I don't know if y'all know this, but I am a pit bull owner. I have had one, Neela, for 10 years and have recently aquired another, Bettie, from a shelter. Along with my two kids and my other little dog, Louie, I am fairly busy!
I wanted to take a minute and put in my two cents about pit bulls. They are simply awesome! I do, however, think you have to take that statement with some backstory.
Before I had a pit bull, I believed all the crap about them being no good, aggressive, fighting dogs who were looking for trouble. This is totally not the case. Sure they can be aggressive, but so can any other dog. I swear I have been bitten by more chihuahuas and daschunds than pit bulls EVER, but because a pit bull has the potential to cause more damage and a tenacity to complete a task, they are considered much more dangerous. This, of course, sadly, is true. However, a well trained, cared for pit bull is really no more dangerous than your average small dog. If owners are aware of what thier dogs are capable of, and are prepared to deal with the consequences of ownership, then I say that a pit is the best pet you could ever ask for.
As I said, I was aware of the stigma and I believed the hype. What did I do to combat it? I may have overtrained Neela. She knows signals and commands that I have not even bothered with for Louie, and if we are out walking, when another dog walks by, Neela and I move to one side and I make her sit in the grass until they pass. I wouldn't say I've taken all the fight out of her (in fact, I know this to be false) but I am constantly aware of what she is doing. I do not leave her unattended for long. In fact, she is such a spoiled baby, she almost never leaves my side.
Now I have Bettie. Apparently, introducing another female pitbull is not the best thing to do. Neela is almost 10, she is old and set in her ways. Bettie is young, fiesty, untrained (for the most part, but that, I assure you, is temporary), and very energetic. She is also a lover and wants to be on my lap. I think Neela is a bit jealous and with good reason.
When I first got them together, they were fine for a bit, then they really got into it. I mean a full on fight. I didn't have a break stick (because they are illegal in most places and are not sold), so when Neela had Bettie around the neck, I did the next best thing I could think of. I gritted my teeth and stuck my hand in Neelas mouth. I got bit. However, because of my training and preparedness, when I said "ow!" and she let go immediatly and ran to the other side of the yard.
Why?
Because when she was a pup, I would "fight" with her. If she bit, or scratched and I said "ow" she had to stop playing and go to "time out" sitting in the far corner. Some people think this is just a plain ol' stupid dog trick, but it definitely saved my finger or hand that day. I hurt like hell, but all my digits were intact. Because Bettie is not as well trained, if she had been "winning" this particular battle, I would not have stuck my hand in there and things could have gone very bad for Neela.
After a weeks more seperation (with a few supervised, in the doorway sniffs) I decided to try getting them together again. We rigged a pen out back and put Bettie into it and then let Neela out back. Neela, as it turns out, has absolutely no interest in Bettie. I though Neela, who is old and grumpy, was my problem, but all she wants is to be left alone! She did come sniff through the chain link, and gave a few low growls (which she was reprimanded for). After about 20 minutes of this, I got leashes for both and brought Bettie out to go back to her room. There were no growls, no fighting, and because they were restrained, no jumping.
I think we are making progress. I guess the whole point of this post is that people should remember that a dog is in fact a dog. The do doggy things and live by thier own set of dog rules. They can not be trusted to do the right thing, they, like children, have to be taught and conditioned.
Pit bulls can be hard to own, they take a lot of time and patience. Like children, they can drive you absolutely batty, but when they look at you with that big, drooly grin, you forget all the irritation and just give them a big ol' hug.
I wish people would lay off the pit bull and just let them be loved like any other pet.
Well said, my friend! We "play" the same way with our dog, and he is a Border Collie. Thing is, I will not let any children that he does not know play with him without my diligent supervision. Why? Exactly as you said. He is a dog. Well trained, well loved, but still an animal, still unpredictable. He is no better and no worse than my sister's Pit, Zeus (who I am convinced is a pansy..lol) I hate that pits get such a bad rap... but I too, before meeting Zeus, and then some other well-loved, and well-trained pits, was frankly afraid of them. Now- I am as afraid of a Pit as I am of a unknown Shepherd, Rottie, or Doberman. I am glad that you are a diligent and loving owner, and are willing to write about how a dog owner works to have "good" dogs- no matter what their breed! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am also super diligent when my kids play with other peoples dogs. They may not be so "uptight" about training their animals. I guess I also try to "train" my children to understand that dogs are not toys. They don't like being picked up (in most cases), don't like kids in their faces and can't be beat on. It's easy for a fun session of play to turn quickly. I just wish everyone knew these things, we would hear far less stories about viscious pit bulls (or other breeds). I once read a story about a 10 year old boy that was "babysitting" a bunch of kids under 5. One two year old wandered "home" but ended up going to the wrong house. The house she entered had two pit bulls who, technically speaking, did their job keeping out intruders. Yes, its tragic that a little kid got hurt, but the dogs should not have been put down, maybe the parents that left so many kids in the hands of a 10 year old should have been punished instead. Makes me sick.
ReplyDelete