My name is Mary Harwelik (please click here to view my professional profile), I am the creator/manager of realpitbull.com. I have been involved with this breed since 1993. My experience/knowledge of the American Pit Bull/Staffordshire Terrier breed comes from many long hours spent researching and picking the brains of other experts; working as a dog trainer specializing in Pit Bulls (and rescue/shelter dogs); volunteering time to work with rescue/shelter Pit Bulls; and training/showing my own Pit Bulls.

I am actively involved in education and advocacy, through this site and as a certified dog trainer who specializes in the breed; I have worked on several codes of ethics with the Pit Bull Owners Alliance, a group of activists across the country working towards positive change; I'm a member of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers; and do my best to keep up with constant requests for help and information from owners, the media, and shelters/rescue groups.

The Pit Bull is the great love of my life. Sharing my time and space with these wonderful dogs has been, and continues to be, a great gift. I want nothing more than to see these dogs prosper in the hands of those who understand, cherish, and care for them the way they need and deserve to be cared for. Spreading useful, REAL information on the breed has become a passion of mine, one I will continue to indulge in for a long time to come.

You can reach me at: realpitbull@gmail.com

Visit my training/behavior site here.

With The REAL Pit Bull, I strive to present reality-based, accurate information on the American Pit Bull Terrier. The modern breed fancier has a tricky, sticky road to navigate in today's oftentimes anti-dog and very oftentimes anti-Pit Bull world, and I hope The REAL Pit Bull will help you on your journey.

As time has gone by and I've been active in the Pit Bull world (over 14 years now), I've formed some very real opinions and beliefs about where the breed has been and where it is going. So the information I provide on realpitbull.com is what I've come to know first hand and through extensive research as fact. I'm not the sort of person to travel the beaten path, and the terrain I cover isn't always the common route. So some of what you read here might be "new" to you if you've visited other Pit Bull sites.

The material I provide is designed to lead the reader down a path that I believe ends with a world that is peaceful for Pit Bulls and humans alike. Readers can certainly choose to use or ignore what I provide. But I hope to at least spark something within each site visitor, help them to see something in a new light or consider a situation in a way they hadn't before. Recycled superstitions, half-truth, and popular opinion aren't what I'm interested in. I'm interested in truth, and The Truth is what I strive to present on realpitbull.com.

Because I'm always looking, listening, learning and striving for more knowledge, the content of The REAL Pit Bull is subject to change. Check back often for updated and brand new material.

Curious to know my stance on The Issues? Wonder no more!

What I think about.......