Humane Society of Huron Valley introduces its Celebrity Spokesdog for 2011: Marie the pit bull mix
Meet Marie!
Photo courtesy of HSHV
A real "rags to riches" story has certainly unfolded for an area dog.
Found abandoned and wandering on the side of the road with her sibling, Donnie, Marie was picked up by a caring person and taken to the Humane Society of Huron Valley for refuge.
Fast forward to present time, and Marie, a 1.5-year-old pit bull mix, is now the HSHV 2011 Celebrity Spokesdog and is the face of this spring's Walk & Wag event, presented by Arbor Research Collaborative for Health.
But a few things happened along Marie's journey to facilitate this change.
You see, Marie, along with her brother, had not only been homeless, they had trust issues with people. They both made great strides in gaining not only the much-needed attribute of trusting humans while at HSHV but also social skills.
Marie made headway much more quickly than her sibling, and even entered the MI-Paws Dog Training Program, spending 10 weeks with two inmates at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility. During that time, she had 24-hour care and training from the women, and was one of the first graduates of the program.
After that transition, Marie was adopted by the Crouse family.
David Crouse notes, "I've had several pit bulls before and they are always sweet dogs — Marie is one of the best!", dispelling the idea that this breed isn't good as a family pet.
Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap, and the work that HSHV does in the community to educate the public about the breed and their plight is far-reaching.
As the Celebrity Spokesdog for 2011, Marie is a goodwill ambassador of sorts, illustrating just how important it is to consider adopting a shelter pet if you're ready to welcome a companion animal into your life, and further, just how wonderful her breed is.
Interested in meeting Marie firsthand? She'll be attending HSHV's biggest fundraiser of the year, Walk and Wag, which will be held at County Farm Park on May 21, a great reason to attend this annual event.
Read more about Marie by clicking here.
Lorrie Shaw is lead pets blogger for AnnArbor.com and recently wrote "Mutts are the best". She can be reached via email, or you are invited to follow her writing and pet sitting adventures on Twitter @psa2.
Comments
Mona
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 12:22 p.m.
First of all, I say kudos to HSHV for selecting Marie as spokesdog. I don't understand the needs of some to vilify an entire breed based on negative stories heard in the press or from other people. My husband and I have raised two Labrador Retrievers from birth. One was amazing...the typical All-American family dog. The other was aggressive toward other big dogs and we ultimately had to make the heart-breaking decision to put him down. This was not a pit bull. This was what most thought to be a lovey-dovey, dopey Lab. Aggression is not breed-specific. Anyone who owns an animal needs to realize the responsibility that goes along with that. We would never let a stranger pet our dogs without permission because we don't know how our dogs will react to someone. We have neighbors who have a pitbull and he is wonderful. They are constantly with him and have trained him well. Could he snap one day? Certainly; but so could my beagle. Ultimately, all potential dog owners need to research breeds before pulling the trigger on a purchase or adoption.
Lorrie Shaw
Wed, Apr 13, 2011 : 4:53 p.m.
Mona, The point that you make about anyone who owns an animal needs to realize the responsibility that goes along with it is a perfect one.
bedrog
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 11:39 a.m.
Readers probably can't help noticing the similarities between this debate and the gun control one: i.e. "guns dont kill people, people kill people" vs ' restrict all guns' ( just substitute "pit bull" for 'gun"). Ironically ( but not totally) I'm on the side of pitbulls here, but on the side of severe restrictions of guns. Actually the conflict is resolved via policies like those regularly employed by the HSHV: i.e detailed interviewing of prospective pit adoptors to insure they will not be in the 'irresponsible -to- sociopathic ' demographic that sometimes seems to favor this breed. They also run excellent behavioral training classes. Arelated anecdote: earlier in my volunteer time at HSHV i was having a bit of trouble harnessing a new pit who seemed quite terrified of me ( im a biggish guy and happened to be wearing my baseball cap backwards). A more experienced dog-walker perceptively suggested i flip my hat around. problem solved.
nicole
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 3:02 a.m.
Yeah. I really feel so sorry for this poor dog, oh poor doggie. Tell that to the kid with a torn up face that will never look like themselves again.
UM2012
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 4:52 p.m.
If you should ever decide to educate yourself on dog breeds, here are a couple good places to look: <a href="http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canines-issues/canine-myths/" rel='nofollow'>http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/canines-issues/canine-myths/</a> <a href="http://www.atts.org/statistics.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.atts.org/statistics.html</a> Although you probably will not, seeing as you seem quite content being completely misinformed. Like my father always said, you can't argue with ignorance. Best of luck to you.
UM2012
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 2:47 a.m.
I have to admit that I'm a "lurker" on the Ann Arbor site but felt compelled to create an account because of the absurdity here! PLEASE do research before making a comment like "Pit Bulls are mauling children!" You hear about it when it happens because of the bad rap Pits have. How many stories do you hear of Chihuahua's attacking children? I can guarantee more children are bitten by breeds other than Pit Bulls on a daily basis. Reading uneducated comments like these really saddens me as it does nothing to help these poor dogs who are already so stigmatized. Kudos to HSHV for working to educate the community about this wonderful breed. Marie is a doll and a wonderful choice for HSHV's spokesdog!
microtini
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 2:42 a.m.
I recall when the HSHV had a mandatory-euthanasia policy for pitt bulls.
bedrog
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 10:42 a.m.
well they don't now...and have been deservedly voted the best large animal rescue facility in the state. and probably one of the best in the country.
nicole
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 2:08 a.m.
Um....I don't care who is the problem. I just know that little children are being mauled and killed by these so called "loyal and eagar-to-please" pitbulls. Don't insult my intelligence. They should be banned before anymore children or adults are hurt. They're always great dogs until they end up biting or mauling someone. Then the dumb owner always says "He's never bitten before, I don't know what happened".
Terrin
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 1:49 a.m.
Some people commenting here on how vicious Pit Bulls are are uneducated on the breed. Pit Bulls were originally raised in England and were nick named Nanny Dogs. They were called that because their loyal compassionate nature made them perfect for caring for children. That is what they were breed for to care for children. Like with most things, people are the problem. Pit Bulls are more loyal and eager to please then any other breed. That loyal nature is used to conform their otherwise caring nature by people such as Michael Vick to fight. The pit bulls are taught to be aggressive to please their not so pleasant owners. The dogs are the victims. The Human Society should be praised in trying to educate the public. The Human Society in Ann Arbor also does a very good job in screening potential adopters to make sure they will provide a compassionate home for the dogs and not turn the dogs into monsters. Cities like Detroit are trying to ban the breed because for many minority populations dog fighting is very popular. In Detroit, people are training the dogs to fight. With the poor economy, the problem has intensified, as many people are organizing dog fighting to make money. It seems like every day you read a story about some person being caught for dog fighting. I was hanging out in my front yard the other day playing with my dog, when two kids walked by with a pit bull puppy. The dog was very friendly. The two kids then asked me if I wanted to go in the woods and have my dog teach the pit bull puppy to fight. I called the police. People like that shouldn't be allowed to care for any dog, much less a pit bull. The solution to dispelling the bad rap pit bulls get is to severely punish people caught dog fighting. Mandatory harsh jail time. Further, potential adopters should have to under go a background check and be licensed before purchasing the dog.
Lisa
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 1:46 a.m.
Well done, HSHV!! Marie is an excellent pit bull ambassador, and I'm thrilled to support an organization that is willing to see a dog as a dog - not as a breed profile.
nicole
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 12:49 a.m.
I agree with the first comment. These dogs have killed so many innocent children and adults! And you personify it in the article too. Weird. The little kids they maul never look the same again either, even with a top plastic surgeon doing the repair work on the little child. It's so, so sad. I'm so sick of dogs and dog owners quite frankly.
Lorrie Shaw
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 1:43 a.m.
nicole, I'm curious... what was personified in the post?
braggslaw
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 12:35 a.m.
If you get a small dog with low bite force and it happens to act out... you might get a small bite. If you get a pitbull and it lashes out you have a dog with one of the top 3 bite forces for dogs. I believe in genetics and environment. A good owner can pacify genetic traits such as retrieving, herding and.... biting. But when instinct happens to kick in a pitbull is a loaded weapon.
bedrog
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 10:57 p.m.
actually I hereby recommend my "reply" to zip......i'd meant to post it as a comment on its own.
zip the cat
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
Is this some kind of a sick joke, A PIT BULL mix, One of the most vicious breeds of dogs on the planet So bad that the city of detroit is thinking of baning them from ownership A breed that has mauled countless children and killed god only knows how many more Your going to use it for your sopkesdog. If this happens you'll never get another dime from me or my business as a donation. A real sick farce
bedrog
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 10:55 p.m.
I am a volunteer dog handler at the HSHV where various pit mixes predominate...and i once shared your views but no longer do. Sadly because of their reputation ( undeserved) and undeniable actual history as sometimes being the preferred dog- fighting breed ,they often wind up in the hands of really scummy people who want to bolster their own dubious machismo via the dog they own. When these yahoos lose interest or run afoul of cruelty agencies the dogs wind up...if they are really really lucky...at places like the HSHV where they are readily reprogrammed into quite benign and often damned charming animals, as i amply and ongoingly experience., But they are not for everyone simply because of their athleticism and energy.....and i would admittedly not want to run afoul of the breed if they are being kept by a ( term that would be deleted by moderators as unsuitable for comment).