Pit Bulls Find New Jobs Helping People In Need, But Detractors Are Fighting The Move

Pit Bulls, a breed that has had a pretty bad rap, might surprise some at their employment as of late. According to the Huffington Post, Joe Bonfiglio returned from his tour in Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder. Most of the regular day-to-day things he used to find pleasure in are now the source of paralyzing panic for him.

“I used to go to bars with my friends. And war movies. I am not going to see ‘American Sniper’. It would bring me back to a place I don’t want to be.”

However, that all changed the day Bonfiglio met the aptly named Zen, according to the Desert Sun. Zen is not your average therapy dog. Zen is a pit bull therapy dog. Without Zen the pit bull, Mr. Bonfiglio would not be able to go to the mall, or even sleep comfortably.

Besides attending trips to the mall with Joe, Zen the pit bull also rushes to his side to wake him when he is having flashback nightmares.

This was all made possible by the Animal Farm Foundation in Dutchess County, New York. The goal, according to the Animal Farm Foundation, is to change pit bull stigma through a program that trains and donates rescued pit bulls to guide the blind, push wheelchairs, help people regain their mobility, and obviously be companions for those suffering from PTSD.

This Assistance Dog Training Program is apparently the only U.S. training school that exclusively uses pit bulls saved from shelters, according to the foundation’s certified trainer, Apryl Lea. The pit bulls are required to be bred, socialized, trained, and acquainted with their disabled owners. Thus far, five pit bulls have been placed.

The Animal Farm Foundation is not completely alone in this endeavor, as a group called Pit for Patriots provides “comfort” pit bulls to military veterans, police, and firefighters. However, they have not begun placing any pits so far. Comfort pit bulls, unlike the therapy variety, only have weeks of training, rather than months. Kelly Yearwood, co-founder of the Pits for Patriots Chicago chapter, explains.

“Veterans and first responders can identify with pit bulls because they either have seen a lot of trauma or been through a lot of trauma.”

German shepherds, labradors, and golden retrievers are your typical service dogs in America. Though, the Desert Sun reports, this is a very costly process.

The training specifications for the therapy pit bulls are based off the American with Disabilities Act guidelines. Despite all of this, an anti-pit bull group is not too happy about these foundations.

Colleen Lee, founder and president of DogsBite.org, claims “Pit bulls can be unpredictable and kill or maim when they attack.” The site, which utilizes results that never take into account false or incorrect pit bull reports, reports on pit bull attacks and lobbies for pit bull bans.

“There are over 100 dog breeds that are far more suitable to perform tasks for persons with disabilities than pit bulls, especially rescued pit bulls with unknown backgrounds. There is simply no need for pit bulls, rescued or otherwise, to be utilized as service dogs for people with disabilities.”

However, Joe Bonfiglio would disagree with Lee’s opinion. The former Marine has made a lot of progress with his therapy pit bull Zen. So much so, that he’s now taking cybersecurity classes at Mercy College in New York.

“Zen is a fantastic dog; the best thing that’s happened to me since I’ve been home.”

As odd as pit bulls acting as therapy dogs might seem, the Inquisitr reported on the story of Zeus the pit bull who helps his wheelchair bound little girl.

[Image Via Creative Commons/Stubby Dog]