An upcoming canine blood donor drive in 91原创 aims to offer a positive perspective on bully breeds.
Andrea Dyck, blood services director with the , runs a donor program in which dogs and cats donate blood to help sick and injured animals 鈥 not only at the 91原创 hospital, but all over the Lower Mainland.
The 91原创 clinic has recently partnered with to run a blood donor drive on Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1 at the facility, #306 6325 204 St.
鈥淲e asked them if they would bring a bunch of pitbull-type dogs because they are fantastic blood donors, they have wonderful temperaments and also, we thought this would be a really good way to show pitbulls positively in the media, besides what they are usually seen as,鈥 Dyck said.
Suitable donors at the clinic will include any dog weighing more than 30 pounds, as well as dogs over that weight in the bully breed category including Staffordshires, American bulldogs, bull mastiffs, bull terriers, and boxers.
The public is welcome to bring their dogs to the clinic to participate in the blood drive.
HugAbull rescues pitbull dogs, provides public education, and, the society notes, 鈥渂uilds a community of responsible pitbull owners and supporters.鈥
Dyck said the goal of the blood drive is to 鈥済et the word out about blood donation, meet potential new donors and to show bully breeds such as pitbulls in a positive light 鈥 saving the lives of other dogs.鈥
鈥淲e have many pittie-type dogs already in our program, saving lives of people鈥檚 dogs every day,鈥 she added.
This is the first drive at the clinic that is breed-specific.
鈥淲hat we wanted to do was reach out to hospitals and rescues and start educating people on what blood donation is,鈥 Dyck said. 鈥淭he more donors we have, the more people we can help.鈥
As for how a bully breed dog such as a pitbull will react to being pinched by a needle, Dyck isn鈥檛 concerned in the least.
鈥淗onestly, if there鈥檚 cookies involved, they don鈥檛 care,鈥 she said.
鈥淥ur pitbull donors really are some of our best ones. They are sweet, they are even-tempered, which I know people don鈥檛 think of them as (being). They鈥檙e just lovely to work with, and they will work for food.鈥
In Dyck鈥檚 opinion, pitbulls have been bred for generations to be fighting dogs.
鈥淲e鈥檝e worked really hard nowadays to not make them fighters, but they still have that genetic predisposition to want to fight with other dogs,鈥 Dyck said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where people see them as being aggressive is because sometimes they struggle with other dogs.鈥
Dyck said if donor dogs need quiet or privacy and additional one-on-one attention during the blood drive, the clinic will accommodate them.