Trooper's Journey

What is a Bully Breed Ambassador?

In essence, a Bully Breed Ambassador is a dog and handler that are out to combat negative stereotypes about bully breeds by showing the world a well behaved "bully." The term Breed Ambassador encompasses many things. The basic premise of the idea is simply that your dog will not be fuel for the negative media hype about pit bulls and other bully breeds, and instead shows the kind, talented, smart, abilities of these dogs.

 

Emily (aka Mom) defines a Bully Breed Ambassador as a "bully" that shows his/her breed in a positive light, whether by being a Canine Good Citizen and advocating for the breed, becoming a therapy dog, showcasing his/her athletic abilties in various competitions, etc. However, truthfully she just believes that the heart of Breed Ambassadorship is to be a friendly dog and handler who are open to changing people's minds about their dog's breed in everyday situations like going for a walk down the street. It is really about responsible dog ownership and showcasing the great qualities of the bully breeds.

 

What kind of training is typical for a Bully Breed Ambassador?

Most, if not all, Bully Breed Ambassadors have passed the American Kennel Club (AKC)Canine Good Citizen Test. Much of the time they have gone through a Canine Good Citizen dog training class or other obedience classes or training at home to help them get to the point of passing the test. This is generally the foundation of training and from there your dog can receive training in a wide variety of dog activities such as agility, tracking, weight pull, schutzhund, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program

 

Why do people and their dogs aim to be breed ambassadors?

A lot of people and their dogs aim to be breed ambassadors because they experience the discrimmination their dogs receive simply for the way they look and they aim to change that. Emily didn't realize just how deep seated the discrimmination in our society against pit bulls really is until she adopted Trooper. A day doesn't go by where we don't have someone ask "Is He A PIT BULL?" or have someone cross the street when they see us walking or make comments about how nobody wants to mess with "THAT dog." It is really hard to deal with and not get angry about. Emily has a very hard time holding her tongue and not freely speaking her mind about people's ignorance about the breed and get angry at them for judging Trooper without giving him a chance to show them differently.

 

Another great reason to be a breed ambassador is to show the world what a great dog you have and have an excuse to show your pride for your dog.

 

Being a Breed Ambassador is a great way to promote responsible dog ownership as well as advocate for the bully breeds. And if your dog is a rescue, it is a great way to promote the joys of adopting a pet.

 

Who are Trooper's heroes? And why should we know about them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trooper's first hero is Wallace. Emily read Wallace the book shortly after adopting Trooper. This gave her insight into being a breed ambassador and helping your dog reach his/her potential. Wallace was from Rochester, MN which is only an hour away from where Trooper currently lives. Wallace was the first pit bull champion disc dog and has inspired many pit bulls to follow in his footsteps to change the perception of pit bulls. Wallace recently passed away, but his legacy lives on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His brother Hector helps share his legacy as well. Hector is another hero of Trooper's. Hector shows how pit bulls are a breed that can endure the worst, forgive, and show the world a great deal of compassion. Hector was one of the Michael Vick dog fighting dogs that was rescued. He was adopted by Roo and Clara Yori, Wallace's parents, and went on to become a therapy dog. He looks a heck of a lot like Trooper too, which is pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elle is another one of Trooper's heroes. Elle won the 2013 American Hero Dog Award. The point of the award is to celebrate dogs who really work and perform service to humans. She won with more than a million votes for her. She even got to meet Betty White. Elle is a decorated therapy dog. She helps children learn dog safety and helps others overcome their fear of dogs. She also works in a therapy dog reading program that was created by her owners. She also works hard to fight against Breed Specific Legislation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jambo is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who is an ambassador for the bully breeds. He caught Trooper and Emily's eye when we saw him featured in an article about breed ambassadors on the Stubby Dog Project. He is a cool dog. He is an accomplished Trick Dog. We saw a photo of him wearing a muzzle and showing how ridiculous it is that due to Breed Specific Legislation in the area in which he lives, he needs to wear a muzzle whenever he is out in public and his owners need to have a dangerous dog permit to have him simply because of his breed. He is always hard at work learning new tricks, promoting positive reinforcement training, and fighting Breed Specific Legislation.

 

This is not an all encompassing list of the great Bully Breed Ambassadors out there in any way. There are so many great ambassadors out there that we would love to tell you all about. But that would take a lot of time and research. We just wanted to highlight a few with some variety so it could be a little more tangible, so people could see that being an ambassador means different things, and to showcase some of the great dogs that have really caught our attention on our journey.

 

Additional Articles to check out to learn more:

 

Pit Bull Rescue Central has a great article about

 

The ASPCA has an article

 

Stubby Dog has a great overview of the basics