I’ve never been a controversial person. Not even a little bit. On the contrary I usually try to avoid it like the plague. And I’ve been pretty successful in that endeavor for most of my life.
My parents followed the traditional route of love, marriage, babies and have been now happily married for 30 years. Go mom and dad! I had a pretty conventional upbringing in the suburbs of Northern Kentucky just outside Cincinnati and was lucky enough to enjoy not only a comfortable life, but some would call it privileged.
I’m a straight, white female with naturally blonde hair, a fast metabolism and a fairly strong drive to stay fit. I’m not an extremist of any kind, I don’t do witchcraft and I wasn’t a teenage mom or overweight at any point in my life. I’m not hating on any of these things, just making the point that they are topics that get people in this country all fired up.
While my parents will also tell you I’m not your prefect little angel either, I’ve never really done anything too crazy. Unless you count skydiving. Twice. But I’ve never been known to walk on the edge of life. That is, until I got a Pit Bull.
Yea, bringing Chaos into my home is what a lot of people consider the most outrageous thing I’ve ever done. I’m a real nutcase. Call the psych ward, we’ve got another one.
Joking aside, having a Pit Bull suddenly threw me head first into a world of controversy. I was unprepared for the complete and outright hatred we would be on the receiving of. I had no idea how fiercely the protective instinct of a mama bear would take over me. Bringing home Chaos wasn’t just adding another dog to the family to love, his entrance into my life was accompanied by a firestorm of ignorance and cruelty as well as loyalty and passion.
Often when I mention something about one of my dogs or speak about them in passing to a stranger or someone I don’t know very well, the question of what kind of dogs they are arises. It’s been over 2 years since Chaos became my baby and I still internally cringe at this question because I know there’s about a 50/50 chance this conversation just took a nose dive. Some people are immediately confused. I guess they think maybe they heard me wrong when I said Pit Bull. Or they just realized they may be talking to a drug dealer or an insane woman. A common response is, “YOU have a Pit Bull?”. You know, because all Pit Bull owners are thugs, lowlifes and crack dealers. I guess I don’t fit the profile. Some of them start talking out of their ass like they know even a little bit about my dog. And some of them are downright mean. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who smile that smile I’ve come to know very well as Pit Bull rolls off my tongue. It’s a shared smile of appreciation for another fellow animal lover who either has their own Pittie at home or is smart enough to appreciate that a dog is a dog, regardless of what asinine information the media spews.
For those of you who know me, you know I’m usually for peace over war. But I’d walk through fire for anyone I love and Chaos is no exception. I’ve said some things in not only his defense, but for Pit Bulls and other unfairly labeled dogs, that might shock a lot of people to hear come out of my mouth. It’s my nature to try and fly under the radar when it comes to a potentially negative situation, or at least try to remain calm and choose my words carefully. But people cross the line with rapid fire on the Pit Bull issue and I don’t tolerate criticism of my furry little boy very well. Commenting on the way I choose to live my life is one thing but making derogatory remarks about my dog won’t be tolerated. The lioness inside me will come out roaring and I’ll sink the claws in deep to get my point across.
I also have a dog that’s always on America’s sweetheart list. Ares is the epitome of charming, playful, friendly and silly. He’s so happy go lucky he would try to make friends with a crocodile yet not be a bit offended if said crocodile tried to make him lunch. And this is what people expect of him because of his breed. Yes, it’s much less complicated to tell people I have a Boston Terrier. But that Boston Terrier’s brother happens to be on the other end of the spectrum as America’s most hated breed of dog. People expect the opposite of him that they do Ares just because he's a Pit Bull. I don’t care how much controversy having a Pit Bull brings into my life. Easier isn’t always better. I love both my dogs equally, no matter what the rest of the country has to say about it. And for the record, they are both much nicer than I am if you start talking smack.
As for what I tell people who wonder why I would choose to put myself in this position, having a dog half the people I encounter believe is a vicious monster, my answer is pretty simple. The second I saw Chaos’s wrinkled little face and sweet eyes, he had my heart wrapped around his precious paw. And there was no going back.
Happy Thursday dog lovers!
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