By Brian Babcock
Los Gatos Weekly-Times
Article Launched: 08/12/2008 12:49:25 PM PDT
Marthina McClay doesn't give in to all the hype surrounding pit bulls. In fact, she finds it ridiculous.
McClay, a certified pet dog trainer, has been trying to fight the pit bull stereotype since becoming interested in the breed in 2003. That was the year she began volunteering in animal shelters and reading every book she could find on pit bulls.
But it wasn't until a little more than a year ago that the Los Gatos resident's burgeoning love for the breed led her to start the nonprofit Our Pack Inc., which advocates understanding and education of the pit bull breed.
McClay knows she's fighting a tough battle. Many people still fear pit bulls and consider the dog the most dangerous breed out there. So she isn't surprised when she's hears people speak negatively about the dogs.
"I went through the exact same thing with the Doberman pinscher breed in the '70s. The exact same thing," McClay said. "And you know something? You don't hear about (Dobermans) anymore. And you know something else? The dog has not changed. The Doberman is still a Doberman, but the people who own them are different."
McClay said there are several parties responsible for the misinformation spread about pit bulls. She says the media is partly to blame for its over-reporting of pit bull attacks, and pit bull owners should shoulder some of the blame for a lack of training and socialization of their dogs.
"It's a multi-prong problem in that it is a lack of education
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on the part of the owners, because if they did have more education then maybe they could be more responsible," said McClay, who gives dog-training classes at the Saratoga School for Dogs on Fruitvale Avenue.
Fighting the pit bull stereotype has become a little easier with the recent publicity about Leo, the pit bull who has become an ambassador for his breed. Leo was one of 49 dogs taken away from football star Michael Vick after he was arrested in a dogfighting sting last year.
McClay originally became aware that many of Vick's dogs were being saved after reading one of the articles written on the former quarterback. So McClay contacted authorities and was authorized to take in one of the dogs. On Dec. 16, 2007, she was given custody of Leo, whose name at the time was Bouncer.
McClay renamed Leo because he reminded her of the cowardly lion character in the Wizard of Oz story. Although Leo outweighs Daisy, McClay's 12-year-old Chihuahua, by at least 50 pounds, he makes sure to stay out of her way.
"If Leo's walking by and Daisy's sitting on the couch, she'll just give him a look and he'll walk around the coffee table," she said.
McClay didn't know what type of dog Leo would be after learning about the abuse of dogs on Vick's property. She said 2-year-old Leo has turned out to be one of the sweetest dogs she's ever worked with.
He also turned out to be a quick learner. After just five weeks of living with McClay, Leo was certified as a therapy dog and now makes regular visits to cancer patients at local hospitals.
McClay says that Leo isn't a fluke and that pit bulls are inherently friendly.
"A dog doesn't wake up and think, 'Hey, I think I'll get into a dogfight today,' " she said. "They don't want to endure pain."
McClay does make sure to state that she doesn't advocate saving dangerous dogs or dogs that are too damaged from abuse cases. She does support evaluating each dog individually instead of broadly by breed.
"The worse the people are who own the dog, the worse the dog gets," she said.
Leo isn't the exception, McClay said; he's the rule.
"(Vick) made one type of dog and I made a different type of dog," she said. "End of story."
www.greatdogtrainer.com
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