From John’s sister Devon:
This is Roxy. She spent the first few months of her life wandering the streets, severely malnourished until she was trapped by a cat rescue and then turned over to Furkid Rescue in Bethel Park, PA. (http://www.furkidrescue.org/main/Welcome.html). It was there that I found her on the petfinder website. We are guessing that she was abandoned by dog fighters because she was so small and has an underbite, and because the area she was roaming as a pup is known for just that.
__
She was so tiny and vitamin deficient that her toe nails all had bright white tips so that it looked like she had a French manicure. Since being adopted by my friends, she has flourished. She is a year old now and has tripled her weight. She is still small, but a thick little ball of healthy muscle. Initially skittish and fearful of men, she has proven to be an amazing, loving, sweet-tempered, friendly dog. She is still judged unfairly by others because she is a pit bull, but she is doing an excellent job as an ambassador of the breed. I was petsitting her for my friends and while on a walk another dog went after her aggressively and instead of fighting back, Roxy retreated- leaving the other dog owner apologizing profusely and I am sure amazed that this tough looking little girl, who obviously could have injured his dog, was really a docile sweetheart. I hope that those who judge pit bulls unfairly will at least give them a chance before making assumptions. Unfortunately, we recently discovered she has a problem with her knees so that her kneecaps slip and cause her pain and a limp if she runs too much, but my friends are saving up to get the surgery to correct the problem. And she is worth it. This little girl has proven to be a bright little spot in not only my friend’s lives, but mine.
Common Sense
The stigma society places on pit bulls is heartbreaking. I have one too — a rescue dog found completely deaf at three months old on the side of the freeway. Wonderful creature. What a gift.
electricgrendel
The sweetest dog I have ever met was a pit bull. She was just a big tornado of fur and love and slobber.
MeDrewNotYou
I love the first picture. That’s a damn happy little girl snuggled up in that blanket!
Edit- She also has really sweet eyes in the second picture. I’m not usually big on pit bulls (I like my puppies to be furry little balls), but she makes me want to hold her and give her a belly rub.
stuckinred
Another sweet pupster!
BarbF
My son has two pit bulls, and the only threat they pose is licking you to death. What a sweet little pup!
ChrisS
@Common Sense:
Pitbulls can be great dogs, but in the wrong (but well-intentioned) hands they can be overpowering and dominant. Which can add to that stigma. I’ve met friends’ dogs that are downright teddybears, but they’re all still solid masses of energy. My one friend said that he thought he’d never see a hippy get tired of throwing a frisbee, until he got his dog Ripple. My other friend has an affectionate lab/pit mix who was a rescue and she is very sweet, but doesn’t know her own strength. She also snapped one night and attacked his father’s bull. He said she didn’t look like the same dog.
I think too often people get the pits and mixes from the shelters thinking that they’ll just be happy loving dogs with the right treatment only to find out that they can’t handle 80lbs of dynamic muscle. Or that they don’t maintain control over the dog leading to accidents.
woody
Pibbuls are the BEST dogs. My Budreaux, while impressive when on guard at the door or in the car, once you are established by ME as a friend, he becomes an incipient 70 lb lap-dog. They want NOTHING so much as to please. Smart, loyal, and loving, they were “America’s” dog unti the last generation or so: The Our Gang dog was a pit, so was Sandy, Lil Orphan Annie’s loyal hound, and Buster Brown’s dog, Tighe. The NewYorker cartoonist Booth’s cartoon dogs are also pits, I am sure by their postures. Around 75% of ALL mixed-breed dogs in this country have pibbull dna in ’em…
Linda Featheringill
Roxy is pretty.
I have a pit bull story.
Once upon a time, I awoke from a dream in which I was held down and raped. In the dream, I was my actual age and was wearing clothes that I actually had. The dream did not seem to be a symbolic metaphor of anything. It was a dream about what it was about. Really scared me.
I had to go to work. No choice. So I got ready and marched out the door to walk down to the bus stop. Just before I got to the critical part of the journey [according to the dream], a pit bull that had obviously escaped from his humans ran up to me and licked my hand. He walked by my side past the dangerous spot and stayed with me until I got on my bus. And then he trotted off, presumably to have other adventures.
The neighborhood wasn’t particularly dangerous. I wasn’t afraid of that particular spot before that day and wasn’t afraid after that day. I still believe that a threat was lurking there on that day. I had never seen that dog before and never saw him again.
I think of the dog now and then. He’s probably gone by now but I hope he had a good life. He seemed to be well taken care of.
Do angels come in the form of pit bulls?
Joy
My son and his roommate adopted a pit bull and Rudy turned out to be the sweetest dog. He isn’t aggressive at all, but a big puddle of love. If pit bulls are trained right and given good homes, they make great pets. But it’s true there is a stigma surrounding them as evidenced by my son walking Rudy and people actually crossing over to the other side of the street to get away from him.
wonkie
Please forgive the lecture, but this is a suject close to my heart. I don’t won a pit, but I am involved in dog rescue and I have seen pitbulls passed over by responsible owners too many times because of the ignorance and the prejudice.
First of all “pitbull” is not a breed. It is a catch all term encompassing any dog with a smooth coat, blocky head and floppy ears. Such dogs could be all or partly American Pitbull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, boxer, American bulldog, Dalmation…whatever. That’s why fifteen poeple can descrive fifteen different experiecnes with them. It’s a term that describes a physical appearance, not a breed.
About APTs: the AKC doesn temerament testing on dogs annnually and APTs consistatly score about the same as golden retreivers for human socailalbity. On the other hhand, like all terriers APTs have a prey drive and tend to be unsafe for cats or small dogs. One of the breed characteristics of an APT is lack of transfer aggression. APts were bred to fight dogs. People who do dog fighting want their dog to be strong, brave and determined but to direct those skills at other dogs in a fight situation, not at peolpe. Therefore righht frm the start dogs thht would transfer their dog aggression to people wher culled ouut of the breed.
At every point in our history since the development of mass media there has been a dog that embodied the culture’s fears of the Other. During WW2 it was the German shepard. Later Rotties and Dobies were the target of villification. Now it the pits that get all the bad publicity. However fearing a type 9remember a pitbull is a type, not a breed) is as much a matter of prejudice as fearing a person for their external characteristics. The news media tends to be lazy and to report embedded narratives rather than do research. if it is a cultuural fad to fear pits, then the media covers pit stories. Whenthe fad fades and the cultures starts associating some other dog with the poor and starts demonizing tht other dog, then that other type of dog will get the bad press.
There is no such thing as a biting breed. There is a type of dog thhat is more likely to bite: an unneuter male that lives on a chian.
ThresherK
I don’t know from the various breeds described as pit bulls (thanx for the info Wonkie), but are there any reliable statistics about what % of pit bulls are raised for fighting/guarding/etc, and is this changing?
Oh, and let’s not forget about half a decade ago when the bad dog of “the Other” was the French poodle.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
We dealt with a crapload of pitties when down in New Orleans doing animal rescue after Katrina.
Any prejudices we might have had agains the breed was dispelled after that work.
They are sweeties. Chows on the other hand…
Remember back in the 60s, the “bad” dog was the German Shepheard, then in the 70s it was the Doberman. Now it’s the pit.
Roxie is gorgeous. And having pitties like her out and about showing the great things about the breed will, hopefully, eventually change attitudes…until the next “bad” breed comes along. Sigh.
Svensker
My cousin does pitbull rescue through Philly PAWS http://www.phillypaws.org/. She is the recent forever mommy of a sweet pit who had been badly abused and is the cutest, most affectionate, most obedient little (big actually) guy ever — just don’t leave him alone because he will nearly die from separation anxiety (all the while tearing up his surroundings in his frantic search for you). She’s tried training and constant reassurance, but is moving to tranks now to help him (and her!) get past this fear. She’s convinced me that pits aren’t all scary.
Cuz my only other experience with pits was that they were the dog of choice for the mafia hitmen and Puerto Rican dog fighters in Hoboken, and those pits were just as scary as their owners.
Annie
She’s beautiful……….
Betsy
The most amazing dog I’ve ever known was a pit bull. Kyra was the most intelligent, curious, and totally affectionate dog I’ve ever met. I would get a dog like her in a heartbeat, if I were in a position to get a dog.
Dog is My Co-Pilot
What great pictures. She looks like a real sweetheart. It makes me very sad that this particular type of dog has been so demonized. It has been used by dog fighters because it is a powerful dog. In so doing, they have doomed the “breed.” Shelters are overflowing with pit bulls and put bull mixes. Most of them are euthanized because they are not adoptable. My husband’s niece owns a pit bull, Charlie. She is one of the sweetest and most affectionate dogs I have ever met. The only way you could get injured by her is when she wags her whip-like tail.
asiangrrlMN
Bestestdogever that I have met is the most gentle, goofy, loving pitbull in the world.
Love the pic of Roxy swaddling in her blanket. She has the sweetest face.
quaint irene
My Katie is a pitbull mix. (When we visited the local shelter looking to adopt, it broke our hearts to see all those abandoned pits.)
When people ask what else is part of her ‘Heinz 57’ I always say greyhound.(I have no idea.) She’s just lanky enough in the legs to make it believable and everybody loves a greyhound and ‘forgives’ her her big old pit bull head.
And yes, she’s the sweetest , least aggressive dog I’ve known. Dauchsands have been known to kick her ass.
Mary
Pitties are my absolute favorite breed of dog, even moreso than my beloved border collies. My next dog, which hopefully won’t be arriving for many long years yet, will definitely be a wiggly-butted shelter pit, even if I have to change towns to get it. (Stupid useless breed specific legislation.)
Mako
The shelters here immediately put down any dog with pitbull characteristics. Too many bad times. Who breeds fighting dogs anyway, what is this, the middle ages?
comrade scott's agenda of rage
@Mako:
Fixed.
kideni
Pitbulls do get a bad rap. A friend of mine has a pit-lab mix that’s the cuddliest dog you’ll ever meet, the self-designated welcomer of every dog that comes into the park, and just happy to meet any creature (well, perhaps it’s best that he not be introduced to small animals — his interest in squirrels and rabbits wouldn’t be to their benefit). His leash manners also put my dog’s to shame — no pulling, very few off-purpose sniff trips, content to walk as long as you like.
And that blanket pic is so sweet I got a sugar rush.
Lizzy L
I rescued a female pit bull who wandered into my neighborhood last winter — probably dumped by someone hoping she’d be taken in. I couldn’t keep her (I have a dog and two cats, can’t take any more) , but with the help of generous friends I got her spayed and vaccinated. I found a rescue organization to take her, and they got her a great home! She was the sweetest, gentlest, most loving dog.
Jason
When I was but a boy and a beardless youth, a friend wanted a pitbull so that he could be tough, and have a mean attack dog. When you are a boy and 13, these things are important. However, my friend was a good person and treated his dog well. So when I went over to his house, his big strong pitbull hopped up on the couch and threw himself in my lap, on his back, with his tongue lolling out, ready to be loved and petted. I said, sardonically, to my friend, “This dog looks reeeealllly tough.” My friend didn’t think it was funny.
lambaste
It isn’t “society” that stigmatizes pit bulls, it’s the high percentage of their owners who are scum bags, who own dogs for all the wrong reasons.
Triassic Sands
They do know she’s a dog, don’t they?
I find all the defenses of pit bulls interesting. Every pit bull I’ve ever met has been a nice dog. However, I’m an adult male and not a likely target. One pit bull owner I knew said his “Rosie” was an absolute sweetheart around adults, but he would never — NEVER — leave her alone with a little child.
The potential danger that pit bulls pose is not only a factor of their having been bred to fight, but also because their jaws are unusually strong (or so I’ve read) and they are capable of inflicting more damage in less time than most other dogs. Wikipedia has a table showing that between 2005 and 2009 there were 144 dog bite-related fatalities in the US. Of these, 55% were attributed to pit bull type dogs. Since, pit bull type dogs represent far fewer than 55% of all dogs in the US, it seems like a fair assumption (if the table is accurate) that pit bull-type dogs do pose a significantly greater than average threat.
A reasonable person, after reading all the nice things said about pit bull type dogs in this thread and comparing those with the statistics concerning dog bite-related deaths, ought to conclude that pit bull-type dogs, for whatever reason, are not really the most reliable animals.
The second most likely culprit in dog bite-related fatalities in the US is, not surprisingly, the Rottweiler, but they are a distant second behind pit bull-type dogs.
I’ve met and interacted with a number of pit bull-type dogs in my life and every one has been friendly toward me. But if the fatality statistics are to be believed, pit bull-type dogs do pose a very real danger; a danger that is significantly greater than that posed by other breeds.
That said, the responsibility for an animal rests on the shoulders of its owner. People have to make the decisions that prevent dangerous dog-human interactions.
Note: Pit bull-type dogs: 1) American pit bull terrier; 2) American Staffordshire terrier; and 3) Staffordshire bull terrier.
JR
My pit mix, Abby, was left in a shelter for over a year. The cutest, sweetest, most obedient dog I’ve ever known, and the best dog I’ve ever owned (which is saying something), spent most of her life before adoption living on a concrete slab in a chain-link kennel. We had to pass up a number of houses when we were househunting because they were in a county that outlawed pits and kills them when they’re found. I don’t even spend money in that county if I can help it.
Lesley
Pitbull Sharkey (google youtube videos) proves it’s not the breed but the owners.
I remember the days when Dobermans were designated the most evil breed and now you never hear about them. Because it’s the owners, not the breed.
Mnemosyne
@Triassic Sands:
The problem, though, is that they don’t exactly test for pit bull genes when they make these reports. They just look at the dog and go, “Hmm, does it look kinda like a pit bull type?” A mastiff might look like a “pit bull type,” but it’s a different breed of dog.
Frankly, that report seems somewhat useless to me without the ability to report the dog’s actual breed, not what the cops think it might have been.
ETA: The danger seems to lie more in the owner who’s not honest with themselves about the temperament of their dog than in the dog per se. Pomeranians can (and have) killed babies, but people didn’t take their individual dog’s temperament into account before they left it alone with the baby and tragedy resulted. The problem is how we sentimentalize our pets, IMO.
Mnemosyne
@Triassic Sands:
Another interesting thing about that list on Wikipedia is that the majority of fatal attacks seem to have happened when a pack of dogs attacked someone, not a single dog. It makes one wonder about whether the pack dynamic allows a dog (or dogs) to kill when they wouldn’t do it as a solo dog. The horrific death of Diane Whipple occurred partly because she was attacked by two Presa Canarios who acted in tandem — would it have happened if there had been only one dog?
thalarctos
@Mnemosyne: “The problem is how we sentimentalize our pets, IMO.”
I’ve thought about writing a pastiche of Alexandra Day’s work, titled “Good Dog Carl Gets A Visit From Child Protective Services”.
Triassic Sands
Given that a mastiff is twice (or more) the size of a pit bull-type dog, that confusion seems fairly unlikely. I doubt that all of the fatal attacks were committed by pure-bred pit bulls (of one sort or another), but my point is that this breed is significantly more likely to be involved in serious bodily injury attacks then other breeds. I agree with you that the danger lies more with the owner than the dog. The problem is the type of owner who is often attracted to a “dangerous” breed of dog is often exactly the type of owner who should never have such a dog.
I’m generally opposed to breed targeting laws, but I do think that anyone who gets a pit bull should be aware of the possible danger posed by such a dog. Perhaps a test would be in order in which potential owners would have to demonstrate they have the knowledge and judgment to care for a pit bull. I wouldn’t necessarily limit that to pit bulls — the danger of Rottweilers is real as well. Perhaps the test would apply to all dogs with a statistically significant history of serious bodily harm attacks. I know how many people will respond to the idea of more government involvement, but my suggestion is made with the idea of limiting or eliminating the specific targeting of pit bulls, while simultaneously reducing or eliminating serious bodily injury attacks. (Obviously, eliminating attacks is never going to happen, but eliminating fatalities ought to be a goal.)
@Mnemosyne:
Pack behavior is a consideration. Dogs, being descendants of wolves, naturally form packs and I don’t doubt that pack attacks, as with human mobs, can result in worse outcomes than solo attacks. That’s why the ultimate responsibility falls on owners. People need to be responsible for their pets.
Thad
@Triassic Sands
The reason pit bulls show up more in the stats you quote is a result of their popularity with dog fighters and similar abusive owners, not because of any genetic tendency. These dogs have actually been studied and evaluated by professionals quite a bit, and most of the myths about them have been proven wrong. They are no more prone to violent behaviour than other breeds, and there bite is not particularly stronger (a German Shepherd’s is actually stronger). There is no such thing as a ‘locking jaw’.
Any dog can be dangerous if it is abused. An abused pit bull is no more dangerous than an similarly abused golden retriever. The difference here is that golden retrievers are not popular with dog fighters (fur is too long, frame not compact enough). Thus you find more pit bulls that have been abused, either by dog fighters or random jerks who have bought into their ‘tough dog’ image. The problem here is totally one of owners, not the dog.
Because of the terrier component of their breeding, a pit bull might be more likely to show hunting behavior toward smaller animals, but even that is not a certainty. Our pit Abby is best friend with our cat, and we have the snuggle photos to prove it.
Peace,
Thad
Cain
@Mnemosyne:
I’ve noticed that as well. Sometimes they mis-report what kind of dog attacked someone and they don’t go back and fix it. I think I read one story about what was a german shepard who attacked someone and media reported it as a pit bull because you know those are the only dogs that kill.
cain
Triassic Sands
@Thad:
I agree with you. That’s why I stressed, or at least thought I had stressed, the importance and culpability of the owner. I’ve known any number of dog owners who acquired their particular dogs for the status they carried. Tough guys get tough dogs like Rottweilers and pit bulls. Obviously that is not universally true, but we aren’t talking about all Rottweilers or all pit bulls, just the ones involved in serious injury and fatal attacks. Nothing is more abusive than raising a dog to fight.
Pit bull is an ugly name and it would be nice if it could be dropped in favor of the actual breed of the dog.
Scotty
What a cute dog! I have a pit and love him to death. He’s a sweet kisses giving boy.