ARL Rescues Pit Bulls from Fighting Ring, Hurricane Irene

Mary Kennedy Withrow will never forget the sight of a battle-scarred pit bull named Sally leaving the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania to begin a new life.

“She was riding shotgun in the car with her new owner and as they were getting ready to pull out of the parking lot, I noticed the license plate,” said Withrow of Highland Park.

“It said 'HPY BUS.' I asked the owner about it and she said, 'Yep, this is the happy bus. It was just so perfect I had to take a photo.”

It was a much different scene than a few weeks earlier when Withrow and other volunteers with the Humane Society of the United States rescued Sally and dozens of other pit bulls from two suspected North Carolina dog-fighting rings.

The animals were on chains in dirt yards with empty oil barrels their only shelter. 

“All they could do was walk in small circles,” Withrow said. “Some of the dogs had torn ears. Many had scars. Their situation was truly heartbreaking.”

Withrow was one of 10 Pittsburgh residents on the mission, which was led by Daisy Balawejder of Cranberry, the humane society’s dog-fighting rescue coalition coordinator, and president of Hello Bully, a pit bull advocacy group.

They brought 14 pit bulls to Pittsburgh, including Sally and two pups unrelated to the fighting-ring bust. All but six already have been adopted through the Animal Rescue League and Hello Bully.

“We arrived in North Carolina just as Hurricane Irene was hitting, so we helped with orphaned animals, too,” said Withrow. “There were dogs, cats and a horse that had been in water for hours. But that’s a whole other story.”

The main mission was seizing the fighting-ring dogs and helping to prepare them for a normal life. They were taken to a temporary shelter for temperament testing and an enrichment program that included massage, food-filled toys and scheduled downtime, all designed to promote socialization and alleviate stress, Balawejder said. 

“The dogs’ worlds were suddenly changing from life on the end of a chain to people coming in with cameras and taking them to a new place," Balawejder said. "Some of the dogs were fearful at first. We let them adjust at their own pace.”

Withrow recalled watching Ripley, a young, 37-pound pit bull now at the Animal Rescue League, playing with the first toy she probably had ever been given.

“She didn’t know what to do with it at first,” Withrow said. “Now, it’s her favorite thing.”

She also watched Ripley run on grass for the first time in her life. 

“Seeing that was the greatest feeling in the world — one I’ll never forget,” she said. “She kept running toward me and licking my face, and I kept crying.”

That pit bulls can rebound from abuse is a testament to the breed’s special nature, said Balawejder, who founded Hello Bully six years ago in an effort to repair the reputation of American Pit Bull terriers, as well as rescue them from abuse and find them new homes.

Supported by donations and merchandise sales, the all-volunteer organization focuses on public outreach and education and opened the halfway house in Cranberry this year. 

“There’s nothing like a pit bull with people,” Balawejder said. “They’re very tenacious, loyal and smart and want to please their owners. Dog fighters know this. They know they’ve got a dog that will never turn on them.”

Balawejder blames the media for sensationalizing pit bull incidents, which she said are rare and typically reflect bad ownership.

“The vast majority of pit bull owners are not gang members, drug dealers or dog fighters,” she said, “And the onus is on us to change people’s minds.”

Balawejder said responsible dog owners ensure their pets get “manners” training.

“A lot of our dogs have earned Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International certifications, “ she said. “They visit nursing homes and hospitals.”

Balawejder’s humane society work takes her all over the country. Last year, she helped rescue 200 pit bulls from a fighting ring in Jefferson County, Ohio.

As cities go, she said, Pittsburgh is one of the more pit bull-friendly towns.

“What’s great here is that all three shelters — Animal Rescue League, and the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society — work with us helping to adopt pits into loving homes,” she said.