There is strength in numbers. I don’t think that anyone with even a modicum
of common sense would disagree with that.
Whenever trying to manifest change or achieve victory over an issue it
would appear that most, if not all, people would agree that the more
people/organizations/groups that are working on an issue the better the chance for success. Historically grassroots movements have been
able to bring about positive change whenever enough people get involved. All that said one has to wonder then why some
people who get involved in a cause choose not to network or join forces with
more than a few, or any, other people who are working on the same cause. Why would anyone choose to decrease their
chances of achieving their goals by limiting the opportunities they might have
if they chose to network with many other people working toward the same or a
similar goal? I’m clueless on that
issue.
I have ‘officially’ been a pit bull advocate since February
of 2011 when with a friend we started an advocacy designed to address the many
issues that plague pit bull type dogs and the people who choose to have them. We started on a local basis and have expanded
into the global theater of pit bull advocates/rescues/owners. I’d never advocated for any cause or being
prior to this so it was all new to me. I
started from scratch, not knowing any other advocates, and simply went along
using my common sense grateful for the connections I started to make with other
advocates, pit bull rescues and people in the animal welfare community. I am a team player by nature, I can be a
leader if need be, and it just seemed logical to me to make as many connections
as possible and to network with as many people and organizations as possible in
order to make the biggest possible impact on the current state of affairs for
pit bulls and the people who have them. I
have dedicated myself to reaching out to other pit bull advocates, pit bull
rescues and just pit bull owners who are interested in advocating for their
family dogs over the past two and a half years and what I have found is
somewhat shocking to me. While some
people have truly appreciated the offer to help them do what they do while
helping us promote the bully walk concept there are some who have pretty much
blown us off time and time again. At
first I was angry, then I took it personally and now I’m just perplexed.
I can assume that I understand why the people who have given
us the cold shoulder would do such a thing; especially when they appear to be
very driven, active and dedicated people to their own part of the overall
cause. But assuming one understands,
based on one’s own perceptions, and truly understanding are two completely
different things. I would not cast
aspersions on anyone with the limited amount of knowledge I have of their
reason for not wanting to join forces because that would be judging them for
things that may not be true. However
after continuously contacting them, reaching out to them, nearly to the point
of stalking them and their not responding to messages or requests to communicate
what can anyone think? Are they
unconsciously trying to single-handedly save the world or are they simply not
very social people who prefer to walk alone?
Either way while some of them who fall into this category are quite
capable of getting things done on their own I have great difficulty
understanding why anyone would refuse help from someone else for the sake of
doing it all themselves. Is it a need for
them to get all of the glory and/or credit?
Is it the misguided concept that only they can really do it right or
that only they truly care and can be effective?
Is it due to their simply being anti-social beings that don’t play well
with others? Is it because they are of a
suspicious nature and believe that we somehow will be a detriment to what they do
and to what they are trying to achieve? I’m
dumbfounded.
I have managed not to take it personally, as I did in the
beginning, but to understand that while some people in the forefront of the pit
bull issue have no interest in joining forces with others working on the same
issues there are many others who not only are more than willing to join forces
but who appreciate it beyond measure. To
be clear there are many more people/organizations that I have found around the
world who want to be a part of the solution, to join the chorus, and who relish
the idea of being a part of a bigger picture than there are those who refuse
and that is a great advantage for pit bulls and the people who have them in the
long run. Those who we have managed to
forge a relationship with, some very well known and others who have always
worked behind the scenes, have been the greatest blessing to us. They have not only supported us in what we do
but they have allowed us to support them as well. We are currently involved with many who are one
by one joining a chorus that hopefully will be able to be heard around the
world and that hopefully will be able to make a great impact on the global
community’s perception of pit bull type dogs, the majority of people who have
them and what/who determines how safe or dangerous a dog is.
In the end I suppose the message I am trying to share here
in this blog with everyone is that nobody out here wants to steal your thunder
or to ride on your coat tails but all we want is to put an end to Breed
Specific Legislation, to dog fighting, to people with pit bulls not being able
to find a rental property where their dog is welcomed or allowed, to eventually
show the world that their fears that all dogs that look like or are full or
part ‘pit bull type’ dog are inherently dangerous are totally unfounded and to
help all people understand that what determines how safe or dangerous any dog
is will always be the human being in charge of the dog and not the dog’s breed
make-up. Together with the many other fine
pit bull advocates, rescues and owners we will manifest a change in the public’s
view of pit bulls and the majority of the people who have them but to be
completely honest we could achieve this so much sooner, more effectively and
more efficiently if we had your support, your help and/or your participation.
Those of us who have joined forces, but who ALL still retain
our own identity and our organizations own identity, would welcome and even
relish your help in the cause that affects so many dogs and people around the
world today. There ‘is’ strength in
numbers and when we all sing in the same chorus the world can’t help but listen
to us and to embrace the message that we are all trying to send about pit bulls
and the people who have them.
Thank you for listening.
If anyone reading this blog is interested in 'joining the chorus' please visit the 'Friends of Conversations With A Pit Bull' Facebook page, link provided below, and request to join the group. You won't regret it.
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