MPR Current Events

MPR Gives Thanks!
MPR would like to thank you all for your support this past year. We have had an exciting year with more adoptions than previous years. We are thankful that our message about the plight of pit bulls is reaching farther and farther into area communities and hope to continue our work until the senseless killing of adoptable pit bulls stops. We could not do the wonderful work we do if it weren’t for our volunteers, Board and faithful supporters, and to them all we give a heartfelt thank you!!

MPR has had several adoptions this past month, including Spuds, who has a wonderful life in Nebraska, Chyna, who now lives in Colorado (Lucky Dog!) Meatloaf, the big and beautiful AmBull, Fiesta, adopted locally by a very loving family near Leavenworth, KS, and cutie patootie Rootbeer. who will continue living in Kansas City. Their adoptions have made room for us to rescue several pit bulls who were anxiously waiting on death row at our local shelter, such as Fudge, Lollipop, and two cute puppies. A big kudos to our adoptive parents who recognize how adopting a pit bull from us will save the life of not one but TWO dogs who need help!

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

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Our biggest fund raising campaign ever!

Spirit's leg was badly broken sometime before his rescue. He is experiencing pain that will only get worse in time. There are only two possible solutions for this little guy. Amputation or reconstructive surgery.

MPR can't afford reconstructive surgery alone but with your help, we might be able to give Spirit his Christmas wish. Please help save his leg!

Cost of Reconstructive Surgery: Approx. $2500.00

Received 12/02/04: $2127.00

STILL NEEDED: $373.00

A very, very special thanks to Spirit's supporters:

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Donor the Lifesaver
Look at that happy little Pit Bull grin! Isn’t Donor the sweetest guy you’ve ever seen??!! This dog was abandoned by his owner, and after saving the lives of several pets by donating his blood, he was scheduled to be put down because no one wanted him. Well MPR stepped in with the help of some wonderful supporters and now he is safe! He is hoping that he will get to spend the Holidays with his new forever family!

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MPR is having an adoption event indoors at the PetSmart in Olathe on Dec. 12. We hope you will join us there and meet our wonderful dogs for adoption. Our volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions you have about MPR, pit bulls and how you can help.

DECEMBER ADOPTION EVENT
COME MEET THE MPR DOGS!

Olathe Petsmart
15255 w 119th St. Olathe Ks 66062

Sunday, December 12th
Noon to 3:00pm

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More news on the Canada BSL front - Attorney General Micheal Bryant, who could not even correctly identify an American Pit Bull Terrier on live television recently from other breeds, is on a rampage. But he is obviously mistaken, see the story below:

Breed Read
November 26th, 2004
Toronto Pulse

When is a pit bull not a pit bull? That’s the riddle being pondered in Cambridge, after news that a highly publicized dog attack on a newspaper boy and his mother earlier this month may not have been what it seemed at all.

Twelve-year-old Ricardo Ramirez was on his route, when a dog identified as an American Staffordshire Terrier ran out the front door and badly mauled him. Attorney General Michael Bryant immediately seized on the incident to drive home the need for an all out ban on the breed in Ontario.

But it now appears the dog, named Lyric, wasn’t a pit bull or an American Staffordshire Terrier after all. “It is a mutt,” confirms Bonnie Beekon of the Cambridge Humane Society. “I suspect, between 3 and 5 different crossbreeds of something.”

The animal was sold through a newspaper as an American Staffordshire Terrier but it was never microchipped or tattooed. After the attack, the Humane Society determined it was actually a mix of a Whippet, Great Dane and even some Dalmation.

Tracy Dineley claims it’s ample evidence of why Bryant’s much vaunted breed specific legislation doesn’t have a dog’s leg to stand on.

“It really upsets us when we find out that they say this is what this is, and it is not. And it doesn't look anything like our breed,” she complains.

“There's always going to be another breed that bites. If you condemn the breeds and the purebred dogs, that doesn't save you from crossbred dogs that bite ..."

Bryant’s legislation calls for all pit bulls in the province to be spayed or neutered and muzzled when they’re in public. Owners will be able to keep their pets for the rest of their lives, but won’t be able to get a new one.

Lyric is expected to be euthanized on Monday. Meanwhile, pit bull owners aren’t letting the issue die. They’re planning several rallies provincewide on Sunday to try to nip Bryant’s bill in the bud.

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Do you have a question for Ivy? Write her! She would love to hear from you and help with your training and obedience -and we may even publish your questions in upcoming MPR newsletters!

Ivy Misher is an active Volunteer with MPR, she can be reached at: ivysdogtraining@yahoo.com

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• BSL Movie
  (A very informative cartoon about why BSL doesn't work -By Zoe Keppler)
  
  
• A Pit Bull Christmas Poem
  (Author Unknown)
  Twas the night before Christmas and the shelter is dark,
  The whole place is silent, not even a bark.
  The dogs are all locked in their pens for the night,
  The staff has gone home and turned out the light.
  As I lay my head on the cold concrete floor,
  I fondly recall the home I had before.
  The family I loved who loved me right back,
  We'd share everything from a secret to snack.
  Things couldn't be better at this time last year,
  But that has all changed and now I am here.
  I won't see the tree, the lights or the snow,
  I'm scared and alone, my spirits are low.
  The others like me weren't put up for adoption,
  A new family and home, for us aren't an option.
  We've been locked up in cells as if we're all crooks,
  We don't deserve homes because of our looks.
  Not Diesel, or Bingo or the young one named Percy,
  Deserve to be loved nor shown any mercy.
  While families celebrate holiday cheer,
  I know in my heart that my end is near.
  The vet will arrive, the lights will go on,
  By the time you awake, we all will be gone.
  A stranger will come and take me away,
  I'll never awake to see another day.
  As I close my eyes I'll shed you a tear,
  The fond memories I'll always keep near.
  The only thing I've ever asked of Santa Claus,
  Is to stop all these unfair, ridiculous laws.
  You said without me, your life was not full,
  So why does it matter that I'm a "pitbull"?.
  
  In my dream Santa shouts when he's finished his deed,
  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL REGARDLESS OF BREED!

We are Accepting Submissions!
We want to hear from you! Send us your pit bull-related artwork, poems, stories, games, etc. for possible publication in upcoming MPR Newsletters! All entries or suggestions for future newsletter features are welcome, just send to: mel@pbrc.net

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David Tant, a 57-year-old North Charleston resident, pleaded guilty in Greenwood County to 41 counts of dogfighting and one count of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.

The sentence by Circuit Judge Wyatt Saunders is believed to be the heaviest levied against anyone charged with dogfighting in South Carolina, the state attorney general’s office said. It also is one of the heaviest handed out nationally, said Sandy Christiansen, a dogfighting expert with the Humane Society of the United States.

Tant can shave 10 years off the sentence if he pays more than $100,000 in restitution for activities associated with the crimes. But he must serve the bulk of the remaining 30 years, prosecutor Jennifer Evans said.

“This sends a message to dogfighters and people who would participate in this vicious, brutal activity that there are consequences for their actions,” Attorney General Henry McMaster said. “This man deserved a substantial sentence. He has been doing this for years.”

Tant has long been associated with dogfighting, from advertisements in magazines linked to the sport to breeding animals for use in fighting, South Carolina authorities say. Christiansen said Tant sold fighting dogs nationally and internationally.

Tant ran into trouble last spring after a surveyor was shot and injured by a booby-trapped gun on Tant’s property. That led authorities to raid his land, where they seized 47 pit bulls and other materials as evidence.

Tant said little in court Monday and was taken to jail after the guilty pleas. Family members, hoping to minimize the sentence, had argued that Tant was a good, churchgoing man. Tant faced more than 200 years in prison on all the charges.

“We know he’s made a mistake. He’s a good man. He’s not the bad man he appears through all of this,” said Tant’s sister, Linda.

Efforts to reach Tant’s attorney, Dale Cobb, were unsuccessful Monday.

McMaster said resolution of the case gives state prosecutors experience and legal precedent to move forward with a crackdown on dogfighting.

Since a state dogfighting task force was formed last spring, authorities have made criminal cases against at least 28 people. The attorney general’s office has cases pending against at least 22 people. Charges may be brought against people associated with Tant, prosecutors said. Until this year, cases against dogfighters in South Carolina have been sporadic.

The Humane Society of the United States hailed the state’s successful prosecution of Tant as an important message to dogfighters nationwide.

“Mr. Tant has been around a long time in this business,” the Humane Society’s Eric Sakach said. “This is a good thing for South Carolina and a good thing nationally.”

McMaster and animal welfare groups say the sport is barbaric and cruel to animals, while also attracting high-stakes gamblers and drug dealers.

About 40,000 people are estimated to participate in dogfighting across the country. According to a police training video shown recently in Columbia, dogfighting is a $500 million underground industry nationally.

Tant’s guilty plea means more than 40 pit bulls he owned will be put to death.

The animals have been kept on what Tant called “death row” in a Charleston County shelter since spring, pending resolution of the trial. But Charlie Karesh, a shelter official, said the pit bulls are too vicious to adopt out and should be euthanized. Housing them cost the county more than $100,000.

“We would be liable, and Charleston County would be liable, if we were to put one of these animals out to the public and it tore somebody up or tore up another animal,” Karesh said.

Monday’s guilty pleas brought an abrupt end to a trial filled with unusual twists and turns.

Opening arguments were delayed three days last week after Tant fell on a flight of stairs and was hospitalized. That prompted Cobb to seek a delay in the trial.

But Saunders ruled Friday that Tant was fit to stand trial after hearing a report from doctors who had treated him. After Tant left the hospital, Saunders revoked Tant’s bond and ordered him to jail.

Last week’s proceedings also brought allegations from state prosecutors of witness tampering by someone sympathetic to Tant’s case.

The trial had been moved from Charleston to Greenwood County because of pretrial publicity.

Tant can reduce his sentence if he reimburses Charleston County the more-than $100,000 it has cost to house the dogs since April, and by reimbursing medical expenses for a man shot on his property.

Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537 or sfretwell@thestate.com.The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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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.

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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.

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Volunteer of the Month

As our system administrator, Rob is the geek behind the organization. He builds, updates, and maintains the complete system (servers and network) that hosts MPR. Without this behind-the-scenes work, MPR would not be able to operate so efficiently and save the lives of unwanted pit bulls. In this season of thanks, it’s important to remember he whose expertise makes MPR possible—Thanks Rob!!

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MPR Wish List