Two weeks ago Ohio swore in its first Pit Bull K-9 officer. His name is Leonard and he's a large, muscular animal. He was a rescue from an animal shelter that no one wanted because of his energy level. Most people would hear this news and not bat an eye. I'm not most people and to me this is great news. This is a step in the right direction for these much maligned dogs. I will readily admit to never wanting to be chased down by a German Sheperd,Malinois, or Dutchie on a police officers command and having seen Leonard's pictures I can say wholeheartedly I don't want him chasing me either. He will be operating as a narcotics dog so there might not be a massive amount of chasing in his future.
I've never understood why people think it is a good idea to run from a K9. Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive and even he can't outrun one of these dogs. Although I would pay a hefty price to see Usain Bolt running from one of these dogs in a bite suit. Anyone want to throw up a kickstarter to make that happen for me?
Back to Pit Bulls. The term is an odd one as the only Pit Bull is the American Pit Bull Terrier. There are several bully breeds;The Staffordshire Bull Terrier,The American Staffordshire Terrier (bigger than the Staffordshire and resembles the APBT much more closely) are among the most likely to be lumped as Pit Bull despite not actually being such. Most people hear the name and conjure up stories of people or dogs that were attacked by dogs identified as Pit Bulls. If that is your mental image I can't fault you, it's certainly happened. Dog attacks are quite common. There is just one problem with the narrative that every Pit Bull or bully breed is just waiting to rip out the throat of your child or tear your dog to shreds;It's a lie.
I've encountered countless Pit Bull's over the years (and am still waiting to have one of my own) none of those dogs have ever been aggressive. I've never been bitten by a Pit Bull or any of the bullies. I've been afraid of only one in my entire life and she happens to be one of my favorite dogs in the world now, I'll get to her later. On the other hand what the news doesn't like to report is the massive number of dog bites caused by your tiny toy dogs. Most dog bites do not come from large breed dogs, they come from your toys. Chihuahua's and Spaniels account for a high number of these bites, Cocker Spaniel's have some of the worst temperament's you can find in a dog. Those bites are never reported because they don't provide the right kind of attention, no one will read Chihuahua bite's child and bat an eye. It doesn't fit the stereotype or feed the fear that the public harbors for a dog who doesn't deserve it.
In my life I've been bitten three times by a dog. None of those dogs have weighed more than about fifteen pounds. Small dogs are far more dangerous around children. Given the choice I'd have my children around a Pit Bull or any large breed long before I'd stick them around a toy breed. Tiny dogs were just not meant for children. If you added about forty-five pounds to your average toy breed I can assure you that news stories would change quickly when it came to dog bites. They don't have the ability to deal the damage that a large dog can but that doesn't mean that they are safe.
If you've read my blog at all you will understand that one thing I know better than most anything else is dogs. They simply make sense to me. So don't misunderstand me and think that I dislike dogs. There are five currently at my house. A Great Pyreness,Siberian Husky,Chocolate Lab,Border Collie, and my grandmother's terrier mix. Guess which dog has offered to bite me, the tiny terrier. Until recently said dog was the bane of my existence although with some training he's gotten better, I still wouldn't want trust him around small children. They just don't fit together well. My grandmother has always had small dogs, usually Yorkies and I can't tell you how many times I've run from a dog I could punt across a room because it was trying to bite me. Small dogs are no safer around children than your average Pit Bull, in fact temperament wise they are a much worse choice.
The only dogs that score better regularly in temperament testing than your bully breeds,the APBT especially, are the Labrador and Golden Retrievers. That's basically America's favorite dog and another favorite dog, and then the dog everyone is afraid is going to eat their face off. A dog that consistently beats out toy breeds with a better temperament and disposition is much harder to align with a stereotype of killer. No one wants to talk about that, however. Ratings are way higher if the story contains a killer Bully breed.
So why this post today? Well Jasper here in good old Rocky Top is considering a Pit Bull ban. BSL is a horrendous, idiotic, law. It doesn't work. It's killing a breed that was known for many years as the nanny dog. Families have been ripped from their pets because of it. I love my dogs, I can't imagine someone coming up my driveway and telling me my dog has to go because it is a certain breed. Although Jasper's proposed ban would include only new Pit Bulls it's a slippery slope and shouldn't be considered at all.
If you can find it I would highly encourage you to read Jim Gorant's book The Lost Dogs. (I own it and have gone through it no less than five times.) It chronicles the Pit Bulls taken from Michael Vick. Almost every single one of those dogs which had been bred to fight was rehomed, several of them became therapy dogs, none of them killed a person. If you can take a dog from a life of being forced to fight, being tortured, and beaten, and have it come out not wanting to kill a human but instead love them, like these dogs did, you see the possibility these dogs have to be incredible pack members. If every person who hates these dogs was to read that book I don't think BSL would exist anymore.
I'm sorry if this graphic image disturbs some folks. As you can see this vicious beast is clearly trying to rip out my throat. This lady is Delilah. She belongs to the sister of two of my best friends. She was the first Pit Bull I was ever scared of, that fear involved her charging up the driveway barking at me when I arrived at their house. She stopped barking and instead started licking me as soon as she reached me. This was last year. I don't know if any of you have ever tried but trying to take a picture of a dog while they are licking you is a challenge. She loves to be petted and to lick you, she also really likes candy corn, although that is perhaps not applicable, but it is something I find interesting.
Delilah has growled at me only once and it was because I scared her coming in the door when none of the Percy's were home (I'd gone over to let her out for them) and she's never once offered to bite me. This dog has been around small children and she loves them. She's not eating them but I guess she could drown them in slobber from licking them. What's funny is this lady is a stout canine, she's by no means small, but like most large dogs that doesn't mean she can't be a lapdog. This girl showed me that bully breeds have an undeserved reputation. There are certainly Pit Bull's that have done horrible things. But you can look at any breed of dog and find examples of bad blood.
Get to know a Pit Bull. It will change your life. Also maybe bring a washcloth or a towel you will need it to clean the slobber off your clothes.
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