Local TikTok Star Kennedy Eurich Advocates Against Stigma Around Pit Bulls
Local star Kennedy Eurich doesn’t just talk the talk on TikTok; she walks the walk.
Eurich (@ken.eurich), who has a TikTok following of over 1.4 million people, is a huge advocate for animals and has grown to be passionate about helping our four-legged companions. Though she initially became popular for her quick wit and genuineness, Eurich has embraced the “soft” side of her brand, literally. Recently, Eurich held an event Ken & Kids, where she raised over $8,000 for the local Austin Animal Center — the same place where she got her beloved pup, Lil Ma.
Lil Ma, or “Ma” for short, is a 5-year-old pit bull rescue who got the name from Eurich since having had babies before she was given to the shelter. With stars in her eyes, Eurich says when she met her, it was a “cosmic connection.”
“I played with her and couldn’t stop thinking about her while looking around at the other dogs at the adoption event, thinking, ‘Is this really the path I want to go down right now?’” Eurich says. “I started crying. I was so emotional as soon as I committed to getting her.”
Now, Eurich takes Ma with her everywhere — coffee shops, walks through the city, shopping trips, meet and greets. However, it wasn’t long before she started to take notice of people’s attitudes toward pit bulls, which surprised Eurich as she didn’t even think twice about pit bulls as an issue. Nonetheless, when she and Ma went out, Ma received many glares from others and her bark was frowned upon far worse than other dogs’ barks.
Eurich eventually turned to social media to talk about the discrimination she continued to see against pit bulls and Ma, specifically. It broke her heart because she knew Ma to be snuggly, sweet, caring and motherly and believed people only judged a book by its cover.
“Lil Ma has improved my quality of life far more than inconvenienced me,” Eurich says.
According to a study, pit bulls are reported to stay in the shelter the longest in comparison to all other dog breeds. The study also suggests people are more reluctant to adopt when a pit bull is the dog in question.
Because of this stigma, Eurich wants the best for her dog so she registered Ma in training sessions to help her break old habits; she even started documenting the journey via TikTok. Over the course of several weeks, the trainer told Eurich that Ma wasn’t dangerous.
“Ma is not aggressive in the slightest,” Eurich says. “It’s her being scared that triggers the bark.”
They’re even working on getting her to stay quiet when she’s nervous.
Eurich hopes to educate her audience on the stigma around pit bulls through TikTok where she’s made heartfelt videos asking why people are judgemental and discriminatory toward pit bulls when they’re so kind and loving. She says, realistically, all dogs bark — why should Ma be seen as different?
She’s even seen how Ma has behaved around her own cats, which was Eurich’s biggest setback when it came to adopting Ma as her cats were her “whole world.” Thankfully, her two cats grew to love Ma as much as she did and now, they’re one happy family. Ma is a gentle giant to them and even acts as a motherly figure.
Overall, Eurich says Ma, along with her cats, have helped make Austin feel more like a home to her and helped support her well-being.
“Ma has significantly helped my mental health; she makes me so happy,” Eurich says. “I’d pay someone 10 times over to have her in my life.”
About the Author
Katerina Cotroneo is an author and professional photographer who uses her marketing background and talent behind the camera and has been published in AFM, Authentic Texas, Waterways Magazine, Tribeza and more. Cotroneo captures idiosyncratic stories through her lens and portrays diverse perspectives in her writing.
