Pit Bull Supporters Upset Over Negative Press

[Knight]

She's Dead Jim.

Dead.

[good to me]

how about we fix all owners of pitbulls who have mistreated them?

[Holly]

Im writing to reach out for help to everyone I can. I have a beautiful pit-bull named Princess, who is almost 4 years old. I have had her for 2 years. I rescued her from a situation where she didn’t have a stable home. Shortly after having her I realized that she had dog aggression issues when meeting new dogs. I have done what I feel is everything I could. I have hired 2 separate trainers with no luck. I have spent so much time and energy rehabilitating her and getting her properly socialized on my own. She seems great around children and people, just has had a problem with new dogs. Recently she bit our other dog Zeya, who Princess has known for well over a year. This is new aggressive behavior that we've never seen in her before and I feel I cannot handle her any longer. I’m devastated because I really love this dog and want nothing more than to see her healthy and happy.

The reason I’m writing you is because maybe one of you knows someone who has worked with dogs like this before or knows a place that would take her for rehabilitation. It’s a shot in the dark, but because of the way I feel about her and the wonderful companion she has been for me, I want to take a few days to find somewhere for her. I have decided that I’m going to exhaust every resource available to me to find her a new home.

If I haven’t found anything I’m going to put her to down on Tuesday August 11, 2009.

Thanks for your time.

If you have any ideas or options for me please let me know. Im afraid to post my phone # or email on this forum. By the way i live in Madison, Wisconsin.

Holly

[Cage Fighter]

I own a pitbull and she is the greatest dog you could ask fr very watchful and loving and never tried to harm anyone its all theese jackasses who get them trying to be tough like oh look at me i got a pitbull and they make them mean and then they end up doing something and as soon as it happens you bet your ass its on the news then they look like theese crazy killer dogs truth be told its the owners fault and they should be punished because if i wanted to i could take a mini poodle and make him just as mean u can make any dog mean thats why it is the owner not the dog pits are bred to be very loving and loyal dogs they do what their owners want them to do get it right really pisses me off wen people think they are such mean dogs do your research before you try to tell me their mean dogs im keeping my dog and probally getting another one. i sure miss my small town where people arent snooty and retarded let me know what you think [e-mail]

[Tony_Q]

Cage Fighter wrote:

I own a pitbull and she is the greatest dog you could ask fr very watchful and loving and never tried to harm anyone its all theese jackasses who get them trying to be tough like oh look at me i got a pitbull and they make them mean and then they end up doing something and as soon as it happens you bet your ass its on the news then they look like theese crazy killer dogs truth be told its the owners fault and they should be punished because if i wanted to i could take a mini poodle and make him just as mean u can make any dog mean thats why it is the owner not the dog pits are bred to be very loving and loyal dogs they do what their owners want them to do get it right really pisses me off wen people think they are such mean dogs do your research before you try to tell me their mean dogs im keeping my dog and probally getting another one. i sure miss my small town where people arent snooty and retarded let me know what you think [e-mail]

I agree wholeheartedly w/ you [cagefighter]. I've been around pit bulls for probably 30 years & everyone of them have gentle, loving & smart. The only reason I don't have 1 [or 2] is because of the social stigma attached to these incredible animals. I think they are as affectionate as any of the Weimaraners I've had, and a lot more than this little mix my wife recently brought home.

[future ex-resident]

As a family that very much wants to move to Prairie Village - and one which owns an absolutely docile, friendly pit bull - it is frustrating to know how limited (nay - non-existent) our options are. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that a clear ban on such breeds would encourage people to move to the community, but I'd argue that a community's strength is measured by its ability to solve problems through reason, tolerance & fair process, not fear & snap judgment.
From a factual, non-emotional standpoint, it simply cannot be argued that terriers are a more aggressive breed, and I would challenge those who would disagree. Lest we forget that not a few decades ago, terriers were the family dog of choice in America (anyone seen Little Rascals lately?). And while it is true that larger dogs can cause more harm, couldn't the same argument be made about larger cars? It's the driver that makes the difference, in both cases.
What many pro-ban advocates probably don't realize is that we responsible pit bull owners are just as disgusted with the way that many terriers are raised, and agree that something needs to be done about it. And those of us who are proactive in the matter are trying to do just that.
While I do appreciate that Prairie Village has the interests of the community at heart (which, ironically, was one of the reasons we wanted to move there), it's frustrating that they discourage migration from otherwise-law-abiding taxpayers like ourselves. And while a pit bull ban may or may not be a constitutional argument, presuming to tell me what I can do behind my own walls - provided that it's not illegal - is.
Sad to say, we won't be moving there any time soon. But perhaps having more tolerant, informed neighbors elsewhere won't be such a bad thing. And I'd hate to think that a my tax dollars were going towards unnecessary roundups of perfectly good animals instead of, say, schools & roads.