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On Saturday, thousands of people gathered at the U.S. Capitol in support of pit bull terriers – commonly referred to as Pibbles – at the first ever One Million Pibble March. The event was organized by comedian Rebecca Corry (Comedy Central, King of Queens, Last Comic Standing).
Corry, a Kent, Wash. native and founder of the Stand Up for Pits Foundation, worked tirelessly to organize the event, which was held on the West Lawn of Capitol.
Though the name of the march is “One Million Pibble,” only humans were allowed. They carried signs expressing their feelings about pit bulls and protesting breed-specific legislation.
There has been a push to ban so-called “bully breeds.” Corry calls this “breed discrimination legislation.”
“Breed specific legislation is banning the victim,” she said. “You don’t ban the victim. You get to the root of the problem and solve it.”
At Saturday’s rally, one woman carried a sign saying “Pit bulls deserve our pride not our prejudice.”
Two women from Shirley’s Angels Boxer Rescue carried signs that told the story of “Creature” and “Pippo.”
They said Creature was “skeletal when animal control found him, chained to a tree. Now he’s fat, happy and available for adoption.”
Pippo was found wandering the streets when she was just seven weeks old. She contracted parvo and nearly died, but she too is available for adoption.
The message from Shirley’s Angels: “Ban bad owners.”
President Obama has even come out about the ineffectiveness of the breed specific legislation (BSL) laws and ways to see it abolished.
Saturday’s event was inspired by Corry’s own pit bull terrier, Angel, who was found in South Central Los Angeles. She had been used as a bait dog, physically abused and over bred.
“My goal is to create safe and humane communities for humans and pets by advocating, educating and offering solutions,” said Corry. “This is not just an animal issue; it is a social issue that affects us all. It is proven people who commit violent acts against animals will likely — and most often times do go on to — commit crimes against humanity. The targeting of pit bull terriers is an obvious reflection of broken society, but one that can be fixed. The Pibble March provides us a national platform to be the voice of millions of voiceless victims, and we will be heard. Abuse and discrimination can no longer be tolerated.”
Key-note speaker at Saturday’s event was Jamie Buehrle, wife of Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Mark Buehrle, whose family has been forced to live apart due to BSL laws
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