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I hated Pit Bulls my whole life!


Up until 7 years ago. I too had a bad view of Pits, but this was based on ignorance. Everything I have read or heard in the news told me that this was an animal breed to KILL. I thought it was like having a pet gator on a rope. If I was with the kids or my wife I would use caution while passing them on the street, and when someone brought one into the dog park, we left. Everyone was being told this was a bad and dangerous dog. I just looked at the dog and didn't trust it. The only people I noticed that had these dogs were rappers and gang members. Since Petey and the little rascals no positive movies were made about them. I didn't even stop to think my ideas were wrong. After all, you wouldn't think a pet crocodile was a good idea.


MAN WAS I WRONG! I have had many breeds of dog over the years and this breed has been by far the most loving and one of the easiest to train. I just don't see how everyone has it so wrong! Now I look most Pits in the eye and all I see is love! When I go to the Pet shop, shot clinics, or the park, I have noticed the Pits are usually the most well behaved. They always seem very happy to meet new people. How did this whole negative thing get started!?! The media reports the false negatives as fact. Never an alternative view point. After all, in their minds, it's like getting the viewpoint of a terrorist.


So what made me change my mind? We started looking at getting a new dog and doing research into different breeds for when our old Lab went. My kids (they were very young) came home from a neighbors house very excited about a dog that they were playing with (they were being supervised by my mother in law and the family of the dog). They said they found the dog they wanted. They brought me down to meet this wonderful dog and to my surprise, it was a 8 month old female Pit. I was shocked at first and didn't quite trust her, but after hanging out with her a few times and spending hours with her I really liked her. Was this a fluke, was she the exception!?! I started to do research on the breed and kept my eyes open. I also tried to meet as many new Pits as I could. The more time that went by the more I was learning that Pits got a bad rap!


An old friend came into town that I hadn't seen in a few years. He was going to spend a few days over at my house and he asked if his dog could come. I said sure, not asking what type of dog it was. I trust his judgment. It was a two year old APBT and English Staffordshire Terrier mix. He was so well trained and loved the kids. The more I kept my eyes open and talked to Pit owners, the more I was impressed. I also started to see Pits portrayed in a positive light on The Dog Whisperer and Dog Town. If anything was on about Pits, I watched it.


A few years later my old girl was on her last legs so we wanted to get a puppy to replace her. One of the kids in my daughters class had a litter of Pit/ Lab pups. I agreed to ONLY LOOK at them. I met the Pit dad ( The BIGGEST Pit I have ever seen. They had papers on him that said he was APBT, I had never seen one like that), he was very nice. Next thing I knew, we had a new male pup! He was great. Easy to train, ect...


At 8 months later, our old Lab passed away. We started to talk about getting another dog; this time a female Pit. NOT for breeding, just thought they would get along better than two males. We looked for 5 months and found our little girl. She is sooo much easier to train than our mix and so mellow. Also the most loving dog I have ever owned.


Now when we go out or see friends, most of the comments are positive. It's almost like there are closet Pit lovers. I also try to educate people on the breed and give them a positive experience with my Pits. I have had some argue that my dogs were the exception and that the News couldn't be wrong. My Mom says mine are nice, but she doesn't trust them and they could go crazy at any moment and kill every one! She doesn't like any dog that is over 5 lbs. Funny thing is I grew up with big dogs. Oh, well...


So what can we do and what do we really need to do to protect this breed from being banned? Take your well trained Pit out for a walk in your local down town and show people what they are really like. Talk to people about the positive attributes of the breed. I hate to say it, but I was not alone in my ignorance. The media had quite a choke-hold on negative publicity on Pits. Most people don't question if they don't have examples of the contrary. Oh, and they vote!


So go take your well trained Bully breed down town for a walk this weekend and talk to as many people as you can. Maybe you'll get someone else re-thinking their opinions of these wonderful breeds.