Letters to the Editor
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Responsible Pit Bull Ownership is the Key
I've had my rescued pit bull mix for over a year now. She was abandoned, with her two puppies, in a gutter near a park in San Francisco. She approached some friends of mine, and I took her in. We've spent the past year and a half in intensive training and cuddling. I love my little dog very much, with that fierce love that dog-lovers tend to have towards their pets. And yes, this love was probably intensified by the fact that I very likely saved her from euthanization. When you rescue a dog, the dog's desperation and dependence tends to strengthen the emotional bond you feel towards your pet. Of course, the love that people feel for their pets doesn't make their pets human, but it is very strong nonetheless.
This is what I have to contribute to this debate: I've learned in a year and a half of intensive training that my pit will probably never be a labrador. Her behavior, and her issues, are just different. Unlike a lab, she was bred (and possibly socialized) to be very "prey-oriented," as they say in the dog-training world. Frankly, she is not safe around squirrels, possums, cats, and other small animals. She has never yet done any damage to a small animal, but she expresses a keen interest in hunting. She is usually quite good around dogs, but we keep her muzzled when we take her on walks, just in case. I would be devastated if she harmed another dog, or even a field mouse.
BUT, she is rock-solid with people, and has never bitten or even growled at a person. She's great with kids. It turns out this is VERY common with this breed. As the historians will tell you, dog-fighters selected pit bulls for dog-aggression, AND human-friendliness (you didn't want the dog to bite the handlers). For more information about the history of pit bull aggression against animals and other dogs vs. aggression against people, I highly recommend the website www.BADRAP.org. This is also a great resource for pit owners in the SF Bay Area.
Yes, breeds have different characteristics. That is a reality, and it is silly to deny it. But since pit bulls were not bred for human aggression, most are very people-friendly, and make great pets. In my opinion, human-aggressive pit bulls should be euthanized, period.
By taking in our pit, we hope we rescued her from a much more sordid life, one in which it is possible she would have been fought. We love our dog, but we are constantly aware of her breeding and idiosyncracies.
Luckily, I live in the Bay Area where every other dog seems to be a pit, and people are generally quite friendly towards me and my dog. I do see vicious pit bulls in my neighborhood (I live in a tougher part of Oakland), and I keep my distance. I also see pit bull owners who don't take the necessary precautions with their dogs, and thus put other dogs and sometimes people at risk. Of course, many breeds bite. But we owners of the larger, stronger, guardian/fighter breeds have to be especially careful to take every precaution with our dogs.
I join the other writers in supporting leash laws and spay/neuter laws. But there is no sense in distinguishing some large, strong, powerful breeds with this type of breeding from others with similar backgrounds. Banning pits simply means that law-abiding, conscientious dog-owners like me will not have a chance to rescue and socialize these dogs. It won't stop dog-fighting (which is already illegal, so those owners are obviously not worried about breaking the laws), and it won't stop dog bites.
I hope they throw the book at Vick. The problem there was obviously not the dogs, but the humans torturing them.