Stunning chicken-chasing dogs, frantic car rescue, shelter takes in pit bulls

You know, I have been told there is no media conspiracy when it comes to pit bulls. I agree, really. Journalists have enough things on their plate than to concoct a mass-media negativity campaign against pit bulls. But I have decided it is true that if it might be a pit bull, news agencies will run the story.

For example, big news out of Tampa: A police officer chased a dog who was chasing a chicken and then stunned the dog to save the chicken. Which is fine (saving the chicken, I like chickens). Perhaps this is such a novel occurrence for residents of Tampa that it should make the news?

But then there is this story out of England that reads like a bad horror movie. A dog and a child were left alone in a vehicle together. According to the article, members of the public were frantically trying to save the child. Who was, you know, sitting in a car with a dog. SEND IN THE RIOT POLICE. Which they did, of course. They sent in the Met's Territorial Support Group which polices riots and drug busts to save the child from the dog who, interestingly enough, does not appear to have done anything but sit there during the whole affair. Don't get me wrong here, please to not be leaving children and dogs alone in a locked vehicle together. But please to not make it sound like this dog, a suspected pit bull terrier was ready to off the kid at a moment's notice. (Arguably, I feel there must be more to this story).

In happier news, the Butte Humane Society up in Chico, California is taking in eleven of the 500 dogs confiscated from the largest fight bust in history. Which is just my way of encouraging you to help out your local shelter as much as you can - monetary donations, in-kind donations, volunteering your time, etc. Every little bit counts. Even a letter of thanks can lift up the spirits of shelter workers, especially at hi-kill, government run shelters.