Dogster Cheesecake’s Appeal for Pit Bulls: Let’s Try a New BSL
Dogsters and Catsters are not just some of the most caring people on the planet; they are also some of the most talented. Take Cheesecake’s furmom, Jennie, for example and her stirring essay reprinted below.
Let’s try a new BSL: Begin Speaking their Language
There are a thousand pit bull faces in my mind. I have never seen a fighter.
I have seen a puppy chained to a post, left for years, while a collar grows into her neck. I have seen that dog lick the vet tech as he pulls back the infected skin from the wound. I have seen that dog, quivering, start to play with other dogs, learn to love people. I have seen that dog find a home.
I have never seen a fighter.I have seen a dog neglected, left to his own devices, undisciplined, unneutered, unsocialized. I have seen that dog alone, day after day, confined in a space too small to run in with no one to play with. I have seen that dog grow restless, pacing. I have seen him charge the fence, increasingly wary of the dog on the other side. I have seen the fence grow weak, and, one day, the dog charge through, all the supercharged energy, anxiety, and isolation packed in a brain that twists with neglect. I have seen that dog kill.
I have never seen a fighter.
I have seen a dog left in a back yard with a broken leg, screaming in pain as she hobbles, enduring month after month with no relief until her bones heal in a bow. I have seen her rescued by animal control and placed in a shelter where she waits on death row until a rescue picks her out. I have seen her cower when humans come near, take refuge in the shadow of a huge mama mastiff, and finally learn to enjoya few ear scratches. I have seen her steal shoes off her humans’ feet, and learn to ring a bell to go potty.
I have never seen a fighter.
I have seen a huge pit mix in a no-kill shelter spend day after day, month after month, waiting for walks, rolling over for belly rubs, giving kisses to children. I have seen him begin to balk at the door to his room on the way back in, whine when his favorite volunteer leaves, grab at her clothing to keep her from leaving. I have seen him grow resigned, restless, cease to resist when his people leave. I have seen him grow anxious and one day, when a child unexpectedly rubs his belly, turn and nip at her. I have seen him condemned, and fifty volunteers and staff come to pay their respects.
I have seen dogs tortured, mauled, starved, burned, broken, and shamed into subservience, but never in their eyes have I seen the hate that burns in the eyes of the people that fight them, that wield them like weapons or toss them away like dirty rags. Never have I seen them laugh at a creature in suffering. I have seen them react out of fear, confusion, or surprise, but in the end, their eyes are uncomprehending. They do not understand what they have done. There is no malice. These broken dogs, these tools of the insecure, cannot muster the viciousness of premeditation.
In the eyes of those who hate them, they are a nightmare, but I have a different nightmare. I dream of a dog ripped from the arms of its family, held in a cold cement cell, confused and alone, and killed because a dog that shared its ancestry bit a child in a nearby county. I dream of an owner falling to her knees begging a temperament tester to understand how sweet her dog is, running him through his tricks so they can see he’s like every other family pet, pleading with their weary hearts to see that this dog is special, that this one deserves to live. I dream of that owner driving back to her empty apartment with its new “dangerous dog” policy, and collapsing to the floor sobbing because her dog is not a “dangerous dog,” but she can’t find an apartment manager who believes her.
In the background of my dream, I hear voices, people crowding in city halls, telling them their stories, holding up pictures of Staffies with babies, asking legislators to look, for a moment, at the lives they’re affecting. I see people gathering in parks with their pit-bull-type dogs, doing interviews with news teams, introducing their dogs to strangers. I see huge bully grins and happy dogs catching frisbees. I see growing awareness that the laws governing these dogs do not encompass the needs of communities or address the root of the violence.
And in the end, I see me. Fighting. I also am not a fighter. I hate violence, fear, injustice and anger, but I burn with a desire to see the end of a misguided crusade to punish the innocent, and to return to rationality, where a dog is no longer responsible for the actions of its owner, but understood as a malleable, dependent being that relies on the guidance of a human hand and voice to teach it how to live in human society.
And then I am at peace, and I sleep without dreaming.
©2007 Jennie Friedrich
I get this, I really do. I love dogs like no other creature on earth, probably more than humans. There is nothing to me as pure as a dog. They want nothing more than to love you and make you happy. And in return all they ask is that you love them, play with them, take care of them when they need you. I get this. And I’ve championed the pitbull as misunderstood, maligned, and unfairly villainized. Until a couple of weeks ago, when my wife went across the street to talk to my neighbor who’s pitbull was on the porch with him. My wife knew the dog, the dog, my wife. She used proper protocol. She reached her hand out, extended toward the dog. She let the dog come to her. She spoke to the dog, confident, not fearful. She asked if he remembered her. He wagged his tail, approached, and licked her fingers. And then he bit all the way through her hand, tearing a tendon in her wrist and leaving puncture wounds in her hand and wrist. And then he lunged again and tore out a chunk of my wife’s arm above the elbow. The wounds will heal. Scars will remain and so will the fear. The attack was completely unprovoked. We didn’t want the dog put down. The owners tried to relocate him, but were unsuccessful. They have a brand new baby, and how can you take a chance when the dog will attack with no provocation. I have always had a little fear of the pitbull. The unpredicability, the powerful jaws. But I championed them until now. And I know this is an isolated incident. This was a dog that had had a rough start. My neighbor took him and and had given him a good life for a number of years. And then this. I feel bad for them, having to put down a family pet. But how can you take the chance. I would love the pitbull to be a loving trusted pet. They are dogs afterall. And dogs are wonderful. All of them. But perception is going to have to change and incidents like what happened to us are going to have to diminish. There is something not right here, and I don’t know what exactly it is. They aren’t all bad, no question, but there seem to be a lot that go wrong. I’m sorry. I agree with you, but only to a point. I can’t overlook what happened to my wife and I have a daily reminder of it. I feel sorry for all of those who have great pitbulls and mixes that would never hurt anyone. They have an uphill battle. But my neighbor’s dog fell into that category. We wouldn’t hurt anyone, either. And he never had. Until now.
Thank you Jennie and Cheesie for sharing this beautifully written story with all of us. Cheesie has always been a favorite of ours. My heart cries for those who suffer because of misunderstanding or mistreatment, and I pray for a day when common sense, proper training, loving care and kindness outweighs fear, prejudice and hatred.
K.G.K., I have also been bitten by an unsocialized, mistreated dog who had been adopted and was seemingly OK. I followed proper “protocol.” The dog knew me well. It bit through my right hand in seven places. When I say through, I mean completely through from one side to the other including nails, muscles, tendons, tissue and bones. SEVEN PLACES. It is the most painful thing I have ever in my life experienced.
The dog that bit me was a Jack Russell Terrier.
I don’t feel like this is the place for a debate. If you would like to discuss this specific incident, and how I think a “loving trusted pet” could do such a thing, please p-mail me. I do feel that your feelings are valid and I do have an answer.
I do agree with what you said, however, about this being an isolated incident, and I do not think it is up to the rescued pit bull to redeem his/her breed’s reputation.
Try this website on bite inhibition by Ian Dunbar:
http://www.jersey.net/~mountaindog/berner1/bitestop.htm
Jennie,
I don’t think we are actually starting a debate. Your post was very well written and is a plea for better understanding of the breed. I think we are sharing stories and ideas pertaining to the breed. Is that debating? Maybe. But I think we are all on the same page here. Even though we had this unfortunate incident, my wife and I don’t hold anything, other than a bit of fear, against the breed. And one dog will never redeem a breed’s reputation. It has to be the work of owners, dogs, and a more understanding media to get the work done. And in the pitbulls case, there is much work to be done, nearly all of it on the human side, admittedly.
Kenyon’s Mom,
Believe me, I’m not in the least little bit insinuating that pitbulls are the only dogs that can attack. I personally have two scars on my face and more behind my ear that are from a family dog, a Springer Spaniel. Thankfully, I was very young when I was bitten and hold no mental scars from the incident. It is strange, I suppose, that I have such a deep love of dogs and a general disinterest in cats, considering what happened! However, Jennie posted a very well written piece on pitbulls. I simply posted my personal experience with the breed and how it has altered my own perception. I don’t hold anything against them other than being somewhat fearful when approached by them. I do think my experience does show part of what is generally thought about pitbulls, though, be that wrong or right. I imagine it is much like what is thought about sharks and shark attacks. Because of what they are, sharks get all the publicity, even though the number of attacks has never really seen a big surge. They are big and scary and powerful. They are also beautiful creatures, just as pitbulls are. Much will have to change to alter the perception of the pitbull. And that work is going to have to come from loving owners like Jennie. But the work is going to take a lot of time and effort. Both of which will undoubtedly be worth it. I hope the perception can change and I hope the number of incidents declines. And that, again, will come from changes made by owners and handlers. And I do want to again stress that I did not want that dog put down. I don’t want to have to have any dog put down, and it is unfortunate that sometimes that is the only way to handle a situation. I hope your hand was able to heal completely. We are fortunate. My wife suffered no broken bones even though one of the bites went completely through her hand as happened to you. She will heal and I’m glad her scars are only on her hand and arm, not on her face like mine are.
KGK,
I do have a different perception of the situation than you do. I went through quite a bit of demystifying when I was in training for a volunteer position at the SFSPCA and also at a dog boarding facility I worked at. That demystifaction was difficult for me. I wanted to see dogs as loyal, loving creatures who wanted to make people happy. It felt good for me (Jean Donaldson calls this the Disney version). But that perspective is detrimental to the dog. It means that any dog that acts that way is a “good” dog and any dog that doesn’t is “bad.”
Dogs do actually have their own agenda, and though their personality characteristics make them great pets, they do not live for our pleasure. When they are threatened (be it a perceived threat or a real threat), they will do what is necessary to survive.
As I have mentioned in the forums, I work with emotionally disturbed kids. The same is true for them. The only way to diminish that threat is to condition the animal or child to see a situation as safe, something that often takes years and years to achieve. Just trying doesn’t mean that we have succeeded.
I do not believe that there is a dog on this planet (or even a person, probably, given the right conditions) that would “never hurt anyone.” Fear is a powerful thing. But humans can reason with fear. Dogs can’t. We have to understand them.
Pit bulls are powerful and sharks are powerful, I’ll give you that. But pit bulls are not sharks. Pit bulls are able to live quite peaceably with humans, and have for decades. Poor breeding and breeding for aggression has muddied the waters and the broad definition of a “pit-bull-type” dog has shot the statistics through the roof. A pit bull need need not be an actual pit bull to be labeled, confiscated, and then euthanized as one. The media does not trouble itself to be sure that a dog is a pit bull before it reports the animal as such.
If your question is, “Then why did a pit bull bite my wife?” obviously I can’t answer that. I don’t know the dog. But of all the incidents that I have actually known the background on, there were setting events, environmantal factors leading up to the incident that could have been avoided. Maybe it would take a behaviorist with more experience than I have to identify them, maybe not.
Please excuse my typos :o)
Bravo to Jennie and Cheesy for bringing yet more attention to the misunderstood pittie. I absolutely love pitties and pittie mixes, and have worked with them as a shelter volunteer for well over a decade. While they are shown to be aggressive and dangerous in the media, they show their true colors as a family pet. They would sooner lick your face than bite you. I have had people I know and work with bitten by a pit bull. I have also had them bitten by labs, and shephards, and corgis and countless other breeds. Their aggressions have more to do with environment than anything, and I will never stop saying this “Blame the Deed, not the Breed”. Much Love to Jennie and Cheesy
K.G.K.-I completely understood where you were coming from in your first post, and I am sorry if it came across like I wanted to argue because that is not the case. It’s easy to communicate words across the internet, but not always so easy to communicate emotion! I wanted only to make a point that any dog can cause damage!
Incidently, I refused to report the dog who bit me. I was like you and didn’t want him to be PTS. I worked with him quite a bit after the bite to train, socialize and calm him. His adoptive family moved to a remote rural area, and they are very vigilant in supervising him around other people so as not to have a repeat incident with the biting. His human encounters are limited to his two owners now, but he lives a good life.
Thank you for asking. My hand healed although not without some difficulty. I have very little feeling in my thumb, and what little is there usually manifests itself as pain. The other wounds healed just fine. I hope your wife’s wounds heal very well, and she has no lasting negative effects from the bite.
Jennie, I appreciate K.G.K.’s post as well as yours, and thank you for the link as well. I appreciate every opportunity to learn about man’s best friend and my constant companion!
I apologize for continuing this, but I felt something needed saying. It has been gnawing at my brain all day. I don’t even know if anyone will read down this far, but here goes . . .
I think my comparison would be between a pit bull and a horse. A horse is big, powerful, and beautiful. When you choose to spend time with horses, you learn how to be safe around them. You don’t do certain things because you could get seriously hurt. I think it is easy to take an animal for granted, but I think it is unwise.
I grew up around horses, and learned this lesson fairly early on. I was sledding in the pasture once (possibly my first mistake) and my horse got curious. She came over and sniffed my sled (it was a little red saucer-type thing). I picked it up a little too quickly and my horse kicked at me. Red things tend to scare horses. I had been taught this, but I forgot. Luckily, the snow was deep and she only “kneed” me, but I still got a pretty good bruise, and a good scare.
I think people give pit bulls too much credit for forethought. They are dogs. Powerful ones, but just dogs. If we can relearn to treat them, and all dogs, like the dogs they are, then I believe we can cut down on the bite incidents significantly.
If we continue to think that the dog is being mean, or that somehow there is a deeper meaning to dog behavior rather than just a reaction to events (past or present), then I think we are looking at a long future of continued incidents, whether from pit bulls, or from the dog villains of past decades (which I won’t mention because I don’t want to lend them credence; just watch an 80’s movie sometime and you’ll see them in the junkyard dog or otherwise vicious dog role).
I have seen enough incidents involving dogs of varying breeds, both dog-dog and dog-human to know that there are many breeds that are capable of severe damage. I also know from personal experience and from the teachings of my dog trainer heros (Ian Dunbar being one) that all of these dogs can learn to be loving pets. It just takes more time and humility than many people can or want to contribute.
If you want to see a case of “High Drive Pittie Makes Good,” search for Wallace the Pit Bull on the internet. This is a dog that most likely would not have fared so well had he not had a pretty physically demanding “job” to do on a regular basis.
This dog-loving thing is complicated, but it’s definitely worth it. It IS worth it.
Jennie,
Funny that you should make your last post as that is exactly what my husband and I were discussing earlier today. We have an elderly neighbor who recently adopted a new pound pup. I don’t know what mixture she is, but she’s 5 months old and already weighs around 75 lbs. She is HUGE! She’s a love of a pup, but she is indeed a pup with boundless energy and her dad walks slowly and tediously with the aid of a cane. When he first adopted her, my husband and I were fearful that he would not be able to deal with her once she started to grow. We both lamented that perhaps she would end up right back in the pound because we were very afraid he couldn’t handle her size and energy.
I am so very happy to report that we saw them today down by our house at the lake. He was busy throwing balls for her to retrieve from the water. They played until WE were tired just watching them. Then she laid down and fell asleep flopped across his feet as he rested his old body on a rock before starting his tedious journey back up the hill to his truck.
I watched them for almost an hour, and as they walked up the hill, the puppy took every step he took often looking up at her owner as they walked as if taking cues from the look on his face. Once she got excited after seeing a bird and began to pull hard at her leash. Very gently the old man extended his cane until it lightly touched her side. Taking her cue, she stopped pulling at the leash and dropped in along side her owner once more. She is not professionally trained, but it is so very obvious that her loving owner has taken many pains and much loving patience to communicate well with his furry friend.
There were a few tears running down my cheeks as I watched the old man and the pup he’s in love with head for home. I couldn’t have been happier for the pup or the old man.
Jennie,
That is beautiful! I was sobbing!
I could feel your devotion for our beloved breed in every word!I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you do to help get out the correct information on our misunderstood babies!
It does sometimes feel like a very lonely job!
Thank you again and keep up the awesome work!
Tammy
THAT WAS AN AMAZING …….WOW.. I was sobbing as I read that..So well written and it touched me to my soul….Thank you for sharing that with all of us….
K.G.K. There was something wrong with that dog, not the whole breed. You said that dog had a rough start. Who knows what happened in his past?. I’m a horse trainer and have four dogs. I work with animals all the time. Animals are made defective by people through neglect, abuse, bad breeding, faulty training etc. They are born innocent and corrupted by humans regardless of the breed. Sorry about your wife but that could have happened with a cocker spaniel.
My 2 dogs Jake a male part pitt bull, and Annie (130 pound part shepherd) were abused and starved when I found them. I do not let anyone reach out to them. I ask all to ignore the dogs and when my babies feel safe will try to make friends. They sniff, and sniff and decide for themselves that they are safe. I have never had one bite or growl at anyone. But, I never leave them alone with strangers either. I have a male housemate, it took 3 weeks for them to make up to him, who they now adore. Time and patience can work miracles, but I am always cautious around strangers.