October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it would be hard not to notice with all the pink ribbons everywhere. Even the NFL goes pink in a show of support with shoes, gloves and specialty fan gear. Breast cancer awareness is a very important topic, but did any of you know that October is also Pit Bull Awareness month?
We intelligent and logical people know that judging a dog simply by his breed is ridiculous. But for those who believe my dog and all the other badly mislabeled pitties out there are born killers, Pit Bull Awareness is a big deal. The point is to show others that Pit Bulls are individuals and opinions of each dog should be based on that dog’s own personality and characteristics.
Subscribing to BSL is the equivalent of being racist in the human world. Yes, I realize that is a harsh comparison, but think about it. Do you judge an entire ethnic group based on reported behaviors of some of the members of that group? That doesn’t sound fair, does it?
Stereotyping is bad for both people and dogs. As a young looking petite blonde it is far too often assumed that I am immature, dense and cannot take care of myself. If you don’t know me personally and I haven’t learned from reading my blog yet, I can assure you that I act my age (usually), am pretty smart and can handle myself just fine. As a 65lb muscle bound Pit Bull with a big square head and strong looking jaw, it is far too often assumed that Chaos is mean, overprotective and anything but sweet. I can also assure you that he is very nice, loves greeting friendly strangers and is everything sweet.
I still am shocked by the reaction I sometimes get when I tell someone I have a Pit Bull. Apparently I do not fit the profile for the type of person most people think own this type of dog. Sure, thugs, drug dealers and money hungry idiots have used these loyal, athletic dogs to their advantage, and cost them their former good name, but there are so many Pit Bull owners out there who don’t fit those profiles.
Did you know that Pit Bull isn’t even a breed itself but rather a category of dogs? The break down depends on whose classification system you go by. The AKC will only recognize American Staffordshire Terriers as a breed while the UKC will register American Pit Bull Terriers (like Chaos).
As a Pit Bull mama, it is my humble duty to spread positive Pit Bull awareness. I try to do this in my everyday life but especially with this blog. Yes, many Pit Bulls have been bred to fight. That is a horrifying reality. But it doesn’t mean they are all man eating monsters. In fact, if you view footage from dog fighting ring busts when the rescue crew arrives, your heart will squeeze in your chest when you see the waggly tailed greeting the dogs give the humans. Now that is the spirit of a true Pit Bull. They are smart, strong and resilient and love being with people. It is humans who have done the unspeakable things to them, yet when humans arrive to rescue them they willingly jump into their cars without a bared tooth in sight.
Part of Pit Bull Awareness is also understanding that the media stories that continue to feature Pit Bulls in a negative light are not always as they seem. Print news, broadcasting and websites feed off the frenzy of Pit Bulls as the bad guy so it ups their ratings to spin stories or conveniently leave out certain details. Recently there was a big to do after a gruesome Pit Bull attack that was reported on everywhere you could turn. What happened was tragic but for more than the obvious reason. Not only was it vaguely noted or left out all together that these dogs were part of a drug operation, abused and not socialized, they were being used a drug mules. At the time of the attack bags of heroine that had been inserted into the dogs’ mouths and shoved down their throats had burst and begun to leech the deadly substance immediately into their blood streams. But it’s still the dog’s fault that they were overdosing at the hand of a human and they were just vicious Pit Bulls, right? The general public continues to blame the wrong end of the leash and remain oblivious to or uniformed of the truth.
I’m not asking you to run out an adopt a Pit Bull or even to help me spread the word. All I’m asking is that you think before you judge. That Pit Bull walking down the street with his human who makes you nervous because he starts to pull when he sees you and looks as though he’s ready to charge, may just be my sweet Chaos who is only desperately wanting to be your friend.
Pit Bulls can make a great addition to a family or a wonderful companion for someone who lives alone. Don’t judge the dog by his breed, judge him by his heart. Proudly, we are Pit Bull people. Are you?
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