Austin Area Dogs Recognized by The HSUS' Chicago Anti-Dogfighting Campaign

March 22, 2008

Four Pit Bulls Received AKC Good Citizen Certificates After Completing Eight-Week Course

In a ceremony at the Chicago Canine Academy on March 22, four Austin area pit bulls and their trainers received "Good Citizen" certificates from the American Kennel Club. The trainers and their dogs (Diesel, Cide, Rocky and Jigga) participated in the training as part of The Humane Society of the United States' End Dogfighting in Chicago campaign. The goal of the training is to provide alternatives to dogfighting for young men who are role models in the community but at risk of getting involved in the criminal activity.

According to Chicago police records, dogfighting is especially prevalent in the Austin area. The HSUS has developed a pilot program there that includes street-level intervention and dog training to provide an alternative to dogfighting. Each week the dogs have been taught standard obedience commands such as sit, stay and come, and also basic agility work using A-frames and jumps. They are also taught how to interact with different kinds of people and their dogs.

"Once they start training a dog, these guys learn that their dogs are more than a status symbol and more than a weapon. They're living, breathing, joyful, loyal creatures, and when you tap into that, you just can't put them in a ring to be mutilated," said Jim Morgan, who leads the training program and is owner of the Chicago Canine Academy.

James Harris, a former dogfighter, attended one of the training sessions and had this to say about the classes: "A lot of these young kids really don't want to fight these dogs, but everyone else is doing it, so they do it. The training gives them something else to do with their dogs."

End Dogfighting in Chicago is a pilot program of The Humane Society of the United States and has a three-pronged approach to combating dogfighting in Chicago: research, law enforcement and community outreach. Eventually the program will be expanded to other parts of the country.

Tio Hardiman, anti-violence advocate with The HSUS who works with the young men in the Austin area, said: "A lot of guys say they love their pit bulls, but feel they were born to fight. With this training, we are showing them that it doesn't have to be that way."

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.