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Riverside County, CA is having some trouble with dog bite prevention. In October 2013, Riverside County Animal Services ushered breed specific legislation in to unincorporated parts of the county in the form of a mandatory spay/neuter law that targets families who own dogs described as ‘pit bulls.’  They’d hoped to promote public safety through this ordinance and, by focusing law enforcement resources on sterilization, decrease the number of dog bite incidents. That move came on the heels of a well publicized attack involving two mixed breed dogs described as �Australian shepherd pit bull mixes.�  “It’s time to say enough is enough,” County Supervisor John Tavaglione said. “I’m tired of seeing innocent people hurt.�  LINK Debates leading up to the ordinance stirred the usual pit bull breed myths and stereotypes in online discussion and news stories, but did not bring additional funding for animal control officials, bite pr...

Are the holidays always so filled with nostalgia, or was this year special?  Just yesterday, on the last day of 2014, we said a sad good-bye to Barn Dog alumna  Sassy  – a regal elderbull who first came to us from a dusty hoarding case in SoCA. She lived a very happy two years with her adopters, and died of mass cell cancer under the tears of her biggest fans, the Blechman Rivera family.  Photos  Bettina Crawford Photography Life ends, Life begins.  And on the first day of this New Year, our team tended to a small litter of  puppies  who’ve just* started to scuffle around. They currently look like wrinkled old men, trying out their new legs. The pups and their most wonderful mom  Waffles  came to us two weeks ago from Yolo County Animal Services and promise a lifetime of fond memories to their future adopters. Life demands that we keep moving forward.  In the middle of the sad news and those busy tasks, w...

Christmas is such an exciting time, not just for us but also for our pets. We tend to be home on holidays, there are more people coming and going and the kids are home from school. But with all the fuss and excitement comes some hidden dangers for our pets, some of which you may not have considered… Christmas trees and decorations: Christmas trees, both real and artificial, can be irresistible to curious cats and playful puppies. All that bright and shimmery tinsel, flashing lights and hanging decorations can make exciting new toys to play with. As lovely as they are to look at, tree decorations can be hazardous. Baubles can break and cut paws if they’re stood on and decorations can cause choking or gastrointestinal obstruction if eaten. Christmas tree lights pose an electric shock risk when they’re turned on with puppies, kittens and rabbits most likely to chew on them. Cats and kittens may also be tempted to climb the tree as it provides a high vantage point and this could easil...

Dealing with hate-think and discrimination  is familiar turf for many pit bull owners. We�ve become pros at navigating situations where fear-based judgment can pose real threats to our canine family members. We fight breed bans by wearing thick skins and arming ourselves with facts to help educate, and we participate in creating effective animal laws and policies that reflect contemporary science while embracing canines as the individuals that they are. The animal welfare community as a whole has done beautiful work to disarm the stigmas and stereotypes attached to blocky headed dogs, and trends are swinging towards game changing Owner Support programs that are fueled by empathy for families in our communities. We�re evolving � At least in some corners. In recent months,  some of our rescue partners have been hit with a different form of stereotyping crisis in their personal lives.  As animal advocates,  they�ve been heroes.  But as immigrants,  they�r...

This post was written in response to those who asked why representatives from dog advocacy group BADRAP chose to participate in the Jan 21 Women’s March. Last Saturday , we canceled classes and lifted foster dog  Lolo  into our car along with some quickly made signs and headed downtown to  Oakland’s Women’s March . We didn’t know what to expect to be honest, but – serendipity – the first people we ran into were former adopters with their three young kids. Kids and families with handmade signs were everywhere, in fact. We were definitely at the right place. We soon had to give up on keeping track of our friends – The crowd was just too massive. (One  in 45 California residents marched. An estimated 100K counted in Oakland and upwards of  4.6+ million  just in the US). While waiting for some kind of announcement to signal the start, we were squeezed into a shoulder to shoulder, slow motion lava flow down Madison Street with the impressively resilient Lol...

Now seeking a very special Super Hero who has the vision and fortitude to help us ramp up our  Keep’Em Home  work in the SF East Bay.  Thank you for sharing with your community-minded friends and colleagues. Keep’Em Home Manager Part Time Position Opening

October�s dappled light likes teasing us into reflecting on life’s lessons and mysteries. In the spirit of celebrating our bond with dogs, our supporters have been sharing some truly remarkable stories of the power of dogs to change, and in many cases, to save the lives of their people. (When you can, please visit this amazing facebook thread for  reflections on profound personal change .) 2014 has been an especially good year  for activating lessons learned from living with dogs. At no time in our eons long history with canines have humans had access to so much  credible information  regarding dog behavior, bite prevention and the all-important human element in creating and maintaining safe, humane communities. That swell of knowledge is changing us for the better. As a result of dog owner education for example, the number of reported dog bites has been plummeting in many major cities. ( Link ) This year, we�re happy to see Aurora, Colorado put its toe ...