I live in a home with four pit bulls and a 3-month-old child. I have never once had to worry about the dogs with my child. They are the loving, protective, “nanny dogs” the breed was originally bred to be. When the baby cries, I immediately have eight eyes staring at me, making sure I’m going to take care of him. They cannot wait until the baby wakes up every morning so they can give him good morning kisses.
In fact, they sit by his crib patiently, waiting for him to stir. ... And when the baby eats, they take turns licking the milk off his face.
My dogs are the opposite of aggressive. When they aren’t playing with each other, they’re cuddling in my lap, with each other, or even with the cat. They are all obedience-trained, and picked up the basic commands faster than any other dog I have ever worked with. On walks, they stay right next to me, rarely pulling, and completely ignoring the people and dogs we pass. ...
Pit bulls were bred to be extremely people-friendly. Any pit that shows unprovoked aggression toward people is considered an exception and not typical of the breed. ...
The problems pits face today are irresponsible owners who want a tough-looking dog. Pit bulls live to please their owners and will do anything they think will make their owners happy. If the owner says, “fight,” they will fight, purely for the head rub and the “good dog” when they are done. ...
Judging an entire breed by one or two individuals is very narrow-minded. As a child, I was attacked by a friend’s black lab. She jumped on me and dragged me across the yard before biting me hard enough on my hand to leave scars. No one would use this incident to condemn labs. So how come every time a bull-type dog behaves badly, it is labeled as a pit bull, and the entire breed is condemned?
I am completely in favor of sterilization laws for pits but against breed bans. All of the pits in my home are spayed, with the exception of the puppy. The people who are training their pits to be aggressive are not usually the type to follow the law.
Banning the breed will only take beloved family pets away from loving homes. Those already breaking the law and training their dogs to be aggressive, or to fight, will continue to own them, regardless of what the law states.
If you want to meet true representatives of the pit bull breed, just stop by my house. Harley, Blue, Princess and Bailey will be napping on the couch, waiting for a new face to kiss and a new lap in which to cuddle.
Corinne Obarski
Hamilton