I don’t think any dog breed has been feared as much as the pitbull, and sadly, the reason for this is not even the breed itself, but the abuse that it has been victim of.

The American Pitbull Terrier (APBT) has been in the American culture for many decades, and, in fact, the most famous pitbull of all time was part of a group of little kids just being silly and having fun with her. Her name was Petey, from “The Little Rascals.” Do you wonder how our perception went from a kid’s pet to a vicious killer?

The APBT is an extremely loyal dog with an unbelievable amount of endurance and determination, and those are exactly the characteristics that got the breed into the fighting rings. A fighting dog which can be sold for thousands of dollars because of the profit it will give to the owner, engages in one of the most brutal and cruel entertainments of modern times. An APTB, bred for fights, must be actually non-aggressive to people to make it easier for the handler to stop the fight without getting attacked

Pitbull is short for APBT, but also people call any dog with a big head and a muscular body, a “Pitbull.” We have American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentinan Dogo, American Bulldog and some other breeds, under the same name, and any dog who is a mix of even 25% with any of those breeds will be called “Pitbull Mix,”. So, given that, the Pit (Pitbulls and Pitbull mix) is at the top of the most numerous breed, and that is why whenever you see a news account of an attack, most of the time the headlines will say “Pitbull Attack,” even if the dog is part American Bulldog and part Puddle.

Another fantastic things about Pits is the myth that people have been building around them. It seems like I hear a new concoction every day. For instance, I heard that they attack mostly kids, or that their jaws have a special locking system, or they can bite at 10k lbs of pressure, etc. etc. Not even Stephen King would imagine a creature like that, and I don’t think it will ever exist. The only characteristic that put the APBT on top of the other breeds is the energy and athleticism, and that is something crucial to consider closely when you are choosing your next life-time companion.

In 1989, in Denver, Colorado, a brutal attack to a minister and later to a young boy there, in separate events, started what people like me are trying to fight more than 20 years later-- a breed-specific legislation that has banned pits, who were one day just like any other dog, from cities and states across USA and all around the world.

Most of the pictures and images you see of me include a Pit, I really know the breed very well, but also I totally understand that we shouldn’t expect responsibility from the dog, but from the one who holds the leash. I have two pits myself, and very often, I have a third one as a foster dog. When people ask me if I feel my daughters (6 and 3 yeas old) are safe around them, I always answer, “Yes, they are safe, since having those dogs protecting them means that nobody will mess with them.”

In the last years, Pitbull has became a powerful word that we have used to describe fighters, viciousness, ferocity, etc. Nothing gets more attention than a headline of “PITBULL ATTACK.” Even more, when the news is about a dog attack, even from a different breed altogether, the image introducing and accompanying the news is often a picture of a pitbull, even when the attacker couldn’t be more different from that breed.

The American Pitbull Terrier is an excellent dog with great energy. I haven’t met even one so far who doesn’t love to give love and be loved, but keep in mind, if you are considering making one part of your family, you need to think about few things before you make a decision:

1- The shelters are just full of them, any color, age, gender or energy level you prefer.

2- Educate yourself on how to maintain leadership with your dog at all times. Ask for and get professional help.

3- Be sure to get the right dog for you. Remember that the dog’s energy requirements should fit your lifestyle.

4- Consider using your pit to educate your community about them. Many neighbors may feel intimidated about your new pet until you let them meet it and realize that is just a dog like any other.

5- Your dog won’t have room for errors. Being a pit, if anything negative happens, it…and YOU…will be on the news right away.