Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A One Man/Woman Show

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment