An Interview with Pinups for Pitbulls Founder Deirdre Franklin

Pinups For Pitbulls is a wonderful concept that was started by a friend of mine, Little Darling a.k.a. Deirdre Franklin. Deirdre is a pit bull mom and a pit bull saviour. She is an angel to these dogs and to everyone else who loves them. I got a chance to ask Deirdre some questions. Here they are.

When did you starts PinUps For Pitbulls and why? What inspired you to do this?

I started Pinups for Pitbulls after visiting New Orleans to do Animal Search and Rescue following Hurricane Katrina. I was tired of saying things like "someone needs to do something about the media demonizing Pit Bulls" and then realized that someone should be me! I had all of the resources I needed at the time: a good network of people, Pin Up Friends and Photographers, and realized something had to be done.

With Breed Specific Legislation on the rise and negative media articles that seemed to be published daily, I knew it was my time to make change happen and to stop being an armchair activist.

How do you go about bringing awareness to people about this wonderful breed of dog, going past their misconceptions?

We used the angle of beautiful women to get people's attention, whereas if it was just a calendar of dogs, we might have had the attention of fellow Pit Bull lovers, we were aiming more towards the people who don't love pit bulls, or who have misconceptions around them. Pairing wonderful animal advocates who happen to be quite beautiful in heart and in person, we were able to get what we were hoping for.

By being a breed advocate, I work hard on making sure my dog's are both people and dog friendly to the best of my ability. They are well-rounded, loving, and sweet rescued dogs who both came from hardship. Being able to introduce them to people who are normally wary of the breed also helps to lift such misconceptions.

How do you feel about PETA's ban on breeding pit bulls?