The show I watched had them cutting a chain off a fence and removing a dog from the property. He entered the property wrong - it was not his - and took the animal without proper notice to the police. I'm all for saving animals - but I think they are sensationalizing "rescue" and making it "ok" to go above the law. It never said he broke the law - but that is what comes across - and they tape it.

They are also on a TV show. Maybe if an actual dog expert was on I'd watch more. . . but again one show and I was turned off.

I have friends with pitts, good dogs, but just not for me. I've seen a pitt lock and shake - it's a natural instinct and almost impossible to break once they are locked. All dogs have the potential to bite - this I know - but I do think this breed has extra precautions to take and needs very responsible owners.

How are they able to do that on TV...I just don't get it. I can see how it makes for "good tv" and how they could have set up the scenarios so he's really not breaking in and stealing the dogs...but... I don't see how they want this program perceived in such a manner... and it's not unlike he can't obtain thousands dogs through legal means... crazy!

In some older field training books I saw a behavior referenced where the dogs would hold the bird/dummy and absolutely not let go...with the ultimate suggestion being to just drop those birds from the program. Does anyone know what this behavior is called in field work?

It appears in several breeds/situations, not just pit bulls fighting. I'd heard mention of it in that context, and my older golden would hold items and not let go, even when water or other products were poured into his mouth [note...please don't do this. Don't believe everything you are told on forums. Sometimes suggestions are seriously bad....!]. I more recently found out that this behavior occurs in many breeds and many contexts, usually in super arousing settings and it's not uncommon at all in ring sports. Biologically speaking, there's a proposal that this is part of the predatory sequence that has been enhanced through selective breeding and appears abnormally with the "not letting go" when the brain just gets stuck in that part of the sequence...

While our dogs have been selectively and carefully bred for soft mouths, lower fear/anxiety, and a different personality than those dogs that are more frequently displaying this...there's nothing that prevents this from occurring in any breed.

That's the episode I watched too, and I was not impressed. I really believe in abiding by laws. I don't know if there was something in the contract they edited out for TV to make it appear like he broke onto someone else's property, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. To me it seemed like it was giving rescue a bad image by portraying a breed rescue as an organization that will break laws to better the lives of animals... I'm sorry, but in a way that erases all of the hard work other rescues went through while following laws. They should have called the authorities or done whatever legal thing they had to do get the dog back if the contract was being violated.

__________________
http://www.thewetnose.blogspot.com/

Stuff like this gives legitimate rescues a bad name.

What a gimmick the entire thing is, and I thinks it's shameful that Animal Planet airs crap like this.

It is all a gimmick, and the show is mostly about little people, not so much the dogs. I've watched several episodes and have yet to see him actually do anything to place a dog in a good home.

__________________

Besides, the guy is an Asshat

__________________
Remember, Dogs have owners. Cats have Staff...

You know, he really is... I saw him on the Chelsea Handler show the other night. Not impressed, at all.