Pit Bulls - A True Companion

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not." - Marley and Me

Many of you know my dog Peanut. She's loveable, loyal, friendly and fun....and she's a Pit Bull!! When people hear the word pit bull, they tend to cringe. "Why would you get a pit bull?" is a question I'm often asked. "Has she bitten you?", "Has she bitten anybody?", those are some other famous questions. Or often, I see people walking away from her due to fear. It's sad how the media has constructed a bad rap against this breed. Turn on the news and you'll hear about people being mauled by pit bulls. They just love to show kids being bit in the face also. California is trying to pass a law to ban the pit bull breed. Why? Again because of bad media and irresponsible owners. Let me educate you about pit bulls before you past judgement again about the breed:

1. Pit Bulls are commonly used as therapy dogs. Whether they are visiting a senior care facility or helping someone recover from an emotional accident, Pit Bulls are making a mark as outstanding therapy dogs.

2. Pit Bulls are used in Search and Rescue work. One example of well known SAR Pit Bulls is Kris Crawford and her dogs. Kris and her dogs have helped save the lives of many people during their efforts. http://www.ForPitsSake.org

3. Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history. Read more about Popsicle here. Including how he found over 3,000 lbs of cocaine in Hildago, Texas.

4. Pit Bulls are great with kids. They weren't referred to as the "nanny's dog" for nothing that's for sure.

5. Pit Bulls are not human aggressive. The American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed is not human aggressive. In fact, quite the opposite is true of the breed. They are gentle and loving dogs. Like any dog individuals can be unsound and have behavior problems.

6. The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in World War One, but World War Two as well. They were featured on recruiting and propoganda posters during this time period.

7. Sgt. Stubby. A Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action twice, he saved his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack and he single handedly captured a German spy.

8. Pete the Pup on the orginal Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.

9. Pit Bulls score an 83.4% passing rate with the American Temperament Test Society. That's better than the popular Border Collie (a breed who scores 79.6%). View the ATTS stats here.

10. They are dogs not killing machines.

I know that some of the people out there are still not convinced. You can't blame stupidity I guess.

No matter what people say or think, I believe I have one of the greatest dogs in the world. Peanut brings fun and joy in our lives. She always knows when we are down and tends to always bring smiles to me and my wife. Not only does she bring joy to us, but also to our other family members and friends. Peanut is a young pup. She has a lot to learn. One day she'll be CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certified with the UKC (United Kennel Club). My goal is to have her become a therapy dog and a good abassador of the breed.
Peanut was rescued by my wife and I back in March of 2009 from the Los Angeles Harbor Animal Shelter. When my wife seen her, she immediatly fell in love. I will admit that I didn't. I didn't want a big dog, yet alone a pit bull. Yes I was misinformed too. After we adopted her, she grew on me immediatly. The first week was stressful. We had to get used to dog proofing the house and the socialization between Peanut and Coco (our cat) was pretty bad. Coco doesn't like Peanut. We thought it would be the other way around, but in this situation, Coco is the agressor (old man cat!!). After resucing her and learning to live with her, life was great. She's easily trainable and loves to just play!! We enjoy walks and playing tug-o-war and fetch. She still needs to work on her drop-toy command :-p. Overall she's a great dog. I can't imagine life without her now. I love taking her with me when I have to run errands and our monthly visit to the pet shop.
Even though there are some people that are scared of her, there are a ton of people who LOVE HER!! When we're crusing in my car and her head is sticking out, I gaurentee that there's somebody waving or calling her. When we go to the dog beach people always approach her and she lets them pet her. We always get compliments on how a pretty dog she is.
I think there is hope for this breed. It just takes some education and responsible owners to help spread the word about how great pit bulls can be. Take your time and read up on them. Then come and visit Peanut and me and I'll show you how great of an animal they are.

RIP - Jacob

“Death takes the good, too good to stay, And leaves the bad, too bad to take away”

LONG BEACH - A Poly High student, who relatives said hoped to move away from his crime-plagued neighborhood in the Central Area, was killed and his female companion suffered a minor wound in a shooting early Tuesday morning.

Jacob Benavidez, 15, who was a sophomore last year, died shortly after he was taken to a local hospital with multiple shots to the torso.

The woman, who was visiting from out of town and whom police did not identify for her safety, was treated and released.

She was grazed in the torso by a bullet, according to her grandmother, who did not offer her name.

Police say at about 12:30 a.m. a male suspect walked up to the victims, who were chatting on a stoop off a driveway on the 1100

Police are investigating whether the shooting was gang-related.

By mid-morning after the shooting, a makeshift memorial has been set up outside the apartment where Benavidez was slain. A handful of flowers and candles were arranged, with cigarettes placed in the petals of some of the flowers, for Jacob. Amid the flowers was a picture taken New Year's Eve of Benavidez with two friends, including his best friend, Jesus Martin Cosio.

"He was one of the best guys in the world, man," Cosio said as he puffed on a cigarette.

The friend scoffed at the notion of Benavidez having gang ties.

"Nah, he was just a little white

dude," Cosio said with a laugh.

"He was a nice boy, he didn't gang bang, he just got shot," said Nieves Murillo, a step-cousin, as she stood with a small knot of family and friends near the memorial.

When asked if Benavidez had trouble with any person or group, Cosio joked, "Then only person he had a beef with was me. He owed me $10."

While Cosio may have been hiding his pain with humor, the mood in the neighborhood was somber.

A young man who purportedly held Benavidez as he lay dying on the sidewalk chose not to talk to a reporter. Others among a gathering of young men across the street from the memorial were similarly silent and dour.

Family members said Benavidez parents were grieving and unavailable for comment.

Murillo made an impassioned plea for the city to install more lights and even cameras to stem the violence in the neighborhood that is just a block northeast of Ernest McBride Park and Poly High.

She said Larry Green, killed in October 2008 in front of a liquor store just a block away on Alamitos Avenue, was a cousin of Benavidez.

Long Beach police confirmed Green and Benavidez were related but said the shootings did not appear connected. The Green shooting remains unsolved.

The violence drove Murillo to move to Orange County, although she grew up in Long Beach and still has most of her family in the neighborhood.

"I worry about my family and their lives," Murillo said. "Someone needs to make them stop the shootings and the violence and the killings," Murillo said. "I didn't want to raise my kids to be in this neighborhood, and I want to move my dad out really bad, I just don't have the money."

Neighbors and family described Benavidez as a friendly, playful young man.

"He would come in my dad's house every day," Murillo said.

When asked what she would remember of Benavidez, Murillo said "Happy stuff is what I remember. Now, we have pictures of him and memories, that's all we have."

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide detail at 562-570-7244.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Theraful Thursday, Fishing Friday and Sigalert Saturday

Hello blog followers! I haven't had much time to blog for the past couple of days so I'll put it all in one shot.
I started to get a cold late Wednesday night, come Thursday it was a full blown day of sneezing and coughing. I hate getting sick but it never fails every summer. I guess its a combo of air conditioned office and the hot air outside. Whatever it is its always a drag. Well now that its Saturday I'm feeling a lot better. I still have a slight cough but its going away. That Theraflu stuff really works.
As for Friday, I finally went on a fishing trip. My friend Dan and I took a twilight trip on a boat off Huntington Beach. The bass and baracuda (aka cuda) we biting at first but since there were about 40 anglers and a crap load of boats out, the fish got tired of us. I only caught one bass. The seals and cudas kept on taking my bait so they screwed me up all night. Overall it was a fun trip. One day I'll be able to fish in Hawaiian, Alaskan or Cabo waters. That's when the big fish come in. I guess you can say I got one fish under my belt. Dan caught a couple bass and a cuda. He almost got 2 more barracudas but the bit his line. It was fun and I hope to go again.
So Saturday rolls around. It was my Goddaughters 4th birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies. Man it was a mission just to get out there. The party was out in Arcadia. That alone is a trek from where I live. So we drive out there on the 710 and I didn't know that the freeway has been going through major repairs. It was cut down to 3 lanes for a couple of miles. Every freeway we hit on the way over there was packed. It seemed like a weekday rush hour. Where the hell are all of these people going? Well at least we made it safe and made it home safe too.
So these three days were filled with medication, tissue boxes, live bait, birthday and brake dust. What a combo for one person. No matter what your health is like or no matter what size fish you catch, life will always give you a second chance. Take that cake and enjoy it! Watch the kids grow and think about the many blessings in your life. You never know, you might catch that yellow fin tuna sooner than you think!

G'nite and God bless

Rico