MPR Current Events

Guess who has the luck of the Irish this month? The one, the only, ADONIS!

Adonis has waited for about a year to find his forever home, but it is finally here! In fact, his new family bought a house especially for our big hunk, out of BSL territory! Congratulations, Adonis!

February has been a busy month for MPR. Many, many pleas for help came in, and we took in quite a few new dogs. Sadly, we couldn't help everybody because of lack of room/resources. Please, encourage everyone you know to spay or neuter their pit bull -at the very least until we can get caught up and there aren't several pits dying on deathrow in our animal control facilities because there are not enough homes out there. For more information on low-cost clinics around town, go here.

New MPR dogs include unique-looking and loving Cinderella, who was found by a good samaritan and is safe in foster care with her until her forever home is found, happy and cute Jolly, a possible American Bulldog / Pit Bull mix who was pulled from animal control in the nick of time, sad little Forgiveness, another animal control girl who despite her abuse, poor shape, butchered ears and fighting wounds has forgiven humans and still loves people with all her little heart, and handsome housepet Cowboy, who found himself on deathrow of a very high-kill shelter and was squeezed into an already full MPR program merely minutes before euthanasia.

Adoption season is picking up with the longer days and warmer weather. Here's to a successful spring adoption season!

As always, if you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring an adoption event, or have any other suggestions, feel free to send them our way. Just drop us a line at email@mprgroup.net

>Top

Why do we still have this puppy? We can't tell you, either.

Little Twix was rescued from a high-kill animal control facility when he was a very young pup. He's been in a foster home ever since, and has turned into a great little dog.

Twix has been socialized with his older foster sister, a female pit bull who taught him the ropes, and is fully housetrained. He's full of personality and just beautiful -how can anyone resist those green eyes?

Twix is looking for a permanent place to call home, and we sure hope he finds his family soon!

>Top

March 13, 2005 Noon - 3pm Olathe Petsmart 15255 W. 119th St Olathe, KS 66062-5605 913-393-4111 Olathe PetSmart

>Top

Dr. Marty Becker Selects Chloe as PSI's 2005 Take Your Dog To Work Day® Poster Dog KING, NC —Pet Sitters International (PSI), creator of Take Your Dog To Work Day®, has named Chloe as its 2005 Take Your Dog To Work Day poster dog. To make the final selection, PSI recruited the help of renowned pet columnist Dr. Marty Becker.

Chloe lives in Howell, MI, with Christine Eluskie, a volunteer for the Animal Placement Bureau (APB) of Lansing, MI. Both Chloe and Christine were excited to hear of Chloe's new appointment as poster dog for TYDTWDay . However, if it had not been for Christine's love and the efforts of the APB, Chloe's story may have never been told.

Like so many dogs across the country, Chloe's mother was found living on the streets. Picked up by animal control, they soon discovered she was expecting pups. Because a lot of shelters don't adopt out pit bull terriers, Chloe's mother and her pups faced an uncertain fate. However, upon hearing about the pregnant pooch, the APB stepped in to help.

The APB took in Chloe's mother and she soon gave birth to Chloe and 10 other pups. Christine offered to be Chloe's foster parent until a permanent residence could be established. While waiting for a new home for Chloe, Christine grew more and more attached to her loving foster pup. Christine soon realized that Chloe didn't need to be adopted, because she was already home.

At only two years of age, Chloe has already become somewhat of a hometown celebrity. In 2003, Chloe attended her first TYDTWDay event. Dressed as a "Busy Little Bee," she won "best costume" in a TYDTWDay contest held by Christine's employer, Village Green Companies in Farmington Hills, MI. In 2004, Chloe was voted "best dressed" and was crowned Village Green's "2004 Prom Queen." Together, Christine and Chloe raised more than $1,600 at the event. Proceeds were donated to the Animal Placement Bureau where Chloe was adopted.

As the 2005 TYDTWDay poster dog, Chloe will have many responsibilities. Chief among those responsibilities will be to lend her face to TYDTWDay promotional materials and the ever-popular TYDTWDay poster. These materials will be distributed as part of the TYDTWDay Action Pack, an informative packet of fun items geared toward helping businesses and individuals conduct a successful TYDTWDay . Order forms for the 2005 Action Pack can be found at PSI's Web site, www.petsit.com, beginning April 1, 2005.

Not every dog can be a TYDTWDay poster dog. Before any poster dog is considered, its parent(s) must supply PSI's voting panel with an application that includes the dog's story and photo. Additionally, the dog's parent(s) must show proof that the dog has participated in a TYDTWDay event. Finally, each candidate must have been adopted from a shelter, humane society or rescue group. The dog's personality, as shown through its individual story, plays a key role in determining the winner.

This year's TYDTWDay event will be held on June 24, 2005. The day was created as a fun way for people to celebrate the great companions dogs make, as well as to inspire co-workers to adopt dogs from their local shelters, humane societies and rescue groups. "What a difference a day makes," stated Patti Moran, president of Pet Sitters International. "People bringing their dogs to work for one day to celebrate Take Your Dog To Work Day can make a huge difference in the adoption rates at shelters around the world. Dog-less co-workers will see the human-animal bond enjoyed by their colleagues who are dog parents—and then adopt pets from local animal shelters. We are pleased to have Chloe as this year's poster dog and we are confident that Chloe and her touching story will help to save homeless dogs everywhere."

With nearly 7,000 members, Pet Sitters International is the world's largest organization for professional pet sitters.

>Top

MPR's Valentine's Spay/Neuter program (in conjunction with Spay/Neuter Kansas City) was a success! But now we need your help...

Our Valentine's Day Neuter and Spay program resulted in 7 pit bulls being altered for no charge to the owners! Another way of looking at it is if all of these pit bulls had pups -there would be another 50-70 pit bulls squeezed into an already saturated market. And imagine if THEY were bred!

You can see that the in the big picture, the only effective way to reduce the amount of pit bulls euthanized everyday in Kansas City, Missouri, the Midwest, and the nation is by spaying and neutering. We ask for anyone that does not understand this concept to take a walk down the aisles of their city animal control -and to say goodbye to all of the sweet faces rescue groups are too full to save...

One man not only got his male neutered, he spread the word about the program to all of his friends with pits! This ex-breeder even talked the owner of one of the pups in a past litter to get his dog altered! He realized that in additon to the pit bull overpopulation epidemic that neutering his dog prevented diseases and other illnesses that could shorten his beloved friend's lifespan.

The program was so successful that we actually ran out of the amount of funds we had set aside! We are eager to launch another free spay/neuter program as soon as possible for low-income pit bull owners in the metro, but we need your help. Please donate now so we can have another spay/neuter clinic. With your donations, maybe we can eventually have this program year-round!

Missouri Pit Bull Rescue
PO BOX 18731
Raytown, MO 64133

>Top

Open Forum/ by Debra J. Saunders
PITBULLS ARE LATEST FAD SCARE

The man actually agreed to talk about it on television. He had his pit bull killed. The pet had never acted violently, he said, but his wife was so scared by TV news stories that she was suddenly afraid of their dog. In Northern California, over two dozen Pit bull owners have had their pets put to sleep because neighbors were pressuring them or they had become suddenly fearful of pets whom many had loved and nurtured for years. TV is so powerful that it is more trusted than man's best friend.

This says some sad things about America. The Pit bull scare illustrates how skittish we have become..... skittish and ineffective, because this fad scare will do next to nothing to lessen dog attacks. The sociopathic louts who train their dogs to be attack machines aren't curbing their dogs. It's Good Neighbor Sam who responds to the pressure. He will be a sad Sam in a year's time when the hysteria has passed and only the guilt remains.

Since the Gary Hart/Donna Rice scandal, there has been a lot of talk about a new direction in American journalism. It's the old direction, sunken lower, that is truly terrifying.

"If it bleeds, It leads" has been a long time standard for TV news directors. In this decade, local TV has gone from leading with disasters to teasing with hysteria.
Fad scares have been on the rise since we first learned about AIDS. Stations found that their ratings shot up whenever they ran AIDS expose or the dangers of crack cocaine. They saw that scaring viewers sells.

The Pit bull story is expecially good because, like crack, it's easy for local TV news to cover and exploit. Any airhead can hit the streets and find a drug addict or a dog . Shake a stick at the dog and you can get it to growl and look real menacing. If it's visual it makes good TV.

Wait a few days and in any populated area, somebody is bound to get bitten by a dog. If its a German Shepherd, you ignore it. If your not sure what breed it is, you might call it a pitbull. If it is a pitbull, you can call the networks and see if they want the package too.

TV news has slunk to such a low that "Dog bites man" is actually a story. Pitbulls make for good local TV because they require no expertise. No need for facts; just get the best teeth shot.

So the public remains unaware that there is no hard evidence that pit bulls attack more frequentlly than other breeds. In 1984, Los Angeles County estimated that German Shepherds were responsible for35.8% of the city's dog bites The pit bull estimate was 4.6% -half that of labrador Retrievers. These facts don't make it onto many small screens.

Pit bulls offer all the main criteria of a fad scare. There aren't a whole lot of pit bull owners to alienate. There are no pit bull advertisers. Fad scares scare and soothe at the same time. If we stop taking crack or get rid of a near by pit bull we're saved.

Unlike the Middle East or acid rain, the pit bull problem is easy: Get rid of pit bulls. It won't upset an ecological food chain. No jobs will be lost. Most people won't be offended.

This time, the price for a false sense of security is animal sacrifice: Families offering their pets to the altar of television news. The big question is who's next? Killer rabbits, junkyard dogs, autistic children, bicyclers?

What is truly horrific is how readily the public has embraced pit bull hysteria. One year ago, most people didn't know what a pit bull is. Today they're ready to send the breed to the doggie gas chambers. 

This article came from the San Fancisco Chronicle Panorama Section. It was dated Thursday, July 30th 1987. It was written by Debra J Saunders who has never owned a pitbull.

>Top

Featured Website:

Classic Rock Q107
Man vs. Dog
The tools on the other end of the leash... (speakers needed)
March 2, 2005

Panel rejects proposal to let cities ban certain dog breeds in IL
February 24, 2005
BY BEN FISCHER Sun-Times Springfield Bureau

SPRINGFIELD - An Illinois House committee killed a proposal Wednesday that would have given cities and towns the power to ban specific dog breeds. Legislators feared local bans could unfairly punish law-abiding pet owners.

The panel heard emotional testimony about the death of 14-year-old Lydia Chaplin in rural Erie near the Mississippi River on Jan. 27. After being seriously injured by three pit bulls and a mixed breed, she died of hypothermia.

A broad coalition of interest groups opposed the legislation sponsored by Rep. Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling), including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
"I think the best, a better solution, is to hold the owner of a dog more accountable for the actions of a pet," said Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Sycamore), who voted against the bill.

Mitchell and the bill's opponents said they would continue to work to strengthen vicious dog regulations without using breed-specific laws. Opponents say breed-specific laws are difficult to enforce and encroach on dog owners' property rights.

Two ideas floated Wednesday were requiring all convicted felons to have their dogs neutered or spayed, and ordering all dogs found running loose on two separate occasions to be spayed or neutered.

Under current law, the state specifically forbids local governments from regulating or banning by breed. Chicago and other home-rule cities are not affected by Mitchell's proposal.

More than pit bulls at risk from Ontario's oversized net
Experts say bans on specific breeds counterproductive
Feb. 12, 2005
By: Thomas Walkom - Toronto Star

The Ontario government's proposed pit bull ban is bad law.

Founded on fear, it defies all logic except the most crassly political. It exploits the grief of those who have suffered dog attacks. Yet, it offers no realistic solution to the problem.

When Attorney-General Michael Bryant proposed a pit bull ban last fall, he said he would look at all the evidence before acting. He promised to move carefully. He did neither.

The bill he has cobbled together is deeply flawed and quite possibly unconstitutional. It literally bans any dog that even resembles a pit bull. An animal control officer who seizes an animal under the act won't have to prove it is in the banned category; the owner will have to prove it is not.

In effect, as Kitchener veterinarian Gary Goerée explained to a legislative committee recently, it is a ban on all short-haired dogs with big heads.

Goerée has some experience in this. In 1997, Kitchener became the first municipality in the province to ban pit bulls. That year, Goerée was appointed to the city's pit bull appeal committee, a body charged with deciding, in his words, whether animals would live or die.

It did so, he said, on the basis of snapshots taken by animal control officers. The committee would not consider the dog's behaviour. Members would not ask if it had menaced or bitten anyone.

Their only role was to determine whether it sufficiently resembled the banned breed. Was its head too wide? The hair on its coat too short? How did the tail look?

Kitchener is an important touchstone because Bryant argues that this city's experience proves breed bans can work.

In fact, it is not clear that Kitchener's experience proves anything. There are fewer pit bull bites now that that the breed is banned. But there were never many to start with.

As Goerée testified, pit bulls ranked number eight among dog biters before the ban took place - right after poodles.

Legislative committee hearings usually feature duelling experts. What was remarkable about the four days set aside for consideration of this bill was the unanimity among experts. All who testified opposed it.

Veterinarians, trainers, breeders and animal behaviour specialists all said essentially the same thing: Stiffer laws to deal with dangerous dogs are a good idea; laws aimed at specific breeds are counterproductive.

Bonnie Beaver of the American Veterinary Association told the committee that breed bans in various U.S. cities have not reduced the incidence of dog bites and are being repealed. Richard Paquette, an animal control officer from Sudbury, noted that in his community pit bulls accounted for 5 per cent of dog bites.

"Target the real problem of dangerous dogs and get away form this pit bull thing," Paquette pleaded. "I'm going to be bogged down worrying about ... people complaining about the perception of menace, rather than working with actual dogs that have been identified as causing problems."

From Britain, Michael Flowers, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals, told the committee, via conference call, that a 14-year breed ban in his country has been a flop. Litigation is rampant and dog bites are up.

Understandably, many victims of pit bull attacks support Bryant's bill. The committee heard from a few of these. Some tales were frightening,

But does victim anger alone produce good legislation? The family of someone killed by an immigrant might want all immigration banned. But most governments, while respectful of the family's grief, would probably want to look at the issue lucidly before acting.

This is the part that Bryant does not get. He seems to think the fleeting popularity attached to his proposed ban is enough to make it good law.

He is wrong.

>Top

>Top

So what exactly are heartworms and could my dog be in danger?
Amy Herrington is an active Volunteer with MPR

Working in a veterinary clinic and kennel, I am able to interact with a lot of pets and pet owners. Many of these pet owners love their animals and want to keep their pets around as long as possible. It does surprise me though that not as many people know about heartworms as I thought would. So I wanted to write a brief and easy to understand article about heartworms and what people really need to know about them. I have taken the majority of the information in this article from a website called www.peteducation.com and a small percentage is from personal experience by learning from the veterinarian where I work.

Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) are worms that live their adult life in the heart of canines, cats, and ferrets though they are most prevalent in canines. They can grow to the size of thin spaghetti and will ultimately kill a dog if they go untreated. They can multiply to such to a great extent that the heart's chambers and one of the main arteries can become clogged, thus causing the heart to stop beating.

Canines become infected with heartworms through mosquitoes. The mosquitoes pass the larvae (microscopic babies) of heartworms to other canines when they “sting” them. These babies, called microfilaria, live in the bloodstream. The microfilaria travel to the heart through the veins where they become adults. They will then mate and reproduce into the hundreds. If a dog does not receive doses of immiticide (heartworm killer) then they can die in a matter of a couple of years.

Tests can be done on a dog to see if they have microfilaria or adults in their system. A very common method of testing a dog for adult heartworms is by taking a blood sample and putting it into a “snap test”. This is a disposable test that a veterinarian can place a blood sample into and then get results within approximately ten minutes. It will tell you if there are adult worms in the heart by checking for antigens in the blood. If you were searching for microfilaria, then the veterinarian would take a blood sample and smear it onto a slide, which would then be looked at under a microscope. Keep in mind that it is the adult heartworm that actually kills a canine.

Puppies do have the ability to carry the microfiliaria in their bloodstream. However, it takes 6.5 months for microfiliaria to become adults. This means that a puppy under the age of 6 months can go ahead and be placed on heartworm prevention without a severe threat of having adults in the heart. If you want to be sure that a puppy does not have adult worms in the heart or you do not know the exact age of the pup, then go ahead and antigen or “snap test” them to be sure. Though the majority of the time, the test results for puppies under six months will be negative for adult worms.

If your canine is tested as positive for adult heartworms, then you must seek treatment from a veterinarian or your canine will eventually die. The most common method of heartworm treatment is with two injections. The injections are placed deep into the muscles on the back near the spine. One injection is given on the first day and then the other the next day. This is followed up with a dose of heartworm prevention in a couple of weeks, which will kill the microfilaria in the bloodstream. Your dog should be tested one month after treatment to make sure all of the adults were killed. If that test is negative then the dog is usually placed on monthly heartworm prevention and should have one final test in four months to guaranty a true negative reading.

The dog must stay calm after treatment for at least four weeks. Since the heartworms are dissolving, they could cause an artery to clog if the heart rate is accelerated. One aspirin can be given daily to help thin the blood slightly to allow for easier flow. (Make sure that your veterinarian agrees that your specific dog should be taking aspirin before doing so.) Also, the dog is likely to experience pain in its back muscles. Extra cushions and blankets are much appreciated by your friend!

Heartworm prevention should be given to your canine friend in order to protect him from dieing from heartworm disease. There are a number of preventions on the market that are in a chewable or liquid form (which is placed between the shoulders). They are relatively inexpensive and should be given monthly. There is debate if a dog should be given prevention during non-peak mosquito seasons such as winter. It is true that since there are fewer mosquitos in the winter (not including tropical type environments), the chances of microfilaria transmission are considerably less. However, many heartworm preventions on the market today will also prevent a number of other types of worms. Therefore, making year-round use of these preventions more advantageous.

The goal of this article was to give a brief overview of the most important points on heartworms and their prevention. Click here i f you would like to read more on this subject or to view the entire article written by Holly Frisby, DVM, where I have obtained this information.

>Top

If you would like to help a wonderful dog while she/he waits for a forever home, consider fostering a pit bull. They require very responsible foster moms and dads, but they will provide you with hours of laughter and enjoyment. They will also be forever grateful to have had a second chance at a happy life, thanks to you! For more information on foster home requirements, go here.

>Top

Ways To Help MPR
If you love pit bulls and want to make a difference for them you can help MPR in many ways. We hope you can join our team of volunteers and supporters!

Volunteer Support
Donate your time helping MPR by fostering homeless pit bulls, helping care for dogs in boarding, assist with adoption events, printing materials, etc. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out our form HERE.

Financial Support
Donate cash or supplies for saving more pit bulls, assisting with medical expenses and veterinary treatment, boarding costs for dogs without foster homes, food and toys, crates and kennels, adoption events and printed materials, all donations are tax deductible!

*You may donate via PayPal on MPR’s website or checks can be sent to:

Missouri Pit Bull Rescue
PO Box 520043
Independence, MO 64052

Community Support
Educate your neighbors, friends and family on the plight of pit bulls. Encourage responsible pet ownership, spay/neuter your pets, and contact your local representatives to voice your opinions about BSL in your area. Report abuse, neglect or abandonment of animals to local authorities, including any suspected dog-fighting!

Sponsorship Programs
Our Sponsorship programs offer several different ways you can help each dog. If you are interested sponsoring one of our dogs, please go HERE.

>Top

Volunteer of the Month

Ilene is one of the "computer geeks" behind MPR. She keeps the organization running smoothly and makes it easy for MPR volunteers to communicate with each other to save more dogs! Ilene also handles MPR databases, newsletter e-mailings, and tons more. Ilene resides in Maine with her husband, her male pit bull, Cyrus, and her number one girl and MPR alum, Winnie the AB.

>Top

MPR Wish List