Kelli Parker is a passionate person who loves life, people and animals. As a child her professional ambition was to be a zoologist but, as life happened other things took precedent in her life. During this time Kelli became a mom twice over, graduated from Strayer University and a productive citizen. The last thing she needed was to add anymore to her already overly filled plate. As with most families, a family is not complete without a pet. She was not looking for a pet however, her children were. Day after day after day her children asked for a pet, specifically a dog. At the time the children didn't know what breed of dog they wanted, all they knew was they wanted a dog.
As fate and life would have it a popular show, "Pit Bulls & Parolees" had a marathon on one particular weekend. This show captured Kelli's attention as well as the attention of her children. The dogs and their situation(s) pulled at Kelli's compassionate side and her heart went out to the dogs on the show. The children honed in on Kelli's interest in the dogs and pounced. Before long Kelli found herself asking questions and conducting research on pit bulls. The research lead her to a local organization where she adopted her first American Pit Bull Terrier, Sasha on January 9, 2011. After seeing how Sasha adjusted to the family so quickly and changed the perceptions of those she encountered, Kelli found herself talking more about Sasha than her family. A fire was burning in her soul to do more to help this wonderful bully breed. Kelli adopted another American Pit Bull Terrier, Bones aka Krush, April 17, 2011. Krush's story was nothing like Sasha's, his story was quite sad and tugged at the heart of Kelli. After adopting two American Pit Bull Terriers there was still a void but Kelli didn't know what that void was. Shortly, after adopting Krush, Kelli started to volunteer at the local rescue where she adopted her American Pit Bull Terriers. Attending the adoption events lead Kelli to fostering pittie pups, traveling far and wide to rescue the pups, conducting home visits to place the pups she fostered and other dogs that came through the rescue organization. She conducts temperament testing for shelter dogs in hopes of getting them into a rescues foster care program to increase their chances of being adopted by a furever family. She not only works with the local rescue but, she's extended her services to other rescues by being a part of transporting pitties from state to state in an effort to give them a chance at life with love and the warmth of a kind human voice and home.
Kelli has thrown her hat in the advocacy & training ring and stepped up to the challenge of repealing the Pit Bull ban in Charles County & Prince George's Counties in Maryland. Kelli, along with the residents of Charles County Maryland led a successful campaign against the Charles County Commissioners Office in the county which "abandoned" their efforts to enforce a Pit Bull ban. The battle continues in Prince George's County to repeal the pit bull ban however, we're a couple of steps closer to having the ban repeal with top legislators on our side! Since becoming a Pit Bull guardian Kelli established the organization, "The Pretty Chic with the Pits, LLC", where she has become an avid blogger & advocate as well as founded, Bully Brigade & ALL Training, LLC., a dog obedience training business & is affectionately known as "The Canine Calmer."
