Celebrity Dogs- Rachael Ray and Isaboo
I recently came upon a snippit from a website where I read that Rachael Ray, famous chef, was bitten while defending her Pit Bull from a dog attack in a New York dog park. This is not a surprising turn of events if you know anything about Rachael and her love of Isaboo (and Pit Bull Terriers as a whole)- she ended up with this dog after she lost her 12 year old APBT Boo.
Isaboo at 6 months! Check out more photos in her gallery
Rachael is an avid animal lover and features recipes for pets in each issue of her magazine. You don’t have to purchase it to check them out though, they’re published on her website as well!
Score a point for Pit Bulls!
Popularity: 8% [?]
January 20th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
I love pitbulls! they are buetiful dogs with a bad and uncalled for reputation. Isaboo is great example on what these buetiful animals. The problem is that you only see the bad not good!! i love you Isaboo.
March 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
[...] to this topic! As some of you might know, Rachel is a Pit Bull owner herself! She has a dog named Isaboo who she mentions [...]
July 30th, 2008 at 11:22 am
[...] many of you readers know that I am a fan of Rachel Ray and her Pit Bull loving ways, I’m also pretty critical of commercial dog foods! [...]
July 26th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Your dog is gorgeous, Rachel!
Sarah
February 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
If Rachel Ray was an educated pit bull owner, she would know not to take pit bulls to dog parks. Recent reports say that her dog has become increasingly aggressive, even ripping an ear off another dog, and may have to be put down.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Agreed! While the incident you mention didn’t happen in a dog park (it happened while Isaboo was being walked by a handler on the street), even the most well-mannered Bully will be blamed if a fight starts in a dog park – even if they aren’t involved. The last thing these breeds need is more bad press! It sounds like Rachel needs to seek the help of a behaviorist – quickly.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:09 am
That is obsurd..I take huge offense that statement Turkey. I am an ‘educated pit bull owner’ and I take my dog for walks all the time. My pittie, Diamond, plays with dogs of all shapes and sizes and has never gotten out of line. It’s people like you that the breed has a bad name. You need to educate yourself. And mind your own business.
February 25th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Stefanie, if you take offense to Turkey’s statement, take it up with Rachel Ray, not Turkey. It’s her that’s talking about putting Isaboo down. Isaboo has had FIVE seperate serious attacks on other dogs.
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:29 am
Being a responsible pit bull owner means truly knowing the breed inside out. Knowing and understanding all traits of this breed. Dog on dog aggression is part of this breed. it does not mean that they are dangerous or inbalanced it is just part of the breed. You many never see an ounce of it but you should be educated on the issue. Dog on Dog agression can be managed with a lot of work and committment. If you the owner are not willing to know your dog/breed then you shouldnt own one as uneducated owners are the ones who end up having dogs who misbehave and have serious dog agression
check out http://www.pitbullspoundingthepavement.com
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND DOG PARKS AND PIT BULLS DO NOT MIX AND SHOULD NOT BE PART OF YOUR DOGS SOCIALIZATION. DO NOT SET YOUR DOG UP FOR TO FAIL
To own an APBT you need to
PUT YOUR SELF IN CHECK
and make a true commitment to be the best you can be as a person and as an owner.You need to dedicate yourself and your time, provide love, care and respect to your Pit Bull just like you would to your family members and other loved ones.
KNOW YOUR BREED..
Take the time-
to educate yourself on your chosen breed as this is the most important and responsible thing any dog owner can do. You will be amazed at what you really dont know but thought you did. Knowing the ins an outs of your breed, its history and behavior traits will help you in being a sucessful and responsible owner.
TRAINING
Take the time
to attend obedience classes. Training is just as important for the owner as it for your dog. Due to the prejudices that pit bulls and their owners face our dogs actions must be kept in check at all times and have to display better manners than any other breed. Training should be part of your daily routine/lifestyle and considered as an ongoing task for the life of your dog.
EXERCISE
Take the time
to exercise your pittie to burn off their famous terrier energy, as with training this must be part of your daily routine and lifestyle. Exercise helps with keeping your dog balanced and happy….plus a tired dog is a happy dog !!!
BODY LANGUAGE_
Take the time
to recognize and learn canine body language. This is how they communicate with us. It is our responsibility to learn our dogs body language and to learn how they react in certain situations and in turn so we respond appropriately
SOCIALIZATION
Take the the time
to socialize your dog with as many different people as possible, with kids, with the elderly ,disabled and people of all different ethnicity’s. Socialize your dogs at a level that is good for your dog. Don’t rush your dog into any introduction. Make sure people ask before approaching. Please do not be afraid to tell well meaning people that your dog is in training and not to approach. Provide lots of supervised socialization with known dogs . Provide slow and careful (on leash) introductions with unknown dogs. Small play groups with known dogs is the best option. If your dog is at a matured age and has not had a lot of socialization then being off leash is NOT a very idea and you are asking for trouble. Instead opt for slower, short leashed introductions and play (see SOCIALIZATION section ). The same holds true for dominant dogs or over submissive dogs.Side by side walking sessions is an excellent way to safe socialize your dog. Obedience classes are great for teaching mature dogs socialization skills. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND DOG PARKS AND PIT BULLS DO NOT MIX AND SHOULD NOT BE PART OF YOUR DOGS SOCIALIZATION. DO NOT SET YOUR DOG UP FOR TO FAIL
FOLLOW ALL LAWS
Take the time
to KNOW your county and state laws in regards to your breed and basic dog laws. Always have your registration, vaccinations ,and any mandated tag on your dog when in public. ALWAYS follow the LEASH LAWS. Having your dog on a leash can save its life in more ways than one.
KEEPING YOUR DOG SAFE -
Take the time
to make sure your dog is secured at all times. Pit Bulls are great escape artist and can clear a 6 foot fence in one easy leap. Please do not leave your dog alone in the backyard when not at home. They are like children who must be watched when outside. A loose pit running around the neighbor is conceived as a threat and people have no problem causing great harm to them. Take the time to make sure that your fencing is secure and that there are no holes at the foot of the fence.
Tip:When not at home, bring your dog inside the house and crate if need be. If you just can’t or won’t bring your dog inside please make sure your dog is in a secured kennel with adequate shelter from the elements which includes weather changes, the neighborhood children and other loose dogs. Do not leave your dog on a chain inside a kennel or outside as too many dogs have died from getting tangled in their chains. Strangulation can occur when the dog tries to get out of a collar that is clasped to the chain. Being responsible means protecting your dog from any type of danger and or harm
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:35 am
AGGRESSION HAPPENS
AGGRESSION HAPPENS- what you can do to prevent it:
Learn about , acknowledge it , and prevent it !
dog-aggression is not breed specific!!!!
AGGRESSION take the time to learn about DOG ON DOG AGGRESSION.. all dogs have some level of aggression. Take the time to recognize the signs of aggression and learn what you can do prevent it . To be a Pit Bull owner you must face the fact that for many years this breed was bred for ‘DOG FIGHTING” and to be DOG AGGRESSIVE.You may never see an ounce of dog aggression in your dog but you still need to educate yourself on this issue.
If you happen to have a “hot” dog you may never completely train it out of them but with hard work and dedication, you can train them to be other dog tolerant at the end of your leash. It also means not setting your dog up for failure by taking them to dog parks , allowing unknown dogs to approach or allowing your dogs to rough house or even play with other dogs. Knowing their body language helps tremendously so that you can divert their attention before the dog to reaches the “hot” zone. The 5 foot distance between dogs is a safe distance and should be practiced.
Even though Pit Bulls were bred for fighting they were also breed to be UBER PEOPLE FRIENDLY which is why they fail miserably at being security or watch dogs Any signs of human aggression is a major red flag and NOT typical of the breed and needs to be dealt with immediately by having the dog evaluated by a breed experienced trainer or behaviorist. Dogs who show the inability to improve in their people skills should be kept out of public, kept inside and crated when visitors come over. In extreme cases they should be humanely euthanized to protect the owner and public . Again this is meant for all breeds and ALL dog owners should learn the difference between dog on dog aggression and dog on human aggression. A Pit Bull’s true temperament is PEOPLE FRIENDLY -DOG AGGRESSIVE
March 6th, 2010 at 11:18 am
I personally don’t like the idea of a breed of dog that ramdomly rips the ear off of another dog while walking on a public sidewalk. What if that had been a child? how can think this dogs breed has nothing to do with it’s aggressiveness? Please give me an example of a golden retreiver attacking someone while walking a sidewalk. I’m sure pitbulls have a far worse track record then other dogs.
April 11th, 2010 at 8:43 am
((Sorry for the double post, I input characters for emphasis without thinking about them being HTML coding.))
Pitbulls are the #1 most numerous dog in America today. They blow away their runner up – The labrador retriever. AKC reports the lab as the #1 most popular dog, however… AKC doesn’t recognize the APBT as a dog breed, but only the Stafordshire Terrier. In order for you to have your “Pitbull” recognized, you must first have it licensed with the AKC as a staffordshire, and then you can have it recognized by other clubs as the “pitbull.” Yet, even with this refusal to recognize an entire breed, it still ranks #68 in their list… AKC is deserving of ridicule over this.
Now, with this taken into perspective… When you take number of animal, compared to number of incidents, the APBT ranks -JUST BELOW- the golden retriever. And I mean, it goes “golden retriever” and next in line is “American Pitbull Terrier.”
I own a pitbull. Her name is Bella (aka. Beans, Bella Beans). I couldn’t ask for a better dog. We visit other dogs frequently, and get this… A MINIATURE SCHNAUZER ATTACKED HER! She ran for me. We fostered a boxer, and they got along tremendously well. She takes commands from CHILDREN. And when I say children, I mean showing a 4 year old the hand command, and telling THEM what to say, and I do nothing else. They command her, and she obeys.
Yes, when compared by straight numbers, Pitbulls do have a worse track record than other dogs. When compared with population statistics in mind, this is a complete, and total farce. Pitbulls -blow away- every other dog breed in population.
It’s because pitbulls are so extremely versatile, and have been bred to push through pain (not aggression, that is taught, Crystal, go look up “Boston Terriers” and see what dog owners do with them to train their bullies to be aggressive). So this breed is specifically used for fighting. If a dog was used to fight bulls, bears, and whatever else in England, what can you expect against another dog? An exciting few rounds, I would imagine. If you like that sort of thing…
Fact is, Rachel Ray might have fed her dog, but she’s using handlers. That shows a lack of a pack sense. Isaboo doesn’t have a place in her pack, and I would wager that Ms. Ray didn’t take the time herself to train her dog, but had somebody else do it. Face it, it’s bad ownership responsibility.
I visited the site because we bought Nutrish for the first time, and Bella actually ate (scarfed, more like) ALL of her completely DRY dog food for the first time. We were having to mix a whole list of stuff in her food (wet, cheese, milk…) in order to get her to eat it (because my wife thinks Bella is a princess, and tends to ignore my logic sometimes). So I wanted to rave about the food.
Instead, I find ignorance, blaming everything on the breed of dog, rather than the thugs and putrid individuals responsible for turning these faithful animals into killing machines. Don’t just study what kennels and pitbull rescues have to say… go look at the dog fighting itself. Study it. See what THEY have to say about pitbulls. They’ll tell you that they have to train pitbulls to do what they want them to do. Then go look up how they train these dogs. Perhaps you’ll vomit on your keyboard, or at the very least, you’ll have your eyes opened to a breed that helps the news media make emergency viewers and who love to decimate this breed reputation.
So AL… as “sure” as you are about a pitbull’s track record… go look up the numbers, you clown.
May 14th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I agree about pit bulls and dog parks dont mix well together.
I have a Pit bull and he is the most lovable dog ever. I take to a clinic in Parma, Ohio where they are banned but my Vet and people in the clinic love him so much that they dont even care about what breed he is. You can check the pics out on http://www.myspace.com/uglyandfatk he almost looks like Isaboo. And also chihuahua have worst biting record then pits do and they are more agressive then pits are, but you dont hear about the attacks on the news only because they are ankle biters.