On Aug. 28, 2007, the Indy Pit Crew, a not-for-profit organization that promotes responsible ownership of pit bulls and education on the breed, visited Broad Ripple High School (BRHS) to help educate teenagers on the dangers of dog fighting and how to prevent it.

While there, the Crew showed an educational DVD that touched upon the act of dog fighting. Afterwards, there was an informative discussion that students were able to participate in.

The Indy Pit Crew also provides micro-chipping, spaying and neutering of pets for a low cost.

"We want to spay and neuter any pit bull we can get our hands on," Stacey Coleman, president of the Indy Pit Crew, said.

The educational campaign is a follow up to the Dog Fighting Primer premiere that was held on Aug. 24 at North United Methodist Church to educate citizens on how to report and prevent animal cruelty with a focus on pit bull cruelty.

The Primer was an event that welcomed Marion and surrounding counties to participate in a question and answer session with professionals and safety officials that are educated on the subject of pit bull care, including John Goodwin, Deputy Manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. Goodwin was also the man responsible for indicting Michael Vick.

They showed an explicit DVD that showed the harsh realities of dog fighting in local areas.

"I did not want to sugar coat the heinous treatment of the breed," Laurie Adams said. Adams is involved in the dog fighting education division of the Indy Pit Crew and runs Casa Del Toro, a pit bull education and rescue center.

The Primer was an event that included booths with pit bull paraphernalia, informative fliers, graphic photos on dog fighting and a booth with information on how to report any dog fighting occurrences. The Foundation Against Companion-Animal Euthanasia (FACE) also had a booth set up that informed visitors on the importance of spaying and neutering cats and dogs.

The education campaign communicates the same ideas and information as the other events the Crew are involved in, but in a more subtle way. The DVD that is shown in schools is not as graphic as the Primer DVD that is shown to adults.

At BRHS there were two sessions that informed students on what dog fighting was and how to look for signs. There was also information on how to report any unusual activity if the students felt or knew that something was going on.

"Kids feel that their hands are tied because they don't know where to go or who to talk to," says Adams. "We planted that seed in their minds. . . The Broad Ripple kids were great.

"We made them aware of the 262-TIPS line and let them know that they would remain anonymous, no matter what. The kids started putting the number in their cell phones," Adams said. "One student even signed up to be a volunteer."

In each session the kids really made a connection by talking about their dogs and other family pets.

"Students stayed after the program to ask about things they can do to prevent dog fighting and different things they could do with their dogs," says Adams.

Another visitor the Crew brought with them was an American Pit Bull Terrier trained service dog named Lex, who showed off her skills by doing tricks for the kids.

"The kids were all surprised to find out that even attending a dog fight is illegal," Adams said.

"We were there to educate and connect to these kids. . . I walked away with a really good feeling that we made a connection," says Adams.

Pictured below: Chains of varying size, weight and length serve dual purposes; to confine a dog, as well as to strengthen their neck muscles.