Like Winston, Pearla is looking for her forever home. She’s a little older than Winnie, getting closer to four than three–I can’t believe she’s been in my home for four months already! It’s sure been an active time–getting her all spit-shined with proper manners and basic obedience–but four months? Really?

Let’s see, what have we done:

Potty Trained   √
Basic Obedience   √
Canine Good Citizen Class   √
Passed the Canine Good Citizen test   √
Passed the Therapy Dog test √
Represented ARLP at the Deviant Art Show   √
Suffered through many photo shoots while I learn how to use a camera   √
Attended various Adoption Days   √
Attending Trick Training – coming soon!!

Soon Pearla will be participating in the ARLP Education programs, helping kids of all ages learn about dog safety, compassion, and fun doggy facts. I can’t wait to get started! Unless, of course, her forever home finds her first. Pearla is so people oriented, she has a hard time deciding who to lick first, when presented with multiple options. And in her enthusiasm, the pit bull nature comes through loud and clear – her favorite thing in the whole world is to be with her people. She is a world class snuggler, but I think her most endearing habit is to rest her head in your hand. When calm, she will sink her head into your hand and stay there as long as you allow. Even while being bathed in the bathtub, if you present your hand as a chin rest she’ll take the proffered support.

Weighing in at 49lbs, Pearla is a stout little lady. Due to her build, high impact athletics, like agility or fly ball aren’t really her thing. HOWEVER! Pearla is a FANTASTIC candidate for rally, as she has such great focus on her trainer. Dogs of all breeds, mixed breeds, and backgrounds can participate in rally; are you interested in learning what it’s all about with Pearla? Do you want to see her awesome patty cake as she awaits her next move (or her next treat)?

A quiet dog, Pearla had been in my home for two months before I heard her bark for the first time. With her high prey drive, she may be best as a single dog, but she’s done well with my male, and the hospital where she spent months regaining her health tells me she did well interacting with other dogs when she was on the clinic’s roster. Just like we teach in our Education classes, we evaluate each dog on their own merit, and Pearla’s forever family will be evaluated with the same careful assessment.

All our program dogs are special–that’s why they were accepted by ARLP. And surely each of the foster homes believes their foster dog is the best, most special companion. So I say with a slanted view, that Pearla is a fantastic little pittie with enormous potential. She has all the right ingredients to develop into a wonderful member of a very lucky family, while also representing how forgiving this breed can be, of the terrible insults thrust upon them by bad humans.

So where are you, Pearla’s Forever Family? She is missing you.

These two are fantastic dogs. So much love and luck to them as they start their journey to a home of their own. You can see more pictures of these two here toward the bottom of the page. Thank you fosters Bethany, Mick & Val for taking these guys into your hearts and homes. And a shout out needs to go to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control ~ You peeps rock, and rock hard!

We are always looking for fosters. So many wonderful dogs I saw at MACC. My heart breaks having to leave without them too. But we keep our eye on the prize. Two. We were able to save two. Two is a good number.

If you have experience with pits and rotts and are interested in fostering please visit our fostering webpage.

The parade will start at 11:00 am.

A Rotta Love Plus will be in spot #39.

A Rotta Love Plus will be at Pride again this year. Our booth # is 4083 which is located at the Willow St. side of Loring Park. We would love to see you. Stop by and say hi.

Pride is our favorite event. Our pbullies and Rotties know discrimination. What better event than Pride to get them out there loud and proud than to support our GLBT brethren?

And where else can you get a nice pbully wet one for only a buck???

A day to spend with your whole family-
including your dog!

Saturday, June 20, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Minnehaha Park Wabun Picnic Area
4655 – 46th Street South, Minneapolis

*FREE community event
*Dog demonstrations
*Games for your BFF (best furry friend) and the whole family
*Dog adoption information
*Various exhibits and activities

~Presented by Partners for Violence Prevention ~ Call 651-298-4566 for additional information

Remember the delightful day, when you brought your dog home for the first time? You were so excited to introduce this new family member to your home, your routine, your daily chores (okay, maybe not the chores). There was a reason you chose this dog-or perhaps the dog chose you.

Maybe your Fido is a purebred, with papers and champion parents, cousins, uncles and aunts. Maybe your Daisy is a rescue dog (yay!) who looks like a pure bred, or maybe your Spot is of mixed parentage, with no clear features of any particular breed.

Whether you chose your dog for its past (saving a life), its future (this future agility champion is going to bring lots of blue ribbons), its looks (what a cutie!), its lineage (my Collie is related to Lassie), or all of the above, chances are you now have a pretty good idea of its personality. But what happens when Fido is startled, frightened, or otherwise challenged? Maybe you don’t yet know how he will react, when it comes to some situations.

Does your pooch do well in doggy day care, and going to the vet? Has your dog ever been in a position to defend you from what it perceives as a threat? Will your dog recover from a frightening sound (thunder, anyone?) in the manner you expect? Does your dog shy from strange people, strange footing, and strange happenings? The answers to these questions can all be addressed in the Temperament Test, given by the American Temperament Test Society.

This test is not the type of test that necessitates training. Bring your dog just as she is! Passing the test gains Daisy a TT after her name, along with a certificate. Why, you ask, should I bother to temperament test my dog?

The initial answer is simple-this test is designed to evaluate your dog’s reaction to stimuli in a controlled environment. Taking the TT may help you determine whether or not doggy day care is in Daisy’s future, or how she may react in visits to the vet. Obtaining a TT may help you with future insurance needs, convincing a landlord to rent to you, or asking your manager about bringing your dog to work with you. The longer answer is how Daisy helps her fellow dogs, in preventing breed discrimination.
There are current breeds under intense scrutiny, with bad reputations today. Which future breeds will receive the same treatment? In Fairfield, Iowa, any dog over 100 lbs is banned, regardless of breed. I’ve met 125lb labs in my life-has anyone else? Breed Specific Legislation passed in Italy bans 92 breeds, including the Collie and Corgi. What breed will be banned in your neighborhood? Is it the breed you have in your home?
You are supporting your breed by participating in temperament testing, as the responsible owner of a stable dog. But you are also supporting all dogs by passing the test, because your Spot becomes a positive statistic. Should your breed become the next fashionably frightening breed, you have already done your part in saying no to lumping all dogs of any breed, into one negative category.
Please temperament test your dog. The evaluation can help you better understand how your dog reacts to situations, while putting a win in the column for all dogs. The more dogs we test, both purebreds and mixed breeds, the better off we all are as a responsible dog owning society.

MnPAW is a coalition of animal welfare organizations throughout Minnesota who are committed to working together to aid animals in our State. They believe that by joining forces to share ideas, expertise and resources in a coordinated way they can make a greater impact on reducing euthanasia of adoptable animals.

I invite you to read MnPaw’s FAQs.

An article was recently printed in the Strib about the new coalition. What is problematic about the article is that it implies MnPaw was a reactionary creation that resulted from the recent St. Anthony cat debacle. In reality discussions regarding the building of a coalition were already in play.

The article also emphasizes AHS in such a way that it would appear they were the driving force behind MnPaw while the other half of the brainchild’s creation, Pet haven, is referred and relegated to “a host of independent animal-rescue shelters”.

And what may have been born of talks between those two groups in particular is truly an effort of many. The groups who have set this thing in motion are:

Animal Allies Humane Society, Animal Humane Society, Chuck & Don’s Pet Food Outlet, Minneapolis Animal Control (*pending), Minnesota Spay/Neuter Project, Pet Haven Inc of Minnesota, RAGOM – Retrieve A Golden of Minnesota, Saint Paul Animal Control (*pending), Tri-County Humane Society.

What was abundantly clear at the meeting today is that MnPaw is a colation. A coalition in its purest form.

We are excited and you can be sure we will keep y’all posted!

For fun I looked up the temperament passage for all of the beasts in my house. Deb & Bits are in the 85.3% while the Cheeter-bug’s breed only passes at a rate of 71.1%! And lastly my steady old man Ike with the Greyhound 81% and Pointer 88.9%. Not bad. Except of course the Chihuahua who is below average.

The First Family’s new dog, a Portuguese Water Dog, has a passing rate of 77%. While the Scottish Terrier, which is President Bush’s dog and who oddly enough bit a reporter, passes at a rate of 63.3%! Looks to me like they be needin’ to get a Rottie or Pittie up in there.

But what is temperament?

W. Handel, German Police Dog Trainer, in his article, “The Psychological Basis of Temperament Testing,” defines temperament as:

“the sum total of all inborn and acquired physical and mental traits and talents which determines, forms and regulates behavior in the environment”

The ATTS test focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as the dog’s instinct for protectiveness towards its handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat.

The test is designed for the betterment of all breeds of dogs and takes into consideration each breed’s inherent tendencies.

The test simulates a casual walk through the park or neighborhood where everyday life situations are encountered. During this walk, the dog experiences visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. Neutral, friendly and threatening situations are encountered, calling into play the dog’s ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those calling for watchful and protective reactions.

So, would your dog pass?

Register to test your dog June 6th or 7th. A Rotta Love Plus is hosting. Come out and meet some fantastic dogs!

Hurry up, space is limited!

We would particularly love to see breeds targeted by last year’s failed breed ban proposal.

Spread the word!