I am and always will be a major dog person and my favorite dog has always been the American Pitbull. That is why it pains me so much how misunderstood these gentle creatures are. I know some of you are already scoffing because I called Pitbulls gentle. But I hope that after reading this article you will truly believe that these dogs and all dogs are naturally gentle. I also feel sorry for those of you who are scared of Pitbulls thanks to the way the media represents them because that means you have probably never met a gentle and loving Pitbull before like all of the ones I have met.
Although I do not volunteer there anymore, there was an animal shelter I volunteered at last year that no matter when in the year at least half of the dogs forced to live in a shelter because nobody wanted them were purebred and mixed-breed Pitbulls. Nobody wants these loving dogs because they believe everything the media tells them and the media portrays Pitbulls as bloodthirsty monsters. What many people don't realize is that no dog is born vicious.They are trained to be that way. So many people believe that Pitbulls are born violent but not a single one of the Pitbulls in that shelter were violent. None of them. As soon as you walked them to one of the fenced in areas on the shelter's property all they wanted to do was play or cuddle.
People also seem to forget that Pitbulls were once considered nanny dogs before they were the breed of choice for horrible people to train them to fight other dogs. They are absolutely amazing with children because they are one of the most tolerant breeds of dogs. According to the American Temperance Testing Society, Pitbulls are the second most tolerant dog trailing only behind the Labrador Retriever.
There are so many misconceptions about Pitbulls thanks to the media today. One such misconception is that Pitbulls have locking jaws, when in reality the bone structure of their skull is the same as any other dog their size. Again, people also believe that they are born vicious when they aren't. Any dog can become violent if they are put in a difficult situation; such as if they were abused or trained to be violent because ANY dog can be trained to be violent. These poor dogs are all condemned to the same fate of being abused, euthanized, and feared because of the actions of a few bad people who abuse their power over dogs.
These Pitbulls are one of the most loyal, loving, friendly, and dedicated companions you could ever ask for. Like I said, they are amazing with children because of their very high tolerance for pain and almost anything. And there are so many stories of Pitbulls saving their owners from fires, other dog attacks, and even saving other animals from being attacked if you take the time to find them hidden among all the negative feedback from the media. The Pitbull is simply a dog. A dog like any other dog, only better.
