Marty
10-31-2004, 12:02 PM
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Vancouver Canada
KELOWNA -- Except for a lot of barking and a few warning nips, the "Bully Pride Parade" went off without a scratch this weekend.
About 40 Okanagan pit-bull owners brought their dogs to Kelowna City Hall, where the controversial breed rolled in the grass, sniffed each other and occasionally licked noses.
"These breeds like to lie on the couch like everyone else . . . They're a touch flatulent at times," said Vernon resident Phil Blake, who was busy petting Chance, his massive white-and-brown pit bull. "I'm concerned about the bad publicity they get. You get a few bad apples."
The breed made recent headlines when the owners of a small north Okanagan dog killed by a pit bull asked B.C. to follow Ontario's lead and consider banning the terriers.
Dog owners who gathered in downtown Kelowna yesterday want to show the breed's cuddly side and passed out flyers urging people to "ban the deed, not the breed."
Rally organizer Jenny Giesbrecht said one look at the diverse crowd of pit-bull owners should debunk the myth that the dogs are only kept by people to protect illicit pot operations.
"The owners of these dogs aren't just a bunch of criminals and rednecks. [Pit bulls] are great family pets," she said.
Salmon Arm resident Gerald Lunzmann brought his 18-month-old puppy, Rocky, to the rally. Lunzmann said he bought a pit bull because he heard they were reliable and friendly -- as long as you train them right.
"He's so friendly. I just don't see what the problem is with these dogs," Lunzmann said.
Michelle Tondevold brought her two beige pit bulls from Summerland. The former Penticton SPCA worker said she's been bitten by plenty of cocker spaniels and a "very angry chihuahua," but never by any of the pit bulls.
"The nicest dogs that we got were the pit bulls. They were the easiest to train and the easiest to re-socialize," she added.
Tondevold noted that the dogs are very strong and need to be trained and socialized properly. But she says she has no hesitation in letting her burly bulls play with her two-year-old.
Still, not all onlookers were impressed by the muscular parade.
One woman watched warily from her car as the group passed by.
"I don't trust them," she said through a crack in her window. "They're intimidating."
As she spoke, her own small, fluffy dog growled from the back seat, its face pressed up against the window.
B.C. Solicitor-General Rich Coleman has said a ban on the breed is not being considered in this province.
Vancouver Canada
KELOWNA -- Except for a lot of barking and a few warning nips, the "Bully Pride Parade" went off without a scratch this weekend.
About 40 Okanagan pit-bull owners brought their dogs to Kelowna City Hall, where the controversial breed rolled in the grass, sniffed each other and occasionally licked noses.
"These breeds like to lie on the couch like everyone else . . . They're a touch flatulent at times," said Vernon resident Phil Blake, who was busy petting Chance, his massive white-and-brown pit bull. "I'm concerned about the bad publicity they get. You get a few bad apples."
The breed made recent headlines when the owners of a small north Okanagan dog killed by a pit bull asked B.C. to follow Ontario's lead and consider banning the terriers.
Dog owners who gathered in downtown Kelowna yesterday want to show the breed's cuddly side and passed out flyers urging people to "ban the deed, not the breed."
Rally organizer Jenny Giesbrecht said one look at the diverse crowd of pit-bull owners should debunk the myth that the dogs are only kept by people to protect illicit pot operations.
"The owners of these dogs aren't just a bunch of criminals and rednecks. [Pit bulls] are great family pets," she said.
Salmon Arm resident Gerald Lunzmann brought his 18-month-old puppy, Rocky, to the rally. Lunzmann said he bought a pit bull because he heard they were reliable and friendly -- as long as you train them right.
"He's so friendly. I just don't see what the problem is with these dogs," Lunzmann said.
Michelle Tondevold brought her two beige pit bulls from Summerland. The former Penticton SPCA worker said she's been bitten by plenty of cocker spaniels and a "very angry chihuahua," but never by any of the pit bulls.
"The nicest dogs that we got were the pit bulls. They were the easiest to train and the easiest to re-socialize," she added.
Tondevold noted that the dogs are very strong and need to be trained and socialized properly. But she says she has no hesitation in letting her burly bulls play with her two-year-old.
Still, not all onlookers were impressed by the muscular parade.
One woman watched warily from her car as the group passed by.
"I don't trust them," she said through a crack in her window. "They're intimidating."
As she spoke, her own small, fluffy dog growled from the back seat, its face pressed up against the window.
B.C. Solicitor-General Rich Coleman has said a ban on the breed is not being considered in this province.