Rain
11-22-2004, 06:22 AM
This is Red: RED (http://www.face-pic.com/pages/view_pic.php?pic=3553331&user=acidrain&pn=29&psid=1&id=60686&type=1&apics=&acode=&h=1&c=0&cap=Red)
I met him back in December 2003 down at the local animal shelter. I went down there thinking I might like to get a dog. I wasn't looking for any particular dog, yet there was something about him that struck me immediately. Prior to that, I would not have envisioned myself as someone who might want a pit bull, but we just fell in love.
You would not believe the bureaucracy and nonesense I have gone through over the past year in my efforts to get him out. During this time, I have had to fight to save his life and fight further to get the unreasonable adoption terms lightened.
I will be the first to admit that Red does not do so well around other dogs, and precautions are taken to keep him from engaging them. But, he is the sweetest creature in the world when it comes to people. And he is smart and obedient and I love him so much I can't even tell you.
I wanted to share this with everyone, because I am very tired of the whole pit bull stigma. It is true that they are very powerful dogs. It is true that when a pit bull attacks he can do more significant damage than many other breeds. It is also true that, statistically, pit bulls are loyal, faithful and loving dogs.
It is no longer considered acceptable in society, nor should it be, to condemn an entire race based on the acts and deeds of a few members of that race. It should not be any more acceptable to make such generalizations about dogs. Some people are violent, some dogs are violent. Most people aren't, most dogs aren't.
My life has been turned upside down over Red. I'm now 9 days from the end of the month for which I have given notice to move and I still do not have a place to live that will let me bring a dog, much less a pit bull. (Fortunately, I am going to view a suite tomorrow that is dog friendly--wish me luck.)
I wanted to share this in the hopes of enlightening even one person. If there is a "pit bull problem," it is manmade. Man has bred this breed to be violent towards other dogs and, on occasion, they have been towards humans. But again, I would stress that, statistically, this is rare. It is only because the media plays it up that we think it happens more frequently than it does. If a collie bites someone, it doesn't make the evening news because nobody wants to hear about Lassie biting little Timmy.
The following link is a video that a friend of mine shared with me. She has recently adopted a pit bull, in fact the very pit bull that was abandoned at the same time as Red. They were found together tied to the front gates of the shelter one morning just over a year ago.
The video is graphic. It is difficult to watch. But it is well put together, it is honest, and it is educational. If you think you can handle it, click the link.
The PIT BULL PROBLEM (http://www.deviantart.com/view/11454716/)
I met him back in December 2003 down at the local animal shelter. I went down there thinking I might like to get a dog. I wasn't looking for any particular dog, yet there was something about him that struck me immediately. Prior to that, I would not have envisioned myself as someone who might want a pit bull, but we just fell in love.
You would not believe the bureaucracy and nonesense I have gone through over the past year in my efforts to get him out. During this time, I have had to fight to save his life and fight further to get the unreasonable adoption terms lightened.
I will be the first to admit that Red does not do so well around other dogs, and precautions are taken to keep him from engaging them. But, he is the sweetest creature in the world when it comes to people. And he is smart and obedient and I love him so much I can't even tell you.
I wanted to share this with everyone, because I am very tired of the whole pit bull stigma. It is true that they are very powerful dogs. It is true that when a pit bull attacks he can do more significant damage than many other breeds. It is also true that, statistically, pit bulls are loyal, faithful and loving dogs.
It is no longer considered acceptable in society, nor should it be, to condemn an entire race based on the acts and deeds of a few members of that race. It should not be any more acceptable to make such generalizations about dogs. Some people are violent, some dogs are violent. Most people aren't, most dogs aren't.
My life has been turned upside down over Red. I'm now 9 days from the end of the month for which I have given notice to move and I still do not have a place to live that will let me bring a dog, much less a pit bull. (Fortunately, I am going to view a suite tomorrow that is dog friendly--wish me luck.)
I wanted to share this in the hopes of enlightening even one person. If there is a "pit bull problem," it is manmade. Man has bred this breed to be violent towards other dogs and, on occasion, they have been towards humans. But again, I would stress that, statistically, this is rare. It is only because the media plays it up that we think it happens more frequently than it does. If a collie bites someone, it doesn't make the evening news because nobody wants to hear about Lassie biting little Timmy.
The following link is a video that a friend of mine shared with me. She has recently adopted a pit bull, in fact the very pit bull that was abandoned at the same time as Red. They were found together tied to the front gates of the shelter one morning just over a year ago.
The video is graphic. It is difficult to watch. But it is well put together, it is honest, and it is educational. If you think you can handle it, click the link.
The PIT BULL PROBLEM (http://www.deviantart.com/view/11454716/)