I rest my case for putting a hex on all those "concerned community leaders" around various cities in this country who are enacting and trying to enact the complete outlawing and/or euthansia of pit bulls and similarly misperceived dogs. And here was a dog that very recently was both taught and encouraged to fight to death, a dog who was raised not knowing any different life....and look at Leo now! And his audience does not fear him but instead delights in his eyes and expression and kindness. It only goes to demonstrate once again what responsible pet ownership and love can do. Thanks for this reinforcing and heartening story!

Leo is just one of many Pit Bulls doing Therapy work.
The fact that this dog has retained his true nature which is People friendly despite the abuse he has been subjected to,speaks volumes.
I notice in all the News coverage about this dog there are very few comments being left.
Yet if a Pit Bull chases a cat there would be hundreds of comments left by Posters.
God forbid that a dog abused by Vick ever chases a cat,the world would implode.
This dog is not an exception,this is the true nature of Pit Bulls and Therapy is the perfect outlet for them.
I understand that Our Pack is about to certify another Fight Bust dog.
There are many Pit Bull Therapy dogs that can no longer work due to BSL.
I wonder how long it will take for Legislators to wake up.
By banning these dogs they just make them more attractive to the bottom feeders of Society which ramps up the demand.
Who supplies that demand?
Backyard Breeders of course. They know absolutely nothing about breeding.
They don`t know the true Pit Bull temperament and obviously don`t care.
They are just pumping out dogs for dog fighters.
These dogs deserve to be in Seniors residences and Nursing homes etc. bringing a smile to people`s faces.
These dogs have much to teach humans.

Just wait til Leo is spooked by something or someone. As if the patients suffering from cancer haven't enough to worry about, now they have to contend with a "rehabilitated" killer while having their chemotherapy. Nonsense.

How sad, Jay, that you doubt the power of love to transform a dog's life. It happens all the time when animals are adopted from shelters and are patiently cared for. A miracle for the asking if you want to devote time, money, and love to a creature. What a bargain for the humans!

On the topic of transformation...you've got to wonder how Michael Vick will emerge from prison. Is it possible for him to change? Are both pit bulls and human beings capable of beginning anew?

I think it is absolutely wonderful that so many of these dogs have such Cindarella stories to tell. How can anyone look at a dog like this and say that pits are inherently "bad" dogs? They just want to have a "job" - and they'll do whatever job we give them, because they are people-dogs and just want our love and affection.

Save those cute dogs

Wow...it's comments like Jay's that are exactly what's wrong with people in this country.

There is a reason the other 49 dogs rescued from Vick's dog fighting kennel weren't trained to be therapy dogs--it takes a very special dog to pass all of the training necessary to interact with patients in hospital settings.

Please do a little more research about the process of becoming a therapy dog before spouting off a comment like that.

Nonsense.

Jay,

By the looks of your comment, I think YOU would have a hard time passing the therapy dog test.

BTW, "spooking" is a part of the Therapy Dog test. If the dog gets frightened or acts out, they do not pass. The test reenacts just about any situation the dog could encounter in public. Do your research before you start making comments. You obviously know nothing about dogs or their behavior.

Leo is a cutie! It's amazing how many animals so quickly forgive the human race no matter how brutally they were treated their entire lives, once they are given a chance to be given kindness and love.

Funny ruse going on here. Each one of those dogs brought along a 20 thousand dollar endowment and was handed over to a pit bull breed advocate. Give me 20 thousand, an agenda, and a bear cub, and I'll make a case for the grizzly.

I wonder if this fluffy story will offset today's Texas story of another kid killed by a pit bull, or the Indiana owner who's pit bull tore her arm off yesterday?

Ruse?

http://www.valpo.edu/law/assets/pdfs/animallaw/report_of_special_master.pdf
It was a stipend per dog based on an estimate of the total cost of care that would be incurred by the Rescue Organizations.
It was NOT $20,000 for each dog.
21 of those dogs received only $5000 each.

And who else would you expect the dogs to go to but Advocates for the Breed.
PeTA and HSUS lobbied for these dogs to be killed.

Over 50 Breeds of dogs have killed worldwide.
It`s amazing how you haters are so quick to condemn an entire Breed of dog due to a tragic incident but you don`t generalize to the entire Breed when you read a story like Leos
that you call a "fluff" story.

Nothing will ever offset a child being killed.
That`s a ridiculous statement to make but until people get off this Breed thing and look at all the circumstances surrounding these tragic incidents they will continue to happen.

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canineaggression.asp
91 % of all fatal dog attacks between 2005-2007 were due to one or more of these 3 Factors

[quote]Extensive research and investigation using 40 years of data has conclusively identified the reckless and criminal ownership practices that can cause a dog to become dangerous:

OWNER MANAGEMENT & CONTROL OF DOGS

Owners failing to humanely contain, control and maintain their dogs (chained dogs, loose roaming dogs, cases of abuse/neglect), and owners failing to properly supervise interaction between children and dogs.

FUNCTION OF DOG

Owners maintaining dogs for guarding/protection, fighting, intimidation/status, or as yard dogs. Such dogs are resident dogs, not family pets.

REPRODUCTION STATUS OF DOG

Owners failing to spay or neuter animals not used for competition, show, or in a responsible breeding program.[/quote]

It`s a human problem NOT a dog problem.

My condolences to the family and friends of this child.

I would wait for the real story behind & leading up to this incident which you won`t find in Press Accounts.

BTW Therapy Bear you already have an agenda and it isn`t about reducing dog bites and the very rare fatalities.

Therapy Bears,

Did you see the one about the two German Shepherds that mauled the neighbor's child? Or the standard poodle that attacked a baby unprovoked?

Of course you didn't. Those aren't sensational news stories. The only dog attacks that are reported are about pit bulls. Statistics show (they been mentioned numerous times on this blog) that pit bulls are one of the least likely dogs to attack a human.

And here`s a Study that shows aggression towards humans is NOT Breed related.
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pdf/DowdAPBTbehaviormanuscriptV4format.pdf
I doubt that real Research fits your agenda though.

[quote]This Study has statistically shown,based on a defined temperament test,that the classification of dog breeds and dog breed types(breed groups),with respect to their aggressiveness towards humans is not supported scientifically.[/quote]

I'm so proud of Leo! He's doing what he was designed to do: help humans! What a tribute to the Pits of the world.

I commend those who have posted about Pits being aggressive towards humans NOT being breed related, and the tests that they perform to establish the stability of the dogs as well. I don't believe their are bad Pits out there, just really bad people that mess Pits up.

Also as mentioned above, please research the breed before condemning it.

Back to the main subject: Kudos to Leo! Way to go big man!