Source: Times Daily By Bernie Delinski, Staff Writer , Published: Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 3:30 a.m.
Pit bull owner Whitney Fisher readily admits she initially had a fear of the breed.
“To be honest, I was not a pit bull fan,” said the Leighton woman, who received her dog, Hobbes, from her husband’s grandfather.
“I was one of those people who believed the negative stereotype.
But after owning one and seeing the kind of love they are capable of, I saw a completely different side of pit bulls.”
Today is National Pit Bull Awareness Day, an event established by organizations of pit bull fans across the country.
The purpose of the day is to educate the public about the breed and eliminate stereotypes.
“There’s a lot of myths about pit bulls and things they’re capable of,” Fisher said. “There’s no denying the fact that they were bred in early days to be somewhat aggressive.
“But you have to be an extremely responsible owner so you can correct those aggressive tendencies, She said.
Local and national animal control officials often find pit bulls in dog-fighting circles. The animal’s incredible strength and athletic abilities make them naturals for fighting.
“And they have a sheer determination to please their owner,” Fisher said. “If I wanted them to attack other dogs, that’s what they would do because they would think they were supposed to do that. In the dog’s mind, it’s being a good boy by obeying the owner.”
She said she is sickened by the sights of some owners who walk around with pit bulls that have spiked collars and anything else that makes them look tough.
Fisher has done a great deal of research on the breed and learned they aren’t a good breed to train as a guard dog because they have a natural friendliness toward people.
“I think my dogs would walk right out with a stranger and let him take them home, they’re so friendly,” she said.
Colbert County Animal Control Supervisor Kenny Price isn’t surprised to hear that. Just last week, he was called to catch a pit bull that was acting aggressively toward other dogs.
“When I went to catch it, it just rolled over and wanted its belly rubbed,” Price said. “Pits have been bred since the early 1550s to be human-submissive and animal-aggressive.”
He said if a pit bull is bred to fight, it’s as dangerous an animal as he’s seen. He has responded to calls involving pit bulls that chewed through a chain-link kennel because they were so determined to get out.
Price hates the reputation that some cruel owners and breeders have given the dog, and he even admits he wouldn’t recommend the breed to a family with small children because the dogs are so strong.
The key, Price said, is knowing what type of bloodline you’re getting when you get a pit bull.
“With certain breeds, it’s just in their genetics to be animal-aggressive,” he said.
Price said there are several myths out there, including one that a pit bull can lock its jaw once it latches on to something.
“A pit bull’s jaw muscles go to the center of its skull and that gives them more strength,” he said. “Their jaws do not lock.”
Todd Nix, director of community affairs for Florence and a former animal control official, also wouldn’t recommend the pets to families with young children.
Price and Nix agree the breed can be a good pet. The problem, however, is that they are so strong, an attack could be more serious than if a smaller dog is targeted.
And, Nix said, a dog is likely to go after the smallest member of a family.
He said the dog senses a hierarchy in a pack. If a dog stays with a family, the adults are among the leaders of the pack. So, if a dog wants to advance on the scale, it could look toward smaller family members, such as children.
“If a pit bull has been bred to want to go up in the ranks, you can’t tell him not to do that,” Nix said. “All the problems created by pit bulls today are human-caused problems.”
“An attack can happen with any dog,” said Nix, who oversees the city’s animal control office. “Here’s the main thing people need to remember: If it has teeth, it can bite.”
Nix said pit bulls can be some of the friendliest animals you’ll find around people. He cautions, though – with any breed – if a dog tends to growl and snap at an owner or any member of the family, it’s time to get rid of the dog. He said if a dog starts to turn, it typically takes place at around 3 to 7 years of age.
He said a key toward the breed’s reputation is to crackdown on dog-fighting rings. Nix said the pit bull is among the most stolen breeds of any dog. He fears that those dogs, no matter how docile, are being stolen to be trained to spar against other pits.
Fisher said that creates another piece of bad news for the breed.
“Pit bulls are one of the most euthanized because they are so hard to adopt due to their reputation,” she said.
She added, however, that they can be good pets. She noted that only one out of the 53 dogs that were confiscated in connection with the arrest of former professional football player Michael Vick was deemed too aggressive to adopt.
“It’s amazing what these dogs can do when trained,” Fisher said.
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — George Augustin is looking for “the one.” He strolls past the 50 cinder block and glass cages that stretch across the Atlanta Humane Society’s large dog room, just as he has many times before.
