Saxon
Baby
Shuggie Salty (Pit) Mugsy
(Boxer)
Dharma
Doobie "Dharma & Doobie" are Manx cats. They are born with the bob
tails.
There are no bad dogs, just bad owners, please don't let ignorance breed fear
Your breed could be next! There are presently Twenty
four breeds of dogs outlawed in the United States! My breed, the American Pit
Bull Terrier, represented the United State's courage and tenacity in the First
World War "Little Rascals" The trainer who
handled the dogs for the studio that produced the Little Rascal's Our Gang
comedies was a devotee of Pit Bulls. He used them throughout the series
(including the famous Pete the pup), with no one having a clue that they were
fighting dogs! Then came the 70's! The news media strikes
Gold! Fear=ratings=cash. Everyone's joining the band wagon. Even Sports
Illustrated cashed in by gracing their covers with a snarling Pit Bull (one of
their best sellers!). Ironically, a Bulldog rarely growls, or shows his teeth
(unless he's smiling). This type of behavior is a "threatening
display". Most animals (including Man) don't usually "square off"
and fight. Instead, they rely on a threatening display to intimidate the other
guy, in the hopes of avoiding a fight. Bulldogs may not go looking for trouble,
but they certainly wouldn't try to avoid a fight! For those who don't know what
a "game" dog is, I guess that's one description, "Bulldogs have
no need for a threatening display and, consequently, they no longer posses this
trait". Pit Bulldogs, as a breed, are able to distinguish between what is
"Game" and what is not. While they may be humble around children and
even playful with other dogs, Heaven help the dog who challenges him! Can
you tell which ones are real Pit Bulldogs? Yes, if Pit
bulldogs are owned by "Bad" people (and what's the chances of that
happening?!), They can get into trouble. When someone unfamiliar with the breed,
sees or hears of a Bulldog "whipping" another animal, I can understand
how they may arrive at erroneous assumptions, especially with so many people
willing to share their "knowledge" of the breed (most of these people
wouldn't even know a Pit Bulldog if they saw one!). What's lacking here IS
knowledge! Just because a dog is dog aggressive, DOES NOT MEAN THAT HE IS PEOPLE
AGGRESSIVE, or aggressive to ALL other animals. I guess that's why people are so
resistant to the truth when they hear it.
That's why I was disappointed
when I returned home with my new video tape about "Pete" of the the
"Little Rascals". They told all about Pete and showed all the episodes
he was featured in...But they never mentioned the Breed? I guess it's kinda like
when Readers Digest did a report on "Wheela the wonderdog" (She
rescued countless people as well as dogs and cats during a big flood in
California a few years ago, braving the waters and putting her own life behind
others, this IS typical of Pit bulls). They mentioned her by name, and referred
to her as "dog" many times in the article but...they never
mentioned that she was an American Pit Bull Terrier! I guess they figured that
would confuse people since the media has been educating everyone about how
"Bad" these dogs are for years. The next time you read about a dog
that does something extraordinary, and they fail to mention the breed, chances
are it is none other than the maligned Pit Bull! Of course the media makes up
for the lack of "air time" by displaying the picture of a (snarling)
Pit bull when ANY breed bites someone! Just to set the record straight, Pit
bulls, as a breed, ARE NOT people aggressive . I guess that has
something to do with the Pit men's habit of culling people aggressive dogs for
hundreds of years ( it is common knowledge among dog men that a people
aggressive dog is a cur, besides, if your gonna be in there with "hands
on" during a match, you better know your dog is not people aggressive!).
Other dogs have not had the benefit of this kind of breeding program. As
with other breeds, Pit's share many common traits, but also posses their own
unique individual "personalities". Surely, there are some who are just
"bad" dogs. These are RARE, I have seen ONE in all my years, who's
owner told me he was people aggressive. Usually, the "attack" story
turns out to be 1) not true 2) not really a Pit bull but a mix ( most
"experts" that testify in these cases consider PIT BULL to be a
generic term to describe, basically ANYTHING THEY WANT IT TO!) or 3) It's
true, a real Pit bit somebody (taking into account; inferior breeding, bad
owners, poor socialization etc,). Many times the dogs actions are a justifiable
case of the dog just "having had enough" abuse from someone and
finally bites. This is not a Pit Bull attack case! A Bulldog will take hold and
shake, only letting go to get a better grip. Many Pit's are stolen, and these thieves aren't
usually "rocket scientists", they simply walk up and take the dogs,
because the dogs are so friendly! In closing It
is hard to put in words what I really feel about my dogs. I believe you can see
the soul of a man in the way that he treats his dogs. To know that she would lay
down her life for me, or any other human being,( It's true!), only to see so
MANY well meaning people working toward her demise. Think I'm over dramatizing?
Right now if I load my dogs and travel to a dog show, I could unknowingly enter
an area where Pit Bulls are banned. I could be arrested and have my dogs taken
and killed because of their breed, regardless as to their nature. How would you
explain to a five year old that her best friend was killed because of her
breed?!
If your community is planning to implement BREED SPECIFIC
LEGISLATION, Please do what you can to educate your legislators.Look at thesesample lettersyou can send your legislators. Insist on laws
that punish lawbreakers and not the innocent.
A Pit Bull website?
This website is new and I will eventually move my Bulldog "ramblings"
to their own site with feedback forums and links. I have seen a few good pages
up on pit bulls and it's encouraging that we now have the internet as a cost
effective way to reveal the TRUTH about our dogs! It's interesting to see some
peoples reactions to positive feedback about our dogs posted on bulletin boards
(probably young, outspoken people who aren't afraid of looking stupid). Some
people get down right ANGRY! I guess I can understand that. After being
conditioned all your life to believe that Bulldogs are monsters, hearing the
truth for the first time and seeing so MANY people who love this
"beast" must take you outside your "comfort zone".
I hope I have succeeded at dispelling some of the myth's surrounding this
most unique breed....
the American Pit Bull Terrier!
A Wonderful Place
Old Family Red nose American Pit Bull Terriers
Click on the Bulldog above to view images of the American Pit Bull Terrier.
