Sean Moore: Reformed Fighter Is Now Friend to Pit Bulls

May 22, 2009

By Andy MacAlpine

	This former dogfighter now helps pit bulls as an Anti-Dogfighting Advocate. See photos of Sean Moore and others, posing with their canine pals. ©Jenkins/The HSUS

The streets of Chicago hold many ghosts of Sean Moore's younger days.

The alleys remind him of people gathering to watch dogs tear each other up. The people strolling with their pets stir memories of pit bulls put down because of injuries they had suffered. Young neighbors summon visions of Moore's former self, before he knew there was anything wrong with training his dogs to fight.

The Past Informing The Present

Now 38, Moore has escaped his past. But he makes a point of not forgetting it.

Instead, he has spent the last two years as an anti-dogfighting advocate (ADA) for The HSUS's End Dogfighting program, relying on his inside knowledge of the streets to help transform attitudes among children and young men who are following in his footsteps.

"It's a sad situation what I've done to these animals that haven't really asked to have anything done to them," says Moore, who now owns three pet pit bulls. "[I thought] that's what pit bulls are supposed to do; that's what we were taught."

"I could bring you into the 'hood right now and we could get a 7- or 8- or 9-year-old boy or girl and ask them what these dogs are bred for—and they'll tell you these dogs are meant to fight."

"That's what I'm trying to change in my community."

Winning The Hearts and Minds of Inner-City Youth

As ADAs, Moore and others like him in Chicago and Atlanta are role models in neighborhoods where many children have few people to look up to.

Beyonce never loses her focus on Sean. ©Jenkins/The HSUS

They educate people about the perils of dogfighting and encourage people with pitbulls to attend weekly training classes that teach everything from basic obedience commands to advanced agility.

Watching their pit bulls perform physical feats helps the young men see the animals as friends, not fighters. The life-changing training—combined with unconditional love from the dogs—forges an unbreakable bond.

Moore is keenly aware of the importance of this bond.

Brutal Beginnings

Moore was just 12 years old when he found himself in his first dogfight. His dog "won" that confrontation and earned a reputation in the neighborhood.

That led to more fights in alleys, backyards and garages. Training exercises included putting dogs on treadmills turned to the fastest speed for up to an hour and even using smaller stray dogs as sparring partners.

After seeing hundreds of injured dogs die during a fighting career that spanned nearly 15 years, Moore tired of dogfighting when he was talked into one last fight in 1997 with Butch, whom he had owned for just two years.

"That was my final straw," he says. "Even though my dog won that fight, I still had to put him down because he was severely injured—a puncture hole in his neck, a broken vein that couldn't be healed. That was it for me."

In Memory of Butch

	As best friends, Jigga and Sean have unabashed affection for each other. ©Jenkins/The HSUS

Memories of Butch still haunt Moore during weekly training sessions at the local community center, where he shows pit bull owners how friendly and loyal their dogs can be.

Three of those owners, ranging in age from 12 to 14, have probably seen as much dogfighting as Moore has in their short lives, he says. But for the past year and a half, instead of stealing dogs and fighting them in abandoned houses, the boys and their dogs spend a few hours with Moore every day.

There is no more dogfighting.

"They remind me a lot of myself when I was their age," Moore says. "They were headed down the path I was on with these dogs because no one was showing them all the positives of pit bulls."

"My whole goal is to educate the brothers and sisters that pit bulls are not bred to fight. They need to hear it on a consistent basis every day."

Article from the Humane Society of the United States Web site: hsus.org

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Cats Flood Humane Society but Cedric is Lucky

Published May 17, 2009 11:01 pm - The Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society is seeing a upsurge in abandoned cats. In Brown County, it's dogs.

By Robb Murray
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO —

Cedric was one of the lucky ones. A black cat with tons of personality, Cedric was adopted by college student Emily Fiske.

This litter of kittens was found somewhere in Mankato and brought to the impound. There are several litters and more to come for the Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society. -Photo by John Cross Emily Fiske adopted Cedric recently. She says it’s nice to have someone greet her when she comes home. -Photo by John Cross

He’d been at the animal shelter since he was a kitten. Finally, a week ago, he got a home.

“I live alone,” Fiske said. “It was really nice to have a kitty jump on me after work.”

But like we said, Cedric was one of the lucky ones. The Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society is seeing a dramatic upsurge in the number of cats needing shelter. And at this point, there are a lot more Cedrics than there are Emilys.

“We’re overflowing with cats. It’s scary,” said Katherine Nelson of BENCHS. “It seems like this year is worse than others. More people are surrendering cats, more people are not having the money to (get them spayed or neutered). Adoptions are slower this year, too.”

The shelter has five litters of kittens, only two of which are at the shelter now. The others are either too young, and there’s not room for them there, anyway. Beyond that, the shelter has eight pregnant cats in foster care.

As for dogs, Nelson said their numbers remain normal. But over in Brown County, the situation is reversed.

Mike Diercks, of the Brown County Humane Society, said right now their cat numbers are down, but dog numbers are up. The shelter is set up to house nine dogs, but has 11. They’ve had as many as 15.

“We’re finding a lot more strays, too,” Diercks said.

Both Nelson and Diercks say the economy is probably contributing to their respective problems. Because having a dog or cat costs money — food, veterinarian care, replacement of chewed-up shoes, etc. — Nelson said people may be forgoing a spaying or neutering. They also may be surrendering animals, whether it be dropping it off at the shelter or on a gravel road out in the country.

Ken Ambrose, a veterinarian at Minnesota Valley Pet Hospital, said he has not seen fewer cats at the clinic for spaying or neutering.

Even if people were considering not getting their pet fixed, Ambrose said the costs associated with that can be steeper than the $75 to $100 spaying or neutering.

Fixing a pet also makes sense for the pet’s health. In females, spaying “zeroes out” chances of ovarian and uterine cancer. It also eliminates the hassle associated with the female cat being in “heat.” In males, neutering can eliminate irritating male-associated behaviors such as marking and humping, Ambrose said.

“There are already so many homeless cats in the world,” Nelson said. “If we keep having more kittens, we will never find enough homes. A responsible pet owner should have their cat fixed. It will keep the cat from roaming and reduce the chances of being infected by deadly diseases like feline AIDS or feline leukemia.”

Help a sweet dog live a better life

A plea to help Bea from a friend:

Hi Friends,
I believe you have all heard me tell you the tell of Bea - the pit at a no-kill shelter whose been there for 8+ years. (I know this for a fact as I took pictures of her for Petfinder back in 2001/2002 at this shelter.) Stacie Samuels-Forman and myself have found Spirit Santuary where Bea will freedom and love at their cage-free shelter in upstate New York; she'll have friends, live indoors with the other pooches and play all she wants on the acres and acres of grass.

Spirit runs strictly on donations and for dogs like Bea there is a one-time donation request of $3240. This covers some of her life-long care expenses... Stacie and I are raising this money so Bea can get there for the summer and finally romp all over the grass like dogs are meant to - not rot in a cement kennel. Recently a great pittie rescuer went and evaluated her - he said she was in good spirits, no aggression and very excited to have some attention - imagine how she will feel when she gets oodles of attention and has playmates and a bed at Spirit?

I know this is just one and there are plenty of other dogs and other causes but if we don't start with one desperate dog, where do we start? 

Thank you for your help - just $10 will make a world of difference. Please spread far and wide - as I've told Bea "We are coming for you...just hold on!" =)

Donate here there is a 30 day deadline (June 5) If the money isn't raised by then it will be returned to the donors:
http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2009-05-07.1098065548/view?searchterm=bea

A Happy Mother's Day Rescue

	Daisy spent eight years in a puppy mill, leading a life not fit for a dog. ©Riley/The HSUS

by Catherine Hess

My dog was a "puppy mill mama" whose owner essentially threw her away when she got old. I spotted her at an adoption fair and was taken with her gentleness and soulful brown eyes.

Daisy was a depressed little beagle when she came home with me. The loneliness of living in a rabbit hutch for eight years and the stress of endless litters of puppies had crushed her personality, and at first she felt safest in her crate, snoozing the day away.

Puppy Mills Bite

To spare dogs the sadness of puppy mill motherhood, never buy an animal from a pet store.

She seems not to know how to play; a stick or a ball tossed in front of her generates no interest, and squeaky toys terrify her.

The poor girl didn't know how to climb stairs, was very overweight and had a mouth full of rotten teeth. She was hand shy and very foot shy, making me wonder how much of her interactions with people had consisted of whacks and kicks.

Turning A Life Around

Daisy's story gets better the farther she gets from the puppy mill.

Gradually, she takes more interest in life. It helps that she comes to work with me and spends time with people who like dogs. Walks—also known as sniffing expeditions—peeled weight off, and little treats helped her learn skills like jumping into the car and coming when called.

Once in a while, she'll even clamber up to sit in my lap.

Now Daisy loves mornings. She races downstairs with ears a-flopping for her first trip outside, where she frolics around before getting down to business. Bedtime is even better. She knows she'll get a special delicacy when she gets in her crate, so she gallops upstairs and dances around in circles.

Nobody can undo her beginning as a puppy machine, but Daisy's spirit is making a comeback. Doesn't every puppy mill mama deserve as much happiness as she does?

Catherine Hess is a web producer at The Humane Society of the United States.

From hsus.org - the Humane Society of the United States web site.

Humane Society to the rescue after Katrina

HSUS Rescue Totals Louisiana & Mississippi

Confirmed Totals to Date: 2935 Dogs: 1392 Cats: 457 Horses: 121 Other Animals: 965 Updated: September 10, 9:00 a.m.

By Tim Carman

September 10, 4:27 p.m.

Scenes from The HSUS's rescue and sheltering operations in Louisiana reveal the breadth of hurricane relief efforts—and the challenges our teams are facing on the ground.

Dog Miracle From St. Bernard

More than 150 owners have already reunited with their pets by Friday, according to records at the Lamar-Dixon emergency shelter, including 85 cats and 67 dogs. One of those reunions must certainly fall under the miraculous category.

Lisa Saxon from Chalmette, located just east of New Orleans, arrived at Lamar-Dixon on Thursday looking for her missing dog, Rusty. Unfortunately for Saxon, her home is located in St. Bernard Parish, where animal rescue crews are not allowed because of toxic chemical spills in the area.

As Saxon stood there talking to an HSUS staffer explaining the situation, a large stock trailer pulled up in the Lamar-Dixon compound. Police officers in St. Bernard Parish surprised everyone by personally bringing in a load of dogs.

When Saxon turned around to inspect the stopped trailer, "she was nose to nose with her dog," said the HSUS staffer who witnessed the reunion. "We were all crying."

From the Humane Society's web site: www.hsus.org

Nearly 700 Dogs Rescued From Tennesee Puppy Mill

The HSUS/Riley

This puppy was rescued from Pine Bluff Kennels in Tenn.

Nearly 700 dogs have a new lease on life after teams of rescuers under the command of The HSUS arrived to save them from a massive puppy mill operation in Lyles, Tenn.

The removal of the dogs marks the largest puppy mill rescue ever conducted in Tennessee.

The Rescue

The rescue was set into motion by The HSUS' Tennessee state director, who received undercover tips and worked with investigators with the District Attorney's office for the 21st Judicial District to build a case against the puppy mill operator.

Law enforcement personnel from the Hickman County Sheriff's Department, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force and the Tennessee Highway Patrol assisted in executing the search warrant.

Nearly 700 dogs are being removed from the facility, which is known as Pine Bluff Kennels. The operator of the facility will be given 15 days after her first court date to post a seizure bond on the animals.

If she is unable to post bond, the animals will be surrendered to Hickman County. They will then be placed with HSUS partner shelters and given the opportunity to become the family pets they never had the opportunity to be.

From the Humane Society of the United States Web Site hsus.org

Animal Angel: How You Can Help Neighborhood Critters In Need

From the Humane Society of the United States (hsus.org)

By Rebecca Simmons

It was impossible to ignore the cat's wails. His cries shattered the darkness and echoed through the quiet suburban Maryland neighborhood. Behind a row of houses, someone's pet cat had fallen from a tree, broken one of his legs, and become entangled in the branches.

Krista Hughes, special events manager for The HSUS, heard the cries from her home and ran to help. Equipped with a ladder and pillowcase, Hughes lowered the cat to safety in the makeshift cloth carrier and transported him to the local animal shelter, where staff immediately took the animal to the nearest emergency veterinary clinic.

Just days later the cat was reunited with his guardian at the local animal shelter. The owner can thank Hughes for that kindness as well; she posted flyers around the neighborhood briefly explaining what happened to the cat. It's not an exaggeration to say that, without Hughes help, the cat may have died from his injuries.

Neighborhood Watch

Hughes reacted in the calm, caring way that most animal lovers imagine they themselves would react in a similar situation. Many people, however, are ill-equipped to deal with an animal emergency at a moment's notice. But, with a little preparation, anyone with a big heart and a love for animals can become a guardian angel to critters.

"Being on the lookout for animals who need help is one of the best ways to have an immediate and direct effect on animals," said Rebecca French, The HSUS' former outreach assistant for Animal Sheltering Issues. "You can be the difference between life and death for an animal. And you may be that animal's only hope for finding her family or being adopted into a new family. People often think that someone else will take care of the problem, but there are so many animals who need help that it's up to each of us to do everything we can every time we see an animal in need."

When animals roam, whether lost or abandoned, they face extreme risks. Removing animals from dangerous situations can literally save their lives. "Helping a wandering critter prevents injury or death from traffic, starvation, cruelty, disease, attacks from other animals, and other dangerous and inhumane conditions," said Dr. Jo Liska, director of Outreach and Education at Bloomington Animal Care & Control in Bloomington, Ind., and guardian of an abandoned cat who showed up on her porch and stayed for 15 years.

"Bringing the animal to safety is the kindest thing you can do," said Alex Murphy, a volunteer at the Erie County SPCA in Buffalo, N.Y. Murphy helped to rescue a stray dog near his home. "I wanted to help because I knew I'd be frantic if my own dog was lost."

Ready For Anything

Unlike humans, companion animals can't dial 911 or tell their family where they are. They are at the mercy of the people whom they meet, and, as domesticated creatures, they are almost entirely dependent on human compassion. Many people want to help, but are apprehensive or unsure of what to do. However, a little bit of education and preparation can turn a passive animal lover into an active one.

Yet, no matter how confident a person feels about helping an animal in need, it's also important to remember that approaching an unknown animal can be dangerous. "People should always be cautious. Use common sense—if you don't feel comfortable handing an animal who may be unfriendly or fearful, call animal control or your local shelter and wait with the animal until help arrives," said French.

For more specific information on what steps to take once an at-risk animal has been identified, check out The HSUS' comprehensive guide, What To Do When You Find a Stray Dog or Cat

The HSUS also recommends that you prepare an emergency animal kit for your vehicle. That way, whether an animal is on the side of the highway or on your front porch, you'll be prepared.

An emergency animal kit should include:

• Cell phone
• Phone numbers and addresses of 24-hour veterinary clinics, 24-hour animal shelters and animal control agencies (find local information in your phone book or go to www.Pets911.com and enter your zip code.)
• Cat carrier, pillowcase or cardboard box
• Adjustable 6-foot slip lead
• Bottled water
• Strong-smelling foods (canned tuna, dried liver, etc.)
• Treats
• Food and water dishes
• Animal first aid kit (available online through CPR Savers & First Aid Supply.)
• Flares
• Blankets or towels
• Animal first aid book (Pet First Aid, authored by The HSUS and the American Red Cross, is available online.)

There are thousands of animals who need help, just like the injured cat that Hughes rescued, the lost dog that Murphy picked up, and the abandoned cat that Liska took in. Whatever their story, these animals are alone in a dangerous world—and it's up to animal lovers to act on their behalf.

Rebecca Simmons is the Outreach Communications Coordinator for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.