For well over 100 years the main goal of pit bull dogs has been a desire to please their owners. It is not that they are a vicious dog, it is that some people that have owned them are vicious people. Pitt Bulls have done whatever we asked and now they are being punished for it. Around the 1700-1800’s vicious people thought it was entertaining to put a dog in a pit with a bull or bear and watch the dog fighting and rip the animal apart. This is where the term pit bull comes from. In 1835 they finally made this practice illegal. Then the vicious people began the so-called sport of fighting the dogs against each other. They have actually been bred for this purpose and more docile dogs have been inhumanely killed because they are not aggressive enough.
Michael Vick is just a drop in the bucket, just another person that has abused pit bulls. We all want to act outraged and surprised, but the reality is that this abuse has been going on for years. According to aspca.org regarding dog fighting , “Ironically, it was a common entertainment for police officers and firemen, and the “Police Gazette” served as a major source of information on dog fighting for many years. Although many laws were passed outlawing the activity, dog fighting continued to expand throughout the 20th century.”
Michael Vick will be back to his old life in no time just like all the other dog abusers. The only ones that will actually pay the price for his cruelty will be his pit bull dogs. They seized 53 pit bull dogs from his home and our trying to decide what to do with them. According to Pit bull Chat forum, a veterinarian in Roswell, Georgia believes that at least some of these pit bulls can be rehabilitated. Yet PETA and the humane society are recommending that they all be killed. Pit Bulls are the real victims in all of this. The only crime they ever committed was to try to please their owners.
Now we see legislation from the government against pit bulls calling for bans and pit bulls have one of the lowest adoption rates according to the Los Angeles animal services. Who is really to blame for all this? Vicious people. We need to start going after the abusers instead of the victims. Give Michael Vick 20 years in jail for dog fighting to be an example. Rehabilitate his dogs, don’t victimize them twice by killing them. Give harsh penalties to the abusers and not the victims. Pit bulls have a strong desire to please people, we need to re-channel that desire into something positive.
Are you aware that pit bulls are proven to be highly successful service dogs. They have worked in search and recovery teams and in drug enforcement. One of my favorite stories is about Popsicle a pit bull dog. He was seized from a drug dealer that was abusing him. They trained him to sniff out drugs and catch drug dealers. He become the most successful K-9 drug dog around!
Speaking as an animal lover, I just request that people stand up against the widespread abuse against pit bulls. We need to punish the people that abuse them and protect them from becoming victims of unscrupulous and vicious people.
Fun facts about pit bulls. In advertisements there was the buster brown shoe dog and the RCA victor dog. There was also “Petey” from the little rascals show. Some famous pit bull owners have been Helen Keller, Thomas Edison and Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson. Pit Bulls are the only dog that has been on the cover of Life magazine three times. Pit Bulls were so loved around WWI that they represented the US in WWI propaganda posters. A pit Bull named “Stubby” was the most decorated US military dog and was received by President Wilson, harding and coolidge at the white house. Pit Bulls weigh up to 80 lbs and are 18-20 inches tall. Pit Bulls were bred to fight other animals, but to be incredibly gentle to humans.
