Just about every Saturday morning in one of the most depressed areas of Chicago, Jeff Jenkins can be found setting up home-made obstacles and dog agility equipment at the Carrol Care Center on the Chicago’s west-side. Jeff is something of a brand-new hero of mine, because not only is he on the front lines of the fight against dog fighting, and making progress, but because he is also helping at risk youth in that same neighborhood.
Jeff’s program, called the Pit Bull Training Team, began in 2006 with a simple goal; To reintroduce the concept of a dog as a pet and family member to at-risk youths. This sounds really silly until you consider many of the targeted demographic have never known a a dog as a loving pet, but only as a participant in blood sport for fun or money. All they have ever known of a Pit Bull is that is is entertainment at best, perhaps the source of a few dollars in their pockets. But Jeff is changing that perception, and perhaps significantly more as well.
In any class of 20 or so, at least half of the students have fought dogs. In an interview with Time Out Chicago, Jeff said: “To a lot of these guys, fighting their dogs was like a pickup game of basketball.” This shows in very real terms just how much these kids have invested in or care about their dogs. But the Pit Bull Training Team is making real progress in changing this perception. These 20 kids and their dogs come every week, and help a Pit Bull stay out of the fight game, and in the pet game.
During the course of a class, the handlers are tasked with leading their dogs through a series of obstacles and challenges. Some dogs are less than thrilled and it is the handlers job of finding some way of engaging and encouraging the dogs to complete the task or overcome the obstacle. Whether is is getting silly, getting excited, or getting down on the ground and just silently encouraging a frightened or unsure dog, the handler has to find a way.
Another excellent quote from Jeff in the article: “You gotta pick your energy up, get silly. Your dog could be 90 pounds of angry, but if he’s intimidated, you might have to sit on the ground, pull out a treat, wiggle it around and encourage him. Sometimes you gotta get little for your dog to get big.”
It is precisely this philosophy that makes is pretty clear that, in the end, it is not only the dogs that are being trained and learning confidence. Jeff’s program targets “both ends of the leash” as he says it. As with any teenager they are only trying to fit into their environment as best they can: “Oftentimes, these guys are scared and they’re looking for something to be tough with. If it ain’t a gun, maybe it’s a pit bull.” Jeff’s program helps the trainer develop pride in themselves, pride in their accomplishments, and pride in that they have been able to “rehabilitate” a fighting dog into a wonderful pet and beloved family member.
For more information on Jeff’s program, please see the links below. Most especially PLEASE use the ‘donate’ link. A tax deduction, and a very worthy program:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tell us what you think. Tell us about your experiences? We want to hear from you!