October is Pit Bull Awareness Month!
by Amy Hazelton.
For those who don’t know October is Pit Bull Awareness Month! So why dedicate a month to celebrate and educate others about Pit Bulls, especially when this doesn’t seem to be a problem in North Haven, Cheshire or Wallingford? For starters, there are so many myths and stereotypes of these loyal dogs that are simply untrue. You’ve heard them all. Pit Bulls have locking jaws. Pit Bulls have the most powerful bite in the dog world. Pit Bulls are instinctively aggressive and mean. While yes, some Pitties can be aggressive, it’s not fair to conclude that all Pit Bulls are vicious, man eating, attack dogs.
Another reason to advocate Pit Bull awareness is two examples of extreme cruelty that have gained national attention. “Puppy Doe” is a story that is heartbreaking and horrifying and it happened right in my home state of Massachusetts. While I won’t go into the horrific details, a Pit Bull puppy had been found abandoned in Quincy, Massachusetts. So what’s the big deal? The veterinary staff that worked on this dog, whom they named “Puppy Doe”, reported that this case was one of those most horrific cases of torture, yes torture, that they had ever seen. Unfortunately, the horrors that this poor young pup had endured were so severe that all could be done was for her to be humanely euthanized.
The story of Mama Jade went viral this month, as a woman in Tennessee posted on Craigslist that she had found someone’s Pit Bull and refused to give it back. The woman’s account details how the dog had no only been used to give birth to numerous litters of puppies, but that she had also been used as a bait dog and her teeth had either been removed or filed down. For those who don’t know, a bait dog is essentially a punching bag in the form of a dog that is used to entice prized-fighting dogs into fighting. Luckily, Mama Jade’s story ends much happier. Originally, Mama Jade was set to be euthanized as a result of breast cancer that more than likely occurred as a result of her being forced to produce so many litters of puppies. However, as a result of this story going viral, thousands of people contacted Mama Jade’s new owner offering to step up and help.
While I don’t want to use this month as an excuse to get on my soap box and discuss the most horrific tales of animal cruelty, I would like to be able to help educate as well as get others to think about how we can change the perception of Pit Bulls in America. So with that said, this month we’ll be discussing a number of topics regarding Pit Bulls, including the myths and facts, as well as what Breed Specific Legislation really is and whether it really helps this particular breed of dog. If you have any other topics that you’d like us to discuss, please contact me or post on our Facebook page!
Now that I’ve made everyone horribly depressed, I’d like to share a cute little video from a rescue group out in California called “Hope for Paws”. Many of the dogs they have rescued are Pits and many have been involved in dog fighting. Here are two Pitties getting a chance to meet one another. What I find so remarkable about this video is that the female had been used as a bait dog. Who would’ve ever thought that a dog who has probably never had a positive experience with another dog could act this way? This just show the absolute resilience that this breed offers!