Leo the pit bull started out life chained up and trained to kill–now, he works with cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in California. In addition to working with cancer patients, Leo also interacts with young people on probation at the Alternative Placement Academy in San Jose.This is the same dog that, along with about 50 others, was, at one point in his life, part of former professional football player Michael Vick’s group of fighting dogs.
After being taken in by a certified trainer and counselor in Northern California, Leo underwent the intense, five-week training program necessary to become a therapy dog.
Source: MSNBC.com
K9 Commentary:
Go to any search engine on the Web and type in “Pit Bull.”
Most likely, one of the first topics you’ll see on the results page will be about banning pit bulls, or how they mauled someone to death –in other words, it’s almost all negative.
More and more cities around the country continue to ban “aggressive” dog breeds. Amazing stories like this will not get the attention they deserve because that pit bull stigma is just too strong.
By the way, it’s very difficult for a dog to become a therapy dog. They must undergo many tests and lots of training–many great dogs do not pass the tests necessary to become a therapy dog. The fact that a dog can overcome such a horrible background and still have what it takes to become a therapy dog is amazing.
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I think this is so great. Dogs are so resilient, and the fact that Leo is a therapy dog now speaks to that resilience. People can’t forget that it’s the dog owners who go array, not the dogs. Breed bans are ridiculous.