But it did bring up some shit that drives me up the wall, and that's the surge of hate out there directed against pit bulls.
Pit bulls are far and away my all-time favorite large breed dog. One of the most endearing things about Kilo is how his forehead mysteriously looks pit bull-ish, even though he hasn't got a drop of pit in him. One of my regular customers at work has a pit he brings by every now and then and she is the biggest dork and the biggest sweetheart I've ever met, and I've known a lot of sweet, dorky dogs. Hey, I live with one.
My beloved memoirist Jen Lancaster has a pit named Masie, who is also a dorky sweetheart. In fact, my whole animal-strewn life I have never met a single aggressive or antisocial pit bull. I have been bitten once. It was by a lab/setter mix named Roxie or Rocket or something, and that was 'cause I was trying to take her toy away while she was playing with it. But I digress.
The fact is, a dog's breed has nothing to do with it's behavior. The meanest, most aggressive dog I ever met was a 9 pound Pomeranian/chihuahua mix named Benji. I hated that dog. The sweetest dog I ever met? Probably my poor, sweet Maddie before she died. She weighed 70 pounds and was half German Shepherd. The big dork downstairs is probably a close second. He weighs 85 pounds and is a Neapolitan Mastiff/Yellow Lab mix. And right now we're deciding whether we want to adopt a 50 pound English Bulldog/Pit Bull mix. Yep, I'm on the verge of my very first pit bull ownership experience!
So what are pits really like? Well, they're hyper. Bullies have a lot of energy. They're loyal. See, pits used to be the most popular family dog in the country, because they were bred to have loyal, devoted attitudes toward their owners. A bully will do just about anything to make his or her owner smile. They're affectionate. A bully hates to be ignored, and will climb on your lap so you make with the cuddles now. They love to lick hands, faces, whatever they can reach. Their tails never take a holiday (I walked this red pit bull at my sister's local shelter, I swear he didn't stop wagging once the entire time I was with him). They're smart. Bullies are quick to learn new tricks, and even quicker to figure out ways to trick you out of a cookie. They're gentle. Bullies used to be famed for their tender interactions with children, and when the American Canine Temperament Testing Association tested pit bulls, 88% of the dogs tested passed. To give you some perspective, the Golden Retriever scored 84.6%, and the Bearded Collie? Only 53.3%. Source for all that information right over here.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is the pit bull's proper name, get's a bad rap, and they're not the only ones. Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Mastiffs and other powerful large breed dogs have the same stereotype. And because of it, loving, gentle dogs are left for dead in kill shelters because of a criminal element, bad press, and a bad name.
So, yeah. I'm going to have a pit bull some day. A pure breed, which isn't hard because the shelters are swimming with them. And it's gonna get me dirty looks, and threats from my neighbors, and it will probably lose me the security deposit on whatever apartment I move into. I'll have a hard time getting homeowner's insurance, I'll be interrogated by people who see me walk my dog, and it'll be worth it. Because I'll have saved an innocent dog from death, and I'll use all of these conflicts as opportunities to spread the word about how wonderful pit bulls actually are.
0 comments:
Post a Comment