Kelley Blanchard with her three pit bull rescues (Photo by Kelley Blake Photography)
There’s no dog more misunderstood and maligned than the pit bull, and local photographer Kelley Blanchard hopes to change that. The owner of three rescued pit bulls, Blanchard is working to spread awareness of the dogs’ positive qualities, self-publishing two volumes of photo books titled “101 Pit Bulls.” Blanchard published the second volume in May, with a portion of proceeds going to local dog rescue organizations. We talked to Blanchard about her love for pit bulls and why she has become an advocate for the breed.
Richmond magazine: What do you like about pit bulls?
Kelley Blanchard: I love dogs in general. Pit bulls are extra sweet, they are really loyal. There are more pit bulls in shelters than any other dog. That’s how I came to have a pit bull — there are just so many of them. They need as much advocacy as possible [so they get adopted]. Because there are so many, you do have higher bite rates and more stereotypes. But all breeds have bad eggs — there are humans who are bad eggs. We have to be the voice for the [pit bulls] who deserve a chance.
RM: How did you become an advocate for pit bulls?
Blanchard: I started advocating for pit bulls after doing some fostering for Ring Dog Rescue. I already had two pit bulls prior to fostering, and I just love them. After fostering, I reached out to help more, which led to the books.
RM: How did you find the dogs that are featured in the books?
Blanchard: They sort of found me. I put feelers out on Facebook and Instagram, and I have a website, 101pitbulls.com. I would just ask people to “submit your pit.” I got around 150 to 200 submissions the first time. They are from all over, but they all came from people who had adopted from Ring Dog Rescue or RACC [Richmond Animal Care and Control], Gracie’s Guardians, and the SPCA. Some were strays that were found on the street.
Image courtesy Kelley Blanchard
RM: What led you to do a second book?
Blanchard: There were a lot of people who asked, because the first [book] filled up so quickly. I enjoyed the work on the first book and meeting all of the dogs. I wanted to take it up a notch — this one has more pictures, stories, information than the first book. In the first book I hired all the photographers. … In this book, I got to take a lot of the pictures.
RM: What are the biggest misconceptions about pit bulls?
Blanchard: There are a lot, but I think the biggest misconception is that they are naturally aggressive. That is not true. If a dog is aggressive or mean, it’s a product of abuse, bad handling, physical pain or neurological problems. I’ve met 250 to 300 pit bulls in past few years and have only come across a couple who were fearful of people and just a few who couldn’t be around other dogs. They are as sweet as can be. They can be intimidating, but I don’t think people should judge a book by its cover. … Just be open-minded and understand that they are just like any other dog. There are a lot more of them, so there is a lot more discussion about the positives and negatives.
