Creature: Hero to 89-Year-Old Dementia Sufferer Carmen Mitchell

On March 1st of this year an 89-year-old woman with dementia in Piscataway, NJ went missing for several hours after wandering away from her home. While people were out searching for Carmen Mitchaell, it was a 2-year-old pit bull named Creature who found the elderly woman and alerted her guardian Cara Jones. Creature found Carmen Mitchell in the woods, lying on the ground, covered in mud and barefoot.

Sadly, while Creature was the one who found Carmen Mitchell, the media originally credited the rescue to a low-flying helicopter and patrol cars. It was Capt. Kenneth Blair of the Piscataway Police Department that finally gave credit to Creature,

“We had people all over the area. We had fire units from every district; 10 police officers, state police helicopter, but it was her dog who found her. The dog actually led (Jones) to the spot"

Carmen Mitchell was rushed to a local hospital found to be okay and only suffering a mild case of hypothermia. If Creature hadn't have found Carmen in time, the story may have had a very different ending.

Attrino, A. G. (2013, March 1). Missing Piscataway woman, 89, is found after helicopter search. Retrieved from NJ.com: http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2013/03/missing_piscataway_woman_89_is.html

Attrino, A. G. (2013, March 1). Who needs K9? Hairstylist's pit bull finds missing 89-year-old in Piscataway woods. Retrieved from NJ.com: http://www.nj.com/middlesex/index.ssf/2013/03/who_needs_k9_hairstylists_pit.html

The Dangers of BSL: Incorrect Use of the Name "pit bull"

BSL or Breed Specific Legislation has many dangers, some quite obvious and some hidden. The biggest danger currently is in the vague use of "pit bull" and what people's perception of what a pit bull is.

There is only one true pit bull and that is the American Pit Bull or Pit Bull for short. However, it is common practice to use "pit bull" when talking about other dog breeds that have similar physical characteristics. The danger in this is due to the over-generalized use of the name "pit bull" it has lumped over 20 different breeds into one category, skewing the statistics and unfairly targeting dogs and dog guardians.

To prove this point, understand-a-bull released a test to see if you could pick the one Pit Bull out the 25 pictures. I clicked on this test thinking that I could easily spot the true Pit Bull and found it much more difficult than I ever thought it would be. Katie then tried and admits that it was a lot harder than she thought it would be, "I thought it would be a piece of cake. I thought 'I've got this!' and I'm a little embarrassed to admit I was wrong."

>>>> you can try your hand at identifying the Pit Bull here <<<<

Diamond the Pit Bull

In response to Antonovich and his office I thought that it would be fitting to post about Los Angeles' very own Diamond the Pit Bull. On October 24th, 2010 Diamond became a hero when she alerted her family to a fire in their apartment. The father, Daryl Steen, was able to find grab his nine-year-old daughter Darahne and send her down to safety, but was unable to find his sixteen-year-old daughter Sierra through the smoke-filled apartment. Springing into action, Diamond found Sierra hiding underneath a mattress and shielded her until firefighters found her and took them both to safety. Because of the selfless and courageous acts of a beautiful dog; Daryl, Sierra and Darahne survived the fire. Sierra and her father spent the next several weeks receiving burn treatment and skin grafts while Diamond spent six weeks at a pet hospital receiving treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. Diamond was hailed as a hero by the SPCA in Los Angeles and was awarded with their 29th annual National Hero Dog Award.
Is this the reward that she is to get from Supervisor Antonovich? Does this hero deserve to be treated like a vicious animal by Antonovich's proposed breed ban and changes in breed specific legislation? 

Brayton, J. (2011, May 5). Meet Diamond, the Hero Pit Bull. Retrieved from NBC Southern California: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Diamond-the-Hero-Dog-121291194.html

CBS. (2011, May 4). Pit Bull Named SPCALA’s Hero Dog Of The Year. Retrieved from CBS Los Angeles: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/05/04/pit-bull-named-spcalas-hero-dog-of-the-year/

We will not stand for the bullying of bully breeds, Antonovich!

In light of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's push for BSL in California, we have decided to make this month about dog behavior, media sensationalism and the dangers of Breed Specific Legislation in the hopes that Michael Antonovich has a change of heart and the bullying of bully breeds ends.

If you have not yet heard or seen the news about the press release given by Michael Antonovich's spokesman Tony Bell, here is a direct quote about their stance on the California law banning BSL:

"We're going to go back to the state legislature and see if we can change that law, allow the local communities to make up their own minds with regards to breeds," said Tony Bell, spokesman for Antonovich. "Pit bulls are a different breed of animal. They're capable of incredible damage to humans, to other dogs, to horses."

Shahbazi, R. (2013, May 10). Littlerock pit bull attack raises legislation questions. Retrieved from KABC-TV NEWS LOS ANGELES, CA: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9098299

While Michael Antonovich's office is specifically targeting pit bulls, this also allows for communities to target any specific dog breed that they choose -- this is BSL, BREED specific legislation. Regardless of how you feel toward pit bulls, your family dog may be your community's next target. It was not long ago that German Shepards were the boogeymen of the dog world; along with Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers

As responsible dog guardians and dog lovers, we all need to set aside our differences and fight to protect the dogs that have become our family members and part of our every day lives. Please contact Michael Antonovich's office (respectfully) and tell them that we as animal guardians will not stand for the singling out and destruction of any breed or living creature.

Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Michael-D-Antonovich/145596578853627
E-mail:
http://antonovich.com/e-mail/
Twitter:
@mikeantonovich
The Board of Supervisors for Los Angeles County:
B-4 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 974-1471
Main Fax Number: (213) 217-4979
Scheduling Fax Number: (213) 626-1741

Office Hours: 8 AM to 5 PM

The toll free number is (888) 807–2111