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They misquote you even when they are on your side! I did this interview for a fundraiser my business does every year for our animal shelter. It's called the Pit Bull Rumble and we do demos every year and have a blast. I found this article and was reading it and I love how they misquoted me about APBT's being better at agility than BC! lol There are other things she exaggerated too.... too funny!
The News-Bulletin: Pit Bull Rumble with dogs, cars benefits County Animal Shelter
Pit Bull Rumble with dogs, cars benefits County Animal Shelter
Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; [email protected]
Los Lunas With nothing more than one-word commands and concise hand signals, Lisa Berry guides Tempest through the agility course. The blonde American Pit Bull Terrier only has eyes for Berry as she leaps over bars and slithers through the slalom poles.
Over 15 years ago, Berry decided she wanted to be around pit bulls. "I have always loved them. I had some wrong ideas about them when I was younger, but as I've learned more, I am just fascinated with the things they can be taught to do," she said.
Very often Berry heard about all the things pit bulls "can't do" because of their temperaments and reputations. "I started training and showing them and got some really nasty reactions from people at shows," she said.
Undeterred, Berry pressed on and is now a successful trainer with 10 years of experience under her belt. After working with her first pit bull in agility competitions, Berry tried other breeds but was never satisfied.
"I worked with border collies, which are considered the best breed for agility," she said. "They are fast - sometimes too fast, and they will end up knocking bars down. The pit bulls are quick and more accurate."
On Saturday, Oct. 4, Berry will be bringing her love of the breed and several of her highly trained dogs to a local "pit bull rumble" hosted by the Valencia County Animal Shelter. The event is a fundraiser for the shelter and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sport Complex/BMX Park on N.M. 314, 1.2 miles south of N.M. 6 in Los Lunas.
Berry said it is her hope that the event will let the community get to know pit bulls in a different way. "You only hear the negative stories in the media," she said, only looking slightly apologetic. "I know one local television station reported that someone had been bitten by a pit bull. When they showed a picture of the dog, it looked like a shar pei; it wasn't even a pit bull."
As with any dog, Berry said, a pit bull would become what an owner makes it. "These dogs are real people pleasers," she said. "As a breed, they do have dog aggression, but aggression towards humans has been watched for and is usually eliminated from the gene pool.
"If a pit bull is praised for being aggressive towards another dog or even a person, then it will think that's what the owner wants. These dogs were never meant to be people aggressive. If you train them when they are young, you can also eliminate the dog aggression as well."
Not only does Berry show her dogs in agility competitions but in weight pulling as well. "I don't know of any border collie that can go from an agility course one day to pulling 8,000 pounds the next," she said. "And that's not really a lot of weight. The top ranked dog can pull 35,000 pounds. These are very strong dogs; they aren't for everyone."
Berry also wants to help educate the public about the sweet, gentle side of pit bulls. One of her two certified therapy dogs, 10-year-old Tasha, takes a seat on your foot, leans patiently against your knee and gazes at you with amber eyes.
"She is the perfect example of just how gentle these dogs really are," Berry said. "She was fought early in her life and abused terribly by her former owners. But she has no ill will towards people. I take her into hospitals, schools, anywhere."
In addition to Berry and her dogs, monster truck driver Charles "The Pit Bull" Benns will also be at the rumble demonstrating the power of his car-crushing machine to support the shelter animals.
The female pit bull puppy Cupcake, who had her ears mangled a few months ago and was left at the shelter, will be on hand with her new family. Many of the shelter dogs will be on site at the event and available for adoption.
The News-Bulletin: Pit Bull Rumble with dogs, cars benefits County Animal Shelter
Pit Bull Rumble with dogs, cars benefits County Animal Shelter
Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; [email protected]
Los Lunas With nothing more than one-word commands and concise hand signals, Lisa Berry guides Tempest through the agility course. The blonde American Pit Bull Terrier only has eyes for Berry as she leaps over bars and slithers through the slalom poles.
Over 15 years ago, Berry decided she wanted to be around pit bulls. "I have always loved them. I had some wrong ideas about them when I was younger, but as I've learned more, I am just fascinated with the things they can be taught to do," she said.
Very often Berry heard about all the things pit bulls "can't do" because of their temperaments and reputations. "I started training and showing them and got some really nasty reactions from people at shows," she said.
Undeterred, Berry pressed on and is now a successful trainer with 10 years of experience under her belt. After working with her first pit bull in agility competitions, Berry tried other breeds but was never satisfied.
"I worked with border collies, which are considered the best breed for agility," she said. "They are fast - sometimes too fast, and they will end up knocking bars down. The pit bulls are quick and more accurate."
On Saturday, Oct. 4, Berry will be bringing her love of the breed and several of her highly trained dogs to a local "pit bull rumble" hosted by the Valencia County Animal Shelter. The event is a fundraiser for the shelter and will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sport Complex/BMX Park on N.M. 314, 1.2 miles south of N.M. 6 in Los Lunas.
Berry said it is her hope that the event will let the community get to know pit bulls in a different way. "You only hear the negative stories in the media," she said, only looking slightly apologetic. "I know one local television station reported that someone had been bitten by a pit bull. When they showed a picture of the dog, it looked like a shar pei; it wasn't even a pit bull."
As with any dog, Berry said, a pit bull would become what an owner makes it. "These dogs are real people pleasers," she said. "As a breed, they do have dog aggression, but aggression towards humans has been watched for and is usually eliminated from the gene pool.
"If a pit bull is praised for being aggressive towards another dog or even a person, then it will think that's what the owner wants. These dogs were never meant to be people aggressive. If you train them when they are young, you can also eliminate the dog aggression as well."
Not only does Berry show her dogs in agility competitions but in weight pulling as well. "I don't know of any border collie that can go from an agility course one day to pulling 8,000 pounds the next," she said. "And that's not really a lot of weight. The top ranked dog can pull 35,000 pounds. These are very strong dogs; they aren't for everyone."
Berry also wants to help educate the public about the sweet, gentle side of pit bulls. One of her two certified therapy dogs, 10-year-old Tasha, takes a seat on your foot, leans patiently against your knee and gazes at you with amber eyes.
"She is the perfect example of just how gentle these dogs really are," Berry said. "She was fought early in her life and abused terribly by her former owners. But she has no ill will towards people. I take her into hospitals, schools, anywhere."
In addition to Berry and her dogs, monster truck driver Charles "The Pit Bull" Benns will also be at the rumble demonstrating the power of his car-crushing machine to support the shelter animals.
The female pit bull puppy Cupcake, who had her ears mangled a few months ago and was left at the shelter, will be on hand with her new family. Many of the shelter dogs will be on site at the event and available for adoption.