American Pit-bulls are the most powerful dogs of all dog breeds, despite their small size. They're agile, strong and energetic dogs. Despite the way they are portrayed in the media, pit-bulls are actually nice dogs. They are genetic hybrids of bull dogs & terriers (white, black and tan), and they were basically trained to lure bulls. Unfortunately, of late, many pit-bulls are selectively raised to battle other dogs. Too often, their aggressive nature, encouraged by their environment, belie their naturally friendly demeanor; and this is why aggression is considered their prime trait. All fiction aside, they are pets, and as with any pet, a caring nurturing environment will always bring out their true nature - a happy & obedient dog.
Pit-bulls are probably one of the most exploited, mistreated, and abandoned pets of all. Though they are closely associated to dog fighting, they are far from the dangerous creatures they're made out to be. Any animal (or person) would acquire an aggressive demeanor if they were constantly pitted against an opponent, and ordered to fight to the death. What tends to make them a hazard, is a culture that perceives dog fighting as ok. The dark destructive culture of dog fighting overshadows how great pit-bulls are in more familial or practical settings.
Because of negative media coverage, pit-bulls are generally viewed by the public as dangerous creatures. This brand of stigmatism is not their fault; the truth is, there are too many people who acquire these dogs for reasons that are outside of traditional, professional or legal motives; so in the end, they're the worst type of dog owners; and these are the type of owners who are training their pit-bulls irresponsibly.
There are many examples of how some owners' callous and destructive behavior endanger pit bulls, but at the forefront of this sordid treatment of animals is dog-fighting; this blood sport (where dogs are routinely pitted against each other to fight to the death), is driven by dog-owners' morbid curiosity in testing the limits of canine aggression. In many instances, this underground culture would spill-over to more ruthless behavior on the part of the owners; where the victorious dogs would live to fight another day, and the losing dogs were routinely maimed & brutally tortured to death for sport. Pit-bulls that were fortunate enough to be confiscated from this culture, were thought to be beyond domestication; that euthanasia was the only option; that their high levels of aggression and cruelty made them unfit as house pets; however, most dogs who are seized, prove to be salvageable and become successfully domesticated to serve as either therapy dogs or family pets. Reckless owners, on the other hand, may face criminal charges, incarceration and social stigma; and vigilant animal rights activist who continue to relentlessly shed light on dog-fighting, suggests that there's a strong desire to use pet offenders as public examples - sending a message to other reckless owners abroad. So, even after an unlawful dog owner pays his/her debt to society, they may be ordered, by the court, to take part in public service announcements about their mistakes & animal cruelty. It is the author's hope that dog owners learn from others' and avoid the same mistakes by recognizing the serious consequences of owner-irresponsibility and animal cruelty.
Legal authorities continue to crack-down on underground dog-fighting, indicting those who profit from it in any way. And many animal sympathizers continue to rally for more severe punishment - since it takes a great deal of brutality to turn an otherwise friendly & highly social pit-bull into a ferocious killing machine.
In the right environment, bull terriers can serve many practical purposes, without any peril to people or other dogs. They're actually quite dependable, smart, and very easy to train. Pit bulls are house-friendly canines: very warm, accommodating, loyal, and fun-loving. They're also productive in professional settings: search and rescue, therapy, bomb, drugs and narcotics sniffing.
So owning a pit-bull requires the readiness to train them early, or - in the event that you adopted a one with bad habits - the willingness to re-introduce them to obedience.
No comments:
Post a Comment