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Friday, August 25, 2006

For Pit Bulls, It's A Bum Rap

August 20, 2006 By B. Phillips

The story was all over the TV news in July: Hartford police shot a pit bull six times after the dog attacked a woman, who needed 17 stitches in her calf.

Most people probably paid little heed, or merely thought "typical pit bull."

Some of us, though, saw that story and shuddered. Not with fear but sympathy.

For the dog.

The images were telling: a small fenced-in dirt yard, a giant chain with a broken padlock at the end, scared bystanders describing the ferocious dog.

Sitting on the couch in my condo, watching, I blanched. I looked over at my pit, Augustus, reclining on the couch next to me. He, too, came from the streets of Hartford, where he earned his scars in fights with other dogs.

A skinny wraith when he was rescued, now he's 80 pounds of black-and-tan affection, winning the hearts of everyone he meets. Well, mostly everyone. Some people still cross the street when they see him coming.

Everyone's heard the stereotypes about pit bulls: They're vicious. (Occasionally.) They were bred for fighting. (True.) They can bite down with thousands of pounds of pressure. (False.)
Once they bite, their jaws lock and never let go. (False.)

But talk to pit bull owners and you'll hear a different message:

"They are the most loyal, loving dogs you'll ever own," said Barbie Perry, executive director of Canton-based Hot Water Rescue, an organization that rescues, fosters and places the so-called "bully breeds" like pit bulls and Rottweilers."

They are so loving," said Mariette, owner of three adopted pit bulls who lives in Barkhamsted with her husband Steve. She didn't want her last name used because she's afraid her insurance company would raise their insurance premiums for having pit bulls."

They are wonderful dogs," said Stacey, a Winchester resident who withheld her last name for the same reason. She and her boyfriend adopted their pit bull, Maple, from a shelter after the dog was seized by the FBI during a drug raid in Hartford. Since getting to know Maple, Stacey said, her boyfriend's father, sister and brother have each adopted pits of their own.

Loyal, loving, affectionate - downright snuggly, in fact - are words used to describe pits by those who own them. And it seems that once you meet a pit, it won't be long before you want one.

It's the dogs' loyalty that helped them earn their reputation as deadly fighters. Originally bred to bait bulls or to fight in arenas called pits - hence the name - the dogs' owners had to be able to enter the ring and separate the dogs if necessary. Any dog that showed aggression toward humans was usually put down.

Pit bulls' "ultimate instinct is to do whatever they have to to earn their owner's love," said Perry, a slight woman with long dark hair and intense blue eyes, whose extensive knowledge of the bully breeds is matched by her passion for rescuing them. " The dogs were bred to be non-aggressive to humans."

The name "pit bull" is used to describe a type of dog, most often one of three breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. All three have short coats, well-muscled bodies and stoic demeanors.

Petey, the dog on The Little Rascals comedies of the 1920 and '30s, was an American Staffordshire terrier. Helen Keller's service dog was a pit bull-type. And a Staffordshire terrier named Sgt. Stubby was a decorated World War I canine hero who warned troops of incoming gas and helped flush out enemy snipers.

It's only in the past 20 years or so that pit bulls have acquired a bad reputation, according to Karen Delise, author of "Fatal Dog Attacks, The Stories Behind the Statistics." And it largely stems from irresponsible owners, who chain their dogs in back yards, starve them, beat them, fight them or throw them away if they aren't good fighters.

"Most pits don't want to fight," said Perry. "They want to be loving to people. They're the ultimate family companion."

"My bird and my dog can chew on the same bone," said Stacey. When a Chihuahua bit Maple on the nose, "She didn't react at all."

Many pit owners mentioned the sense of responsibility that comes with owning such a high-profile, much-maligned breed. They take care to keep their dogs leashed and make sure they're well-trained and obedient."

I'm overly cautious," said Liz Taylor of East Hartford.

"I'm harder on my dog because she's a pit bull," said Stacey. "I make sure she has impeccable behavior. I'm proud to say she's a pit bull."

Perry offered advice for those thinking of getting one. Educate yourself, so you know exactly what you're getting. Be prepared to face prejudice. Be ready for a full-time commitment; the dogs need lots of exercise. If you're getting a puppy, make sure it's socialized with other dogs at an early age.

The extra precautions and work of owning a pit bull are worth it, owners say. "I couldn't imagine owning any other dog," said Taylor.

Neither can I.

But Perry, whose organization rescued Gus from the streets, is right when she urges people to research the breed. Pit bulls aren't for everyone. Gus can be a handful at times, and he can't be around other dogs. On my insurance forms, he's listed as "mutt."

But visitors to my condo are more in danger of getting licked to death or thwacked by his constantly wagging tail than they are of getting bitten. On a recent night, as six friends sat around talking, Gus walked joyfully from person to person, a big pitty smile on his face. One woman sat tucked into a corner of the couch, keeping a wary eye on him. Correctly sensing her fear of dogs, he climbed onto the couch next to her, sticking his big anvil-shaped head close to hers and licking her ear.

By the end of the night, he'd won another heart.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/northeast/hc-mypit0820.artaug20,0,580945.story

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