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From TODAY correspondent Jill Rappaport
There is a very special program involving dogs helping those in need. This breed of dogs is not one that would normally come to mind for therapy, but the pit bull is clearly making a big difference at the Royer Greaves School for the Blind in Pennsylvania. WATCH VIDEO
The children here are all physically challenged, and some are mentally challenged, too. They are finding great comfort and joy from these dogs thanks to Main Line Animal Rescue, an organization that created the pioneer program. Their mission was to not only give these children a very special experience, but "to also show that the pit bull can be a loving, safe animal," says Main Line founder Bill Smith.
Pit bulls occupy the majority of shelters across the country, and many will never get adopted because of the fear people have towards the breed. Bill Smith is hoping this program will show that in the right hands, pit bulls can be wonderful pets and great companions.
Judging by what I saw on faces of the children at Royer Greaves -- they were smiling ear to ear as they cuddled up to these pooches -- Mr. Smith is on to something. I witnessed that bond firsthand and it was an experience I will never forget.
For more information on the Royer Greaves School for the Blind, click here. For more on Main Line Animal Rescue, click here.
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Thank You for reporting great news about pit bulls. I own two and I always have a hard time explaining that they are not bad dogs. Its all in how they are raised. Mine are great dogs and wouldn't hurt a fly, they are 2 10 lb lap dogs!!!
Thank You for reporting great news about pit bulls. I own two and I always have a hard time explaining that they are not bad dogs. Its all in how they are raised. Mine are great dogs and wouldn't hurt a fly, they are 2 10 lb lap dogs!!!
I hope that the children do not get eaten. I heard that Pit Bulls enjoy a snack before fighting.
@troy-2704039 You know, your feeble attempt at comedy is really sad. These poor dogs are so misunderstood, they don't need people like putting them down.
How ignorant!! Did you not listen to this report. It is how a pit is raised. EDUCATE YOURSELF honestlly
It's not the Pits fault but the human
Some people don't seem to grow up...if you aren't passionate about the story, then why waste your time on such a ridiculous comment! I guess some people have too much time on their hands - perhaps they need to be volunteering their time at a dog rescue shelter...a little rehabilitation goes a long way (and I wasn't referring to the dogs)! Why do people find it so important to be so ignorant! Doreen, I'm with you.
Hey Troy - instead of reading and commenting on this article at 2:27AM, try educating yourself first to save yourself the embarassment of looking like a jackass! Thanks in advance!
@Troy, would that be from your own experience of dog fighting? I would assume if you have that much knowledge of the breed and fighting you must fight them yourself then? With that being said I would also think you wouldn't want the breed to get a good rap because then how would you make your money at fighting??
WOW Troy you need to get a life. You sound like a loser and take your comments elsewhere. I own and have rescued HUNDRED of pitties and I was never lunch. There is a place in hell just for you ;)
@Troy. Ignorance to this topic is the only explanation for your moronic comment.
troy2704039 you are an idiot for writing something like that! You are a sad excuse for a human being!
I want to type much more to you, but I have more POSITIVE things to do!
I looks like some of you still don't get it! The Pit Bulls that have attacked in the past were programmed to be mean by abusive and twisted owners. Keep your ingonorance to yourselves.
Im banking on this breeds rap being bad because of how they are raised and not because of bad bloodlines. I rescued a 10 week old 8 months ago. She along with our three other breeds are part of the family and shes as sweet as any dog Ive owned . Shes shown no aggression at all up until last week. I took her to my fathers house as is usual and she took an instant dislike to his caregiver . Nothing I could do would calm her down. She went instantly berserk and stayed that way until I removed her from the house .
So my question to the Pit lovers. Dog freaked because its nuts ?
Dog freaked because the caregiver ( female ) sucks ?
P.S. As soon as I took her home she was fine .
It's probable the puppy had a negative experience with a similar-type person before you got it. Maybe the person who was responsible (or irresponsible) for it at birth?
thank you for sharing a story about pit bulls in a positive light! Finally, hearing someone say that they are like children...they learn bad behavior! My only experience with pitbulls has been wonderful and I hope this helps many homeless puppies find loving homes!!
I am thrilled with your report on Pit Bulls. I volunteer at the SPCA of Westchester and help train and socialize their dogs which are mainly Pit Bulls. They are great dogs but the public is still afraid of them because of all the bad publicity they receive. Keep up the good work.
AMEN.
This is so wonderful for the breed! Great story
Troy, you need an education
Great story!!! So glad they are able to use the Pits.
I am so pleased that there is a someone willing to shed a good light on these wonderful dogs. My oldest daughter got a pup and then was unable to keep her. SO of course we took "Ally" in. This added dog number three, along side three cats and two fish! I will say she has been the most challanging to train but we stuck to our guns and worked everyday to train her to be as good natured as our retriver!! If you train and mishandle ANY breed of dog they will be mean and vicious. "Ally" is good with our other pets, children and she loves to sleep under the covers! I will say though don't attempt to come in our home when we aren't there as she is very protective of her family and our home. I wouldn't want it any other way. As far as we are concerned if you are a Jerk before you own a dog, you and the dog will be Jerk's after you train the dog! Thank you again for the story!! Willy
"if you are a jerk before you own a dog, you and the dog will be jerks after you train the dog!" THAT IS SO TRUE! so glad to see this report on a major network TV show that is watched by a lot of people. i hope it changed some preconceived, ignorant notions about the breed. i have a pit mix and she literally wouldn't hurt a butterfly (I saw her catch one in her mouth and set it down to fly away).
Really Troy?? Is Micheal Vick your HERO?
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It's about time Pit Bulls received a shining light! We own a pit bull and she is spoiled rotten. Her daddy, Max, we lost two years ago due to a misdiagnosis and he was a 130 lb. "gentle giant". Medusa has followed in his footsteps! People (and the media) FAIL to understand or realize that it is NOT the breed - it is the people who own them. Pit Bulls were NEVER intended to be bred to be aggressive toward people. If people would read up on the history of Pits, they would learn that these dogs were bred to NOT attack people - but to be aggressive toward other animals for fighting purposes. Actually, the owner's of the pits whose dogs fought in rings with other animals had to be able to enter those rings without being physically attacked or harmed by the fighting dogs-that was what was actually bred into them! Not aggression toward people. Dog's could be in the "red zone" with one another, and a human would be able to enter the ring and physically remove an animal without ever being as much as nipped by the dogs (that is how they were originally bred). I will not dispute that the Pit's nature is certainly dominant, BUT it is all in how they are raised & treated! We had the opportunity to be part of a fantastic fundraiser two weeks ago for three great No-Kill dog shelters (one of which rescued only Pits) and it broke my heart to hear the stories of some of the Pit Bulls who had been rescued and were looking for "forever homes." One dog, Liam, I will never forget-he had been treated so horribly that he just trembled (you could see sadness, fear, and hope in his eyes). He was the most loving dog and I just wanted to take him in my arms and squeeze him and love on him. (BTW-He found a forever home.) It is so unfair what many of these dogs endure in their short lives...I wish people would wake up and start placing the responsibility where it should be placed. Today Show - thank you so much for shining your light on the true temperment of the breed when it comes to people. I hope this goes a long, long way in educating those out there about this loving & loyal dog. Bottom line....there are MANY, MANY people out there that shouldn't own any animal let alone a Pit Bull!!!! Again, thank you.
Bravo Jill and The Today Show! Those of us in the pit bull rescue world have known for a long time that these loyal, funny and intelligent dogs have a tremendous amount to offer.
Thank you for showing these dogs in the positive light that they deserve. This is the reason why I've been a loyal Today Show watcher for years, and will continue to be!
THANK YOU JILL!! I just watched your moving story and was brought to tears of joy. I am an avid dog lover and a bully breed advocate. I have lovingly raised several pit bulls and cannot begin to express their level of intelligence and loyalty to their family and the public. It breaks my heart that this breed has received such backlash from the media causing them to not be adopted from shelters and completely dismissed as family pets. Irresponsible owners are the culprit to this breed not the breed itself. So KUDOS to Mr. Smith and Royer Greaves for showcasing the pit bull's ability to be gentle, therapeutic and a positive reinforcement in these precious children's lives. I loved seeing you and Meredith after the piece with two in your laps because that's exactly what they think they are: lap dogs of love!!! Great job!
It's all about how they are raised. My Pit is the most wonderful, NONAGGRESSIVE dog I have ever known. He is a 70# lapdog who is so loving. I'm sure if I had starved him and beaten him he would be mean as hell. I grew up next door to the ideal family dog...the meanest Golden Retriever you would ever meet. No one wants to think Lassie can attack kids...but it is proof of how us humans need to be responsible pet owners. People fight Pits because of their strength and and focus. If a German Sheperd was as strong, people would want to fight them. People need to educate themselves not just discriminate against a breed. I will always defend this breed whenever I get the chance.
I was thrilled to see a postive piece on these loving dogs. As was bullylover, I was also brought to tears. They are the most loving, intelligent and protective dogs I have ever owned. I have small children and my dogs couldn't be more gentle and caring towards them. Thank you again for showing these dogs in the postive light they deserve.
Awesome segment. I'm really glad to see the press doing positive Pitbull stories, there are tons of great stories on the breed but they rarely get noticed by mainstream media. Thank you NBC and the Today Show for stepping up.
~WooF
What a great program, there needs to be more about what great family dogs pits and pit mixes can be! Golden Retrievers send more people to the ER every year than Pits do, but don't get the negative press. Thank you for showing them in such a positive light! I know this Christmas my money is going to Royer Graves School and Main Line Animal Rescue!
I am so happy to see this today. I have a pit bull who is in training and registered with the United States Service Dog Registry as a service dog in training. I am training her for my own personal use and I received many negative remarks from complete strangers when I have had her out and I encourage these people to interact with her and get to know her before making those comments.. It only takes a few minutes and then I hear "WOW that is a great dog.. she is so sweet and smart.. Boy was I wrong about Pit bulls" Now maybe after this airing today I won't get as many negative remarks. I hope this spreads and more people can utilize these loyal and intelligence misunderstod dogs.
People might also be interested to read the article by Malcolm Gladwell (who wrote Blink, Outliers, he's so brilliant) in The New Yorker. If you go to that magazine's website and search "pit bulls" it will come up. Gladwell presents the FACTS ---
Pit Bulls are NOT EVEN IN THE TOP 10 OF BREED FOR AGGRESSION!!! More aggressive than pit bulls, breedwise, are cocker spaniels, chows, and dalmations, for starters. He makes a great case for how it's all about the owner and socialization.
I have always had shelter pit bulls and pit mixes, and they are the best dogs ever, especially with kids!
I woke up this morning and on the television in the living room was POSITIVE story about the world's best breed of dog. For once you don't hear about the mauling of a small child, or death of a familys cat it was about how these dogs help others who are potentially as misunderstood as they are. I would like to thank all of the positive comments and the today show for finally going against regular media bias and shedding some positive light on our beloved dogs. now it's time to go snuggle with my pitties =]
Thank you for reporting an excellent story. We have 1 Staffordshire Terrier and 1 Staffy mixed with lab. They are amazing dogs...very kind and loving. The public needs to be educated of the Helen Kellers, Teddy Roosevelts, and Fred Astaire's of the world. Forget about the Micheal Vick's. There is a deep history of the breed that even involved the civil war. They are a loyal and loving dog.
What a great segment showcasing the Pit Bull breed!! I love to see this misunderstood breed getting a chance to be recognized for all of their wonderful traits!! Main Line Animal Rescue is an amazing place - kudos to them for stepping out and partnering with the Royer-Greaves School for the Blind for this program. Can't think of anyone more deserving!!! THANK YOU TODAY SHOW, MAIN LINE ANIMAL RESCUE, AND ROYER-GREAVES SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND!!!!
As a proud and loving pit bull owner and enthusiast; its wonderful to see a positive piece in the media about one of the closest subjects to my heart. Pit bulls have been completely misunderstood. This, being as cliche as anything goes, still stands very true. I have a three year old pit, named Fenris. He is super loving, affectionate, well tempered, and doesn't have an agressive bone in his body. He is un-nutered and has never shown an attempt to harm another animal. Our neighbors have a chihuahua and a small mixed terrior breed that attack him, he just lays down and rolls over trying to play, despite the constant harassment.
Now seeing such a good media spotlight other than negative, with the mentality that its not the dog, but rather humans that beget the actions that fall on others, rather brightens my day. These dogs have been beaten, starved, neglected, forced into fighting, butchered for the owners prefrence on look, and slaughtered because laws, that are UNCONSTITUTIONAL, send in swat teams into peoples homes, to take a member of their family and have them put to death for NO ACTION of their own, but what other dogs of that breed have done because they were mistreated and abused. This is called BSL, or breed specific legislation...everyone PLEASE understand that they love and feel just as any other living creature...they are members of our families. Do reasearch and contact everyone you can to keep this genocide from continuing.
Jefferson
This is such a wonderful story and I am glad to see that pit bulls are being recognized for the loving breed they are. Thank you so much for reinforcing the positive effect these dogs have on so many peoples' lives! The Royer-Greaves School and Main Line Animal Rescue make the world a better place, and there is nothing more newsworthy than that!
Thank you so very much for doing a story which put the pitbull in a positive light! It's about time! As a pitbull/bully breed owner for over my lifetime, it has been completely frustrating watching the media portray and misrepresent the breed that is truely misunderstood. Maybe now people will not pick up there children or pull them away when I walk with my dog down the street or in to a store like Petsmart. Education is the key to antidiscrimiantion and to proving to the American public that it is more how a dog is raised than that all pitbulls are bad. They are not for the first time dog owner nor for the person whom is faint at heart, they need boundries and will test when allowed the opportunity too, but hey what yappy little dog does not push the boundries either. In the end as every pit owner would tell you is "PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED".
Great dog and a great organization. Thank you Today Show and Main Line Animal Rescue for showing how amazing and loving this breed can be.