I'm just returning from the Denver Pet Expo and happy to say it was a great time. Not only were there many Pit Bulls in attendance, but they were all wonderful and I think they each had a licker license! :) The Denver Pet Expo even posted this on their Facebook page:
"We would just like to say that we had HUNDREDS of pit bulls here today and had ZERO problems. In fact, only two dogs were asked to leave (because they didn't play well with others) and neither one was a pit bull."
Even though the Denver Pet Expo is held in the Denver Merchandise Mart, it's not actually within the city of Denver or Denver County and Pit Bulls are welcome. They say, " Pit bulls are safe at our event. We actively oppose BSL with Shorty Rossi as our spokesperson and chose this venue because it's in Adams County and pit bulls could attend the show." I did not see one Pit Bull who wasn't smiling, wagging their butt and trying to lick and love on everyone in attendance!
I went to help spread the word about Dre and support his family. I had planned to go anyways, but this gave me a real purpose in being there. Thanks to Banfield for donating the booth space - and good work to Dre's family for pulling things together in a day! Some had heard Dre's story, but many had not. And I have to say I'm always amazed at how many people don't know anything about BSL (Breed Specific Legislation). Dre's case is not a BSL case. Brighton, CO does not have BSL, but Dre is definitely being discriminated against because he's a Pit Bull. Breed discrimination and BSL go hand in hand. If Dre was a Golden Retriever, or a Lab, or a Chihuahua, he would be home with his family right now, but instead, he's fighting for his life. I'm glad I was able to help spread the word about him today, and I hope it will help put more bodies in the court room in support of Dre. Please continue to check the petition for updates!
Plus, I got to see a bunch of Greyhounds while doing that! I've been seeing more and more tuxedo Greyhounds lately. I always have to pet them and tell them about Twiggy. Today I saw a tripawd Greyhound (three legged) who the family has had since she was 4 months old. She had been born with a hip deformity and couldn't race, so (like Twiggy) she'll never have to know the evils of a racing life. I asked the family if they were having any issues with her - stubbornness, separation anxiety, aggression - and they said yes! I gave them a quick run down of Twiggy's story and I think it helped them to hear we got through it! Yes, Twiggy may always hold the place of being my "problem puppy", but our dedication to her paid off. Dedication to any dog pays off. Actually, the only thing dogs know is 
dedication.
Thanks to everyone I met today who listened to what we had to say and who promised to help spread the word. It's time for real change in BSL and breed discrimination.
Please note, if you are following Dre's case, he does not have a Facebook page. Soon he will have a website: www.savedre.com. Watch for updates on that in the petition site. Thank you.
