"What’s so fearful
about them? It's human who is scary, not pit bulls."
How many of you know about pit
bulls? From that number, how many people actually own a pit bull? How many of
the owners have a good education and knowledge about owning a pit bull? A lot
of us have heard of pit bulls before. They are a breed of dogs that is feared
by many, and commonly misunderstood for a variety of reasons. Therefore, I’m
writing this special article with a hope to clear some misunderstanding about
this special breed and to raise an awareness of pit bulls, which are actually
very kind and loving, playful and goofy, rather than scary and fierce. Why now,
you ask? Because October happens to be America’s National Pit Bulls Awareness
Month. It’s the best time to bring up this issue.
Pit Bulls used to be the
preferred nanny dogs by a lot of people, trusted with baby-sitting kids, but
everything has changed. Why the bad-rep? There are countless reasons why pit
bulls are easily misunderstood and misjudged, but it’s mostly because pit bulls
are used as guard dogs and even fighting dogs by irresponsible owners. Little
did we know that pit bulls aren’t suitable as guard dogs. As a breed, pit bulls
are people-oriented. They love people. When isn’t used as a guard dog, pit
bulls are loving in nature. Strong, yes, but they are attached to their owners.
Imagine this type of breed being led as a guard dog, turning his natural
instinct from protecting to attacking. Multiplied by their strength and
muscles, they become vicious and dangerous. When used as guard dogs, pit bulls
can easily assault anyone, including their owners. Secondly, because of their
strength, many of despicable human beings use pit bulls as fighting dogs. Dog
fights are illegal in many countries because of a lot of reasons, mostly
because dogs shouldn’t be told to fight each other, they don’t want to fight.
Why people feel the need to make them bite each other’s neck? It is by far the
lowest things a human can do. Nevertheless, some low-life do it, and they pick
pit bulls. Of course pit bulls are good fighters. But when they are trained to
attack instead of protect, their energy and level of aggressiveness escalated
and they become wild and uncontrollable. Who’s at fault, then? The breed? Or
the human who misuse them? By now you should have gotten the right answer.
Another reason why the breed is
perceived badly is because of their looks and physical appearances. Unlike
Chihuahuas, pit bulls come in big sizes, small eyes, and distinctive facial and
physical features that make them less cute, therefore perceived as scary. I,
myself, used to think that big dogs are scary and dangerous, especially pit
bulls. But I changed a lot since I’m introduced to Junior and late Daddy, the
role models for pit bulls owned by Cesar Millan. Watching his show, I saw a lot
of balanced, well-mannered pit bulls, and I got the chance to see their true,
good nature when pit bulls are raised right and responsibly. Raising a pit bull
requires a lot of training and balancing between discipline and affection. It
takes a lot of time, and they demand your time. They need you to give them
proper training every day, to drain their energy in the right ways, time to
socialize, time to play, and so on and on. So, not everyone is suitable for a
pit bull, since not everyone is knowledgeable and well-educated when it comes
to a pit bull. But once you know the right way to raise them, pit bulls are a
great and wonderful breed that makes a great company for you.
One thing I want to highlight is,
be a responsible owner. As I have said before in my previous writing about dogs,
the problem doesn’t lie in the breeds, it’s in the human. So the next time you
see a bad dogs, see the humans who are with the dogs, they must certainly be
doing something wrong. Likewise, with a good dog, comes a good human. If you
have pit bulls in your pack, make sure you give them proper training and
exercise. Provide them with boundaries, rules and limitations, and make sure to
socialize them with humans and other dogs. Do not ever leave them in chains
24/7, and hoping they’ll guard your house and be a friend at the same time.
It’s stupid.
For those of you who don’t own a
dog, or a pit bull, don’t be afraid of them when you happen to meet one. Stay
calm, as dogs read your energy. They know when you feel anxious or afraid, and
react accordingly. It’s not easy, especially if you have a bad experience with
dogs before. But it is important to know how to act and behave properly when
approaching a dog. Do it with manners. Dog manners of course, not human.
Talking with unknown dogs won’t help you to get close to them, nor sticking out
your hands for them to smell. They can smell you from miles away. If they like
your energy, they’ll come to you. It’s that simple. One simple tip I can share
is: no touch, no talk, no eye contact. This is important when you first
approach a dog (credit: Cesar Millan).
Luckily, there are hopes for pit
bulls. Nowadays, many foundations and NGO are working together to raise
awareness about pit bulls, so pit bulls can gain a good rep they once had and
now deserve more than ever. More television shows are made to help build pit
bulls’ good rep (Dog Whisperer, Leader of the Pack, Pit Bulls and Parolees). Thanks
to these groups of dedicated people, more and more people are willing to change
their perspectives on pit bulls. We’re on the right track. If we continue to
spread the right information and educate people, we can give pit bulls the
respect they’ve once lost because of us. Stop dog-racism, stop the ban of
certain breeds marked as dangerous, and start giving people the proper education
and the dogs the right home. October is the month. Act now, or never.
As the National Pit Bull Awareness Campaign puts it:
"Knowledge is power, and with education and advocacy, the truth will save
lives in terms of negating the fear and bias generated by the media, circumvent
knee-jerk reactions such as breed bans, and the truth will result in fewer pit
bulls ending up in animal shelters."
PS: For more reading
on dogs, pit bulls, and such, refer to: www.cesarsway.com
By: @dephchii
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