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January 5, 2010 : 9:29 AM ET

The Pit Bull Hoax is an educational DVD. Its intended purpose is to remove existing Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) from the law books and prevent any cities, counties and states from enacting BSL.

As of 2009, 41 states have BSL or are considering it in its legislature. Additionally, various insurance companies, housing authorities and other groups have a list of "dangerous dogs" that totals 75 breeds.

Featuring interviews with: Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Jean Donaldson, Dr Ian Dunbar, Diane Jessup and Jane Berkey.

Copies of The Pit Bull Hoax DVD are offered free of charge to legislators, media and anyone who is attempting to educate people as to why BSL is not effective in reducing dog bites or human fatalities related to dog bites.

The shipping and handling fee is $4.95. When you click on the "Add to Cart" button, you will be redirected to a secure server (PayPal) to order the DVD and pay the shipping and handling fee by credit card (VISA, MC, AMEX, Discover).

To order your FREE copy of The Pit Bull Hoax DVD, email this request form and pay shipping and handling costs below. Please contact us for bulk shipping and handling rates if you need more than one copy for a special event.

Here's what people are saying about The Pit Bull Hoax:

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/story/1378374.html?story_link=email_msg

A woman left her Cutler Bay home rather than give up her dog, an outlawed pit bull in Miami-Dade County.

Yvette Kooistra is in the front lines to fight a Miami-Dade law that bans pit bulls.

It's been a long battle.

Kooistra left her Cutler Bay home two years ago after her then 3-year-old pit-bull mix, Baby, was confiscated by the county.

She had previously received a $500 fine and a court order to remove the dog, the penalty for breaking the ordinance preventing the ownership of pit bulls in the county.

Kooistra, 60, hired an attorney to regain ownership of Baby. When plans to have a friend in the Florida Keys take care of Baby fell through, she fled there herself. Kooistra spent five months living out of a hotel, maxing out her credit card and spending through her savings, before finding a place to live and a job at a pet grooming place making $8 an hour.

Miami-Dade residents are banned from owning pit bulls. Any dog fitting the physical characteristics of a pit bull by more than 51 percent may also be banned.

Kooistra is a member of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, an animal advocacy group founded in October 2008, dedicated to abolishing this law.

``This ordinance, basically, is the version of racial profiling,'' said Dahlia Canes, a founder and director of the coalition. ``It is discriminatory. It is unjust. Thousands of innocent animals are targeted on a daily basis in Dade County.''

Kathy Labrada, investigation supervisor for Miami-Dade Animal Services, said the criteria used to determine if a dog is a pit bull is based entirely on appearance. She said the ordinance applies to dogs with the physical characteristics of an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier or Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Dr. Sara Pizano, director of Miami-Dade Animal Services, said about 800 pit bulls and pit-bull mixes are abandoned in her shelter every year.

She said the shelter is able to work with rescue groups to have some of the dogs relocated out of the county depending on their temperament.

``Not a huge percentage [of the dogs] are pulled, but that would be an option if they're not aggressive,'' she said.

The ordinance was passed by county commissioners in 1989 after a young girl was mauled by a dog classified as a pit bull.

The Florida Legislature later passed a law to prevent further bans on specific canine breeds, so the ban is only observed in Miami-Dade County. However, Sunrise does require pit bulls to be muzzled and leashed in public.

Kelly Fiterman, a resident of Sunrise, said she supports the city ordinance. Her 9-year-old mix breed, Chino, was attacked on two separate occasions by different pit bulls in Snyder Park and required surgery after the second attack left him with a softball-sized abscess on his neck.

``They had to open him up, and he had a drain in his neck for a week,'' she said.

Chino's surgeries cost Fiterman $2,000.

Across the nation, other communities in Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Kansas, Ohio and Colorado have imposed pit-bull bans similar to Miami-Dade's to protect residents and their pets.

Canes, from the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, said a ban in Denver is one of the most heavily challenged.

``The two [biggest movements against breed specific legislation] are in Denver and Miami,'' she added.

Meanwhile, Kooistra remains in the Keys to keep her beloved dog. She calls herself a prisoner in paradise.

``It's pretty rough,'' she said. ``I'm away from my family. I used to see my grandsons every day. It's affected my life like nothing ever has. It's a beautiful place to live, but most people who live here [in the Keys] have money.''

Watch video: click below

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,52925818001_1943278,00.html

There's something especially loathsome about torturing helpless creatures for fun and profit. And evidence of torture is what investigators found on July 8, when federal and local authorities working in teams across eight states staged the largest raid in history against the underground dogfighting racket. Twenty-six people were arrested (five of whom are scheduled to be sentenced to as much as five years in prison on Dec. 8 in St. Louis, Mo.), and more than 500 dogs were rescued, most of them pit bull terriers.

The cruelty visited on the canines is harrowing. Some had been pulled behind cars to build up their stamina, their necks scarred by heavy collars and logging chains. Many had lost eyes, lips and limbs in battle. But it is hard to say whether they, generally the victors, secured the better fate or whether the vanquished were in fact the lucky ones: fighting dogs who lose are routinely hanged, drowned or electrocuted. (See pictures of dogs rescued from a life of fighting.)

The raid revealed a brutal paradox. Large-scale crackdowns like this one are rare precisely because the dogfighting business mistreats so many dogs. Busting a breeder means taking custody of the dogs, yet no police department or sheriff's office has the resources to kennel, treat and attempt to rehabilitate dozens, let alone hundreds, of abused animals. Indeed, this raid could not have happened without the extraordinary cooperation of the Humane Society of Missouri. Supported by animal-protection agencies and volunteers from across the country, the society equipped an empty warehouse with hundreds of wire pens to hold the victims, recruited veterinarians and secured tons of food. (See pictures of puppies behind bars.)

When the rescued dogs arrived, the warehouse became a riot of barking, growling, whimpering — and the first loving human tones the animals had ever experienced. The population soon swelled as pregnant females delivered more than 100 puppies. The exact location of this St. Louis — area haven remained a well-guarded secret, however, because some of those puppies and dogs can be worth more than $5,000 each on the black market. (See a video of the rescued pit bulls.)

If this sounds like a dog lover's more-the-merrier fantasy — 101 Dalmatians times five — think again. The rehabilitation of even one fighting dog is a long and uncertain project. First comes the medical care. Beyond their obvious wounds and infections, some of the dogs arrive with broken ribs and internal injuries — from being kicked. After the physical exams comes a psychological evaluation. Experienced animal handlers gauge the dog's mental condition: How aggressive is it? How traumatized? How far gone? This screening is a final life-or-death ordeal for a dog, because a fighter that cannot be tamed must be euthanized. (See pictures of a dog breed that is dying out.)

Those receiving a positive prognosis, however, may be placed in a sort of halfway house for old fighters — a place like Tiffany McBee's Broken Hearts, Mended Souls Rescue in Fulton, Mo. Programs like McBee's will try to prepare the abused dogs for adoption, which doesn't happen overnight. "They need time to decompress" from the stress of their violent upbringing and the cacophony of the warehouse, McBee explains. An animal that was raised in secret, hidden in remote woods, tethered by heavy chain to a buried axle, suddenly finds itself chilling in suburbia. "They have to learn: What is a couch? What is the TV? Are they going to be able to adjust in an appropriate way?" says McBee. "We have to teach them manners."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1942950,00.html#ixzz0YjbrAuTN

PART 2

Such socialization can require months of effort, and even if the process proves a success, the old gladiator may never be entirely tamed. It's still unwise, experts say, to place a former fighting dog in a home with other pets or crawling children. After all, they have been bred and raised and terrorized to kill four-legged creatures. Do the math: The sort of person who would be willing to make a pet of a rehabilitated fighting dog is, by nature, an animal lover. And animal lovers tend to have pets already. The supply of suitable homes — loving but petless — is therefore small. (See pictures of the Obama family's Bo and other presidential dogs.)

Meanwhile, the number of dogs from the raid that are fit for adoption is turning out to be much higher than expected. When the animals were seized, the Humane Society anticipated that most of them would have to be put down because of their injuries or their temperament. In fact, more than half the adult dogs and almost all the puppies are still alive nearly five months later. About 200 have been placed in private homes or in rescue programs like McBee's. But that still leaves more than 100 dogs in kennels at the warehouse. (See pictures from the World's Ugliest Dog show.)

Of course, in the midst of all this passionate effort, the animal shelters of Missouri and elsewhere continue to receive the usual sad supply of abandoned, neglected and lost pets, most of them doomed to the needle. Does it make sense, some wonder, to go to heroic lengths to save potentially violent dogs while harmless strays die hardly noticed? For that matter, how high a priority is the shortage of homes for fighting dogs in a country where options are too often scarce for the human children of abusive parents? (See TIME's photo-essay "Strays to the Rescue.")

Hard questions. But the answers, as we grope for them, should not be clouded by misplaced blame. A number of towns across the country have passed ordinances banning pit bulls, but what are we really seeing in the bared teeth of a snarling dog? These often terrifying animals demand pity because they have had the misfortune of meeting up with the most dangerous breed of all: the human. "Pit bulls have gotten this bad reputation because of the type of people who own them," says Humane Society investigator Tim Rickey, who led the July rescue. If these muscular terriers have a flaw, their defenders maintain, it is an excess of devotion. "Their love for humans is why this breed is in trouble," says McBee. "They will take the abuse." Placed with the right companion, their devotion becomes a virtue — as Helen Keller knew. One of her pets was a pit bull.

— With reporting by Karen Ball / Kansas City, Mo.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1942950-2,00.html#ixzz0YjclBKSZ

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MIAMI -- Twenty years ago, Dade County enacted an ordinance banning the ownership of pit bull terriers. But that hasn't stopped some from owning the breed.

Since 2006, Miami-Dade County Animal Control has issued over 1,000 citations for illegal ownership of pit bulls.

While Florida law no longer permits breed banning ordinances, some say more needs to be done to protect people and pets from dangerous dogs, not just pit bulls.

Kelly Fiterman said Chino, her 9-year-old German shepherd mix, is a docile dog. That's why she was stunned when he was suddenly attacked during a visit to a dog park.

"I was hosing him off, about ready to leave. We walked past an 80 pound pit bull. The dog just lunged at him, grabbed him by the neck and held held on for dear life," Fiterman said.

The incident left Chino with a severe neck injury that required expensive emergency surgery.

Immediately after the attack, Fiterman contacted local officials, asking them to ban pit bulls from dog parks.

For years, the city of Sunrise has required that pit bulls be muzzled and kept on a six-foot leash at the Markham Park Dog Park.

But according to South Florida dog trainer Tim Mullally, breed legislation isn't the answer.

"For every breed we outlaw, there's going to be two or three more waiting in the wings," Mullally said. "Breeds can be designed and developed and created virtually overnight. The important thing is to work against the breeding."

According to Mullally, with dogs that have been bred for aggression socialization needs to start before they are 12 weeks of age, introduce the dog to people of all ages and other animals. Owners then have to follow up with proper training.

"People are attacked to the mean dog," Mullally said. "They want to feel safe and they feel that a mean dog keeps them safe. But it really doesn't. A well-trained dog keeps them safe. A mean dog makes them liable."

Mullally says it's vital that people report vicious dog attacks, no matter what the breed.

Fiterman admits that's something she didn't do. But her calls for action from local officials have not fallen on deaf ears.

"I hope something's done about it. I don't want anyone else to be in this position," she said.

Broward County Commissioner Lois Wexler recently asked the Animal Care Advisory Committee to submit a recommendation regarding the handling of aggressive dogs, specifically whether owners of aggressive dogs should be required to keep them muzzled in public.

A response is not expected for several weeks.

SALT LAKE CITY - Salt Lake County Animal Services are starting a new program in order to change the perception and to prevent euthanization of pitbulls. Shawni Larrabee, director of Animal Services said there are too many pitbulls being put to sleep. About 22 percent of animals brought to the shelter are pitbulls and 76 percent of all pitbulls are euthanized.

The program is focused on putting together a more comprehensive, humane and community oriented program to prevent euthanization of pitbulls. All the dogs in the shelter will receive training and the shelter encourages the adopters to continue the program in order to bond with the pitbull and to ensure a successful transition into a new home.

Cesar Millan has pulled a switcheroo and is going for the younger set when the season gets under way Friday. Millan is not rehabbing  problem dogs as in previous episodes. The calm and assertive trainer is raising puppies and hoping to show viewers how to ensure their puppies become balanced like Daddy on Dog Whisperer: How to Raise the Perfect Dog (National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m. ET).

Daddy is his Pitbull, whom he says becomes a super nanny to other dogs, including the pups. His new book goes by the same title, How to Raise the Perfect Dog (Harmony Books, $25.99).

Millan did a teleconference with half a dozen bloggers Thursday, including moi, to discuss the episodes and book.  It was totally unscripted. We asked. He answered. The guy sounds brilliant to me when it comes to dogs.  I'm splitting this Q&A into two parts. Second part is coming on Saturday.

Q: Why write about puppies?
A: I have raised many dogs in my life. I have never experienced aggression when you raise a dog properly and fulfill their needs properly, which in a way contradicts my show. I actually run a business that deals with unstable dogs and in away this book is going to run me out of business. The blue print of this book is how to relate to the world, how to relate to children, how to relate to everything, including roller blades and cats. Everything you want in the future is best if we do it at an early age. It's important not to nurture insecurity or anxiety. People hear a cute puppy wimpering and want to calm him,  and that's a problem. I believe agression is not the problem, it's the outcome of a problem. They're not born that way. We make them that way.

Q: What's different about working with puppies?
A. When you're working with puppies,  it's all new to them and amazing to them. It's interesting to watch how they analyze things. You have to be very aware of their bladder.  That to me is one of the most challenging parts to learn. You need to set the dog to succeed and not to fail. But I think I am in an advantage in that I've raised so many dogs that are balanced. A lot of my dogs, like Daddy, become the super nanny. He treats all of them equally. Alot of times people have a preconception that Bulldogs are going to be stubborn. I made sure I brought four different breeds to the new show.  It's not so much the breed that creates this but the energy you bring home. I brought four medium energy puppies to this show and book. I have a chapter on how not to raise Marley. How can you prevent from having a dog like that?

Q: Tips for one dog household?
A: Dogs are social species. Very important you get to know your neighbors and know which dogs are in your neighborhood and are balanced.  It's an older dog that teaches the puppy the manners of a dog. If you have one dog, you need to find neighbors who have an older dog to relate with your dog.  That way, by walking with another neighbor's dogs, they learn to be balanced and they learn how to respond to things. The older dog will say 'Don't worry about it. It's just a tree.'   We have to learn how to practice calm assertive energy. My goal is to create a society of pack leaders who loves their dogs. Right now we live in a society of dog lovers and the dogs control their lives. We have to practice leadership with affection.

Q:  What's best way to determine a dog's true energy level at a shelter?
A: Sometimes it's a pent up energy, sometimes it's real. When a dog is a little bit nervous or sad he's not going to show you his energy, he's going to show you what his mind is going through at that time. Those dogs are going to require a human who understands rehabilitation. For a lot of dogs in shelters, even though they had bad experiences,  their state of mind doesn't change. That's a blessing from God in my opinion. You have to go inside a shelter with an inner silence so we can really pick up on the dog's energy. Make sure you do two or three rounds around the shelter. Make sure your family comes as well.  The decision has to be made by the pack. You want to make sure you have an agreement as a family because the dog is going to sense this feeling. And don't go in there feeling sorry for them.

Q: What is the most common mistake people make when training a puppy?
A: Fulfilling a puppy is key. Training doesn't equal balance. Balance doesn't equal training. I'd rather fulfill a dog so he can achieve balance. Once he's balanced I can train him extremely easy. Balance means you're not afraid of anything.

Continued here.