Twelve pit bulls stood in one room sizing each other up and looking at their owners for approval. And one by one, some leaped, circled and walked near each other. But they weren’t in a dogfight. These pit bulls were being trained by Humane Society o
Twelve pit bulls stood in one room sizing each other up and looking at their owners for approval. And one by one, some leaped, circled and walked near each other. But they weren’t in a dogfight. These pit bulls were being trained by Humane Society of the United States trainers at the Carroll Care Center at 3334 W. Carroll. Some of the dogs seemed calm and innocent—like Oreo who wrestled around and was in heat, Chocolate who just wanted to play and climb on its owner, and puppies Weezy and Icey who watched the bigger dogs like they were superstars.
Cocoa had a couple scars and was rescued a week ago. And Jeff Jenkins, 41, the founder and lead pit bull trainer, brought Junebug—a rescued dog of a 14-year-old boy who loved the dog but older family members constantly abused him. “The owner tried his best to take care of the dog, but he didn’t have the right resources,” Jenkins explained to the Defender. But at the Carroll Care Center on the West Side of Chicago and a second location on the South Side at 6810 S. Ashland, the Humane Society provides a dog care program with the necessary equipment. In Englewood, pit bull owners can frequent the South Side location at 6 p.m., and the West Side location at 1 p.m. The training usually has a maximum of 20 dogs and lasts an hour.
But the HSUS dog trainers are adamant that pit bulls being aggressive and untrained isn’t just the dog’s fault. “I’ve had some guys who’ve come in and been extremely aggressive towards their dogs,” Jenkins said. “But that’s what they saw growing up.” And although there’s a sign on one of the doors by the entrance about a $5,000 reward for reporting dogfighting, none of the trainers—including the owner of the building, Minister Tim White Sr.—is thrilled with the idea of turning the dogfighters over to police.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, dogfighting is illegal in all 50 states, and 250,000 dogs suffer each year. In addition to 40,000 organized dogfights, an additional 100,000 street dogfighting happens in alleys, vacant lots and other hidden locations. The Chicago Police Department reported that 65 percent of the people charged with dogfighting also committed crimes against people. All of the trainers stated that dogfights have affected young dog owners between the ages of 12-14 years old too. And some are even younger. “These (dogfighters) are 9 and 10,” Antonio Pickett said. “That’s a dangerous weapon in a little kid’s hands so we educate them.” On Aug. 29 at the Englewood location, 65 pit bulls were brought out for free shots and vaccines, microchips, given proper leashes, and according to Hardiman, “there was only one lightweight incident” during their Community Outreach Initiative program. The Humane Society of the United States funded the drive, the Carroll Care Center’s training, along with private donors.
nkins, Moore and Minister White Sr., are all proud pit bull owners who want the same goal for this little-over-a-year old program. “The main goal is to reduce the dogfighting by about 60 percent by spreading the message and getting involved,” Hardiman said. But Hardiman pickes the anti-dogfighting advocates wisely. “Nobody can work the community unless they understand the dynamics of the people. I commend the Humane Society (of the United States) for allowing the inner city into their arena.” The Humane Society of the United States is the only organization that has a dedicated campaign focused on stopping animal fighting. For more information on this Chicago anti-dogfighting program and HSUS, click here. ______ In photos: (main photo) Tio Hardiman with Minister White Sr.’s dog Brisko (additional photos) Pit bulls Icey and Weezy with their owner, pit bull Honor with her owner, pit bull trainer Jeff Jenkins with pit bull Oreo, pit bull trainer Sean Moore with pit bull Chinchilla, Anthony Pickett with pit bull Nino, Minister White Sr. stands next to rescue sign, pit bull Diago sits with his owner
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.