NIQUITA'S STORY

Ortiz's La Chiquita Niquita, better known as Niqui, could be called the true founder of BAD PRESS.  While our president had met pit bulls (as well as other "dangerous" breeds) before, she had not been given the opportunity to really get to know one up close and personal.  She had heard all the horrible stories, but, being a dog lover and a longtime student of animal behavior, she decided to keep an open mind.  After all, some folks very near and dear to her heart had prior experience with the breed.  After a careful search, and plenty of additional self-education, she located a local breeder who exhibited a great deal of care and affection for his dogs.  Thus, on a warm spring day, the family expanded to include Niquita, a sweet little bundle of brindle and white.

That tiny puppy grew into a powerful, but extremely friendly, mass of muscle.  As Niquita grew, she proved time and again that pit bulls can indeed be loving family pets.  She attended obedience classes, where she proved an eager student.  She also provided tender affection to a terminally ill, elderly family member.  When her young master joined a youth baseball league, Niqui was a frequent and well-behaved attendee of practices and games.  Even when she became a mother to 13 pups, Niqui was friendly and kind, even allowing young children to handle her precious babies.  As for our president, she began an exhaustive research effort, striving to find as much information as she could on the breed and weeding out the "bull" from the reliable sources.  She also made an effort to acquaint herself with pit bulls of all shapes and sizes, gaining experience with both pedigreed purebreds and abused rescues.

Our families--and hearts--have expanded to include many more pit bulls, but it is our dear Niqui who gets the credit for starting it all!