Today we were made aware of yet another amazing story inspired by the Pibble March.
This is proud Pibble mom, human mom and wife Hope Sisitsky Cogen and here is what Hope had to say……
“I was inspired by you, Rebecca, in the sense of the massive impact one individual can have. If every person who attended the march did ONE thing–contacted a politician, organized a rally in their town, got their own Pittie trained to be a therapy dog, etc….SO MANY people could be reached in a very positive way. So, when the inspiration and motivation and sense of responsibility were pumping through my veins after the march, I committed to doing what I can to make a difference for Pitbulls. As the owner of High Hopes Dog Training and mom of a Pitbull, I have the ability to reach many people. So that is what I am doing, one school, one child, one client at a time.”
HIGH HOPES DOG TRAINING
Since adopting Spartacus, a pit mix rescued from the pound, almost 2 years ago, it became a personal goal to educate people about Pits by bringing Spartacus to my dog training classes, walking him around my neighborhood, just getting him out in public and letting people simply meet him. He also helps me with my clients’ dogs who are not socialized, aggressive, leash reactive, etc. At the Pibble March, I was moved by the passion of all of us in attendance. I felt the need to bring the message to the people who don’t know. It seemed to me that the best way to reach people was to start with kids. I wanted to get to them before they became influenced by adults around them and the media and formed their own opinions. My hope was also that after my visit, they would go home and tell their family members what they learned and experienced. That way, I could reach the adults through their children. So what I do is I have Spartacus up with me while I am talking. I have 2 or 3 other dogs and their humans off to the side or behind us. I have another pittie with us and then either a little fluffer dog (one wearing a dress once) or a golden retriever (who was wearing purple bows in her hair). I start off by asking the kids to vote for the dog that they believe is the nicest dog there. Usually, the little fluffer dog or the golden get the most votes. So that opens up the conversation about not judging a book by its cover, so to speak. How they do not know anything about any strange dog and not to make assumptions. That any dog can be nice and any dog can be mean. I then talk about reading the “clues” to know whether or not to approach a dog. I have laminated photos of dogs and point out body cues. Then we talk about what to do if a loose dog approaches them–Be a Tree! Then what do if the strange, loose dog is jumping at them–Be a Turtle! Then we talk about the 3 steps for greeting a friendly dog on leash. I have the kids line up and practice the 3 steps first with Spartacus then with the other dogs. Then I give a hand out and ask the kids to please teach the people in their home what they learned from us. I have just done this twice but have had many, many teachers contact me about speaking at their schools in the fall. The cover photo on my High Hopes Dog Training page is when I was having the kids practice being a turtle but getting low on their knees in a ball and covering their heads with their hands. As we were all doing it, Spartacus joined right in. He got on his belly and started crawling to the kids. It made everyone laugh!”-Hope Sisitsky Cogen
We are all SO proud of you Hope! You are doing all you can, being heard and making a difference! To take action and DO requires work and the work you are doing with these kids matters big time. For years to come they will remember what you taught them. Educating our children is vital to creating a future without abuse and discrimination. Keep us posted on High Hopes and I hope some folks will take the time to check out your page and perhaps learn from you and by doing so start similar programs in their areas. You are an inspiration to us all!! Keep up the great work!! #educate #advocate #betheirvoice #standupforpits