Monday, October 27, 2008

Pit Bull Awareness Day 2008

I recently joined a new meetup group, Love-a-Bull (http://www.meetup.com/love-a-bull/), and one of the first things I got to do with them was a Pit Bull Awareness Day event.

Alas, I did not take any pictures (forgot the camera), but I believe there are photos—or will be—on the meetup group site.

It was incredibly hot and our table was in the sun for the full three hours of the event—no shade, no clouds, and barely a whisper of a breeze. But it was very nice to be with a group of people who love pit bulls and support rescue and advocacy; it was also a nice change to have a public, local presence after so many years of impersonal Internet communications.

Even better, I managed to convince my husband to come help out. Despite his anxiety in public, he stuck it out and ended up being very helpful behind the scenes; he also took pride in being the donations box bodyguard.

I think this was the first time Byrd has really volunteered at an event like this, and he was somewhat taken aback by the loose structure and lack of strong, commanding leadership. He's used to being the boss, barking orders, and performing a set task in an organized manner. Of course, it usually doesn't work like that when you're dealing with a group of volunteers, and this particular event was laid back, social, casual, and inviting. Poor Byrd started to pester me for something to do after a while, and I had to reassure him that his mere presence was sufficient!

A lot of people don't realize that just showing up and being seen has a rhetorical meaning of its own. Physical presence means support, and the more visual support a group has, the more important and interesting it becomes. When we had a crowd of people at our table, it attracted even more people. Sometimes the easiest way to help a group and show support is just to be there!

2 comments:

The Oceanside Animals said...

You're dedicated -- I couldn't possibly sit in the sun for three hours with no shade! I notoriously hate being in direct sunshine, which is of course why we moved to California ... :-/

Hey, my CAPTCHA word is "haties". It must be a reference to the people pushing breed-specific legislation.

Lindsay said...

That's great! And good for Byrd for being there, and also for letting it just be! If there was a local advocacy group for pit bulls, I'd support it for sure.

I totally agree with what you said about visual presence and increasing support. It makes a huge difference!

Linds (The Girl)