A Pit Bull by Any Other Name

            Why is it that some breeds just attract certain types of people?  Labs attract families, border collies attract people who want something fancy and pit bulls attract people who want to appear tough.  I know stereotypes have a role to play, but pit bulls always seem to get the worst of it.  There are many perspectives on pit bulls; many large cities have bans against them.  They have been shown in temperament studies to be more aggressive towards other dogs and fiercely protective of their owners.  In a shelter environment, we call this, “highly reactive.”  They seemingly have a high prey drive, but then so again do Huskies and German Shepherds.  Still, at the humane society it is the pit bull that draws the most irresponsible people.  When every a pit bull goes up for adoption, we at the front desk dread the visits.  We try and explain their personality.  With Pits, you have to be the dominant one.  You must give them direction and obedience training, otherwise you will have an uncontrollable dog with triggers for aggression that you do not understand.  This combination of bad owners and raw disposition breeds unpredictability; which by in large, makes a community unsafe.  Since cities cannot force people to train their dogs or assert themselves, your only real option left is restrict the breed itself.   A dog bred to bait bears and later for dog fighting needs good people.  A pit bull from a humane society is like a foster child straight out of juvie that craves structure.  It is not the dogs themselves that are the problem but rather years of unregulated breeding and rotten owners that have created a breed in a state of chaos.  

An Example of a Blue Pit

           Several examples come to mind when I speak of pit bulls.  The first was a beautiful blue pit bull by the name of Norman.  He was a pure bred pit, rippling with muscles.  His ears stood erect alert at everything he heard.  His gaze was fixed, focused, and ready to be told what to do.  As one coworker put it, “He was a beast.”              

            When he was put up for adoption, he went through the normal process.  After a week, he found someone who adored him.  He thought Norman was an amazing creature that he must have.  He adopted him on the spot not giving it a second thought.  Two days later, Norman came back.  His new wonderful owner had taken him over to a friend’s place to visit.  The friend had a cat.  Norman started out friendly enough, playing with the cat, mouthing it gently.  Then the cat ran, stirring up in Norman his prey drive.  Chasing after the cat, he grabbed hold and shook until the cat no longer moved.  

            Bad owners cause violent situations.  Didn’t this person ever hear of the stories as a child of the dog who chased the cat?  True cats and dogs can be great friends, but some dogs simply see them as something to run after.  No different then a squirrel.  Who brings a dog they have not trained yet over to a friend’s house that has a cat and just allows them to interact?  Before that dog went anywhere with other animals, his owner should of taught him how to “leave it” and know that he could break his dog’s prey drive.  

            My second example is a poor dog by the name of Henry.  Henry also was a magnificent pit bull.  He stood tall, his red and white coat glistening.  He got adopted to a hippy lady who, following the ways of Caesar, wanted to create a “pack”.   She already had two tiny Chihuahuas whom she had spent a great deal of time training.  On Henry’s paperwork we put a waiver on him stating that he had a high prey drive, meaning that something like a Chihuahua he might find amusing to chase.  This particular woman did not care.  As she put it, she “Trusted in her own ability to train this dog.”  Granted, mind you, a Chihuahua is not a pit bull.  A month later, Henry came back.  He had attacked one of the dogs in the home and had fought with three others at the dog park.  Again, where was the training?  Maybe this lady trusted in herself, but that did not give her the right to trust in a dog she barely knew.

            In both cases, the dogs were put down.  Heartbreaking.  But the right owner, a good owner for a pit is one in a million.  Good owners create fantastic dogs.  But if the people who are looking after you can’t even control their own lives, how can they give you guidance?  There are many controversies surrounding pits, but for my own opinion, it is hard for me to not stand by a dog instead of a person who really simply doesn’t have a clue.