Ignorance is not bliss

I am sitting here at work listening to my coworkers discuss an article in the local news this morning. A pitbull uncharacteristically attacked its owner and another dog. The owner is in the hospital and is having a difficult time communicating, so the officials are still unsure of exactly what happened. Even neighbors of the dog have been saying that the dog has never done anything like this before. Spokanimal officials say its one of the worst attacks they have seen in recent memory.

I am a firm believer that the MAJORITY of animals are not born mean. I did not say it is IMPOSSIBLE for animals to be born mean, but it isn't a hugely common occurance. I also believe that in cases like this one, something MUST have happened.

When I was about 5 or 6, we had a dog named Snuggles. She was the sweetest dog ever. My friends and I ran around with this dog constantly, and our parents all felt safer when she was with us, because she was protective of all of the kids. However, the evil children next door started tormenting my dog. My parents talked to the parents of these children, but they refused to stop their behavior. After about a week, Snuggles tried to bite my mom when she was putting food in his bowl. We had to put Snuggles down. Even though I was so young, I stil remember how sad I was and how much I missed him. If my mom hadn't caught these kids read handed tormenting my dog, we never would have known WHY the dog changed so much. Snuggles was not a pit bull, or a rottie, or any of the other so called "bad breeds."

What is setting me off so much this morning is one of my co workers is sitting there stating how all pit bulls are likely to turn against people and attack them. It is plain ignorance. Its just like saying all people with red hair have bad tempers, that all black people are stupid, and blondes are all idiots. It is completely and totally moronic. Another co worker stood up and said she has three dogs, all of which are considered to be "bad breeds," and ever single one of them is well behaved and loving, and that she would choose those breeds over any others. .

I do understand that some animals can be born with a bad disposition. But that is not breed specific. About 2 years ago, we had a cat given to us that was literally in the middle of having a litter of kittens. There were 4 kittens. 3 males and a female. Two of the males were incredibly affectionate. The other male and the female might as well have been ferral cats. The not-so-nice male hissed at everyone and ran off whenever you tried to get close. The female was mean to everyone but me. Oddly enough, neither one survived. The male got out of the house somehow, and we think it was snatched up by a hawk or something like that, and the female just failed to thrive. We found homes for the other two, and both are doing amazingly well. This litter just goes to proove that disposition is not breed specific.

Believing that a specific breed, culture, or race is a certain way is close minded and foolish. There is a reason the statement "don't judge a book by it's cover" came about. Irgnorance has always been a part of human nature. It is much easier to judge someone by appearance than actually putting inthe effort to get to know them. That kid you see at the store who doesn't speak proper English, dresses like a bum, and is seemingly anti-social has a reason. Maybe he or she has uninvolved parents who don't allow them to go to school, or don't provide a way to get there. Maybe they don't have the money to get clothing that fits, and maybe, just maybe that child is homeless. You won't know unless youget involved. Anf I'd be willing to bet that if you DO get involved, you will feel a need to make a change. And chaging that one childs life can make a world of difference to the child, to you, and everyone that child comes incontact with throughout his or her life.

Getting invovled with a volitile animal can be just the same. I am not suggesting that you step in the middle of a dog fight, but if you see an animal being abused by someone, put a stop to it. You don't even have to be the one to do it. Call Animal control. Get the officals involved. You can save that animals life. There are many, many animals that have been in terrible situations that were rescued, and while is was a long, hard road to recovery, many can recover and go on to lead happy lives. Albeit many of them don't do well around children. You just have to use common sense. Although that seems to be something greatly lacking in our society, so maybe I am asking for too much here.

Heroic Pit Bulls

Check out this web page.

"The American Pit Bull Terrier's story is mired in sad reality. Some fanciers, many who call themselves "dogmen", claim that in order to produce the real APBT, the dogs must be fought so they can prove their gameness (i.e. willingness to keep going despite pain and exhaustion). In their opinion, only the candidates that don't quit a fight are true representatives of the breed and should be bred - The others are called "curs" and eliminated.

Those people firmly believe that the abolishment of "Gametesting" would destroy the APBT breed. They therefore feel completely justified to continue exploiting dogs by forcing them into the worse possible form of abuse."

(Veronique Chesser Copyright 1997 edited 2003)

That right there is why the breed is labeled "bad."

Also this web page.

"This is a highly misunderstood breed. Pit Bulls that are properly bred and properly socialized make wonderful pets. They aim to please their owners and excell in agility, frisbee, flyball, weightpulling, pretty much any dog sport. American Pit Bull Terriers are very active and sometimes stubborn, they need a firm, but fair owner. You must remember that these dogs were bred for hundreds of years as butcher's dogs, their job was to catch and hold bulls that could weigh more than 1000lbs. They were also used in bloodsports like bullbaiting until it was outlawed. Some people then started using them to fight other dogs, and they were bred for this purpose for many generations until the middle of the 1900's."