SociaBulls: From Learning about Pitbulls to Developing an Ambassadog

If you've been keeping up with SociaBull's walk photos, you've probably familiar with this handsome mug; 'Perfect Attendance' Torre has been on nearly every walk since the very first day. He has even been on more walks than Miss M and Mr. B.

 But there's actually something very unique about how we met Torre's family. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I actually met Torre's people long before they adopted Torre during this 'speed dating' adoption event I wrote about here.
 We know having our pitbulls meet people and sharing stories about them changes minds, but in Torre's case, this is what led to him being adopted by such an amazing family.
I was beyond excited when I received the following email (over a year ago) to hear about such a positive outcome from sharing information:

 I just wanted to say a quick thank you for your blog and all the information you two share. My boyfriend and I met A last summer at an adoption event when you guys were fostering Wilma (I believe that was her name).  We had our reservations about pitbulls but we really interested in learning more about them.  A directed us to your blog and I have been addicted ever since gobbling up as much information as I can. 

 Well, as of this past Friday, my boyfriend and I took the plunge and we now have a new member of the family.  His name is Torre and he is a Mastiff Pitbull mix.   We rescued him from PAWS.  He was owner relinquished to Animal Care and Control and Paws went in and got him. He’s had a lot of change over the past 3 weeks but we couldn’t ask for a better dog. 

I just want to say thank you for shedding such a positive light on this breed and for educating the public on how great these dogs really can be.  

 Torre celebrated his 1-year 'Gotcha Anniversary' just last weekend, and his family couldn't be prouder of him. Now Torre too has been educating others and letting people see how amazing pitbull-type dogs are.

You can also read about more SociaBulls Members: Estelle (Waiting to Be Noticed), Franklin (A Small Dog in a Big Dog Group), Gordon (Learning to Be Social and Have Dog Friends),  Nabi (A Shy Dog Making Sense of a "People World") Sprocket (Teaching a Dog When it's not Time to Play), Lola (Living in the City with a Dog who Fears Strangers),  Zoe (The Dog who "Loves Too Hard"),  Izzy (Being a good pitbull ambassador while working with an energetic dog) and Maize (Being social with an unsocial pup).
Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls  Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check this link from the DINOs (Dogs in Need of Space) group to read more about the benefits of dog-walking groups and to see if there is a group in your area.  

Please Note: As the weather has warmed up, bikers, runners, dogs, and kids have come out in full force in many of the areas that we walk. While we had previously been introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, we've decided that in order to continue to keep our group safe and make our walks a positive experience for everyone, we are putting new members "on hold" for the summer. You can still submit an application, and it will go on our wait list in the order it is received. Once things quiet down a bit more in the fall, we will resume introducing new members a few at a time to each walk, and will be contacting people on the wait list in a first-come, first-served manner.