At four feet tall, Luigi “Shorty” Rossi is used to being stared at and stereotyped. The star of Animal Planet’s former series Pit Boss said society views him as a misfit.
“People think little people are circus freaks,” he said.
This is why Rossi empathizes with pit bulls — a breed he says has an unfairly negative reputation.
Rossi is speaking out about this issue on his nationwide tour Shorty’s Road Trip, which will be stopping in Casper at 2 p.m. Sunday at the University of Wyoming’s Agricultural Resource building.
The event, which is co-organized by Altitude Veterinary Hospital and local animal charity Paws2Help, will also include a raffle, a pit bull kissing booth, a children’s coloring contest, local vendors and pet portraits by Audie Jean’s Photography.
Rossi said his tour has one basic message: An animal’s breed does not determine its proclivity towards violence.
“It’s the owner,” he said.
Some owners abuse their pit bulls, which cause those dogs to become aggressive and makes others conclude that the entire breed is violent, he explained. This has led some cities and towns to enact breed-specific legislation — laws that ban or restrict certain breeds of dogs that are perceived as dangerous.
But Rossi insisted nothing is further from the truth. As the owner of eight loving pit bulls, he said he hopes to encourage Casper residents to keep an open mind.
Rossi, whose television show focused on his pit bull rescue efforts in Los Angeles, added that he will also be urging attendees to spay and neuter their pets.
Pit bulls need all the help they can get, according to Lisa Gillespie-Craft, the founder and president of Paws2Help. The breed is a target for abuse because their strength makes them a popular choice for dog-fighting.
People then conclude the dogs must be naturally violent, but like Rossi, the president said the blame shouldn’t be placed on the breed.
“If they are mean, it’s because someone made them mean,” she remarked.
Animal shelters are commonly overflowing with pit bull mixes, she added.
This was the case at the Metro Animal Shelter in Casper on Monday. Almost every other cage in the shelter’s dog room housed some type of pit bull mix, which a staff employee said is typical.
Abuse towards pit bulls is so common that Paws2Help, a nonprofit that provides homeless animals with medical care, launched an offshoot in 2006 that deals specifically with pit bulls, said Gillespie-Craft. Paws2Help4Pits works to end dog fighting and to secure equal treatment for the breed.
Although animal rights is a serious topic, Gillespie-Craft said Sunday’s event will be a “good time” and urged residents to come out and show support. There is no entrance fee, but donations are always appreciated.
Casper will be the last stop for Rossi’s tour, which he said has been a success.
Explaining that his dogs are his family, Rossi added that he won’t ever stop fighting for animal rights.
“I can speak for myself,” he said. “But the dogs can’t so they need me to be their voice.”
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