miakoda
09-03-2006, 09:45 PM
Is this you quoted here? :confused:
Fighting breedism
September 03,2006
Kelley Chambers (http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Stories.cfm&ByReporter=Kelley Chambers&Section=News) http://www.jdnews.com/GlobalImages/popup_icon.gif
daily news staffWhen Josh Gobin walks one of his seven pit bulls in public, passersby always keep a noticeable distance.
It’s what Gobin refers to as “breedism.”
“It really hurts and saddens (my wife and I) when our dogs are stereotyped everywhere we go,” said Gobin, 33. “The most you have to fear from my dogs are licks and kisses.”
Gobin is an American pitbull terrier breeder and owner of Infernal Kennels, LLC. An active pitbull advocate, Gobin is part of a growing class of local dog breeders who are trying to expose the true temperament of “bully” dogs like the pitbull to prove that not all are dangerous.
Which is why Gobin held the first annual “Muscle Up or Go Home” All Breed Weight Pull in Richlands. Saturday and Sunday’s event is an opportunity for dogs to compete in various Olympic-type activities testing strength and discipline.
It is these two qualities that make up the soul of a pitbull or American bulldog, according to Gobin.
“We are continually defending our dogs,” said Gobin. “The require an immense amount of exercise and structure and shouldn’t be owned by just anyone.”
Dogs of all ages and breeds gave it their all Saturday, whether in the “hang time” rope event, the tug-of-war, a showy confirmation or in the weight pull. Strapped to a harness, large breed dogs like the pit bull are known for pulling as much as 8,000 pounds on a rail-type cart at a weight pull.
“A lot of people think I’m crazy for starting my dogs on the weights as puppies,” said Gobin. “The earlier the better. They need to be used to people touching them.”
What sounds like an excrutiating task is actually beneficial for these loyal “bully” breeds, as they not only keep the dog in great physical shape but develop structured discipline and an important bond between dog and handler during training, Gobin said.
Alexis Westra and her mother Kelly drove from Sumter, S.C., to give Alexis and their friend’s pit puppy, Bayou, a shot at the gold. With a second place ribbon in the junior handler event, Alexis was proud of her first win.
“I was trying to make him look good and win,” said Alexis, 6.
Weight pull co-organizer Jason Sams has been breeding American bulldogs since he was 16. His said his wife, Annie, treats their dogs like babies. But like Gobin’s dogs, the Sams’ four bulldogs are classified as bully dogs and are a feared breed because of their sheer size and muscle mass.
“I hate it because pitbulls and bulldogs are bred to be people-loving dogs, they are born to protect,” said Sams, 27. “Over the years, though, people have explored their natural aggression and have turned it around.”
Sams said people who use this loyalty to their advantage through prize-fighting give the entire breed a bad name, one that has led to their ban altogether in some towns.
“I would say 30 to 50 percent of (pit bulls) are bred just for fighting,” said Sams. “The rest are pets, they make great pets.”
Charlotte is currently pushing for a city-wide ban on pit bulls, according to Gobin, something he, Sams and other are trying to fight.
It’s not fair that an entire breed has to suffer, said Gobin, when there are so many who are non-threatening.
It’s usually the owners themselves who either do not give them the attention they need or use their devotion to the handler as a training tool to help them as fighters, he said.
“The loyalty works really good for them or against them,” said Gobin.
Bill and Allison Shuler of Maysville showed their pitbull Bodee in one of Saturday’s confirmations, and both agreed with Gobin that the way a pitbull is bred will determine how the pitbull expresses its aggression.
Bill breeds his pits not as fighters, but as “game” breeds, meaning he works with the dog’s natural aggressive qualities in a positive way.
“Some are bred for show and some stayed true to its game roots,” said Shuler, 35, owner of BGFU Kennels. “And my three boys are hands-on from day one with them as puppies.”
As for those still wary of pit bulls, Gobin hopes events like the weight pull can introduce them to some canines with class.
“Support is really growing in this area,” said Gobin. “The response has been overwhelming, and the weight pull shows that we want to do something positive.”
Contact Kelley Chambers at kchambers@freedomenc.com (kchambers@freedomenc.com) or 353-1171, ext. 235.
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Fighting breedism
September 03,2006
Kelley Chambers (http://www.jdnews.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Stories.cfm&ByReporter=Kelley Chambers&Section=News) http://www.jdnews.com/GlobalImages/popup_icon.gif
daily news staffWhen Josh Gobin walks one of his seven pit bulls in public, passersby always keep a noticeable distance.
It’s what Gobin refers to as “breedism.”
“It really hurts and saddens (my wife and I) when our dogs are stereotyped everywhere we go,” said Gobin, 33. “The most you have to fear from my dogs are licks and kisses.”
Gobin is an American pitbull terrier breeder and owner of Infernal Kennels, LLC. An active pitbull advocate, Gobin is part of a growing class of local dog breeders who are trying to expose the true temperament of “bully” dogs like the pitbull to prove that not all are dangerous.
Which is why Gobin held the first annual “Muscle Up or Go Home” All Breed Weight Pull in Richlands. Saturday and Sunday’s event is an opportunity for dogs to compete in various Olympic-type activities testing strength and discipline.
It is these two qualities that make up the soul of a pitbull or American bulldog, according to Gobin.
“We are continually defending our dogs,” said Gobin. “The require an immense amount of exercise and structure and shouldn’t be owned by just anyone.”
Dogs of all ages and breeds gave it their all Saturday, whether in the “hang time” rope event, the tug-of-war, a showy confirmation or in the weight pull. Strapped to a harness, large breed dogs like the pit bull are known for pulling as much as 8,000 pounds on a rail-type cart at a weight pull.
“A lot of people think I’m crazy for starting my dogs on the weights as puppies,” said Gobin. “The earlier the better. They need to be used to people touching them.”
What sounds like an excrutiating task is actually beneficial for these loyal “bully” breeds, as they not only keep the dog in great physical shape but develop structured discipline and an important bond between dog and handler during training, Gobin said.
Alexis Westra and her mother Kelly drove from Sumter, S.C., to give Alexis and their friend’s pit puppy, Bayou, a shot at the gold. With a second place ribbon in the junior handler event, Alexis was proud of her first win.
“I was trying to make him look good and win,” said Alexis, 6.
Weight pull co-organizer Jason Sams has been breeding American bulldogs since he was 16. His said his wife, Annie, treats their dogs like babies. But like Gobin’s dogs, the Sams’ four bulldogs are classified as bully dogs and are a feared breed because of their sheer size and muscle mass.
“I hate it because pitbulls and bulldogs are bred to be people-loving dogs, they are born to protect,” said Sams, 27. “Over the years, though, people have explored their natural aggression and have turned it around.”
Sams said people who use this loyalty to their advantage through prize-fighting give the entire breed a bad name, one that has led to their ban altogether in some towns.
“I would say 30 to 50 percent of (pit bulls) are bred just for fighting,” said Sams. “The rest are pets, they make great pets.”
Charlotte is currently pushing for a city-wide ban on pit bulls, according to Gobin, something he, Sams and other are trying to fight.
It’s not fair that an entire breed has to suffer, said Gobin, when there are so many who are non-threatening.
It’s usually the owners themselves who either do not give them the attention they need or use their devotion to the handler as a training tool to help them as fighters, he said.
“The loyalty works really good for them or against them,” said Gobin.
Bill and Allison Shuler of Maysville showed their pitbull Bodee in one of Saturday’s confirmations, and both agreed with Gobin that the way a pitbull is bred will determine how the pitbull expresses its aggression.
Bill breeds his pits not as fighters, but as “game” breeds, meaning he works with the dog’s natural aggressive qualities in a positive way.
“Some are bred for show and some stayed true to its game roots,” said Shuler, 35, owner of BGFU Kennels. “And my three boys are hands-on from day one with them as puppies.”
As for those still wary of pit bulls, Gobin hopes events like the weight pull can introduce them to some canines with class.
“Support is really growing in this area,” said Gobin. “The response has been overwhelming, and the weight pull shows that we want to do something positive.”
Contact Kelley Chambers at kchambers@freedomenc.com (kchambers@freedomenc.com) or 353-1171, ext. 235.
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