Bloggin’ with Mr. Biscuit

Mr. Biscuit checkin’ in here.  Lots going on here in Austin – TLAC relocation controversy, Dangerous Dog laws, new No-Chaining ordinance and the list goes on.  Austin is a great place for pets and I like it a lot more than Los Angeles, but nonetheless, no matter where I go, I face discrimination. 

Yes, I’m a Pit Bull, or mix, not really quite sure.  And yes, I’m not perfect either, probably not your best candidate for an ambassador of the breed, but my mom says no one is perfect and my family just works around my issues and accepts me for who I am.  My mom knows I can’t have other pets around while I’m eating, and that sometimes I become possessive over toys, but she also knows I am a good big brother to all the foster cats, kittens, dogs and puppies that come and go through our home.  That’s more than can be said for a lot of other dogs that are supposedly less predictable than Pit Bulls.  

Some people say it’s all about how Pit Bulls are brought up, and I’m pretty sure there’s something to that.  My mom found me when I was almost dead, wandering the Los Angeles streets in a notorious gang territory.  She thinks I was used as a “bait” dog to train other Pit Bulls how to kill.  That’s why I have scars all over my face, had open wounds all over my body and was extremely emaciated when she found me.  That might also explain why I get scared of things easily, and don’t always like to share. 

So that brings up the question that I hear so often – why do we hear about people being attacked by Pit Bulls and not other breeds of dogs?  Doesn’t it seem to make sense that with the same breed always in the news, it just might be that Pit Bulls are too dangerous to be in society?  Well this is where I have a bone to pick… 

This is what is left out of the news: 

• Almost every human attack by a Pit Bull has involved un-neutered/un-spayed Pit Bull who had previously shown signs of aggression that were ignored or even encouraged.

• Pit Bulls are one of the most popular breeds in the US right now.  If there were a disproportionate amount of Giant Schnauzers, we might experience the same phenomenon. 

• Rarely do dog attacks by other breeds make it into the news because it is not “sensational” enough – Point in case, my Aunt is a dog walker.  In the same week a Black Lab attacked her while walking a dog, and then a few days later she was attacked by a Pit Bull while dog walking.  The damage was the same by both animals (The Lab and the Pit Bull almost killed the dogs she was walking and she was hurt in both attacks), but the news only showed up for the Pit Bull attack, while no one covered the story involving the Black Lab.  Both dogs had a history of aggression.

• You cannot completely ignore inherent breed characteristics of a dog.  Pointers are meant to track prey and tend to have a high prey drive; therefore they need extra training in order to live peacefully with small animals and birds.  For centuries Pit Bulls were used to fight other dogs because of their dominant personalities and loyalty to their caretakers, and therefore Pit Bulls need a very responsible parent that will not allow any aggressive behaviors – including barking at other dogs, or encouraging aggression by playing tug-of-war games with toys.

 People just don’t understand us, and without knowing it, they often encourage bad behaviors that sooner or later escalate.  There are a lot of Pit Bull owners that are poorly educated about the breed who don’t provide the guidance and training required, or are just outright “bad” owners that encourage their dogs to act and look tough.  As a result, thousands of Pit Bulls are put to death in shelters across the country, are banned from Cities, States and now even Countries, and are demonized as being unpredictable dogs that will turn on their owners or strangers at any moment.  (I can’t even look like I’m going to do something bad without my mom sending me to my “bed”!) 

From a dog’s point of view: Men are the most dangerous animals on the planet (don’t get me wrong, I LOOOOVE my daddy).  Men murder more people and children than all dogs combined, but we don’t ban them.  What I’m trying to say is “people” are the problem and until we fix the “people problem” the misdiagnosed “Pit Bull problem” will continue to exist.   

I know this might open a can of biscuits with all of the Pit Bull lovers out there - but although I’m against Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), I would prefer to have mandatory spay/neuter of all Pit Bulls, and a required (but free) Pit Bull permit that includes free/required training classes, rather than be banned from society all together. 

Just my two Tid-biscuits…