell and her daughter appear for photos at the Hero Dog Awards in 2012.

Stilwell said she understands the challenges county shelters face, in that they often have to pick up animals that are in very difficult situations. However, she also said that some county shelters are a disgrace, and some of the workers horrible and interested in working there only because it is a county job.

“Visiting some of the county shelters is like going into hell,” she said.

Most people have the best intentions and want to make a difference, she said, but we all need to stay focused on the end result -- helping the animals.

In Georgia, where Stilwell and I both live, the voters passed the Georgia Responsible Dog Owner Act, which replaces outdated laws and puts responsibility for the actions of dangerous dogs squarely on the dog owners.

“This law strengthens victims’ rights no matter what the breed of the dog,." she said.  "However, as the law is currently written, it’s difficult for counties to prosecute. Most citizens don’t know about the law, and law enforcement isn’t trained to recognize and enforce the law. The puppy-mill laws enacted in Pennsylvania [which aim to eradicate puppy mills in that state] are great, but there’s no one enforcing them. It’s unfortunate that, in most cases, something terrible has to happen in order for the laws to be enacted and enforced.”

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Victoria Stilwell's two adopted dogs wait patiently for dinner.

Breed-specific laws are, “devastating, wrong, not needed, and don’t achieve what they’re set out to achieve,” Stilwell said. This rang especially true in the case of Lennox, who was euthanized in Belfast, Northern Ireland, simply for looking like a Pit Bull. Stilwell blamed the egos of the members of the Belfast City Council.

“They were hiding behind the law and were not going to release Lennox no matter the public outcry,” she said.

Stilwell and her group of supporters are still on the case, and she says those involved should be concerned.

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Victoria Stilwell is flanked by Sadie (the Lab) and Jasmine (the Chihuahua).

”They think we are all going away, but we haven’t,” she said. “One day, people who did some very bad things are going to be exposed. Don’t think Lennox has been forgotten because he hasn’t.”

Stilwell shared that in England, there are no official dog parks, and dogs are allowed to walk and play off leash in the parks and green spaces. The U.S., however, has such strict leash laws that it leads to leash aggression within our dogs. Stilwell stated that, “Trainers like me deal with leash aggression more than any other behavioral issue in the U.S.”

Stilwell also leads dog-bite prevention task force that travels the country educating and informing people (including children) about how to remain safe around dogs. She also posts videos on YouTube through eHowPets on basic dog training as well as amazing dogs and people. This year she plans to start a dog training academy as part of her Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainers program and is scheduled to release a new book, Train Your Dog Positively, in March.

At the close of the interview, Stilwell left me with one final thought. People often tell her, “There’s more than one way to train a dog,” she said, to which she replies, “Yeah there is. There is a right way and a wrong way. Dominance training is wrong, plain and simple.”

For more information or to find a Victoria Stilwell-licensed VSPDT dog trainer, visit her official site.

Photos via Tim Link and Victoria Stilwell's Facebook page.

In the U.K. there is an epidemic of backyard breeders, mostly for bully breeds, who make large amounts of money. We wanted to give a home to a bully breed, and felt sure that any dog would thrive in our home through positive reinforcement, socialization, and love. We have many animals, including dogs, cats, and chickens, as well as two roosters rescued from the cooking pot!

I searched shelters online and fell in love with a puppy advertised as a 12-week-old Dogue De Bordeaux-Mastiff mix. I drove to West London the next day with my Pomeranian, Barney, to meet him. He was already three times the size of Barney, but it was love at first sight. I knew he was probably not a Mastiff as he did not have the wrinkles, but my heart took my head out for a walk.

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Marley as a puppy. Who could resist those eyes?

The staff told me that the puppy -- who we'd decided to name Marley -- had "uncertain origins," and that they wanted him rehomed outside London, where bully breeds are used by young men as status symbols.

They also explained that he might have to be placed on the Dangerous Dogs Register when he was fully grown.

Some background: The Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced in 1991 following a spate of highly publicized dog attacks. This breed-specific legislation makes it a criminal offense to own, breed from, sell, or even give as a gift a Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, or Fila Brasileiro without a court exemption. "Dangerous" dogs are classified by physical appearance and "type," not necessarily breeds.

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Marley as a puppy, being sleepy and cute.

With the benefit of hindsight, we were naive. I trusted the shelter to place a dog with us who could grow up in an extended pack of dogs and cats. Staff hinted that Marley might have Pittie-type origins, and that it was illegal in the U.K. to rehome such a dog. The shelter got around this by describing puppies as Staffies or Mastiff mixes. 

What also stuck in my head was the reinforced message that if we returned Marley as an adult he would be automatically seized by the police under the Dangerous Dogs Act, and a court could order his destruction. Marley's potential for aggression was never mentioned. All the emphasis was on his appearance.

We were committed. We did some initial research on the consequences of adopting Marley, but it did not change our minds. He needed a home. The following week we drove all of our other dogs to meet Marley. The introduction went well, and we left with Marley, bound for Kent and the start of his new life. 

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Marley was happy to sleep with our cats.

Marley had already been castrated, which I found odd. My vet had told me that it was best to neuter dogs around five months to enable them to mature mentally and physically. On reflection I felt the shelter was hiding some concerns. We have had several puppies over the years and had them all castrated after they had developed their personality and had some maturity.

I work part-time because of bouts of chronic depression, so our animals are lucky to have someone around most of the time. Marley thrived and became one of our dear family straight away. But from the start, he was very stubborn. I tried for several months to make him sleep in his basket with no success, so we got him an old chair and he slept downstairs with the pack. 

Shelter staff called constantly, requesting weekly visits to see how Marley was doing. We had rescued many dogs and had never had this level of contact. On one visit, the staffer kept saying, “They all have those eyes -- can’t you see it?” It was at this point we realized Marley was a banned Pit “type.”

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My partner, Rob, with our pack.

We took Marley to puppy classes, but it was a constant battle to control his behavior and barking toward other dogs, and I could see the staffers were anxious when he was there. It was a very small village hall with more than 20 dogs. He was very tall and weighed 80 pounds.

We accepted Marley as the Pittie he was, and concluded he would be fine in a rural setting. We would put him on the Dangerous Dogs Register if we had to, and muzzle him when we were out and about. He was part of our pack. We have a massive garden and fields all around that are lovely and quiet.

Marley was properly socialized from day one. He curled up with our cats and small dogs and us on the sofa every evening. He had boundaries and discipline like all our pack, big or small. He was accepted and accepting. 

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The big lug.

He had also grown up with my nieces and nephews, who adored him, but one day he growled at my niece, Ellie, in her house, after being fine with her in the car.

When Marley was nine or 10 months old, I took him and our Collie, Osca, for a long walk. After crossing the road to the fields and letting them both off the leash, they went for each other and began fighting viciously. I managed to grab Marley’s collar and kick Osca in the ribs, which switched him out of his state of mind. I had no other choice, as Marley wanted to kill Osca. I relayed all that had happened to Rob when he got home. We were both very concerned.

The next warning sign came a few weeks later on our annual camping vacation in Cornwall. On a coastal walk, Marley was surprised by some people and turned into the Hound of the Baskervilles. It frightened the hell out of us; the people stood there in shock and said, “Glad you have that thing on a strong lead.” He spent the rest of the holiday chained to our camping van. We had lost all trust in him.

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Marley and Osca got along -- for a while.

As Marley grew to adulthood, he displayed dominance and aggressive behavior when he could not get his own way. When he was just over a year old, he went to bite me. He tried to attack the Pomeranians and the cats, and when my dad came to stay, he snarled and growled and would not let him pass. I immediately took Marley out of the house and allowed him back in when we had all sat down.

Marley’s behavior was very worrying, but again Rob and I made excuses for him. He was given his bed in the kitchen with a bone for a few hours. He was never chained up. I asked my dad to hand-feed Marley as a positive reinforcement, which worked. My Dad tried to tell me that Marley was dangerous, but I did not listen. I believed it was a situation I could fix. I did not tell the shelter, because I was fearful for Marley’s life. I loved him dearly.

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With our dogs at the caravan. Marley had to be chained for the whole vacation.

When Marley decided that Osca was unwelcome and attacked him three times in a day, we realized we could not continue managing his aggression. We had to think of ourselves and our other animals’ welfare. Osca was wounded badly, and Marley was confined to the kitchen. We knew that sending Marley back to the shelter would probably be a death sentence.

What I am about to write I do not condone, but we were out of options. We let an ex-police dog trainer use a shock collar to try and modify Marley’s behavior. This worked fine when the trainer was present, but as soon as he left, Marley went looking for Osca in full attack mode. We managed to pull him off, but Osca was badly wounded. I was so scared of Marley by this point that I asked Rob to take him back to the shelter the next day. 

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Me with our mellow canine pack in happier times.

Rob and I were devastated. I will never forget my partner's kindness to me that day, and I know how dreadful it must have been for him. Marley was left at the shelter with a dubious future. As he and Rob sat waiting for a staff member, Marley barked aggressively at anyone who came near.

We did not enquire what happened to Marley afterward, but his prognosis was not good under the current legislation. I’m sorry, but I preferred not to know.

I wrote this for our Marley Mu Mu, Mr. Marley Bone. I needed to tell our story. I adored him, and I fought to get him into our home. Rob and I made several trips to satisfy all the shelter's adoption requirements. We wanted to show people that bully breeds are unfairly stigmatized. We wanted to give him a home where he had fields to run in off-leash, and be judged not by his type but by his behavior.

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Walking Marley along the cliffs in Cornwall.

I take issue with the shelter, who knew he was probably a Pit Bull, but still placed him with us in a multi-animal household. I also always felt they never properly discussed possible behavior problems; the emphasis was on what he looked like. British shelters have their hands tied by the current legislation, which I think is ambiguous and wrong. The shelter just wanted him out of their system before he was detected as a possible illegal type.

I see many Facebook posts condemning people, blaming the owner and not the dog. I cannot agree. Rob and I are well aware of the correct ways to raise a happy, confident dog, but we ultimately had to admit that our nurturing would never win over Marley’s natural instinct. We adored him, but we had to let him go. 

Got a Doghouse Confessional to share?

We're looking for intensely personal stories from our readers about life with their dogs. E-mail confess@dogster.com, and you might become a published Dogster Magazine author!  

AmStaffs, as they're known, resemble Pit Bulls, and we'd really hoped that the year after the death of Lennox -- a dog put to death in Northern Ireland only because he looked like a Pit Bull -- would bring a change in government's inability to look beyond breeds and to the individual dogs in question.

On Dec. 27, Deputy City Attorney Margaret Baumgartner rejected an offer from Charlie's owner, David Gizzarelli, to remove Charlie to his Los Gatos home and rehabilitate, train, and practice extreme caution with him. Baumgartner offered no specifics.

"The city will not return Charlie to Mr. Gizzarelli as it does not believe that there are any restrictions that would adequately protect the public safety," she wrote.

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Illustration by Morgan Spicer

Baumgartner and all other city officials have refused for weeks to respond to media questions about the case. The rejection means that Charlie's life can be taken as early as Jan. 1. Gizzarelli and his attorney, John Mounier, will appeal the ruling at a hearing tentatively set for today. 

The case against Charlie is riddled with problems. San Francisco euthanizes only about 10 dogs a year, most of whom have a long history of aggression or have killed another dog or seriously injured a human. None of those standards applies to Charlie, who was 18 months old at the time of the attack, had no history of aggression, and had never seen a horse before. 

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Charlie as a younger dog.

In addition, evidence suggests that U.S. Park Police Officer Eric Evans, who was riding Stoney the horse, misrepresented and exaggerated numerous facts during a hearing on the incident. And despite the weak and insufficient evidence submitted against Charlie, San Francisco Police Officer John Denny ordered Charlie's euthanasia without considering any options for restrictions such as "red tagging" the dog, a common requirement in San Francisco that would have required Gizzarelli to place a visible tag on Charlie and post warnings on his home. In addition, Charlie would be required to be leashed and muzzled in public for three years. 

According to Mounier, it is also problematic that Denny investigated the case, presided over the hearing, and ordered Charlie’s death.

“He’s wearing two hats in this case,” Mounier told the San Francisco Examiner. “In every other aspect of society, that’s wrong.” 

Unofficially, the city and county of San Francisco has offered to spare Charlie’s life if Gizzarelli agrees to give up ownership of his dog and pay for his rehabilitation. Charlie now requires behavioral rehab because he has been confined to a small kennel since Aug. 23, surrounded by kennels containing truly vicious dogs. But the city has offered no specific reasons for confiscating Charlie.

Gizzarelli has no history of mishandling or mistreating his pet. He has acknowledged his responsibility for the Aug. 6 attack and agreed to pay the $1,200 veterinary bill.  

The city has not only refused to explain its unprecedented harsh stance against Gizzarelli, but it has also launched a whispering campaign to besmirch his reputation. The city attorney’s office released documents to  reporters outlining an argument Gizzarelli had with his stepfather in July that resulted in mutual threats of violence. Gizzarelli was arrested, but no charges were filed. 

In addition, there are questions about an Animal Care and Control report that claims Charlie showed aggression toward an employee in July, the month before the attack. The report is extremely irregular in that it states in capital letters that Gizzarelli was not to be told of the incident.

If the city failed to warn Gizzarelli about the alleged aggressive behavior, they denied him the opportunity to exercise caution with Charlie -- and then the city might be responsible, to some degree, for the attack on Stoney. 

Gizzarelli said the city’s proceedings against Charlie have been unfairly biased.

“ACC and the city of San Francisco stack the deck against Charlie and any other dog or guardian they take a disliking to,” he wrote in a letter to Mayor Ed Lee and ACC Director Rebecca Katz. “The system is rigged and does not offer a fair and impartial chance to a dog or to a guardian.”

More than 109,000 people have  signed a petition calling for Charlie's life to be spared. Follow the Help Save Charlie Facebook page for up-to-date information; we hope to report back with good news for Charlie and Gizzarelli.

On Aug. 23, San Francisco Police Officer John Denny ordered Charlie, who was 18 months old at the time of the attack and had no history of aggressive behavior, to be euthanized based on the testimony of U.S Park Service Mounted Police Officer Eric Evans.

The case has been highly controversial, and Charlie’s owner, David Gizzarelli, is trying to appeal the ruling, which he says is unwarranted, unfair, and unsubstantiated. Gizzarelli says that in addition to Charlie's clean record regarding aggression, the police horse was the first horse he had ever encountered. 

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Charlie's owner, David Gizzarelli, talked to KTVU shortly after the incident.

"He's never had any incidents with any cats, any small dogs, any large dogs, any dog that he comes across he's very friendly with, he just sniffs, gets to know them, [and] they play,” Gizzarelli said at the hearing. “So when you're saying that I'm not controlling my dog -- I never had this incident happen before.”

Here's a recent video of Charlie frolicking on Bernal Heights to show how sweet he is: 

Gizzarelli makes some good points. Just a cursory review of Evans' hearing testimony raises more questions than it answers, and there is a shocking lack of evidence in the case file against Charlie, despite the serious nature of the penalty and the public interest in the case.

On Aug. 6, Charlie was accused of charging a police horse named Stoney in an off-leash area of Crissy Field. According to Evans, who was riding Stoney at the time, Charlie attempted to bite Evans' leg, though the bite was deflected by his boot. Charlie then bit and attached to Stoney's front leg, which caused the horse to fall and Evans to be thrown, headfirst, onto the ground, which resulted in his being knocked unconscious. According to Evans, Charlie then chased Stoney for an "unheard of 1.6 miles" through the Presidio. 

Evans claimed that during the chase, Charlie left bite marks and gashes on Stoney, which resulted in major muscle damage and torn ligaments and tendons. The injuries were so severe, Evans testified, that Stoney would possibly have to be retired. 

But Evans' testimony raises numerous questions. 

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Charlie with his owner in happier times.

The first thing that is demonstrably false is the distance Charlie chased Stoney. Evans claimed it was 1.6 miles, but using the map the U.S. Park Service provided that traced the chase route, the distance is closer to half a mile. Evans' testimony about the seriousness of Stoney's injuries also conflicts with that of U.S. Park Service Officer Austin King, who told KTVU News the same day that Stoney had already been cleared for light duty. 

Furthermore, there was no veterinary report in the file to substantiate Evans' claims of torn tendons and ligaments or "major muscle damage." All the case file contains is a consultation form from a Petaluma veterinary clinic, which prescribed two medications, bandage changing, and a 10-day exercise schedule. 

The file also lacks any evidence that Charlie attempted to bite Evans' leg. There are no photographs of bruises or teeth marks on Evans' leg, nor are there any photographs of Evans' riding boot, which would presumably have teeth marks from Charlie's alleged attack.

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Charlie enjoying the beach.

The other remarkable omissions are medical reports supporting Evans' claim that he was knocked out from a head blow. In his initial report, Evans wrote that he "sustained a severe blow to the head," which caused him to be knocked out. During the hearing, Evans testified he was unconscious for up to a minute and possibly longer. On the day of the incident, he said, "I was, of course, dizzy and seeing stars, hearing birds, [the] whole nine [yards]." At the hearing, Evans claimed that he was still suffering from headaches. 

Why are there no medical reports? Because Evans did not see a doctor. That not only goes against common sense, but it is extremely suspicious that his supervisors would not insist he see a doctor immediately. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, head injuries can be extremely problematic, particularly when the head injury is so severe as to cause unconsciousness. 

The idea that the U.S. Park Service would not require an employee to seek immediate medical attention for the type of injury Evans described is troubling at the very least, said Peter Melton, a spokesman for the California Department of Industrial Relations, which oversees the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and workers compensation.

"If nothing else, it would be protection for the employer to have a doctor examine an employee who received a head injury on the job," Melton said. "There are too many variables with a head injury to take chances." 

Howard Levitt, director of communications for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said that park service employees who are injured on the job get the medical attention they need. He added that the city and county of San Francisco handled the hearing and that any questions about omissions in the case file should be directed to the city, which is refusing to discuss the case.

We'll stay on top of the story; we hope there's still a chance for Charlie's life to be spared. Visit the Help Save Charlie Facebook page for more information. 

Still, Charlie had no history of aggression, and his owner promised to comply with any conditions the court put forth. But on Wednesday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Robertson II denied a writ that was filed by Charlie's owner, David Gizzarelli. That writ had triggered an automatic stay, giving Gizzarelli an opportunity to appeal the decision to put Charlie down.

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Charlie as a puppy with his owner, David Gizzarelli.

The San Francisco City Attorney's Office, which represents San Francisco Animal Care and Control, is arguing for Charlie's immediate euthanasia, claiming his aggression is beyond reasonable intervention because of the Aug. 6 attack.

Gizzarelli says he and Charlie were in an off-leash area of Crissy Field and that his dog had never seen a horse before. He insists that Charlie had an unfortunate but typical reaction to charge and bark at Stoney, and he says it was a one-time mistake that could be easily corrected if the judge had given Charlie a chance.

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At the time of the attack, Charlie was 18 months old and had no history of aggression. Most dog behaviorists contend that dogs, which are predators by nature, will have an aggressive reaction the first time they're confronted with prey animals such as cows, horses, and deer. This reaction, according to behaviorists, is common and quite within the boundaries of rehabilitation.

What has not been examined and certainly not explained by City Attorney Dennis Herrera is whether the U.S. Park Service had properly trained Stoney and whether Park Service Officer Eric Evan, who was riding Stoney at the time, had any experience in responding to the likelihood of a charge by a young dog such as Charlie.

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Officer Evans and his horse, Stoney.

What is certain is that Stoney, who was a retired thoroughbred racehorse, did not react in the way a trained police horse should have. A trained police horse would have stood its ground until the dog had exhausted its initial, excited reaction. This is a fact well known by the San Francisco Police Mounted Patrol, which has encountered similar situations in which dogs become excited by the presence of a horse.

But Stoney reacted by throwing her rider and fleeing, which further excited the dog to chase her. Park officials must admit Stoney's reaction could not have been unexpected given that racehorses are given to skittish behavior. The incident further raises the question of whether the U.S. Park Service selects patrol horses based on their policing skills or for their public relations showmanship.

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There are other unanswered questions such as why Charlie was initially declared "not aggressive" by Animal Control Officer John Denny, who days later reversed his opinion and ordered the dog's death. The flip-flop suggests political influence, which might be easy to expose given the controversial political stance of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area against dogs. In January, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier chastised the National Park Service after a park ranger was promoted after wrongfully Tasering a dog owner. Furthermore, the GGNRA has been criticized for moving to reduce the number of park areas that allow dogs.

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Charlie at the beach.

All too often government officials order the euthanasia of dogs to expedite their own political agenda. If that is the case with Charlie, government officials could be facing a tremendous backlash. For example, more than 90,000 people have signed a petition calling for a second chance for Charlie, and many of them have contributed money to hire an attorney to represent Gizzarelli in his quest to save his beloved dog. If the city attorney's office is not absolutely sure of its argument, it could harm the ability of the city to protect residents from real threats.

To follow Charlie's case, follow the Help Save Charlie Facebook page. Look for follow-up stories in Dogster.

First stop: The moment, in 2008, when I learned about the short, tan-and-white male pit bull facing untimely extermination in a rural Texas gas chamber.

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Me and Lazarus. Photo by Jeanine Boubli.

It started when I received an email notification about a short, tan-and-white female pit bull at the same shelter. I've coordinated some complicated cross-country K9 rescue missions over the years, and the more I undertook, the more my inbox got flooded with new appeals. Just the week before, I'd arranged for a six-month female puppy who could've been this little gal's body double to be flown from a high-kill shelter in Arkansas to New York, then transferred to a shelter in Connecticut, where she promptly got adopted. (She traveled on Midwest Airlines, which doesn't discriminate against bully breeds, so I'll always sing their praises to the skies.)

Anyway, after figuring out how to get this little Texan pitty from the rural area she was in to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, then loaded onto a Midwest aircraft, I called the Texas shelter about the little female dog and was told she'd been adopted. I was still letting out the tail end of my big sigh of relief when I heard the "But ..."

There's always a "But ..."  with pit bull rescue; what with pits comprising as much as 90 percent of the animal shelter population in some parts of this country, the reality is that each one you save is a small drop in a bottomless bucket. Sadly, thousands more will be senselessly killed. But -- there's that word again -- like the doctor in the Camus novel The Plague, I've resolved to keep adding small drops to that bucket as long as I'm able.

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Shorty, soon to become Lazarus, pees on the airport sign just after we met.

"But ..." the animal control officer in charge of the shelter added before I could hang up the phone. There was the cutest little male pit now occupying the adopted female's cage.

"Okay," I said on autopilot. "I'll take him." I mean, I was all set to fly a dog out of Dallas/Fort Worth, and the whole point was to empty a cage at a high-kill shelter, right? So why not?

"Oh, you'll love him -- his name is Shorty and he's the sweetest thing," she added. I promised to make the air arrangements; the ACO gamely promised to email me a photo, drive him to a local animal hospital for air-travel vetting, then drive him to meet a lovely fellow rescuer who would keep Shorty overnight and chauffeur him to the airport at dawn.

The photos arrived, and Shorty was even more adorable than the ACO had promised. Within days, everything went according to plan. NASA has a word for missions that go perfectly according to plan: Nominal. And nominal aptly describes Operation Shorty.

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Who could resist that pittie smile?

I met him at the cargo area of New York's LaGuardia Airport. Like all the other dogs I'd had flown to me on Midwest, he arrived calm, cool, and collected, as if he'd enjoyed a long, relaxing nap in the belly of the plane. Shorty's complete lack of stress upon exiting his Sky Kennel crate was the best endorsement for the airline. I took this cool K9 customer for a quick relief walk before the drive home. He promptly showed his appreciation by taking a leak on the Midwest sign.

There was a lot I was yet to discover about this squat little butter-bull, but I wanted him to have a handle somewhat more dignified than "Shorty," pronto. Before that unfortunate name could have a chance to stick, and he wouldn't respond to any other, I thought hard about what to rename him.

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Lazarus with his friends Reeve and Jack.

I was reminded of the very first pit bull I'd ever met, a brawny brindle male who belonged to a neighbor at the apartment building where I resided in 1993. I'll never forget the day that dog sweetly stood up in the elevator to give me a hug. I'd heard only horror stories in the media about dogs who looked like this -- and was very pleasantly shocked to see that the reality was infinitely more cuddly. This dog was downright adorable, doing the two things I would come to love most about his kind: wiggling (i.e. wagging his tail aerobically) and piggling (snorting and snuffling with porcine pleasure).

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Photo by Daniel Reichert

From that moment forward, I resolved to do whatever I could to help out this maligned breed's reputation, and to use my work as a journalist to right the wrongs the media was relentlessly feeding the public about pits. And now, coming up on 20 years later, I'm still proudly committed to pit bull awareness.

I wound up walking Elevator Dog many times as a favor to his owner, a busy freelance photographer. That dog was enchanting company, and made me want to go out and adopt a pit of my own. Did I mention the dog's name was Lazarus? An ancient Greek word meaning "God has helped," and the name of the man raised from the dead by Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel of John.

The handle was perfect for my little Texan. After all, dog-spelled-backwards had seen to it that he would rise not once but twice: The first time, escaping the gas chamber, and the second, when the Midwest plane lifted off.

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Courtesy of the PBS/Nature documentary "Why We Love Cats and Dogs."

Naming my new dog after a Biblical figure seemed especially symbolic and timely then; this was shortly after the late Sen. Robert Byrd -- a devoted dog lover -- denounced Michael Vick on the Senate floor, referring to the quarterback's victims as "creatures of God." It wasn't often that pit bulls, the dog the media loves to demonize, were described thusly by august senators. Damn if my pit wasn't going to have a name straight out of Scripture!

In Sen. Byrd's honor, my new rescue got himself a new middle name: He's Lazarus Robert.

Of course, in subsequent years, Lazarus has acquired his share of nicknames, although nowhere near as many as some dogs: Laz, Lazar Wolf, Lazzmtazz, 'Rus, Rusty, Emma Lazarus, Lazmanian Devil, Taz, Tazzmlazz, Tazzy Lazzy, Lazaro Roberto, Lazzie. But Lazarus is the one that always gives people pause. Many have stopped to remark on the name and pat Laz on his impressive blockhead. (Some folks mispronounced it "Lazareth" often enough to occasion yet another nickname, Lazareth of Nazareth.)

"That's a big name for a little dog!" they'll say, as Lazarus wiggles and piggles. In my humble opinion, the pit formerly called Shorty wears it well.

“A kinder, gentler term that better reflects the true nature of these great friends (Pit Bulls).”

There are several pibble rescues including Pibbles and More as well as Pibbles to the Rescue. There are blogs that list the traits and skills of pibbles without using “Pit Bull” at all.

What about “New Yorkie?” In 2004, some New Yorkers tried to rename Pit Bulls “New Yorkies.” This created quite a stir in New York City's Yorkshire Terrier community, which apparently didn’t want people to mistake Yorkies for Pit Bulls. The renaming was unsuccessful (some say because of the Yorkie owners’ connections with the underground).

Why all these attempts to avoid the term “Pit Bull”? To create a new image for them, of course, one that doesn’t hinge on people’s misinterpretation of “dog aggression” or myths such as “locking jaws.” Has it worked? Not yet.

What might work is pointing out to the less-than-savvy public that Pit Bulls are a “type” of dog. They are also mutts, which means at least 1 percent of a Pit Bull and as much as 99 percent of a Pit Bull is another breed or breeds. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll call it their “other half.”

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Laynee is a rescue who's obviously got some other breeds mixed with her pit bull. Photo by Liz Acosta

What about the influence of this other half? Just like people, dogs are a sum of their parts. Or, just like a person’s Irish side influences a person’s German side, so the sides of a Pit Bull influence each other in temperament and look. Why on Earth don’t Pit Bull opponents realize this? Because “Pit Bull” has become synonymous with “dangerous dog,” and the fact that they’re more than just fighters doesn’t matter.

The most egregious example of condemning Pit Bull for their ancestry alone (and some dogs were labeled Pit Bulls even though they had none in them) is Denver's Pit Bull ban. Dogbite.com calls it the “beacon” of breed specific legislation (do not visit this site unless you want to be angry). The hysteria against Pit Bulls started in 1989 in Denver, before other cities and towns followed. Denver’s law was broadened in 2004 when all Pit Bull “type” dogs were to be seized and destroyed. For one thing, it makes no sense because a Pit Bull Is a type of dog (as we’ve already learned) but what it really meant is that any dog with Pit Bull characteristics was fair game. So, Boxer and Mastiff mixes, for example, were singled out as well, even though their Pit Bull-like traits weren’t Pit Bull at all.

What’s the point? That maybe by pointing out that Pit Bulls have other breeds in them, we might avoid or change BSL. If you have a Pit Bull, look at him. He probably has some bully breed traits such as a flat, broad head; a wide chest; and defined muscles. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know he’s a Pit Bull.

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Negra's parents are both pit bulls, but people often mistake her for a Labrador because of the way she looks and her cheerful reception of people -- so who knows? Photo by Liz Acosta

But what about the rest of him? (List the characteristics of your Pit Bull’s other half, then see which type, breed or breeds those match the most. Some examples follow.)

1. What color is he? What type of coat does he have?

Some dog breeds have colors that are almost unique to that breed, such as the blue/gray coat of the Blue Heeler. Some breeds also have a type of coat that is mostly limited to them such as the hypoallergenic coat of the Poodle.

2. Are his eyes big or small, wide apart or close together?

Wide-set eyes could indicate a spaniel; closer-set eyes might mean a herding breed.

3. Are his ears pricked or floppy?

Many terriers have pricked ears while many hounds have floppy ears.

4. Does he have long legs or stumpy ones?

Legs longer than the length of the body could indicate a sighthound. Stumpy legs might mean Basset or Dachshund.

5. How big is he?

If your Pit Bull is really big, he could have Great Dane or any of the giant dog breeds in him. A smaller Pit Bull usually means a very small breed is mixed in such as a Chihuahua. (Yes, Chihuahua/Pits do exist.)

6. Is his gait long and lanky, or does he take short, quick steps?

A hound has a steady, long gait while a terrier covers territory with shorter strides.

7. What’s his bark like?

Hounds bay, toy dogs yip, and guard dogs have a deep bark.

8. Is he naturally really game or is he more laid back?

The bully side of a Pit Bull already makes him game but, if he also has terrier or other prey driven types of dogs, he’ll be even more so.

9. Does he learn quickly, is he smart but stubborn, or does he stare at the wall when you tell him to sit?

Learning quickly with the desire to please might indicate Doberman or Rottweiler. Smart but stubborn, a northern breed or Poodle. A denser (but still lovable!) Pit Bull might have hound or Mastiff.

10. When he has free reign, does he try to bolt through the nearest gate, or does he lie down and sniff the grass?

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What else could be in this lovely pit mix? Photo: Close up of cute mix breed dog by Shutterstock

Breeds that want to run -- and try to escape in order to do so -- include the Siberian Husky. If your Pit Bull is content to stay put, he might have a lap dog breed in him.

You can also guess about your Pit Bull's other half if you know what part of the country he comes from. Southern Pit Bulls probably have hound in them. Northern Pit Bulls probably have some sort of spitz in them. West coast Pit Bulls probably have a smaller breed, such as the Pug, in them. Almost all Pit Bulls (and all mutts, for that matter) have some Lab in them.

A new name for Pit Bulls is a nice idea but, even if it caught on, people would eventually catch on, too. Denver’s massacre of dogs is so insane, it’s possible no argument can change that. But we can, perhaps, prevent further BSL by showing the public that Pit Bull are mutts (which they are) and that they have many, sometimes dominant, characteristics other than their bully breed half. And maybe, just maybe, we can put an end to the discrimination against Pit Bull.

The Pit Bull is more than a dog -- he's a symbol. One hundred years ago, he was a symbol of American pride and patriotism, appearing in World War I propaganda posters as the embodiment of fearless canine courage. He was a well-cared-for family dog and a trusted friend of children. 

What a difference a century makes. Today, the Pit Bull is the most abused, exploited, and misunderstood dog in the world. Because he is misunderstood, he is also feared and loathed. Many people's first reaction when they see a Pit Bull is to give him a wide berth. The Pit's reversal of fortune could befall any dog (and, if  you look at the history of the German Shepherd and Doberman, it already did).  

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Happy American Pit Bull by Shutterstock

In a tragic twist of irony, it's the dog's extreme loyalty that got him in trouble. A Pit Bull will do anything for his owner. So, if a Pit has the good luck to belong to a kind, compassionate person, he will enjoy a happy life as a sweet family dog. But if a Pit has the misfortune to belong to a criminal, he will suffer any number of terrible fates in the  nightmare netherworld of dogfighting, as the world finally understood when the horrific evildoings at Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennels were exposed for all to see.

But even severely mistreated Pit Bulls can be rehabbed with heavy doses of TLC. Several of the former Vick dogs got a new leash on life as beloved family pets, and some work as therapy animals, spreading love, smiles, and cheer wherever they go. Spreading smiles happens to be a Pit Bull specialty -- it's almost impossible to resist this dog's happy, infectious grin.

Sadly, the media loves sensationalism, and stories about Pit Bulls who visit children in hospitals get little to no coverage -- but stories about "dogs who attack" make headlines. Too many people automatically assume that if something goes wrong and a Pit Bull is in the vicinity, the dog is the one to blame. And that needs to change right now.

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Woman and pittie puppy by Shutterstock

I first fell in love with the breed almost 20 years ago. In 1994, I adopted my first, a shelter dog named Daisy. In subsequent years, many Pits came to call my place home. In classic foster-fail fashion, several of those Pits' status evolved from temporary to permanent. Each of those dogs changed my life for the better; one of them, a Pit named Sam, continues to inspire me to manage a difficult health situation, even though he's crossed the Rainbow Bridge. For as long as I'm able to stand up and walk, I intend for there to be no fewer than two Pit Bulls at my side.

Today, I live with three friendly, adorable, shelter-adopted Pits, so every day is Pit Bull Awareness Day at my place. Happily, more people and places across the country are observing Pit Bull awareness every day. The Massachusetts SPCA, for instance, but makes a point of promoting this important campaign throughout October.

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Tino of Peace Love and Pitbulls with some of his lovely Pitties.

That kind of commitment is commendable and critical, because shelters are still full to bursting with Pit Bulls. At some shelters, as many as 90 percent of the residents are Pits. In urban areas like my hometown of New York City, municipal shelters like Animal Care and Control (my dogs' alma mater) are so overcrowded that Pit Bulls often get no more than 24 to 48 hours to live. For the short time these dogs are available, potential adopters bypass their cages, afraid to give these sweet dogs a second chance because of the negative stereotypes they've seen and heard. It's a tragedy and a disgrace, and it will end only when enlightened dog lovers take positive action by adopting and fostering without delay.

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Rachael Ray with one of her pitties.

Happily, many high-profile people have made a point of showing PDA for Pits. One famous Pit advocate is star dog trainer and "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan. Thanks in large part to his efforts, more and more media positive stories are emerging about these dogs' tremendous love and loyalty. Another very high-profile Pit lover is Rachael Ray, who is super-sweet on her Isaboo. And high-profile parents Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, who have a pup named Lua, are showing the world that Pits and kids are very happy together.

Meanwhile, in other media outlets, BAD RAP (Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls), Peace Love and Pitbulls, and the Stubby Dog Project are tirelessly keeping the positive Pit profile out there, as are authors who spill ink over heroic Pits such as disc-dog champ Wallace, and documentary filmmakers who raise awareness of BSL. Now, the coolest, best-connected people proclaim pit love and talk about looking forward to becoming Pit parents -- like The Huffington Post's social-media specialist Kerstin Shamberg, whose Twitter bio proudly describes her as a "Pit Bull lover," or Kaye Toal, community manager of the cool site Upworthy, whose Twitter bio reads, "Waiting for the day I can adopt a Pit Bull." Even aficionados of very different breeds, spaniel-lover Carol Bryant among them, are raising their voices to encourage activism.

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Show some pittie love in a Tiny Tim tee by John Bartlett.

Not that long ago it was almost impossible to find a positive Pit image, but dog lovers can mark time with cool calendars produced by groups like the Unexpected Pit Bull and Pinups for Pit Bulls; they can commission custom works of art that put Pits on pedestals; and proclaim Pit Bull pride with any number of fashionable T-shirts and other garments, like those by fashion-pack leader John Bartlett.

But the battle against abusers who cruelly exploit, overbreed, and torture Pit Bulls for fun and profit is far from over. The fight to save Pits from dog-fighting has only just begun. Which is why I hope you'll join me and the millions of Pit Bull advocates out there in helping to raise awareness on October 27 and beyond. Please consider adopting or fostering a Pit Bull from your local animal shelter. Believe me, the life you change will be your own.

Have you had a life-changing experience with a Pit Bull that's made you loyal to this much-maligned dog? How will you be observing Pit Bull Awareness Month? Please share in the comments.

For those who have been following along, we rejoice in sharing the news that officials in Brighton, CO, have given Dre back to his family after they'd spent nearly two months apart. Dogster readers will recall the plight of Dre through our exclusive updates throughout August.

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A family happy and reunited with Dre.

On July 26, one of Mary O’Brien’s children accidentally pressed a button on the remote garage door opener at their home. O’Brien’s cousin was babysitting and did not realize what had taken place. Dre and Machomotto, the family’s dogs, ran outside through the open garage door.

Apparently, several people called animal control, with another person calling 911 to report vicious dogs on the loose. It was reported that five officers were needed to obtain Dre, though none of them was injured either through bite or scratch. (With five strangers chasing me, I can’t say I’d react the same way.)

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Dre is innocent and now has been proven as such.

The authorities released Machomotto (not a Pit Bull), but then quarantined Dre and labeled him "vicious.” What ensued were weeks of agony for the family, questionable treatment of the dog, and isolation of Dre from his family, his special food, and his necessary medications. Dre’s health began to deteriorate, and he had allergic reactions, according to the family.

Dre sat in a kennel, locked in a tiny area. He was stressed and confused. I would be, too, and probably gnawing at myself in the same situation. He got little interaction, and he waited. We all did.

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MachoMotto and Dre before the storm hit.

Dogster last reported on Dre on Aug. 21. Supporters held silent protests and contacted television news stations. A lawyer from Animal Law Center joined the case. Backers circulated a petition online and got more than 60,000 signatures. Thankfully, Dre was moved from animal control and his isolation kennel to a foster care situation with the group Canine Candor, who saw the gentle personality of Dre.

According to Denver Westword blogs, the Animal Law Center hired a behaviorist, who revealed that Dre is not vicious. A judge then urged the city of Brighton to assign its own behaviorist to test Dre. The test exposed Dre to an umbrella opening, a gun being fired, and other loud sounds, and he reacted, but he had a very quick recovery time. The analysis revealed he is stable and well mannered. Again, if someone shot a gun around my dog, I know he would run for cover.

The city and the family reached a plea agreement, according to a report by Examiner.com, which includes animal-care guidelines and follow-up evaluations. A fine and security requirements are also part of the deal. Dre, however, is home, and it is reported he will be training for Canine Good Citizenship.

To Mary O’Brien and all of Dre’s family, along with the Animal Law Center, thank you for believing in the power of good and never giving up.

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To save Charlie's life, Gizzarelli must agree to have Charlie tested for aggression at the behavior unit at U.C. Davis' School of Veterinary Medicine. Then -- and this is the tough part -- he will have to give Charlie up to another family. 

On Aug. 6, Charlie attacked a U.S. Park Service police horse at San Francisco's Crissy Field. The horse, named Stoney, was bitten several times and temporarily put out of service because of possible tendon damage. Patrolman Eric Evans was also injured when he was thrown from the horse. At the time, Gizzarelli was walking Charlie in an off-leash area. 

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Park Service Officer Eric Evans and Stoney.

Gizzarelli is considering the offer.

"I don't want anyone touching Charlie, and I want him placed back with his family since birth," Gizzarelli posted on the Help Save Charlie website. More than 11,000 people have signed the petition to save the dog. 

His other options are to continue negotiations with Animal Control and Care for Charlie's return with restrictions, or to continue with the writ process, both of which could take months while Charlie remains in a city isolation kennel. 

For more information, visit Charlie's Facebook page and the Help Save Charlie petition.

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Photo courtesy of Charlie's Facebook page.

The case of Charlie the 18-month-old Staffordshire Terrier is different, in that he attacked and injured a police horse. What's more, a U.S. Park Police officer was injured when he was thrown from the horse. But we believe Charlie deserves another chance. The young dog had never seen a horse, and he overreacted. Charlie, who has no history of aggression, made a mistake -- and his owner, David Gizzarelli, is willing to accept any restrictions the city sees fit in order to save his beloved pet’s life.

It was a typical summer day at San Francisco's Crissy Field for Gizzarelli and Charlie. There was a light breeze coming off the bay, and after their run, Gizzarelli chatted with some other dog owners while Charlie romped with about 25 other dogs in an off-leash area of the national park.

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Park Service Officer Eric Evans and Stoney.

Just as Gizzarelli was heading home, U.S. Park Service mounted police Officer Eric Evans appeared on his horse, Stoney. Charlie, who had never seen a horse, became excited and ran toward them, with Gizzarelli in pursuit. "Me and Charlie had been enjoying ourselves like we always do, and then in an instant there was just fear," he says.

Charlie's barking spooked the horse, who threw Evans. Charlie then chased Stoney through the park, biting him on the belly and legs, causing several gashes and possible tendon damage. A motorcycle officer finally stopped the attack more than a mile away. Evans received a concussion and an injured shoulder. Charlie had chest injuries from being kicked by the horse.

On Aug. 23, San Francisco Animal Care and Control held a vicious-dog hearing to determine Charlie’s fate. After receiving testimony and reviewing photos of Stoney’s injuries, hearing officer John Denny ordered Charlie to be destroyed within three days, even though the dog had no record of aggression and displays no aggressive tendencies. Gizzarelli hired an attorney and filed a writ, which stayed the euthanasia. The case is now in administrative review while Charlie awaits the determination of his fate in an isolation kennel.

The park service came down hard on Gizzarelli. Evans issued him four federal tickets, including failure to control an animal, assault on a police horse, and assault on a police officer, which could send him to federal prison for up to a year if he’s convicted. 

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Photo courtesy of Charlie's Facebook page.

In Charlie’s case, the park service is no longer involved, according to spokesman Howard Levitt. “Whatever happens to the dog will be up to the city of San Francisco,” he says. 

Nonetheless, the park service gave conflicting information about the extent of Stoney’s injuries. At the Aug. 23 hearing, a tearful Evans testified that Stoney would possibly have to be retired. But several days earlier, park service police officer Austin King told KTVU News that Stoney had already been cleared for “light work.” Six days later, Levitt said the horse was still out of service and its future was uncertain.

Gizzarelli was unfamiliar with the hearing process, and his testimony might have damaged his case. He said that given the unpredictability of dogs when they encounter horses for the first time, it might not be a good idea to have mounted patrol routes so close to an off-leash area.

“They’re putting farm animals together with domesticated animals,” he told hearing officer Denny. “Any dog, not just a Pit Bull, not just Charlie or my dog, could have chased after that horse, could have caused a problem.” 

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Charlie as a puppy.

Nationwide, mounted police units have been cut or reduced because they are expensive and add limited value to daily policing. It is widely agreed that police horses are most useful for crowd control and for public relations. But in the animal world, horses are prey and dogs are predators. The species have an uneasy relationship, particularly if dogs are unfamiliar with horses, so routing horse patrols near off-leash areas could be considered tempting fate. Nonetheless, the park service has no intention of curtailing the mounted patrols near Crissy Field because of the presence of dogs.

“The national parks have used horse patrols for more than 100 years, and for many, many years Crissy Field has been part of a patrol route,” Levitt says. “We are not going to change that.” 

Gizzarelli’s comment was not what Denny wanted to hear, either. Denny believes horse patrol routes are not really the issue, but rather that it is critical for dogs to be under control at all times in public. Dogs can be spooked into attacking by any number of things, Denny says. He has seen cases where dogs were provoked by shopping carts, mechanized wheelchairs, bicycles, and children who were screaming or running.

“If horses are not allowed near off-leash areas, where do we draw the line?” he says. “There are a lot of bicyclists and children who use Crissy Field -- do we ban them as well? If the horse was under control, it’s not too much to ask the dog to be under control.”

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Charlie dressed for the winter.

Denny says Gizzarelli has to understand he now has a different dog. With a record of violent attack, Charlie has to be kept under close control. Denny adds that too many dog owners tend to blame those who are attacked: "If only the mailman didn’t start waving his arms, or if the little kid down the block didn’t start running, my dog would have never reacted like that." 

Denny says dog attacks on police horses are very rare. There have been two in the past 10 years, and in both cases the offending dogs were not put down. 

“This incident with Charlie is a first-time accident, I get it,” Denny said. “But if it happens again, it won’t be. We can correct it, but the owner has to be willing to take precautions.” 

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Photo courtesy of Charlie's Facebook page.

Gizzarelli says he did not mean to sound unremorseful at the hearing. He says he feels terrible about what happened and has always been willing to take responsibility. He wishes he had been advised by an attorney. “I thought I was just fighting for my dog’s life,” he says. “I’ll accept any restrictions to prevent Charlie from being euthanized.”

Meanwhile, Gizzarelli and Charlie have received a great deal of public support. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition to save Charlie, and some people have contributed toward Gizzarelli's legal fees. You can read more about the story at the Help Save Charlie Facebook page. 

Gizzarelli’s attorney, Christine Garcia of the Animal Law Office, hopes that Charlie will be spared.

“I think we can come to an agreement with Animal Care and Control,” she says. “After all, I think everybody wants to find a way to keep this little guy from being put down.”

What Happened: One of Mary O’Brien’s children accidentally pressed a button on the remote garage door opener at their home in Brighton, CO. Her cousin was babysitting at the time and did not realize what had happened. Dre and Machomotto, the family’s dogs, ran outside through the open garage door.

Dre began barking at people, and one woman jumped into her car, apparently in fear. A few folks called animal control, with one call placed to 911 to report “vicious dogs running loose.” Five officers were reported to have secured Dre, but in the process no one was injured, bitten, or scratched.

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Dre's fate remains uncertain.

Dre was held at a shelter in Brighton, where there is no breed-specific legislation in place as there is in Northern Ireland, where Lennox the dog was put down because he resembles a Pit Bull. But when O’Brien went to retrieve her dogs from the pound, she was allowed to take Machomotto, but not Dre. He was quarantined and labeled "vicious" with the recommendation that the dog be destroyed. Dre is a Pit Bull.

Since That Time: Dre had been held in Animal Control where he was not allowed to have his special diet and medicated baths, and the family could only interact with him through a cage with a sign that announced “Dangerous Dog: Will Bite.” Supporters held silent protests  and contacted television news stations, and a lawyer from Animal Law Center was on the case. Dre is still being held from the family, although he's been moved to a safer place, where he is allowed interaction and visitation.

On Friday, August 17, Dre's mom wrote on her Facebook wall, “Another wonderful visit with Dre. The kids got to hug and love all over him. It's so amazing to see him run and roll in the grass! Play ball, Frisbee, lounge, etc!!! Absolutely ecstatic that he's in such a better, safer, cleaner shelter. I trust that he will be well taken care of .... It's all so bitter sweet. We truly miss him more than words can express. So grateful for EACH and EVERY ONE of you who have helped support, laughed, and cried with us. We will never forget it .... Love, the O'Briens.”

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The first time in 25 days that Mary was allowed to comfort Dre.

Pet blogger and BlogPaws COE (Chief of Everything) Chloe DiVita recently wrote on her pet blog, Snotface & Twiggy:

I sat in the court room today listening to the emergency motion to have Dre moved to a different shelter and I was hopeful. I'm happy to report that hope was not unfounded. Dre has been released from Brighton Animal Control and has been placed in an undisclosed rescue/shelter! He will get the proper food, care for his ears, vet care in general, his baths with his special shampoo for his skin, and some actual outside time and attention. The next court date has been moved to August 28 and Dre will remain at the rescue/shelter for the remainder of the trial, but he will be cared for, as he should be, that entire time! 

This does NOT mean that Dre's fight is over. This doesn't change the case or the allegations at all. It just means Dre will be happier while his family fights for his freedom. And fight they will! Free Dre!”

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Dre is a loving, friendly family dog.

A ChipIn account has been set up to help with defense costs. In addition, the Pit Bull Advocate has been podcasting details as they arise on Blog Talk Radio, where you can catch up.

As we learn more, we’ll share more. However, you can follow along and help out by visiting Dre's official Facebook page.

UPDATE, 08/09, 10:40 PM EST: From what we have learned, Dre is still being held, and the hearing has been postponed until August 21, as the defense filed for an extension. We'll share more as we learn more. Meantime, there was a show on BlogTalkRadio tonight featuring Dre's mom and the attorney on the case:  Listen here to the show.

Here we go again. Have we learned nothing from the death of Lennox, the tragic eradication of a once healthy, thriving dog in Northern Ireland? I cringe when I think about the mindset of the Belfast City Council, the powers who extinguished a light as bright as Lennox in the name of ignorance and hate. And here we go again.

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Dre bit no one, but he's in custody.

This is what we know: On a recent afternoon, one of Mary O’Brien’s children accidentally pressed a button on the remote garage door opener at their home in Brighton, Colorado. O’Brien’s cousin was babysitting at the time and did not realize what had taken place. Dre and Machomotto, the family’s dogs, ran outside through the open garage door.

Dre began barking at people, and one person jumped into her car (apparently in fear). A few folks called animal control, with one call placed to 911 to report “vicious dogs running loose.” Five officers were reported to have secured Dre, but in the process no one was injured, bitten, or scratched. Repeat: Five strangers, chasing a confused dog who is barking. If my dog ever bolted, he’d be dazed, confused, and none too happy to have five men in uniform chasing him in a haphazard situation.

Dre was held at a shelter in Brighton, where there is no breed-specific legislation in place, like there is in Belfast. (Lennox was put down because he resembles a Pit Bull.) When O’Brien went to retrieve her dogs from the pound, she was allowed to take Machomotto but not Dre. He was quarantined and labeled "vicious" with the recommendation that the dog be destroyed. Dre is a Pit Bull.

An officer reported that Dre acted aggressively by chasing people and barking at them. He never bit anyone; he ran around and he barked at people. It sounds like the dog park on weekends in my area.

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Dre is a family dog.

A hearing was held on Tuesday, July 31, leaving the family very little time to persuade a judge that Dre is not vicious. In Brighton, a dog running at large is unlawful, but Pit Bulls are legal. Generally, a fine is imposed for loose dogs. Animal control can, however, choose to destroy "any vicious dog when deemed necessary in the interest of public safety by an animal control officer under circumstances where a significant and immediate threat to the health or safety of a person or other animal exists."

Dre has been labeled. The hearing came and went, and the dog remains in animal control’s custody. Dre’s family has been allowed to visit him in the shelter, where he wagged his tail, licked their hands, and was allowed to eat treats through the cage. A sign stating “Dangerous Dog Will Bite” was placed on his kennel and remains there. The next hearing is Aug. 10, and the family has a lawyer from The Animal Law Center working on their behalf. Dre remains alone, torn from his family.

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I can’t take it anymore. I’m angry, I’m disgusted, I’ve donated, and I wanted to write about this. Dre is not alone, but in the purest form of the word, he is. Every day, dogs are being mislabeled, put in cages, and unjustly eradicated.

Dre sits in a kennel, locked in a tiny area. Dre is a family member who requires a special diet and allergy medication that his family brings to the shelter. He’s stressed and confused. I would be, too, or probably gnawing at myself in the same situation. He gets little interaction, and now he waits. We all do. But there must be something more we can do, as people, to stop this insanity from repeating itself, right?

“I’m appalled at all the stories I read online about dogs being put down because they’re one breed or another,” BlogPaws cofounder Yvonne DiVita says. "With Pit Bulls taking the brunt of this focus, the pet parents to these warm, funny, and delightful dogs have an extra job on their hands making sure they protect their furkid. I wonder when we’ll get over this -– as we got over worrying about German Shepherds and Doberman Pinschers. Can it be today?”

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These are the thoughts that run through my head as I sit here with my Cocker Spaniel snuggled by my feet. Oddly, many years ago, Pit Bulls carried a different label: that of “Nanny Dog.” Need a dog to keep your children safe? Why, the Nanny Dog fits that bill, doesn’t it? So how did the Pit Bull become so feared and the target of such discrimination? A huge part of me blames Michael Vick and the nightmares inflicted on those dogs. Part of me blames evil people in general: the dogfighters of the world who force innocent animals to tear into each other in the name of greed.

So Dre waits to see what fate has in store for him. As of this writing, O’Brien has been advised by her attorney not to say anything else. We all want to help the innocent here, and whatever is needed to bring Dre home safely (and quickly) is what I advocate. All questions and comments should be directed to the Animal Law Center, per the family's request.

Lennox’s legacy must be to never let this happen again. Knowledge is power. And Dre could use a lot of that now. As I learn more, I'll report whatever I can.