This past Sunday, underneath more than three hundred headlines that outline a Concord tragedy and suggest pit bulls are dangerous, dozens of families owning pit bulls gathered for class, as they do every weekend. We tell stories about our dogs, laugh, hug each other's pets. Many shrug off the bad news, knowing that news fades with the seasons. All are anxious to get on with the day ... A cruelty survivor from Oakland finds a new home today. He yodels across the parking lot for his absent foster mom, but his hopeful adopter soothes him by scritching his scrawny red teenage chest ... A homeless dog arrives with his overwhelmed rescuer for an evaluation. Everyone tugs at his floppy ears and chuckles at his big luggy head. We make plans to give him a safety net ... A single mom comes back for her third lesson. Her once-willful dog falls into line today. Her father videos them both, smiling ... A shelter volunteer announces her progeny's good luck: Mercedes scored and will be in class next week with her brand new adopter, ready to learn ... A new foster home laments her project dog's first week of relentless barking. We commiserate on the trials of fostering ... One of the instructors winces at the pain in her back; a work injury that's still raw. She pushes on through and rallies 12 handlers into formation. "Remember to use your dog's name!" ... An approved applicant announces that they broke their discriminatory lease and signed on with a new rental. "Screw you landlord. My dog is family." They get ready to bring their new puppy home and we sort out the details ... Off in East Oakland, five people gather to distribute fliers that advertise a free shots fair to low income homes. A random woman rants at a BR volunteer: "Didn't you hear about that little boy? All pit bulls should be killed!" The volunteer shrugs it off and marches past house after foreclosed house, looking for pit bull owners that need resources and help. It's not until she gets home to her dogs that those hateful words sink in. We type out our day on our message board, check emails, smile at news from pit bull friends around the country, pull our snoring dogs into bed and fall asleep, tired, but content. Life carries on - Yes it does.
