I do and say a lot of ridiculous things, and people don’t bat an eyelash. I walk my pit bull down the street, and I get the strangest looks I’ve ever seen. People stare at me, then at my pit bull, then back at me with confusion, disgust, fear, or any mix of those.
Pit bulls get a bad rap, and they haven’t earned it. It’s the assholes who train pit bulls (and other breeds) to be aggressive that deserve the bad rap. Those are the ones that deserve the “looks” (and in many cases jail time).
But still, I get some mighty odd glares when walking my pit bull. No matter. I’d rather hang out with a pit bull than most people any day. Here’s why:
- Pit bulls are smart. They’re damn smart. Hell, my pit bull is even smarter than I am. She ignores commotion around her and goes back to bed as soon as the kids leave for school. She knows by just a look or a gesture that it’s time for a walk or food or playtime. Try that on your kids sometime. Spoiler alert: it rarely works.
- Pit bulls are lovers not fighters. My dog doesn’t have locking jaws. She’s not inherently aggressive. Make no mistake—badly behaved dogs are created by badly behaved humans. She wants to please so much that she’ll do anything for her people. And then she’ll cuddle with you as long as you want. When’s the last time your husband did that?
- Pit bulls forgive. From what we can piece together, our dog was confined to a backyard, neglected, and used for breeding. She’s afraid of water, sticks, bottles, and a variety of other things (I shudder at the potential reasons), but she doesn’t let that define her. She doesn’t hold grudges or stereotypes against all humans. I mean, geez, I still haven’t forgiven my husband for eating my sandwich almost twenty years ago. She’s a way better “person” than I am.
- Pit bulls are game for anything. Just say the word and my dog will take a nap, play ball, meet new friends, or even go running with me. (Just kidding. I only run when zombies are chasing me—and even then, a fast walk will do the trick.) One of my foster dogs would even parade down the street wearing a fluffy magenta tutu. She wasn’t worried about what people would think of her. She just loved making people smile. More people should try that.
- Pit bulls clean floors. I can drop just about anything on the floor and not need to pull out a broom or a mop. My pit bull will take care of the mess in an instant. She even spit shines the tile. My husband certainly won’t do that.
- Pit bulls take care of the kids. There’s a reason pit bulls were called “Nanny Dogs,” and my dog is no exception. She loves us, takes care of us, and will stay by our sides even if that means missing a walk or not playing outside. I wish more people were as loyal and loving, unconditionally.
- Pit bulls love parties. My dog doesn’t complain about going to the in-laws. She doesn’t whine about hanging out with people she doesn’t know. She welcomes everyone into our home and will sit on your lap if you let her. And did I mention she cleans up all of the crumbs from the furniture? Next time you go to a party, try being that warm, welcoming, and helpful to everyone you meet.
- Pit bulls are hug dispensers.
As I type this, my sweet pittie is sleeping by my feet. She’ll happily follow me around the house until it’s time for her walk. At which point she will become obsessed with the smell of other dogs’ waste calling cards. That’s one thing about her I don’t love quite as much.
P.S. I could say these things about any dog breed, but October is National Pit Bull Awareness Month.
56 Responses
I couldn’t agree more!!!! Bad people, raise bad dogs. I have been saying that for a long time. I would trust a pit bull more than I trust most people. I get more love and joy from my pets than I do…..most people.
The way I feel today, the entire human race can SUCK A BIG FAT ONE!!!! FUCKERRRRRRRRSSSS!!!! (Present company excluded of course 🙂
I feel like that a lot of days too. Present company excluded of course. 🙂
My pitbull Cain,
was beaten up by gang members, when he was 10 months old.
This gang was exacting vengeance on a rival gang member, leaving Cain permanently crippled I became his foster dad and one day later adopted him…
He is by far, the most important, loving, loyal, sincere, trustworthy companion in my life & far outshines any human. My only goal is to try & give him the exact same in return & to cherish every moment that I’m blessed to be with him.
Awwww…I am so happy to read this, I really am. I was not raised with pets and have had very few in my life…I’m finding as I get older that it seems like a really good idea. Plus, I love my sons little dog.
Your pictures are freaking adorable.
Thank you. My life is so much better with dogs. I definitely think you should get one. 🙂
Dogs are like kids…teach them to be bad and that’s how they turn out.
Yep. Although I had a dog who used to steal butter and napkins no matter what you taught him. 😉
I have had dogs pretty much all my life. Shepard’s,Border Collie’s,Golden Retrievers too. I am now the proud owner of 2 Jack Russell (what the hell was I thinking). Both of them are loving and caring..but also protective. I love these guys and would be lost without them. One is 14 and the other is 7.
I had a dog that was a cereal killer. Yea. I meant to spell it that way. And it didn’t matter what I taught her.
Well said. I did rescue for years and got so tired of explaining why any one bread wasn’t “bad”. I loved quoting that labs are in the top five bitters. Not because they are bad but because more people own them.
It really is a shame the damage the media has done. And don’t get me started on the irresponsible dog owners. But I know I’m preaching to the choir. 🙂
Agreed! I have 2 pits and have had other breeds as well. My pits are the least aggressive pets I ever had. Snuggle bugs:)
Your dogs look fabulous! Bad people raise bad dogs. Couldn’t agree more. Bad people also raise bad kids as an aside…
I agree with you there.
Amen. I like most animals more than I like most people, and like children, I think they’re often a product of their environment. A-hole owners/parents are the cause of most a-hole children/pets. Preach on!
YES.
I looooooove them. I can’t get enough of their sweet, sweet faces. They break my heart! The only reason I didn’t rescue one is that my mother would NEVER set foot in my house again if I had….wait a minute…(!!!!)
Hmmm, this sounds like a strategy you need to explore. 🙂
We adopted a dog last year after our lab passed away. The shelter knew we wanted another lab and showed us Penny, a lab mix. They said maybe lab/shar pei, but whatever. She’s way smarter than any other lab we’ve had (I know that’s not saying much, but we’ve had some smart dogs), as well as responsive (she pays attention to social cues just as you described) and so, so loving. We’re smitten.
It wasn’t until we began running into people with pit bulls that we started recognizing certain traits, the way she holds her tail, the shape of her face. Pit bull owners tell us they think she has some in her and we increasingly believe it.
I’m sorry to say I would have had my doubts about a lab/pit mix when we picked her up. I might have even passed her by for all the ignorant reasons people do. And it would have been our loss.
Thanks for the great post and for being a foster momma.
Thank you for adopting from the shelter! I’m glad you have Penny in your life. For fun you could do a doggie DNA test. Mr. Foxy and I gave each other test kits for our anniversary a couple of years ago. We were able to find out our other dog (who has since passed) was part Rottie. That was super fun.
Those snuggly pictures are too much! You obviously have great taste in dogs.
You know, I think big dogs in general get a bad rap. I had a black Labrador and people were terrified of him, but he’d lick you to death before biting you.
I think you’re right. I had the absolute sweetest, kindest, gentlest mixed breed (rottie/golden retriever/chow), and people were terrified of her. She could sense it too and made it her mission to win the person over.
I have two pits…Hercules, 14y/o and Roxy 11y/o. Sweetest, most caring dogs and somewhat lazy. They are the protector and like you said, baby sitter of our 4 y/o human son. I detest people that mistreat animals and don’t get me started on fighting them. Thank you for loving pits and helping make people aware of what wonderful pets these sweet doggies are.
Thank YOU for loving pits and bringing them into your family. xoxo
I wanna snuggle with her!!!
She would happily snuggle with you anytime. 50 pounds isn’t too much for a lap dog, right?
omg how sweet! With three pugs (previously 4), I can safely say that I like dogs more than I like most people too. Even though most people don’t leave fur tumbleweeds around the house. I’ll take the tumbleweeds though. Totally worth it.
I actually miss the tumbleweeds from my golden retriever. They made me smile. Totally worth it.
Here is a great article from Esquire about pitbulls (http://www.esquire.com/features/american-dog-0814) that has a great discussion of dogs in American culture and how completely wrong people can be about pit bulls.
Thank you! I look forward to reading it–the pictures are fantastic.
What a sweet dog you have there, Foxy. Such a cuddler!
I have to take slight issue with this whole “bad people raising bad dogs thing,” though, that so many commenters are saying. We have a labra doodle who has had some behavioral issues, which I think are due to anxiety (and perhaps over-breeding). He gets overly excited if there are small children running around. He used to try to chase people on bikes, too. That said, we are totally responsible about it and put him in his crate whenever kids came over (our kids are young teens now, so their friends don’t run around a lot like they did when they were younger). He also was not nice to other dogs and would become very aggressive. It’s hard, b/c he’s super cute, cuddly and soft and strangers always want to pet him, but we can’t let them for their own safety. We used to have to put a muzzle on him when we took him out. Hopefully it goes without saying that we never were abusive to him!
We finally had to put him on Prozac, and that calmed him down substantially. No more trying to bite children, chase bicyclists or attack other dogs. Age has also mellowed him out. He’s super affectionate and loves to sit in my husband’s lap (even though he weighs 40 lbs). It hasn’t been easy having a dog like him. I’ve heard other labra doodle owners complain about aggressiveness and anxiety in their dogs, too.
Anyway, your dog looks like an absolute love! I’ve always heard that about pit bulls, too–that they aren’t aggressive attack dogs unless they’ve been trained to be that way or have been abused. Sorry for my rant. Just felt a little defensive, and wanted to point out that dogs, much like kids, can have behavioral issues that don’t always stem from poor nurturing.
Oh, Margot, my heart goes out to you. Those kinds of challenges are always so hard. And, you’re right, some animals (and humans) have issues despite good nurturing–they’re just not breed-specific issues. I once even had a cat who was the BIGGEST ASSHOLE, and we adopted him as a kitten. Over-breeding, bad wiring, who knows. But some animals have behavioral issues despite their upbringing. Thank you for working so hard with your dog and giving him a loving home. xoxo
We love all our doggies, but our pit-bull-mutt-of-wonderfulness is the sweetest of them all. Obviously you have to get to know all dogs individually, but she’s definitely the loviest; the only danger from her is drowning in over-affectionate kisses. And she’s definitely much gentler with kids than our other dogs (who are also friendly). Thanks for the post-I wish people wouldn’t have such knee jerk reactions to perceived bully dogs.
I totally understand. We’ve had a number of dogs throughout the years, but our pittie is BY FAR the most affectionate and cuddly and lovey. We call her our ferocious snuggler. Thank YOU for adopting a pit bull!
Seems like a sweet dog 🙂 Zola is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and people would probably be stupidly afraid of her if they weren’t too ignorant to know what she is. Ha.
I would like to see pictures of Zola. I love Rhodes! (Okay, I love all dogs.)
My friends’ pit bulls have always been the sweetest dogs. Loving to my kids. And slobbery. And awesome.
Yep. That’s a pretty good description of them. Our current dog is surprisingly not slobbery though. (It’s really great.)
Yes! This post is everything! Pit bulls are my favorite breed of dogs; my friend had one and she was the sweetest, cuddliest dog ever. I’m sure more people would love pitbulls too if they spent some time with them. Your pitbull sounds so adorable!
I think meeting them is absolutely key. Our sweet girl has changed attitudes up and down my street. Still working on the rest of the neighborhood…
Wow, we are getting to see more and more pictures of your family! I love it.
Also, your pit is really sweet. I pretty much don’t like dogs and look for any excuse to dislike them and even I found her very friendly and loving. So I believe this whole list to be true and I don’t even have any experience with pitbulls at all. YOUR DOG IS THAT CONVINCING.
One of my friends has a pit who works with children as a therapy dog. She’s the sweetest, smartest, most loving dog. One time a kid bit her (you don’t see that in paper, now do you)! She got a little scared, but after a while went back over to the little girl and sat right next to her with her head in the child’s lap. Breed-specific fear, hatred, and legislation is completely unfounded.
I love, love, LOVE this! Pitbulls are AMAZING dogs! They are usually the sweetest, most loving dogs you will find. If you are looking for a mean breed….look at dalmations. Yikes. Them suckahs are pro-tec-tive to a fault!
My wife and I adopted a Pit mix back in February. Layla is the sweetest and craziest girl ever. She gets my flabby ass outta bed every other morning to run. She’s great with our other dog, our 4 year old and we have no worries about bringing a new baby in the house with her in it. Has she destroyed more than her share of stuff, yes, but that has subsided and now she’s just a 65 lb bed hog. We couldn’t be happier with our Layla
This is a great post. What people don’t understand is that,typically, there aren’t bad dogs but unprepared owners.
I have a Giant Schnauzer (who may put me in an early grave with her antics) but who would or could have been far more aggressive than a lot of other breeds without proper training! Well done with the post and the dog.
She seems to be such a cutie!! I have an Australian shepherd-Rottweiller mix who behaves badly with other dogs but is as gentle as a lamb with people!
You absolutely rock; this blog on pitties – – A++++++++++; everything you said is true. I’m an animal lover at heart, a rescue Mom and I am pretty sure I love you!
I’ve always enjoyed you. And now I love you. Please invite me over so I can snuggle that pup. And those pics of her sleeping and cuddling with everyone? Be still, my dog loving heart!!!!
I love the way you describe the personality and the temperament of the pit bull. I have two of them and they are true to form in all areas. I have a four year old son and our youngest pit (1 yr 8 months) sleeps in his room. My other is going on 12 this month. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I LOVE pitties! My best friend and her hubs raise them and they are the sweetest things ever. I get a lot of the same looks with my boxers. Especially my brindle Stella who mind you, is the laziest rotten dog EVER! If its cold or raining, you can forget it, she isn’t getting out of bed! Chloe just wants to snuggle and be held and loved…TWENTY FOUR SEVEN and Gracie is only 5 months so at this point she is either dead to the world sleeping (in your lap of course) or in full groin mode tearing thru the house trying to entice the others to play. I have a special place in my heart for ALL bully breeds and I’ll never be without one!
I have an 8 year old pittie named Zoe. She’s the sweetest little wussy dog you could ever meet. She is so sensitive, and will mope for hours if you dare to yell at her. This girl just loves to be loved! My literally carries her like a baby, and she loves it! You have great taste in dogs.
I do agree with you, Pitbulls do get a bad rap. My mom had a “pittie” who protected my children with her own life. Although she didn’t die in the fight she protected my middle son from an attack from a black lab and received a nasty leg injury. Autumn loved my kids. My daughter now owns a lab/pit mix and Belle loves her “kids”. She constantly is making sure everything is okay with her youngest son. He cries and she will come find someone to take care of him. She is an awesome babysitter. Wish I could send you a picture of her. Dogs like children are a product of their upbringing.
I have loved and done animal rescue for a very long time. Pitbulls are by far the most forgiving animal I have ever come across.
What I have seen done to them would turn your stomach, yet the majority of them are willing to forgive and give real humans a chance to love them.
Have you thought about adopting your foster dog?
We HAD a pitt bull a few years ago. Unfortunately, Mario passed away. He was sweet and an all around “nancy” dog. Our Maltese was more of a guard dog than him.
I love all animals more than people. People actually choose to be mean. Animals don’t.
Several years ago, we found a baby Pitt Bull that someone left in a cardboard box in the middle of an ice storm in Atlanta: no blanket, water, food—nothing. I called several shelters, but no one would take him. We ended up taking him to the animal control center near our house. They told us he had hypothermia, among several other things, and were unable to help him. He was euthanized. So sad… a dog is only as good as his owner, just as a person. xo
I totally agree. They are sweet, loving, and loyal companions.