Pittbulls: Misunderstood if You are Mis- Informed

As we all know, many pit bulls have a pretty bad reputation based upon certain actions they have been exposed to unwillingly. It is not the breed itself that choose to voluntarily "fight" or "attack" people or other animals. Understandable its a, for the lack of a better phrase, "Dog eat dog world," but natural for ALL animals to feel some sort of aggression, jealousy, or territorial- ism toward another animal. Majority of the times, speaking from personal experience, its more in the upraising of the breed in question. I myself used to be terrified, that is until I found myself raising a pit bull of my own. Now I can't get enough of the breed. I'm always hungry to know more about them. Well today I've decided to teach you the right education on American Pit bull Terriers. Whether or not you choose to accept them as a household name, or continue to discriminate against them based upon the unfortunate ones that were badly abused or neglected in one way or another is still entirely up to you, the reader.

In the "olden days" back when ladies wore corsets and gentlemen still wore a tie for everyday life, it wasn't uncommon for an American Pit bull Terrier to stay home and play babysitter. They were so well trained and loyal they were used to guard the children while the parents would attend their social events. It was a good system for those families that could not afford a nanny. Pit Bulls were trusted to keep predators at bay and keep the children safe and calm. Yes, its true around the same time many of them were also being fought in rings for entertainment and gambling purposes, thus the beginning of the end for the breed.

Today, unfortunately, the death and attack rates of Pitbulls have sky rocketed since the 1800's.The amount of abuse and neglect these poor animals must endure for the amusement of humans is heart wrenching and appalling. Pit bulls are hit numerous times with chains and blunt objects to break them down and toughen them up. They are starved, forced to live in unsanitary quarters, cages that barely allow them to stand up, forced to exercise until they collapse to make them built and muscly. Its so sad how they are treated. Most of them don't even live to see the age of 1 year old. Pit bulls are thrown together for the simple purpose of killing. That's how most are raised in the United States and the numbers don't decrease. The owners get away with a light sentence or in some cases a slap on the wrist. Its a sad state when the legal officials don't find this subject to be serious enough to really crack down. Letting them go only allows them to start another ring somewhere else. Outlawing the breed from certain states doesn't stop the problem either. It only relocates the horrific tragedies to another state.

Luckily, in some cases, pit bulls find themselves in loving and caring homes. They live to the ripe old age of 14 or 15 years old, thanks to the people that realize its all about the owner. If its a puppy you save there will be a fighting chance for him. I myself have trained a few pit bulls and found their mentality to be that of a small child. Once you understand the breed and counter act their bad actions with positive training, then you can start them on the road to a happy and fulfilled life. My current dog is a Pit Bull and Akita mix. Her name is Dakota, she will be 8 in September. She had a traumatic experience when she was a puppy. A friend brought a sister from her litter to our home. The pup bit a member of our household and Dakota jumped into "Protection" mode and attacked the other dog. From then on Dakota feels she has to protect us from every dog she comes in contact. She has been getting better with her control. Instead of running her away from her problem, I have her face it head on. If there is another dog walking down the street or barking, we are not to walk away until she sits and calms down to the point that I may give a little slack to the leash. This way she has to accept the fact that other dogs will be around her and she must learn to deal with it. Its all in how you raise a Pit Bull. As for the burning question on What about when a Pit Bull bites a child? Well here's my counter question; Why let it get to that point? Educate your children on what NOT to do to animals. It is usually the parents' fault for not teaching their children the proper ways to approach and interact with animals. Then the outcome is grim for the pet and child alike.

Pit Bulls can have their ups and their downs as a breed. My hope for them in the future is that more people will educate themselves and others so maybe, just maybe this breed can make a comeback into people's hearts and put a stop to those who harm them.