Saturday at Freimann Sq. was a deal with for a lot of of Fort Wayne’s furriest mates.
Dozens of households and their canine participated within the tenth annual Pits within the Park hosted by the Fort Wayne Pit Bull Coalition. The day featured meals and desserts from space distributors, a pet parade, a paw artwork sales space and a pet costume contest, gained by a canine named Nova sporting a dressing up rocket on her again. The occasion can be a fundraiser to assist assist the group, coalition president Megan Shut mentioned.
The coalition strives to assist Northeast Indiana’s pit bull-type canine by offering assets, and interesting in schooling and public consciousness campaigns. Ending the numerous stigma that surrounds the varied breeds of canine usually labeled as “pit bulls” is of explicit significance, Shut mentioned, as her 10-year-old canine Vader sniffed round her toes.
“As a substitute of avoiding that stigma, we hit it head on,” she mentioned. “That’s why we do the parade across the metropolis in order that anyone that’s driving by can see all of those canine calmly strolling collectively. It actually helps simply present, as a substitute of inform.”
Along with its public data campaigns, the coalition additionally has an adoption program, which at present has 25 canine, starting from 2 weeks to 10 years previous. The group prices adoption charges of $150 for adults and $200 for puppies, Shut mentioned.
Media protection and elevated public consciousness of dogfighting rings have been one thing of a double-edged sword for these canine, Shut mentioned. Though that spotlight has helped activists and legislation enforcement monitor down and break up dogfighting rings, it has additionally helped gas public misconceptions that pit bull breeds are genetically extra aggressive than different sorts of canine, she mentioned. “Harmful breed” restrictions imposed by many landlords and condominium complexes have additionally furthered that unhelpful stigma, she added.
“Those who don’t know the canine, haven’t met a pit bull, aren’t pit bull homeowners or who aren’t educated concerning the breeds naturally suppose, ‘Effectively they’re referred to as a harmful canine breed on this checklist, so that they should be,’” she mentioned.
In actuality, most bully breed canine are light, personable animals who’re nice household canine, Shut mentioned, including that Vader sleeps in her younger kids’s beds at night time.
The entire canine being fostered by coalition volunteers stay in houses, Shut mentioned, which implies when they’re finally adopted, any behavioral or well being points are already well-documented. The animals within the adoption program are spayed or neutered as nicely, Shut mentioned, including that the group works carefully with Fort Wayne Animal Care & Management and different humane organizations all through the world.
Along with these providers, the coalition additionally hosts coaching periods, gives microchipping providers and details about “tips on how to be the very best proprietor on your canine that already has a stigma,” Shut mentioned.
“We’ve to do higher, as a result of there’s already a stigma on the market, so we now have to take accountability to be higher at how we socialize our canine, practice our canine, so we’re making a fantastic assertion,” she mentioned.
Bluffton resident Angela Musco has been fostering canine for the Fort Wayne Pit Bull Coalition for a number of years. She and her husband, Matt, have had 13 canine come by their dwelling, and Angela Musco mentioned she nonetheless cries each time considered one of her foster pups goes to a brand new dwelling.
“We (foster) puppies and they’re essentially the most loyal, the sweetest. They convey a lot enjoyable to your home too,” Musco mentioned. “It’s essentially the most humbling expertise since you’re saving their lives, however actually they’re instructing you tips on how to be a child once more, primarily.”
Musco agreed with Shut that the stigma surrounding pit bull breeds is unfair and outdated.
“The canine are the identical as every other canine, they love the youngsters, they make the best household canine,” she mentioned. “It’s the way you elevate them, it’s not the canine themselves. They want a good probability.”
Fort Wayne resident Brandi Freed mentioned she heard about Pits within the Park by Fb and determined to deliver her household and their energetic 9-month-old pet Jessie.
“She’s simply the sweetest canine we’ve ever had. She’s completely loving,” Freed mentioned. “There’s not an aggressive bone in her physique.”
Freed mentioned the household cherished Pits within the Park as a result of it’s an opportunity to point out the neighborhood that these canine usually defy the stereotypes which have been positioned upon them.
“They’ll see that they will work together with individuals and different animals and simply make mates and have an excellent time,” she mentioned.
The Fort Wayne Pit Bull Coalition is all the time in want of donations and volunteers, Shut mentioned, notably individuals keen to supply foster houses.
“Our largest useful resource that we’d like is individuals,” she mentioned. “That’s our most essential useful resource – the individuals.”
Extra details about the Fort Wayne Pit Bull Coalition, together with hyperlinks for donors and volunteers, is on the market on-line at www.fwbpc.org.
