Update - dowry started to help dogs get placement
The Great 8 have their 8 bags packed and are ready to go. They are ready to rock and roll! Not only that, there is one additional bag that will be travelling with them. Bag number 9 contains their dowry which will be for their care at their future appropriate sanctuary. These dogs are travelling with money!
To date, there has been
$6,060.00 pledged. But where will the Great 8's future home be? We are working on that diligently as time is of the essence. We have some potential leads for their placement that we are following up on.
If anyone would like to help the Great 8 by either pledging money towards their dowry or by letting us know of an appropriate sanctuary for them please contact Carmel Travis, Advocate for the Great 8 at (509)330-1136 or at carmel@completebbs.com
The Background StoryWe live in a strange world these days, where living, breathing four-legged furry beings can be held as ‘evidence’ in cases of felony dog fighting. That’s where this story begins for Callie, Chewy, Fatty, Rita, Zeta, Gorda and the puppies Justice and Hope, eight pit bulls who were confiscated in Spokane, WA from people who planned to have them live and die in the nether world of dog fighting rings.
It took a year to the day to get their abusers sentenced to jail time with each serving Eight months: a month for each dog. This was the very first conviction for animal fighting in Washington State, making the dogs and
SCRAPS (the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service), the organization that took them in, heroes in the animal welfare movement.
SCRAPS is a progressive municipal animal care facility with dog trainers and an animal behaviorist on staff. They do their best to re-home as many animals as they possibly can despite the high volume of animals they receive, and their limited resources.
Even with the victory of the conviction, the sad reality is that the lives of the Great Eight are now in jeopardy because they are dog aggressive as a result of being forced to fight (luckily the 2 puppies, Justice and Hope were saved before they’d been used in this way).
During their time at SCRAPS, the dogs have experienced a 360 degree turn around in their lives as they were introduced to what it means to be loved, cared for and treated humanely. The staff made sure the dogs had plenty of exercise, time with people, stimulation and special treats. They stretched out and sighed with delight when they were each given Kuranda beds: imagine them sleeping four paws in the air, tongues lolling out, snoring softly... . Instead of exhibiting the stress that kenneled pit bulls are vulnerable to, these guys just got happier and more grateful with each passing day. They are also feeling safe enough to show their personalities.
Rita a.k.a. the ‘Meter Maid’ for example tilts her wonderful head and gives an ear splitting grin as she paws her kennel waiting to be petted (put the change in the meter!). Zeta won’t go out in the morning without first getting a head pat. When shy Chewy was introduced to the sofa, he became a professional couch potato!. You see him here snuggled in with his friend Cindy.
Nancy Hill, SCRAPS director, made a major commitment of resources and space to the Great Eight even though she knew it meant that other animals wouldn’t have the chance for the life that she envisions for these pit bulls. She saw their willingness to begin to let go of their past and trust the goodness of people despite their initial experiences with our kind.
SCRAPS has also been working to find rescues or sanctuary placements for the dogs for the past year and asked the help of the Best Friends because they won’t be able to keep the dogs indefinitely due to the strain on their resources. These dogs have been such good citizens! Through them, criminals were brought to justice. We know from our experience with the
‘Vicktory Dogs’ the twenty-three fighting pit bulls that we took after Michael Vick was convicted, that dogs like these have so much more to offer: they deserve the chance to have the real dog life that was taken away from them by dog fighters.
For this to happen, the Great Eight, like the Vicktory dogs need time and consistent care and training. Here at Best Friends, it’s not only that we’re teaching the Vicktory Dogs, we’re learning from them. They and dogs like the Great Eight hold the keys to discovering how we can rehabilitate dogs forced to fight.
How You Can HelpWe’re broadcasting their story throughout the United States because the dogs can’t speak for themselves.
You can help by being their spokesperson and sending this link to rescues and sanctuaries you know of who may be able to take some of the dogs. The costs of maintaining the Eight dogs for a year has been staggering for SCRAPS. If you’d like to help them defray the expense of saving the Great Eight you can go to the SCRAPS donation link can be found on their
website. If you are a shelter or rescue and want more information on the dogs please contact: Patricia Simonet at 509-477-2752.
If you are an individual and would like to adopt a pet from SCRAPS, please
click here.
by Medha Isaacs, Best Friends staffimages courtesy of SCRAPS