Why should our Tenacity Surprise You - the Breed that is going from Zero to Hero!!
Shepherds, Malinois, Labs and Dalmatians beware; there is a new superhero service dog on the rise. That’s right; variations of the American Pit Bull Terrier are coming on strong. The mixed terrier versions of these dogs are mid-weight, compact, tenacious, resilient, and energetic. They have natural endurance, are easy to train, and eager to please. Pit Bull Terrier variations naturally possess the attributes that make them well suited to be service dogs.
However, years of weak, naive, or nefarious owners have taken the positive attributes of the breed and created a lasting stigma. We here at HSZ highlight our animal companions in Homeland Security, and through this article, we would like to give this breed the positive recognition it deserves. Recently HSZ touched on this topic in a story on breed discrimination, highlighting the traits, breeds, and organizations that support law enforcement and rescue operations, for the first article click here.
Just one of many dogs that are crushing the negative stereotypes and leaving a mark in Homeland Security operations is Kiah of the Poughkeepsie, NY Police Department. Recently featured in a Huffington Post article, HSZ decided to catch up with Kiah and her partner Officer Justin Bruzgul to see if we could fetch more info for our readers. Here it is in biscuit size: Kiah and Bruzgul don’t sit around waiting for Kiah’s talents to be put in service, they complete a regular patrol function, which means they can respond to any of the over 30,000 calls that Poughkeepsie PD receives annually.
On about a weekly basis, the team is put into specialty service, to complete tracking and narcotics search work. The team is not immune from some negative public feedback, but the positive response to the Pit Bull officer team far outweighs the voice of the naysayers. Bruzgul and Kiah complete regular demonstrations and socialization meetings at public venues, schools of all grade levels, and even day care centers.
Brad Croft, Director of K9 operations at Universal K9 was quoted once by the Huffington Post, stating that, “Kiah is one of the top three dogs I have ever placed.” While Bruzgul might be a little biased, he said Kiah excels at locating the source of an odor. Kiah is a passive alert dog who will sit, stand, or get low to the ground, pointing with her nose at the area that she detects as the scent starting location. Bruzgul attributes Kiah’s operational talents as being the convincing factor that separates her Pit Bull novelty from no joke working dog status. As an ancillary benefit to the breed, Kiah’s popularity is widespread beyond HSZ. Bruzgul and Kiah (mostly Kiah) are featured in a littlethings.com video, they have been on the Rachel Ray show (Delish!), and in the New York Post. They are also soon to be featured in an article to be published in Europe. As a role model of an exploited breed, is it any wonder that Kiah was nominated by the American Humane Association for a Hero Award? Want the victory photo? Check out Kiah’s Facebook page.
While we wanted to feature Kiah in this post, we would be remiss in not reporting that countless American Pit Bull Terrier variations are currently employed as trained service dogs. In just a few instances, Pit Bulls are serving as companions for our soldiers suffering from PTSD, providing assistance to people with disabilities, and at least one serving as a Fire Official! The Pit Bull was once renowned as America’s Dog, as the United States, the breed has remained unwavering from the qualities which allow for humility in times of triumph and tenacity in times of despair. HSZ salutes Kiah and the many other American Pit Bull variations serving the needs of our nation.
