Pit Bunnies

“One fifth grader, describing to me in graphic detail, a Pit Bull fight to which his uncle took him, told me that when the losing dog urinated and defecated on itself before it died…

…he was the only one in the crowd who did not explode with laughter.”

Mollie was thrown from a car window—I suppose she just wasn’t mean enough. She was only five months old and I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t just stop and let her out, but I suppose it’s naïve to think that losing her was their goal. This could just be routine training for a fighting breed. At forty-five miles per hour on a populated street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts they threw her from the car. Witnesses watched as the black and white Pit Bull puppy impacted the pavement with her front paws and rolled to a yelping stop. Mollie escaped her fate as a warrior, though. One of the witnesses brought her to the Humane Society and that’s where we first met. She was sitting meekly in the office chair when my girlfriend and I walked in—there was no one else to greet us.

The image of the Pit Bull is engrained in the minds of the masses. A dog with a squat frame, muscular build, strong jaws hidden by a muzzle, two police officers holding the beast back. The headlines are everywhere. From every local news stand they glare at us in bold type, and they stream from the mouths of newscasters on every cable station.

Pit bull attacks

Fourth pit bull attack in three weeks

Pit bull attacks eight year old child!

Why would anyone want such a monster for a pet?

It was the following Monday morning when Tim posed just that question to me.

“Why do you look so tired?” he said.

I told him that I had gotten a new puppy over the weekend, a five month old pit bull.

“Really?...I don’t see how anyone could raise one of those fucking dogs in good conscience,” he replied.

I recoiled slightly. Tim was a laid back guy, with whom I’d enjoyed more than one open-minded and well-informed conversation. I just looked at him with a mix of disgust and contempt.

“Why would you say that?” I asked.

“Because they’re killers. It’s not their fault. It’s just what they were bred to do.”

I argued passionately on behalf of my new puppy and was met by nothing but ignorance.

“Look, Adam, you can argue all you want, but statistically speaking Pit Bulls are dangerous dogs—that’s a fact,” was his reply.

“Oh, so you’re a racist,” I said.

“Alright, now wait a minute. I didn’t mean to offend you, let’s not let this get out of hand. How did we get from dogs to racism?”

“It’s the same mindset,” I said. “African Americans are more likely to commit violent crimes, statistically speaking. Do you think it’s just a characteristic of the breed, the fault of genetics?” I mocked him.

“You can’t apply the same things to dogs and people,” he said defensively and turned his back on me.

It was obvious that I wasn’t getting anywhere with Tim, so the next day I brought Mollie to work with me. She was still limping from her ordeal. Tim’s face lit up as he took her from me and broke into some infantile dialect that I couldn’t understand. Mollie nibbled playfully at his ears and licked his face. When he put her down she promptly went to the door and whined to go out. For the rest of the day she alternated between moving quietly about the house and snoring loudly at my feet.

“That isn’t a Pit Bull,” he said to me as I was leaving, “it’s a Pit Bunny. Besides, you don’t know what her temperament will be like when she’s older.” I recalled the United Kennel Club outline of the pit bull’s personality from when I was deciding whether or not to take Mollie home.

The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog. The breed's natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed.

I did my best to paraphrase, but Tim was still not convinced. And he was right about a couple of things. When Pit Bulls are violent it isn’t their fault, and fighting is what they were bred for originally. Pit Bull history starts as far back as 50 AD when the British Chief Caractacus was defeated by Emperor Claudius of the Roman Empire. The chronicles show that the Romans were so impressed with the courage and ferocity of the fighting dogs they encountered in battle that they brought them back to Rome for use in the arena. From here the dogs were spread throughout the empire and eventually found their way back to Britain. A variety of bulldog type dogs resulted from the crossbreeding of these animals and it is these “bulldogs” that are the ancestors of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Bulldogs were so named not because of their physical characteristics necessarily, but because of their employment in baiting bulls and deer. However, the dogs were used in all manner of work including fighting, hunting, and stock work. Because they were often used in pairs to bait or hunt, overt aggression towards other members of their species was never a trait. In 1835 a law was passed that made the sport of baiting illegal and it was at this time that dog fighting began gaining popularity. Because dog fights were held in small “pits,” the most successful dogs had a blend of strength and agility. The bulldog was a likely choice, and selective breeding with hardy terrier breeds was used to produce a dog unmatched in these traits, the Pit Bull. In short then, the Pit Bull Terrier was bred specifically to become the Maximus of the canine coliseum.

The traits that made these dogs an ideal choice for pit fighting are the same that made them desirable animals for other applications, traits that had been bred into the dogs through their years as baiting specialists, specifically a trait referred to as “gameness,” or the willingness to see a task through to its end, even under penalty of serious injury or death—what we might refer to as unfaltering courage. In rural England, a dog with the courage and tenacity to hold back a wild boar, the loyalty and steadfastness to protect the master’s home, and the tolerance and stability to not bite out of fear or pain, was endlessly useful. If a dog was to let go of a wild bull or boar due to fear or pain as the hunter approached then the hunter could be killed. If a dog ever failed in this way they were gotten rid of. In this simple way, gameness--or courage--was selectively bred into the Pit Bull

Through all the modern-day hype and media sensationalism surrounding the breed, one tends to overlook the Pit Bull’s history in America. The dog was imported to America just before the Civil war and used for similar purposes as in Europe. The Pit’s usefulness as a farm hand and protector, along with its loyalty and exuberance, instantly made it one of the Nations most popular breeds. Its visage was used to represent the US in World War 1 artwork, large corporations like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Co. employed the Pit Bull as their mascots, Petie the Pit Bull had a starring role in the children’s television series “Our Gang,” and a Pit Bull mix named Stubby became a decorated World War 1 hero. The pioneers of this country were accompanied by Pit Bulls during their explorations. Laura Ingles Wilder had a Pit named Jack. Theodore Roosevelt and Hellen Keller both owned the breed. Throughout our Nation’s history the Pit Bull has been “America’s sweetheart breed.” Even today this breed enamors us, as Walt Disney proved when they gave Chance the Pit Bull a starring role in the film “Homeward Bound.” So how have Pit Bulls gained the undeserved reputation of being killers and all around dangerous animals? The answer is ignorance, abuse, media proliferation of false statistics, and most of all, the two-legged monsters on the other end of the leash.

Months after Mollie found her way to us we moved her across the country to Colorado Springs and found the Bear Creek Dog Park. The dog park is a designated area within the city where dogs can run free. Bordered by a stream on one side, the main path is a one mile loop that returns to the parking lot. When the sun is shining there can be up to one hundred dogs chasing balls and romping through the grass. This place is the best place that Mollie knows. On the way to the park she runs circles in the back of my Subaru wagon, whining with anticipation.

A group of small dogs and their owners stand just inside the fence. Upon opening the car Mollie leaps out and runs straight for them. The biggest dog there, she sits in the center, wiggling, with her ears laid back against her head and her tail between her legs. The little dogs sniff at her. A few of them growl. Mollie just wiggles. A middle aged woman bends down to greet her as I shut my car door and walk towards them. She speaks affectionately stroking Mollie’s head.

“Your dog is so cute,” she says as I approach.

“Yeah, doesn’t she know it,” I reply.

“She’s such a sweetheart. What kind of dog is she?” the woman asks, looking Mollie over, “Some sort of lab mix?”

“She’s a pure bred Pit Bull,” I respond proudly. At this, the woman stands. Backing away from a still wiggling Mollie she says,

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“She’s a good girl,” I say as the woman calls her dog and walks away. Not surprised, but disappointed by the woman’s reaction, I continue on and Mollie follows without the need for a command.

A little way down the path we encounter a rather Napoleonic Chihuahua and Mollie attempts to engage him. She gets low to the ground and wags her tail, barking softly to get the dogs attention. Without warning the little Chihuahua sprints at Mollie and rolls her over, standing on her chest and growling. He’s hardly as big as her head but she submits. The owner apologizes and reprimands his dog for the attack.

Continuing on, the true absurdity of the woman’s response to my Pit Bull hits home and I contemplate turning back to tell her she’s a fucking idiot. Mollie was practically drooling on her with affection. But my efforts would no doubt be fruitless. It is the same ignorance the human race has been trying to eradicate for years. It lies at the heart of social unrest. What can I possibly say to illustrate her stupidity? How could I show her in few moments that what she’s been taught for years is wrong? Maybe if I told her that in the USA she was six times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be killed by a dog of any breed she would listen. Maybe if I calmly broke it down further for her and said that the odds of being attacked and killed by a Pit Bull were 1 in 145,000,000 she would have to rethink her position. Maybe if I told her that in contrast she is four times more likely to be killed by a cow in the USA than a Pit Bull, she would be forced to open her mind a bit—maybe. Statistically you are more likely to be bitten by lab or a cocker spaniel. Really, I had more reason to be afraid of her Pug.

The reality is that dogs do attack, Pit Bulls included, but the reasons are not genetic. Today, dog fighting and other “blood sports” are gaining popularity, and the Pit Bulls physical characteristics and gameness make it the dog of choice. Mean Pit Bull are the result of acts of horror so unfathomable that they could only be committed by humans. With a different owner Mollie’s life could easily have been dramatically different.

As the day came to an end in Jacksonville North Carolina on March 4^th 2003, the residents of the Rhodestown Community sat down to dinner with their families. As conversations about the day ensued, a strange and awful sound broke the heavy silence of late afternoon. As the screaming grew louder people stood and moved to the windows of their suburban homes to see a light blue car speed off down the street. Panning across the front lawns they saw the flames and realized the screaming came from a dog. A large, black, Male Pit Bull had been doused with gasoline and set aflame.

As people ran out of their homes to try and save the dog it rolled furiously in an effort to smother the flames. A neighbor’s Chow ran to the Pit Bull and seemed to try and help, burning its muzzle and singeing fur. After several minutes the Pit Bull managed to put out the flames and just stood there, smoke pouring from its mouth, the lawn all ablaze around him. When the police approached the Pit Bull, it wagged its tail.

The dog survived this act of cruelty, with serious burns to his entire body. The pads were burnt off his feet. His mouth was burned the most severely and his tongue was covered with ulcers. His eyes were swollen shut. The perpetrators were never found, and yet, it’s the dogs we fear.

Pit Bulls are beaten and abused to make them more aggressive for dog fighting. These are the stories that don’t make headlines. A man beats his Pit Bull to death for urinating on his floor. He is found guilty of one act of animal cruelty and sentenced to two days in jail. Police are looking for two men guilty of stealing a Pit Bull and lighting it on fire after forcing the dog to fight. A twenty year old boy is found guilty of two acts of animal cruelty after witnesses see him swinging a six month old Pit Bull over his head and repeatedly slamming the animal head first into the ground. Witnesses report a young man tying a cinderblock to his dog’s neck and throwing it about the yard. A man and boy are charged with animal cruelty after tying a Pit Bull to a fence, dousing it with lighter fluid and setting it on fire as several young people looked on. The dog escaped the leash and ran into some nearby bushes where it was stoned to death by the crowd.

What you hear is right. There is a pit bull problem. The problem is us.

References

www.pitbullregistry.com

www.pbrc.net/petbull/sadreality.html

www.realpitbull.com/history.html

Pictures

www.realpitbull.com/gallery.html