Hello Celebritys

Tomorrow marks the last day of our summer Pit Ed Camp session, a quarterly breed edu-extravaganza for people interested in studying pit bull adoption issues. A small group of shelter workers from all corners gathered here for six tiring days of non-stop evaluating, training, chin tickling, video watching, info digesting, philosophizing, resource sharing discussion. Tim and I had plans to go out and have a drink tonite, but seeing as neither of us has been able to drag our butts from the sofa yet, that may not happen. It's a good kind of tired though, the kind you get from turning soil and planting a garden.

The realities we find when we pick through the shelters during camp aren't always happy.

Field notes that came with this crinkly-skinned owner surrendered senior read: "....has a severe allergy to fleas....he's had the problem for the past 5 years. If the dog is gonna be put down the family wants to pay for ashes to be returned."

He was just adorable but shaking and rattled to the core when we met him and he broke all of our hearts with his story. Above: Alison Talley - Manager of Behavior Programs, Humane Society Silicon Valley - comforts Ozzie.

More Campin'

We came home to some ear-to-ear happy news from MI today: Michigan Humane Society sent two people to Camp last February to help staff ruminate on changes in their no pit bulls adoption policy and ways to help Detroit-area pit bulls. Kids attending MHS's Summer Tails Camp program got a taste of their new & improved messaging. Kristy Graszak of MHS - who helped us get Stella home from Detroit last fall - sent us this update:

"During this camp we gave a presentation on pit bull type dogs (which is another first for us), providing general education about the breed including some general dog safety tips. We also talked about positive things pit bulls are involved in (search and rescue, law dogs etc) and we highlighted your work with the Michael Vick dogs. Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter partnered with us on this presentation, and brought one of their staff members dogs, Digger, along to meet the kids. The pictures say the rest."



This photo of Digger giving campers a ride is da bomb. Bravo to both orgs for giving the kids such a great experience and reason to care.

(By the way, the long search for a pit-friendly rental finally paid off and Stella's finally home (in Oakland!) for keeps. Congrats to lucky Elizabeth on your wonderful new dog.)

Dogtime

Many thanks to dogtime.com for the lovely follow up on Hector, Uba and Jonny. The photo of Hector & Clara are absolutely adorable.