ON A BRIGHTER NOTE was a weekly newspaper column written from April, 2009 to February, 2016. The idea behind the articles was to shine light on the every day and write about whatever topic was on my mind at the moment – always from a positive perspective. Those thoughts have covered subjects as mundane as grocery shopping, pumping gas and cleaning house to child rearing, pet ownership, losing a loved one and mental illness. Each column was accompanied by a custom cartoon by Jim Hunt.
PIT BULL COLUMNS: My first introduction to pit bull fanaticism was in 2011 when my friend’s son was attacked in the face by a trusted family pit bull and she and her son were blamed for the unprovoked attack. Another friend’s child was attacked in the face by a different pit bull and I’ve personally known six people with dogs who have been attacked by pit bulls, sometimes fatally – all of this in my relatively small community. I have spent countless hours reading and learning about the pit bull crisis and have connected with victims and victim advocates all over North America. I am committed to help raise awareness about the inherent dangers of pit bulls and I’m dedicated to help put an end to the attacks, suffering and loss of life due to the pit bull crisis. I am a public safety activist and co-founder of National Pit Bull Victim Awareness (NPBVA) which represents more than 50 organizations and social media groups in the United States and Canada, including memorial sites for victims, websites for breed-specific legislation, and non-profit organizations like Dogsbite.org, Daxton’s Friends, Animals 24-7 and PETA who stand for animal welfare and public safety. www.NationalPitBullVictimAwareness.org