Since there is a lot of pit bull talk happening here recently, I just wanted to share my thoughts. Ive been rescuing and fostering animals for years, and I am a founder and director of a local animal rescue organization. Ive handled well over 100 bully breed dogs, probably over 200, in the past few years. Ive been bitten once by one of these dogs, and it was an incident in which the dog was being provoked repeatedly by an idiotic woman who had no business being near animals. But I digress. A few things to consider with all of this pit bull talk. 1. Pit bull is not a breed, it is a label of several bully breeds, and is one of the most commonly misused labels when it comes to animals. 2. The HUGE majority of dog bites, any breed, are perpetrated but unaltered male dogs. Neuter your dog. If people are concerned about safety at places like the lake, a good first step would be to institute a policy stating all dogs must be fixed. 3. Being hysterical over the appearance of a dog is ridiculous. Im attaching a photo of my last foster dog, Sugar Bear. He is 100 lbs, ear cropped, and has the face people think of when they think pit bull. Hes not a pit. He was our spokesdog because we could safely and happily bring him everywhere with us, and all he wanted to do was give high fives to everyone he met. Terrifying, I know. 4. Only 1 out of 600 bully breed dogs in shelters ever makes it out alive. This is hugely in part to the widely spread ignorance and myth regarding these dogs. Saying things like pit bulls have locking jaws or pits are bred to be aggressive literally costs animals their lives. So please shut up until you get some education. And 5, take this test. Which one is the American Pit Bull Terrier? pickthepit Most people will need a few tries to correctly identify the dog. Meaning unless the dog who attacked poor JoJo was DNA tested on the spot, we have no idea what type of dog is actually was. Obviously what happened to JoJo is terrible and the owner of the other dog should be held responsible, but vilifying a breed because of a perceived encounter is ridiculous and harmful, not to mention just plain stupid and ignorant. Im attaching one more photo. Precious (white dog) was used as a bait dog and left to die. She had reconstructive surgery to save her life. She would be labeled as a pit bull if she ever bit anyone. She helps me bottle feed orphaned kittens and she thinks every animal that enters this house is her baby. Chewy (brown dog) is a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix who Ive had since 11 weeks old. She is a big baby but can get iffy when she feels threatened, despite living a life of luxury since she was tiny. And my former foster dog Sugar Bear is there just because he is the best dude. Point being, its not about the breed. Its not how theyre raised. Its about the individual dog and the owners awareness. I dont bring my two to the lake because I dont trust other people to be aware of their dogs, and I am not willing to put my girls at risk. And yes, because Chewy is kind of a jerk and Im not a moron. Sorry for writing a novel, I hope that others will share their insight and help put some of this insanity to rest.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 15:49:12 +0000