Pit Bull Documentary Plays to Trumbull Full House

Would you let a pit bull approach your children at play? Most parents wouldn’t, and that is exactly why area pit bull lovers converged on the  for a sold-out screening of "Beyond the Myth," a new film directed and produced by Libby R. Sherrill. 

 The screening of the documentary film about pit bulls and breed discrimination was co-sponsored by Bully Breed Rescue of New Canaan, and the Meriden Humane Society, a no-kill rescue operation, which currently has 12 docile, temperament approved, rescued pit bulls awaiting good homes.

 According to Humane Society staff, pit bulls have been getting a bad rap from the media which has caused a generalized fear of the breed.

“When a dog acts out, it’s usually not a bad dog. It’s not a bad breed. It’s a bad owner or trainer, ” said Kaitlynn Perez. Most movie goers seemed to agree.

Many were buying tee shirts and tank tops from Bully Breed Rescue imprinted with “Get rid of stupid people, not dogs.”

 “I love pit bulls. I have a ‘blue nose,’” said Trumbull’s Lisa Kleemichen as she flipped open her phone to show a dozen photos of her "baby.” She comes from a pit bull family. Her aunt has two, her cousin one. She grew up with the breed.

“People need to treat all animals as strangers,” said her sister, Kimberly, who also lives with the dog. “You wouldn’t go up to a stranger and throw yourself at him.”

Lori Schmid drove all the way from Windsor Locks to see the movie. She has three pit bulls. “And I’d take a dozen more, if I had the room,” she said. Her dogs were all rescued from abusive situations.

According to her, the pit bull is the American family dog. “The World War I Navy mascot was a pit bull,” she said, “and so was the dog inside Buster Brown shoes.”  

Celebrity of the evening was Cherry, one of 53 pit bulls (among 70 dogs) rescued from the now defunct Bad Newz Kennels in 2007.  It’s believed that he was used as a “bait dog” in the illegal dog-fighting operation on the property of Michael Vick, then a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.

 The subsequent case against Vick and his kennels drew widespread attention to animal abuse and dog fighting. Eventually Vick and three other principals in the operation were convicted of federal offense conspiracy charges and imprisoned.

The bad publicity his abused, fight-to-the-death dogs were given, stuck with the breed in the minds of the public, according to pit bull supporters. Fear replaced sympathy, although many of the dogs suffered from severe physical and emotional trauma.

“You really need to read the book The Lost Dogs,” said Schmid. “It’s all about the Bad Newz Kennels.  I can’t get through 20 pages without crying.”

According to his current owners known only as Paul and Melissa, Cherry, only a young pit bull  when rescued, was so terrified and shut down when he arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, that he could not walk on a leash and had to be carried everywhere. He could not connect with people.

Now- almost three years later - he’s a happy dog in a good home. He loves his people, going to doggie day care and enjoying life with another rescued pit bull dog, Madison, and three adopted cat friends.

Nine-year-old Jillian Mather of Trumbull has a neighbor with a pit bull called Bruiser.

“I would love a pit bull,” she said after petting Cherry and Madison. Her mother Denise chuckled. “She would love anything with four legs and fur,” she said with pride.

According to a news release from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the nation's first criminal dog-fighting DNA database has been established by the  ASPCA, the Humane Society of Missouri and the Louisiana SPCA.

It will be maintained at the University of California, Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory.  Known as the Canine CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), the database is designed to help the criminal justice system investigate and prosecute dog fighting cases and address the growing problem of dog fighting, using 21st century technology.

There are no statistics on the number of illegal dog-fighting operations on-going in the United States, but pit bulls continue to be rescued from abusive situations. According to one angry pit bull owner, Michael Vick is out of prison and apparently working with the Humane Society of the United States to stop dog fighting. For more information on his role visit http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/dogfighting/qa/vick_faq.html. 

For more information on pit bulls ready for adoption call the Meriden Humane Society at 203-238-3650 or Bully Breed Rescue 203-219-2749. Both accept donations.