ESCONDIDO - Escondido pit bull activist Michelle Knuttila is trying to take a bite out of the breeds' bad rap with a new nonprofit that aims to educate people about the dogs, train owners and rescue those who have been mistreated.

The strong, athletic and high energy animals are unjustly feared by people who see their mugs splashed all over the news and attribute aggressive behavior to the dogs alone, the animal control officer and long-time pit bull lover said.

A problem, Knuttila said, that has resulted in a growing number of dogs being cast aside by owners and left unwanted in shelters and on streets.

"It's sad," Knuttila, 27, said while sitting in her central Escondido home, where she cares for seven rescued pit bulls with her husband. "… There is no bad breed or bad dog, there are simply bad owners."

Some such owners, she said, are those who use the dogs in fighting rings or to intimidate others.

The topic of dogfighting entered the national spotlight this summer with NFL star Michael Vick facing conspiracy charges related to dogfighting.

That situation helped Knuttila decide to form the nonprofit Eve-n-Chance in June. The volunteer organization - named for Eve, the first pit bull Knuttila rescued and lost, and Chance, who she saw successfully adopted by a law enforcement organization earlier this year - hopes to rebuild the pit bulls' image with training and programs that promote positive ownership.

"(The Vick case) is an opportunity for this country to be outraged about how victimized this breed is," Knuttila said, adding that the coverage of dogfighting and pit bulls in general has also given her a platform to discuss obstacles facing the dogs and recruit the public's support. "Michael Vick is innocent until proven guilty, but those dogs don't have a chance."

In San Diego, Department of Animal Services officials said they believe dogfighting is prevalent, but they do not know exactly how widespread it is because the activity is very secretive and underground.

Animal Services Lt. Dan DeSousa said the number of dogfighting calls the organization receives varies, but the large majority of fights, about 99 percent, involve pit bulls exclusively.

The last major case reported in San Diego County was in 2003, when two brothers were arrested and charged with felonies after authorities found 36 pit bulls on their Fallbrook property. The dogs, beaten and badly mistreated, all were euthanized, DeSousa said.

"There is a stigma about these dogs," he said, adding that it's a negative reputation that has been largely driven by owners and breeders who have wanted them to be aggressive.

Pit bulls typically make up 17 to 20 percent of local animal shelters' populations, DeSousa said. With the rising population of pit bulls inside the shelters and a growing concern in the community about them being too aggressive, activists say it's unlikely that those dogs will ever find a home or get to live a full life.

Knuttila said she plans to offer informational resources and a number of programs, including low-cost training, spaying and neutering, and partnerships with animal shelters and law enforcement agencies that promote ownership and rescue work.

"I want to show people what these dogs can be," Knuttila said. "They are loving, loyal dogs … they just need to be trained."

For more information about Eve-n-Chance or Michelle Knuttila's work with pit bulls, visit www.evenchance.org.

- Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.