Pit Bulls.

I don't get offended easily. In fact its very rare.

But there are a few things that immediately make me defensive and piss me off. One of those topics came up this weekend and again I had lots to say about it. That topic is Pit Bulls. While there are four versions of the breed officially; the Staffordshire Bull Terrior, American Staffordshire Terrier, the Pit Bull and the American Pit Bull Terrior, All are usually referenced as Pit Bulls.

First of all, I own a Pit. So I'm not just saying all of this because I feel sorry for the breed, think people are stupid for discriminating against them, blah, blah, blah, I'm saying this because I have one and know for a fact what they are like as animals. When I mention the fact that I have one, people always look at me funny, ALWAYS. Not only that but it is so ingrained in people to dislike this breed of dog that I have been walking my dog before down the street and have people cross over to the other side of the street entirely in order not to let their kids pass too close to my "killer dog."

I think people often forget that dogs are animals. They are decendants of wolves and used to go around hunting in packs, killing things that were sometimes five times their own size. They used to be wild animals and I think people forget that just because they are now "domesticated" that means that they don't have any wildness left in them and that they are no longer in the habit of turning violent. I don't know about you, but I've never heard a dog speak english, and until that day occurs, dogs will forever be unpredictable animals. Yes, they are mans best friend, yes, I love my dog emmensley and probably more completely then I will ever love a human, but they are still animals.

Now I understand where people are getting all this bias from. Pit Bulls are the most common dog used in the dog fighting industry, there have been various incidences of people getting bitten, that sort of thing. I get it. But what about the other side of things, sure they are used as fighting dogs, but that is not because of their natural inclination for violence. I have never encountered an animal that was violent just for the sake of being violent, there is always a reason for their aggressive behavior. Bears attack people because they feel we threaten their babies or because of territory, sharks attack people because they mistake us for seals, all animals have a reason behind their actions and people forget that sometimes too.

It's the same with pit bulls except its not something natural, fighting is something that is taught to them by humans. WE are the reason that these dogs are vicious. It is not the Pit Bull as a breed. Pit Bulls as a breed just pose the most beneficial characteristics of a fighting dog that make them so easy to teach violence to. It's just like any dog and the quality of training and care they receive from their owners. If a dog is abused, neglected, beaten, etc, it will show those effects in the way it acts, if it is taught to fight other dogs and be violent in nature, it will reflect that teaching. You cannot blame the dog for acting and obeying what it is taught. It IS an animal, not some free thinking human with a knowledge of right and wrong.

Also, look at other breeds of dogs. Any dog can be trained to fight and to be violent. Don't people train dogs to be guard dogs all the time? And what about police dogs? Their handlers train them to attack "criminals" with the use of a word or a hand motion. What's to stop them from attacking at the wrong time? Training. Except policemen and their dogs don't get bad raps because it is professional teaching and those trainers know the right way to train the dog so they don't get mixed results. You can't go around saying that a Pit Bull and a German Shepherd are different when they are both being trained to attack and are both used for violence. One of them just got the better end of the stick unfortunately.

I have a story that I love to tell whenever someone brings up the Pit Bull as being a vicious breed. I like this story because it just goes to show that any breed, at any time can turn violent and people shouldn't automatically stereotype breeds.

My aunt and uncle raised a yellow lab from a puppy and at some point during its adult life, it bit my aunt and had to be put to sleep. The dog had been unnaturally aggressive for most of it's life, totally "uncharacteristic" of yellow labs who are said to be known as loving, family dogs. A yellow lab gone bad. That just proves that it isn't always the breed. Other circumstances can lead to aggressiveness.

I think the reason I get so offended when people automatically voice their disapproval of Pit Bulls is that they don't know the facts or anything about the breed. They only know what a few stupid people have chosen to publicized, heard about the laws against Pits and/or heard the stereotype about them. They have no idea that these dogs are some of the most beautiful and lovable animals out there. They are loyal, courageous and great family pets. It comes down to the owners of the dogs and the influence they choose to impart on the dogs. There will always be good owners and bad owners, it's just a shame the Pit Bulls have such a bad reputation. An undeserving bad reputation. Since they can't speak for themselves, its too bad more people aren't speaking up for them.

I could go on for days about this subject. I could collect articles, facts, numbers, to prove my point. I could talk about populations in cities where dog fighting is most popular and how that affects the number of dog attacks, or what causes dog attacks and how many of them are faults of the owner and not the dog or even how people should learn not to be so quick to judge something they know nothing about...but for now I'm leaving it at what I've already said.

I love my Pit. And in a few years when I'm capable of having a big dog of my own, I'm adopting another one.