Pit Bull Blog

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

If you’re going to copy these blogs partly or in their entirety, it is common courtesy to leave the author’s name on there, and to provide a link-back. We are all about people using these blogs to promote breed education, but do not try to take the works here and pass them off as your own. Provide a link to the blog directly, so people can read the other articles that have been posted here. Everything here is the intellectual work of the respective authors, and they deserve the credit for writing these pieces. It should go without saying that if you copy something from here, or if you steal pictures, you should do the right thing and cite the original source.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

I haven’t had much to say lately, so I figured I’d compose my thoughts about breed ownership in a poem.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crate n’ Rotate by Lindsay Biddle 

 
Plastic crates and doggie gates
All day in and out again
Supervize and separate
Its been this way since God knows when

In the crate when they get fed
Separate rooms throughout the day
In the crate when they go to bed
Tomorrow cycles the same way

In the yard one at a time
Tie-outs, kennels, walk on a leash
Some would scrap at the drop of a dime
It keeps me busy, to say the least

Walk ‘em past with caution and care
Let the young ones play while they get along
Eye contact is as good as a dare
And makes them sing the Pit Bull song

Makes me wonder on those hard days
If other dog owners could handle this strife
Would they balk and run away
If crate and rotate was their life?

What if they couldn’t walk down the street
Without the sting of nasty stares
Or if those strangers that they’d meet
Whisked their children away with angry glares

What if they had no place to live
Because their breed caused doors to close
And they knew that something had to give
When dodging thorns to keep a rose

What is it about this breed
That makes us want to deal with this?
Impulse to help a dog in need
Or are there toxins in a Pit Bull kiss?

I have threatened, heaven forbid
To trade them in for some tiny toy breed
But I couldn’t do it; I only kid
‘Cuz at times you need humor to succeed

So as I shuffle them like a card game
Entrenched in the Pit Bull ownership mess
I think “is it worth it, or am I insane?”
The answer has to be “hell, yes.”

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

I understand the importance of putting our best paw forward; I really do. 

We should share what is great about these dogs.  We should brag about their funny, loving, affectionate, playful personalities.  And their pain tolerance and stoicisim, and how that translates into an awesome pet for children.  We need to remind that these dogs have short coats, clean manners, and are the perfect size for everything from an apartment to a farm. 

But I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in some places of painting a picture of this breed as only all that is good and shiny about dogs, without any drawbacks.  If we discuss how the breed is high-drive and may show aggression towards other animals, and that potential owners should believe in the idea of crate-and-rotate, there are those who would say that were are doing the breed a disservice.  The line is drawn that by talking about the uncomfortable side of the breed, we are no better than those who would see it banned.

I wonder if other breeds have this problem.  Are there those who would go on the Border Collie forums and take others to task for daring to say that BCs are too high-energy to be kept in a small house all day?  Is there a certain segment that gets upset if one were to suggest that a Patterdale Terrier is not the best choice for a home with free-roaming Guinea Pigs?

Why are we so drawn to the idea that every breed should be easy and biddable, and should discard all their deeply-ingrained traits in order to fit more comfortably into the situations that we devise for them?  Are we that afraid of a challenge?  Is the idea that you might have to shut a few doors or look twice before you let your dog out so unapalatable?  And if so, should the person who thinks so really be bringing a combat-bred dog into their home?

When I was much more of a newcomer to the breed, around 15 years old, we had two Pit Bulls and a Pit Bull/Akita mix. Two of the dogs were the offspring of the third, and got along very nicely.  They played together, and ate out of the same feed pan.  It was a beautiful, idyllic situation that any dog owner should envy.

One day, I had my peacefully-cohabitating pack out in the yard for some play time.  I was having a game of tug with mama dog, trying to spin her like I’d seen other people do.  (Like I said, I was an amateur, and therefore impressed with such things.)  She would hang on the rope for a bit, and then let go.  One of the times that she loosed her grip, her year-old daughter lit into her like a rocket, and suddenly I had a fight on my hands.  Having not been properly proofed for such things, I started to panic, and I’m not sure how I managed to get those two broken up.  They fought several more times in the weeks that followed, until we eventually gave one of the dogs away.

I was not Internet-savvy at that age, so I didn’t yet have the experience of other Pit Bull people trying desperately to educate me about proper management of my dogs.  Even if that were the case, I probably would’ve scoffed it off and said “my dogs get along just fine.”  I might have even accused the other party of trying to make a bad profile for the breed, and why would they even say such things if they claim to love these dogs?

As it stands right now, I have the benefit of some years of experience to rely on, and my experience tells me that disregarding the driven, potentially aggressive side of the breed does not make it go away.  Well-meaning comments from owners that they keep a pack of 10 Pit Bulls together with no problems whatsoever are as meaningless as stories of Greyhounds who share their squeaky toys with cute little bunnies.

If you’ve got an animal-loving APBT, pat yourself on the back, but think twice before you recommend the experience to others.  The truth will leave newbies better-prepared than a pastel vision of possibilities that may not come to pass.

So what is the truth?

The truth is that these are incredible dogs.  They have funny personalities, short coats, and make great companions for children.  The flip side — but still the truth — is that they have the capacity to deal great damage or even death to other animals. 

You can manage aggression, but only if you acknowledge it and not refute it.  The best and most suitable homes for this breed are those that are well-versed in its history, and who don’t mind a few rules to keep the situation safe and harmonious.  Does that mean crate-and-rotate plus breaking sticks in every room?  Well, that’s what it means in some houses.  Other people can get away with allowing small play groups of the most compatible personalities, just not a free-for-all with every animal out at once.

Accepting the breed for what it is, and preparing for aggression, do not constitute an acknowledgement that the breed is somehow faulty.  Think of a breaking stick as an insurance policy that you may never need, but would be better off having.  View breaking down a multi-pet household into smaller play groups as similar to putting on your seat belt, just in case.  We would not consider a driver who belts up and insures himself as irresponsible, so why do we insist upon no precautions for APBT ownership?

As I type this, my three purebred American Pit Bull Terriers are in the room with me.  Loki is chewing a bone, Priest is sitting and watching her, and Terra patrols for stray crumbs.  In the room with me is a breaking stick.  I keep my ears open for signs of discontent, periodically look over for signs of stink eye, and send snotty attitudes to their crates in the next room until they cool off.  On the other side of a door to the master bathroom is the cat’s domain, with a board to prevent him from sticking his feet under the door.  My dad keeps his small dog with him at the other end of the house, out of bulldog territory.

My precautions wouldn’t even be noticeable unless I pointed them out to you, or you knew to look for them.  My dogs are not killing each other.  In fact, they all get along most of the time.  We could even put all 5 in a room together if we wanted.  But by rotating the dogs who are out together and using some simple precautions, we prevent a lot of potential heartache.  By remembering that I own APBTs, I can manage them accordingly, and keep the house relatively cohesive.  There is no point in pushing the dogs into interactions that will only lead to hurt feelings.

So to those who believe that it is only the breed’s fearsome reputation that makes it a danger to other animals, believe what you will.  But I hope you secretly prepare for the possibility, and do not get lulled into a false sense of security.  (That’s the stuff that “he just turned” stories are made of.)  Myself, I will continue to own and love this breed for what it is, and accept both the good and the bad of it.

I haven’t posted anything in a while, so I thought I’d copy my response to a local article in which a woman is seeking to have the breed banned in my town.  (Oklahoma has a BSL prohibition.)  This is the long version of my response.  I had to trim down the posted version to fit 2000 characters.

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

I am so glad that I live in Oklahoma, the state where my dogs can live peacefully without being seized and killed just for being alive.  I moved down here from St. Louis, Missouri, and since leaving Missouri, I am sad to admit that my home state has been overrun by these bad, discriminatory, breed-specific laws (BSL).  People don’t know where to go with their dogs; there’s nowhere you can move and be safe.

It is a mindset of incredible ignorance that seeks to identify the guilty before they commit a crime.  As it is, you can own a gun or drive a car, under the presumption that you are a responsible adult and will obey the laws.  You can be black, or Hispanic, or Asian, or white, and the law does not seek to pre-determine your drive to commit crimes based on your race.  However, BSL makes the presumption that I am guilty because of my dogs, and that is much the same tactic as legal racism.  (I own three American Pit Bull Terriers.)

What is the attraction to the breed?  I have many reasons.  Our first was a stray Pit Bull mix.  (Mixed with what, we don’t know.  Pot-bellied pig perhaps.)  As a child, I loved how Chew would always be eager to play, never tired, never cranky or irritable.  Having been bitten by other dogs, it was wonderfully awesome for me to have a dog who took all my childishness in stride and asked for seconds.

As an adult, I started getting into dog training, and the natural choice for me was the American Pit Bull Terrier.  Their versatility is incredible.  They are small enough to fit in my home, big enough and sturdy enough to roughhouse with.  Smart enough to do obedience, agile and quick enough to do agility and frisbee competitions.  Strong enough to do weight pull, pretty enough to do conformation (the “dog shows” people see on TV, like Westminster).  I love their wash-and-wear short coats, and the rainbow of colors they come in.  Suffice it to say, protection, biting, intimidation, dog fighting: these things were not my motivation for getting APBTs.  They are, quite simply, the most suitable dog for me.
 
Nobody should deny me the right to choose my own canine companion.  Nor should you deny anybody else that same right, provided they operate within the bounds of the law.  Profiling is not acceptable to me, and should not be acceptable to anybody who values their constitutional rights.  This is not a dog issue.  It is an issue of human irresponsibility, bad choices, media influence, animal control problems, and perception.

Consider that a study at www.canineresearch.net illustrates that 98% of the studied population (including canine professionals) cannot identify an American Pit Bull Terrier without also misidentifying other breeds as “pit bulls.”  This study also tells us that 85% of people who expressed a dislike of the breed could not identify it at all!

So what animal are we talking about here?  Well, I know what animal I’m talking about, but most seem to regard it as some mythical mentality that possesses any dog with a short coat and muscles.  In short, we could be referring to any number of breeds or mixes, with no attempt made to define any clear boundaries as to what constitutes a “pit bull” or not.  The bull mastiff who attacked the ONG worker that jumped his fence was identified by readers on another forum as a “pit bull,” when he was not.  The same can be said of the bull terriers in Midwest City; they were also misidentified by laymen as something they are not.

We should not even be thinking about these kinds of laws.  Gun control does not protect us from criminals with guns, but rather serves to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.  The same argument is applicable to breed control.  Consider the Tulsa man whose pit bull attacked a Dachshund last year.  He clearly stated that he wanted people to think he had a mean dog, because they wouldn’t try coming in his house.  His reason for owning a dog is clear, and no breed would be safe in his hands.  I, on the other hand, raise my dogs to be social and well-mannered, and they are completely safe under my influence (as well as the influence of the good genetics behind them).

To wrap up a long-winded response, dogs are not the problem.  We have some excellent laws in Tulsa, which if enforced, would help all of us.  Dogs should not be running loose, should not be encouraged to be aggressive, and they should not be casually breeding.  We have laws to govern those problems, and each of them falls squarely on the head of the human handler.  We just need to look at the correct end of the leash.

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

I wonder if there is a way to turn this upcoming rant into an educational blog.  You know me; I’m all about using my experiences to help others.  But what exactly can you say when someone calls you a dog fighter? 

It’s really a blind-side hit.  You end up staring at your screen for a moment, with your mouth hanging open.  Lindsay is a dog fighter.  I needed a moment to be able to react to that.  They might as well have called me a Martian, or told me the grass is purple.  You just don’t know what to say. 

Dog fighting is a felony in every state, last time I checked.  Even being present at a dog fight will get you jail time in most cases.  Being accused of being a dog fighter ruins peoples’ lives, and gets good dogs killed, even when the owner is innocent.  (A man in Alva, Florida was recently proven innocent of dog fighting, but animal control had already killed all his dogs.)  When a person accuses a random stranger of being a dog fighter, it is hoped that they would have some kind of evidence to support the theory.  So what is the proof in my case?

I’m selling a used carpet mill.

…

Are you waiting for the rest of it?  That’s it.  I’m selling a carpet mill, and I just so happen to own American Pit Bull Terriers.  I fit the classic criteria for being a dog fighter.

Are you laughing, crying or incredulous?  I assure you, it is true.  My crime was posting up an ad for my carpet mill that I’ve had since January on Craigslist.com.  I took one picture of my dog modeling, for size comparison more than anything.  The reaction over on the Petfinder forum — names changed to protect my accusers – was as follows:

BusyBody:  “There’s a dog treadmill on CL. One pic shows a pit bull on it. There’s only one reason someone would want to own or owns a dog treadmill and that’s for dog fighting which is horrible. I don’t know what to do. …”

Expert #2 replies:  “save the whole ad and report it to the authorities. It is dog fighting paraphinalia (sp). It has the phone number and all on it. Just save it all incase it is flagged or they deleate it.”

There followed some sensible attempts to extol the virtues of keeping your dog exercised in any weather, but BusyBody would not be dissuaded:

BusyBody:  “Noone that lives in Oklahoma that I know has a dog that has a treadmill. Most people around here own plenty of acreage or yards for their dogs to run around in. There is ALOT of dogfighting that goes on in the Tulsa area, I know that for a fact. I still believe this person is trying to sell something that shouldn’t be sold around here.”

Cesar Millan, are you listening?  Or are you too busy fighting dogs?  Because I’ve seen your show, and you run those poor dogs on a treadmill, which makes you a dog fighter.  (That is sarcasm, if you’re not following.  Don’t sue me, Cesar!  I love your show!) 

Oh snap!  Maybe I should have caught the name of the Pug handler who was featured on one of those Animal Planet shows recently, shown exercising his charge on a treadmill specially-made for dogs.  Maybe he moonlights as a dog fighter, too.

Yes, I know.  I asked for it.  I was warned against purchasing the treadmill in the first place, but at the time I thought it was a good idea.  It took me less than a year to realize that I really wasn’t using the thing, and I wanted to sell it.  I could always chuck it out for the garbage, but the pragmatic part of my brain wants me to get a portion of what I spent on it back, so I can buy some extra Christmas presents for family and doggies.

That’s what us dog fighters do, you know.  Sell our valuable dog fighting paraphernalia so we can buy sweaters and squeaky toys for the dogs.

To continue on the saga of Lindsay the Dog Fighter, someone dug up my website to share with the group.  (Nobody invited me into the discussion, BTW, even though by then they had my email and phone number.)  There was some debate about whether or not I was a breeder.   (As you know, if I were indeed a breeder, my flogging would have been justified.  All breeders are evil.)

Well, shucks, I don’t qualify for that dunce cap yet since I haven’t bred a litter in my adult life.  So what further dirt would be dug up on me?

Good Housekeeping says:  “I just watched the Loki video…amazing dog!…but I’m distressed by how filthy that house is!”  “That didn’t look like clutter to me. Did you see the floors? And that kitchen? Puh-leeze.”

Are you following?  I’ve gone from a dirty dog fighter, to a dirty breeder, to just a flat-out dirty person.  In less than 24 hours, even!  Perhaps that’s why they haven’t invited me to have my say.  Maybe they think I will bring fleas in.

So what is the lesson to be learned here?  Don’t own a treadmill?  Hmm…  I’m not sure that’s it.  Maybe its Don’t post videos filmed in your house if you haven’t cleaned up recently.  No, I really don’t think that’s it, either.  I mean after all, some of the best dog people I know can’t keep their house clean for anything.  When you spend all your time with your dogs, mopping your floor seems secondary.

Maybe the lesson is Don’t give people a glimpse into your life at all, because it will be used against you.

The irony here is that the people who were gleefully snarking me behind my back probably all think they are dog lovers.  But they are woefully unable to recognize a good dog owner (even if not a good housekeeper).  When all together in their zone of safety, with me blissfully unaware of the thread’s existence, they were happy to rake me over the coals.  All based on a small glimpse through an ad and a website.

I wonder if any of my detractors were people I’d met on the street who’d offered up praise for my beautiful, well-behaved dogs.  I suppose none of that matters since I have a messy house and a treadmill for sale.

So what is the lesson, the moral of the story?  For me, it is Don’t make snap judgments.  Snap judgments are what get good people in trouble, and good dogs killed.  Just by my being publicly accused of being a dog fighter, my life could be ruined.  And for what?  Because BusyBody saw a picture of my dog on a treadmill that I am selling. 

I wonder if this person saw my husband’s Craigslist ad for the car he’s selling, would they assume he is a drunk driver?

Think, people!

Don’t judge someone based on a single-page impression of them.  And THINK before you lob accusations that can ruin somebody’s life, and get their dogs killed.  It is important to be aware of what is going on around you, yes.  But don’t get so enthralled over nothing that you are willing to sacrifice a complete stranger to indulge your overactive imagination.

I wanted to offer a quick thanks to the people who know me by reputation and by my actions, and who jumped to defend me.  I really appreciate the effort.  As of the writing of this blog, I am still waiting on an activation email from the Petfinder forums, at which time I will jump in and defend myself.

***Follow Up***

I’ve since joined the forum, and have accepted apologies from a few people.  The situation has been resolved amicably, which I appreciate.  I will, however, leave the blog up, because it is important that people realize that snap judgements can be dangerous.

by Lindsay Biddle (aka bahamutt99)

I was browsing the message boards tonight, as I always do, and came across a topic regarding a new HSUS (Humane Society of the US) stamp with a patch-eyed Pit Bull featuring the text “I’m a lover, not a fighter.” 

While the general consensus was appreciation for the design, there was also resistance to buying a stamp that would support HSUS.  One member even commented on how real animal lovers aren’t supporting animal rights groups, such as HSUS and PETA.

So why the discrepancy?  Why would anybody who claims to love animals be against a group who claims to want to help animals?

There is a massive difference between animal rights and animal welfare, and therein lies the rub. 

Animal welfare:  The desire to protect animals from unnecessary pain, suffering, abuse and mistreatment.

Animal rights:  The desire elevate the status of animals to one equal to or greater than humans.  Also the desire to see animals freed from any useage whatsoever.  This includes service animals, private pets, animal-based medical research and products, as well as eating meat or using any animal by-products.  The ultimate goal of the animal rights movement is total animal liberation.

Most animal lovers support animal welfare, which is all well and good in my opinion.  The desire to protect animals from unnecessary bad things is a noble goal.  Nobody should want to see animals hurt, beaten, tortured, neglected.  And admittedly, the ideal of animal welfare probably steps into some grey areas, such as cosmetic surgeries (ear cropping, tail docking).  That is going to happen; no two people will ever agree 100% on everything.  But by and large, the animal welfare sect has its head screwed on right.

Animal rights, by my scary stuff scale, is a much more frightening proposition. 

With rights come responsibilities.  You have a right to free speech, but you have a responsibility not to shout “fire!” in a crowded theater.  You have the right to bear arms, but you have the responsibility not to shoot innocent bystanders.  Animals have no grasp of our society’s laws, and therefore don’t understand what their responsibilities would be now that they have these newfound rights. 

Additionally, animals are like children in that they cannot dictate what would be the best decisions for them.  Undoubtedly, if my dog were given the right to choose what she wanted to eat for dinner, she would demand whatever I was eating, and that’s hardly the choice that’s going to keep her the healtiest.  We have a responsibility to take care of the animals we’ve domesticated, since they cannot care for themselves.  They cannot simply slide into this idyllic scenario that the animal rights crowd envisions for them.

I think one of the reasons many people support animal rights is simply our tendency to take things at face value.  We don’t want to get into the nitty gritty of things.  Many of us would prefer to stay plugged into the matrix, and have our reality be the sugar-coated version, rather than seeing the ugly truth of things.  Its far neater and less painful that way.

I compare the animal rights movement to peanut butter.

To the average American, there is nothing more wholesome than a good ol’ peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with a nice cold glass of milk.  Make mine on wheat bread, lightly toasted, please.

But how many of us really read the ingredients and know what they signify?  I mean, this is what we’re feeding ourselves and our kids, so it should be healthy and nutritious, right?  Vitamins and minerals, protien and all that, right?

How about partially hydrogenated vegetable oil?  That stuff kills you.  But how many parents feed it to their kids as lunch or an after-school snack, without even bothering to look at the side effects?

Animal rights are the same in that people will support and buy into the feel-good portion, without bothering to read the ingredients.  They hear “helping animals,” “saving animals,” “protecting animals,” but they do not hear “ending pet ownership,” “torching research labs,” “supporting domestic terrorism,” “sending people in pig suits to educate children against eating meat,” or any of the other bad portions.

Animal rights is scary.  HSUS, for example, makes millions, but does not operate a single animal shelter.  They could be saving countless lives, but instead they concern themselves with pushing for the destruction of Michael Vick’s dogs, while on the other hand begging for money to care for them.  (HSUS didn’t have custody of any of Vick’s dogs.  I wonder where those donations went?)

For my fellow APBT owners, I offer this tidbit as well:  These organizations which claim to be about protecting animals do not extend their dubious sanctuary to our breed.

HSUS takes a PC approach to their philosophy.  They don’t support breed bans.  No no no, of course not.  They only support local ordinances to spay/neuter the breed into extinction.  That’s the kinder way to eliminate something, and its HSUS’s way of giving “extra protections” to Pit Bulls.  They indicate that if you have a Pit Bull and want to keep all of its parts, you have the dog for the wrong reason, and are contributing to the abuse of the breed.

PETA is more open about their philosophy:  Just eliminate the breed and be done with it.

It seems as if owning a Pit Bull means you must be more politically aware.  Because we are considered the weakest link in the chain, and therefore make an easy target for the animal rights movement.  Divide and conquer.  Lord knows I wasn’t politically aware prior to getting into this breed.

However, animal rights isn’t just against our breed.  It is against dog ownership in general.  And not just dog ownership; it is against many things traditional to our culture, and many things we have come to enjoy and embrace.  It isn’t just about no more hunting or fishing, no more meat or fur. 

Own a dog?  Cat?  Goldfish?  Horses?  No more of that.  Its exploitation. 

No more agility trials, conformation shows, weight pulls, tracking trials, search and rescue.  After all, no self-respecting dog is going do those things voluntarily, and corrupting his right to free choice is abuse.

Do you have an incurable disease?  You’d better hope the answer isn’t dependent upon a laboratory mouse, because they have a right to not suffer or die for our betterment.

Horse carriage rides?  Please.  Petting zoos for children?  As if.  A dog to guide your blind kin?  Get real.

These are the hydrogenated oils of the animal rights movement.  They hook you with the peanut butter — SAVE ANIMALS! — but you can’t enjoy the PB without ingesting the stuff that will kill you. 

If you support animal rights organizations, you are supporting everything they do, not just the stuff that you are in favor of.  You can’t join up because you appreciate the good work they did, say, saving ex-racing greyhounds in a cruelty case — just an example; I have no clue if this actually happened — without also vicariously supporting, oh, animal rights whackos teaching people how to build incendiary devices. 

I am not an alarmist by nature, but these people make me nervous. 

Believe that once they are done eliminating all the fur ranchers, all the pet shops, all the Pit Bulls and their drug-dealing owners, they will run over something you treasure.  The more support these people get, the more powerful they become, and the further they can advance their cause.  They nibble at the weakest links in the dog fancy — perhaps ear cropping, or breeding, or using dogs to hunt — but never forget their ultimate goal:  Total animal liberation.

Total.

So I guess the question in my mind is, why would anybody want to support an animal rights group? 

If everybody who donates to the HSUS or PETA would instead donate to their local animal shelter, think how the conditions could improve for the animals that those places save!  The local humane organizations are the ones who are doing the dirty work, and they don’t have the multi-million dollar budget that these groups have.  Better yet, if groups like the EBA or ADOA had half the support of the HSUS, we would have a powerful tool at our disposal to help fight BSL, rather than embrace it.

I am sincerely asking anybody who reads this blog:  Please read the fine print!  Check that ingredient label.  If you are signing a petition — even if it seems overall good — find out who started it.  If you get a set of address labels with a plea for donations in the mail, ask yourself how they can afford such propaganda if they are hard at work helping animals. 

On an unrelated but equally important note, if you are writing in support of a piece of legislation, read the whole bill.  Find out which groups are supporting it, and why.  Read read read!  For example, there is a new federal anti-dog fighting bill — even though dog-fighting is illegal countrywide — which is garnering support on the pretense that we need felony laws to get at the evil dog fighters.  However, it also contains language that would illegalize using the USPS to ship “paraphernalia,” which could be anything from a breaking stick, to a treadmill belt, to a collar, to a historical book, to a tug toy.

Educate yourself.  Read the fine print.  Know what you are supporting before you ally your good name with something you don’t fully understand. 

by Lindsay (Bahamutt99)

The arguments against breeders abound these days.  If you’ve never heard them — where have you been, in a cave? — here are a sampling, paraphrased:

“Why buy an expensive breeder puppy when there are perfectly good pups dying in shelters?  If you only want a pet, you should rescue.”

“Breeders are the main reason for the overpopulation problem; these dogs have to be coming from somewhere.”

“The only reason to buy from a breeder is selfishness and ego.  People need a well-bred dog to feel better about themselves, and a rescue dog isn’t good enough for them.”

Undoubtedly there are unscrupulous breeders who are cluttering up the issue with their shady practices. Nobody in command of all their faculties will tell you otherwise.  Just like there are undoubtedly wastes of skin in every hobby, profession, neighborhood.  There are always people who make you scratch your head in bewilderment, or drive you to the point of hair-tugging (or perhaps, blogging).

So with all the arguments against it, why again do we need breeders?  Have a sit down and I’ll tell you a story.

Long ago, man discovered that the dog could serve as his partner and aide in many capacities.  Before we even gave a name to the process of selective breeding, people were doing it.  Wherever we needed a dog to fill a purpose, selective breeding came into play to mold the perfect animal for the job.  People who might want rabbit for dinner were taking the fastest dog they owned and breeding it to the second-fastest dog they owned, then keeping the fastest puppies.  Shepherds who needed to keep their flocks together were going to feed (and breed) the dog who showed the most aptitude for chasing the sheep back home.  Thus were many breeds born, out of necessity, by those who kept around the dogs who were the most skilled at their trade.

Today, we tell people “choose a breed that fits your lifestyle.”  We balk at those who have the audacity to choose an APBT as dog park patron, or a Border Collie as an apartment couch potato.  The breeds have become so varied that there is almost certainly one to fit every seeker, provided that person is inclined towards dog ownership in the first place.

These breeds arose due to the efforts of breeders.  They are maintained by the efforts of breeders.  If dog breeding were outlawed tomorrow, all owned dogs were spayed/neutered – and we could somehow magically achieve a 100% compliance rate — within 10-15 years, most breeds would be gone.  Only the small, long-lived breeds would still be here, for a few more years anyway.  It is a hard concept for those who are counting bodies at the animal shelter to grasp, that there would ever be no more dogs, but it is simple mathematics. 

No more breeding = no more dogs (with the exception of feral populations who don’t require human intervention to maintain them).

Instead of being able to tell people “choose a breed that fits your lifestyle,” it would sound more like this:  “Choose which of those medium-sized, medium-coated, prick-eared brown mutts you like the best.  Here’s a rope to catch him with.”  Think dingo, or Carolina dog.  If everything reverted back to natural selection, eventually nature would level the canine out to be similar to his wild brethren.

I don’t know how you feel, but the thought of no more Pit Bulls is unpalatable to me.  I would have no desire to own a dog if I couldn’t keep the breed that has been with me since I was 8 years old.

Okay, let’s take a step back into reality.  Even though dog ownership is under attack with every new law that is crafted, it is unlikely that breeding will ever be wiped out entirely.  Too many people want to own dogs.  So now what we have are the laws that merely nibble away at the breeding that is taking place nowadays.  I’m talking about the feel-good legislation known as mandatory spay/neuter, or breeder permits.

Stopping the killing of little baby puppies?  I mean, who could possibly be against that?

But there’s a problem.  Mandatory spay/neuter doesn’t stop the killing of dogs in shelters.  People will still continue to dump dogs, for various minute reasons.  There will still be dogs in shelters which are unadoptable and need to be euthanized.  There will still be strays on the street.

You see, animal control does not have the power to go around lifting the skirt of every dog out there.  How would you feel if somebody stopped you in the park and demanded that you flip your dog over so that he could check for a spay scar?  (Undoubtedly that would lead to certain people stabbing their dogs to fake a scar.  But I digress…)  Did you by chance implant Neuticles when you neutered your male dog?  Better make it ball bearings instead so they click together as incontrovertible proof that those testicles aren’t real.

Sound ridiculous?  Well, so does attacking breeders to end pet overpopulation.  Let me share my own personal experience with mandatory spay/neuter, breeder permit laws.

I live in a city where there is a neat little law governing dog breeding.  You can only obtain what they call a “hobbyist exemption” if you show or work your dogs, or use them for hunting.  I should naturally qualify for this “hobbyist exemption” because my dog is extensively titled, so I headed down to the county office to get one.  More accurately, after probably a dozen phone calls trying to get information on this law from government employees who knew nothing about it, I headed down to the county office to get one.

Guess what?  Due to a legal loophole, I can’t get one.  Although I am within the county which has these laws, the actual city I live in chooses not to honor them.  No hobbyist exemption for me.  No big deal, though, right?  Not if it is saving lives, right?

Guess again.  On any given weekend, somewhere in my city, there are people selling puppies.  Earlier this summer, the Shih Tzu people were out in force, with their expensive RVs pulled up in an empty lot, and exercise pens set up in the sun near the road.  Earlier than that, a man and his son were selling black Lab puppies less than a block from my home.  Earlier still, Labrador and Boxer breeders were selling puppies in front of the mall.  Maybe I’m not giving them their due credit; perhaps we simply have the world’s most responsible breeder population and all of these folks have their permits. But last I checked, no breeder worth their salt sells pups on a street corner. 

Call the police? Sure, but half the time they don’t know that these laws even exist.  I had the dispatcher one time ask me, “We have laws like that here?” 

To reiterate, I cannot, with my proof of extensive titles and health testing, breed dogs.

Some guy advertising a litter of American Bulldog/AmStaff mixes, can. 

They’re going to get away with it, whether we like it or not.  Mandatory spay/neuter is not stopping these people. I am just as against haphazard breeding as anybody.  But I am not so deluded as to think that an extra law is going to stop it.  The only people who go through the hassle of having moral fibers are the ones who are doing the right thing anyway.  In short, not the ones we need to be making laws for.

So why do we need breeders?  To preserve, protect and improve the breeds.  If you feel that a dog is a dog is a dog, then this means nothing to you. But having a well-bred dog means everything to others.

We do not own a dog because of need. At least the vast majority of us don’t.  A person needs to eat, drink, breathe.  We do not need to own pets.  We do so because of the pleasure and sense of fulfillment it gives us.  And everybody has a different ideal for their dog.  When does it become another’s place to say that a person should not have the right to choose exactly the dog that they want? 

Are you sending me dog food?  Scooping my yard?  As the answer is resoundingly negative, I ask where it is written that you should have a say in what kind of dog is sleeping in bed with me.

I will admit that I am fed up with the constant controls that people will place on each other out of the mistaken belief that they will make things better.  Evidently the threat of BSL taking my breed from me is not enough; I also have to worry about other people who should be on my side seeking to have my dreams and future plans destroyed as well.  I have been called greedy and selfish for wanting well-bred, registerable APBTs over shelter dogs.  It is a virtual certainty that once I pair two dogs together, I will slip even further on the totem pole.  I have accepted these things.

But what I will not accept is people pushing for limitation or elimination of ALL breeders as a means to save the breed (or rather, as a means to simply save dogs and not the breed).  Ouch!  We’ve gone and shot ourselves in the foot on that one.  We’ve put exorbitant intact animal fees in there, so now all the BYBs are breeding to recoup the money, and the reputable breeders aren’t sure they’re going to be able to continue with the added hardship.  If you think its a hypothetical, I truly hope so, but experience indicates otherwise.

But but but…!  Why does anybody need to own a breeder dog anyway?  Short of wanting to do any licensed sports, short of wanting good dogs to start a breeding program, short of demanding a health guarantee and sensible contract, short of ego and greed and… where was I going?  Oh yeah, why own a breeder dog?

Because it is our choice.  If someone wants to go through the trouble of tracking down a good breeder and going through all the interrogation to get on their waiting list, nobody should desire to stop them. Right now, somebody is mustering this argument:

“Well, if you really just want a good pet, why can’t you be just as happy with rescuing a shelter dog?  If you truly loved dogs, it wouldn’t matter.”

To that, I reply with another quote, from our good friend, Ingrid Newkirk of PeTA:

“People who genuinely care about dogs won’t be affected by a ban on pits. They can go to the shelter and save one of the countless other breeds and lovable mutts sitting on death row through no fault of their own.”

(No, she didn’t just go there!)

Yes, I did.  I compared eliminating breeders to eliminating the breed.  Without one, we can’t have the other.  Even if we only manage to thoroughly discourage all the decent breeders, the breed falls in the hands of the BYBers, and what will we have then?  Will it even be worth preserving?  Would you want to own it?  I wouldn’t.  If that makes me selfish and egotistical, so be it.  I will live with those labels.  My interest lies with preserving the breed over preserving individual dogs, so I need to have a little bit of ego to be here I s’pose. 

Or maybe its just a side effect of living with outstanding dogs.  Perhaps its like a fungus infecting my brain.  Either way, I will fight to defend my right to have my fungus until the day I have to leave the breed.  I can only hope that someday people will realize that they have no reason to be angry at me for what I do, or do deny me the satisfaction I get out of owning and working with these dogs. 

As with many such sites and more so than many because of the intense amount of traffic we maintain the APBT network costs a considerable amount of money to maintain.  If you appreciate the efforts toward education and community we maintain.  Maybe you send folks to read our site, then maybe you can spare a few dollars to help out.  We maintain a list of all the donations on a public webpage called thanks and links.  Think about it… this way you know how much we have received from everyone else.  As the administrator of this community I certainly do not want to pocket any of your hard earned money and this is how you can be sure it has gone to the dogs!  Once we reach 75% of our yearly costs, I stop taking donations or else if I do get donations, beyond that level, I work my butt off to provide more resources.  It is a win win situation.  Help us please! Our non-profit kennel which fills the gaps and pays for that which we do not receive in donations is not rich.

paypal to  matrix@matrixkennels.com 

 

Sincerely, Scot

by Lindsay Biddle (Bahamutt99) 

Since I’ve heard this term used a few times by detractors, I thought it was time to talk about it.  The mention of Pit Bull-ism usually goes a little something like this:

“You Pit Bull people need to get a life.  Not everybody wants to be converted over to Pit Bull-ism.”

The angry thrust of statements like that seems to be that we are somehow trying to get everybody to embrace the breed.  It is most frequently flung around by people who have no vested interest in the issue, and frankly couldn’t care one way or another.  However, they are evidently tired of hearing from APBT defenders, and are seeking to silence us through embarassment tactics and belittlement of what we believe in.  It is highly likely that many of these people have no passions of their own, so they do not understand the motivation.

While it would be admittedly more pleasant if everybody loved Pit Bulls, the goal is not to convince folks to go out and buy a puppy.  We do not expect you to love and befriend us. Our main goal for our dogs and ourselves is equal treatment, under the law and from others.  We wish to preserve our status of innocent until proven guilty, and our due process rights which allow us to own property (including dogs) without fear of unjust persecution.  We want the same rights that most people take for granted everyday.  We seek only to keep our families intact.  If it means boycotting a company, or a state, that is a small sacrifice for the love of an exceptional canine.

To my APBT-owning compatriots, don’t let yourself be silenced.  As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”

To the anti Pit Bull-ism people, put it in perspective.  Until you’ve had somebody tell you that you need to take an integral part of your home and family and cast it into the void, you will not understand what we deal with on a daily basis.  When you’ve had someone walk up and offer the unsolicited advice that your kid is ugly and they don’t trust him/her, then you’ll have some idea of what its like to love a “controversial” breed.

Again, we’re not asking for a cookie.  We don’t need you to tell us how cute our dogs are (although that is always nice).  We want respect, consideration, courtesy, equality.  We know that this is not the path of least resistance, but you shouldn’t condemn and belittle us for choosing to take it.  Resistance builds character, and our children will grow up knowing what its like to fight for something they believe in, and hopefully will enjoy life alongside our breed until they are old and grey and have children and grandchildren of their own.

This blog is in response to “An open letter to pit bull-defenders.”

by Lindsay (Bahamutt99) 

I walk down the street with my companion at my side.  Leashed, of course, as all dog owners should do, but frequently do not. (Tiny dogs seem to be exempt from this rule, as are “don’t worry, he’s friendly” dogs.)  But I choose to bind myself to the laws out of respect for others and their personal space.

You detect a danger.  You see a weapon.  Your judgemental brain skips gleefully past any thought that I may just be a normal person out for a walk with my canine companion.  You would rather darkly gloat about the death and pestillence that surely must trail behind me.  Or perhaps sneer that I must work to find insurance or a home for my family, as I surely deserve such discrimination for daring to welcome such a breed into my house. 

You assume that because I am walking my leashed dog, I most assuredly revert to bad dog policy when out of your sight, and therefore have “thousands in animal-control fines.”  Perhaps I just put on that expensive leather leash and collar to impress you.  Since you are not impressed, can I get a refund?  Or is this reverse psychology because I have made my own phone calls to animal control, possibly negatively impacting you or an owner of some “respectable” breed which joyously runs the area at large?

Gotta love the militant anti-Pit Bull faction.  They are so busy watching in the bushes for some creature from a fairy tale to attack them that they do not see where the road in front of them leads.  Cities don’t just ban “pit bulls.”  They ban cousin breeds and those that look like them, those that have big heads or muscular bodies, those that have short hair and a stocky build.  Or they tack on other “tough guy” breeds like German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, Doberman Pinschers, etc.  Or sometimes, just for a giggle, they slap on a size restriction, Fairfield Iowa-style, so be prepared to part with your gentle giants as well.  And here’s a fun fact:  Italy regulates small dogs, such as Corgis and Miniature Pinschers. 

But hey, why should any of that bother me?  I’m one of those thuggalistic Pit Bull owners, so I must be callous to the suffering of others.  Surely the image of someone having their Lab mix or muscular mutt ripped from their home wouldn’t bother me!

Ha!

Nobody wants to give Pit Bull owners their due credit.  Love us or hate us, we are the first ones to come out when communities want to start haphazardly banning breeds.  If your Presa Canario or Dogo Argentino is on the list, we care.  Because we have field experience living with a dog whom many hate without reason, but which may be an integral part of our family.

The gusto with which dog breed detractors fling around dog attacks to prove their points leads me to believe that they don’t really care about people at all.  They read a headline and it becomes just more fodder to advance their march against their dog-owning neighbors.  An injured child is not viewed as a tragedy that we all should work against, but as ammunition for the gun of hatred.

There I go, talking about guns.  Typical Pit Bull owner.  Guns, drugs, dogs and prostitution; that’s what I’m all about.  Death and pestillence, fire and brimstone, laying waste to your town and corrupting the values of your children!  I couldn’t be just another citizen.  Nah, that couldn’t possibly be it.  I own a controversial dog breed, so that makes me a budding Jeffrey Dahmer, right?

The oft-ignored truth is that Pit Bull owners are scattered throughout all the races, classes, tax brackets and backgrounds.  We have children of our own and want to see them protected every bit as much as you do.  But we have the clarity of thought to realize that cropping out portions of our lives will not make our children any stronger or smarter.  While wiping out a canine population may, indeed, eliminate some valid threats to our young, it will destroy far more heroes and positive influences. 

Such as:

A Pit Bull in Jackson, MS who alerted her family to a fire.

Another Pit Bull who also saved her owner from a rampaging blaze.

A Pit Bull service dog who assists his owner, a former stuntman.

A Pit Bull who died saving two women from a cobra.

A Pit Bull in Toronto who saved his owner when she went into anaphylactic shock.

Why put children at such risk?

Children are at far worse risk from playground equipment and 5-gallon water buckets than they are from dogs.  The worst culprit is the parent/guardian monster, who kills hundreds of children each year, far more than all the dog breeds combined.  Dogs, for all they are a pointy-toothed predator, are surprisingly tolerant of our misguided handling and the abuses of little children.

For every attack story that can be dredged up, how many unsung heroes go unnoticed?  They may not all be Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, but they are our beloved pets.  For every person that gets hurt in a stupid incident, countless others have had their lives enriched in some manner by living with an American Pit Bull Terrier.  Growing up with dogs makes children into better people much of the time.  It worked for me.  (If you want to be bored by all the sappy details, watch my video blog.)

So why own such a dog?  Do you really want to hear all the reasons?  Perhaps I like an athletic, versatile companion to take for a walk so that others can assume I’m a serial killer.  Of course, being a white-bred girl from the suburbs doesn’t work well with that image.  Perhaps I should get some facial piercings and a skull cap so as to fit more neatly into the “you people” category you’d like to see me fall in.

For what its worth, I do agree that dog owners need to face hefty fines and jail time when their animals attack.  But I am not breedist enough to believe that those fines should not also extend to you and whatever animals you may own.  If you own it, you feed it, you are responsible for it.  I feel the same way about leashless children who run the neighborhood at will.  (Their opposable thumbs are just as scary as a dog’s teeth.)

On the matter of insurance, Loki is special, but not so special that she needs her own insurance.  You imply that ”pit bull” owners should have high rates.  Why? To drive us into hock because we surely don’t deserve to be able to pay all our bills?  Or is it so that we can live up to your expectations that we must be thousands of dollars in debt?  Or perhaps the strategy is simply to discourage dog owners from getting insurance in the first place?  Yep, that would be an excellent step in seeing that people who are injured don’t get their medical bills paid. 

Perhaps we should require the same high rates for people who look as though they might drive drunk.  In fact, let’s do it for people who are the distant cousins of drunk drivers, since through their “bad genes,” they are certainly more likely to go that route themselves!  As a victim of a drunk driver myself, I agree with this public outcry against that breed!  We should all report them when we see them in public, as well as anybody that looks like a drunk driver!  We should throw in people who don’t use turn signals while we’re at it, since that is just a step away from driving drunk.

Wait, what were we talking about? 

Oh yeah, dogs. 

No wait, we weren’t really talking about dogs.  We were talking about people.  Rappers and Michael Vick…  What does that have to do with my dog again?  Oh, right.  Guilty by very distant association, since the logic is because Vick had a whole mess of Pit Bulls seized from his property, he is the same as I am.

 

You know, perhaps the social toxins that come along with owning an APBT have gone right up to my brain, but I just don’t see the resemblance.

Maybe – I’m just grasping at straws here — just maybe all dogs are individuals.  Maybe all human beings are individuals, too.  There could be a minute possibility that if somebody’s pack of 3 loose dogs killed a similarly loose child on an army base — or were seen standing over the body, which is naturally the same thing as perpetrating the crime — that it was those three dogs and not also mine here in Oklahoma?  Could it be that an unsocialized, untrained “pit bull” being used as a weewee extension is, in fact, not the same as my obedience-titled, Canine Good Citizen-titled, abundantly-socialized, very well-trained partner? 

If you own the Martha Stewart-brand washcloths, does that make you more inclined to cheat on the stock market?

Or is the “pit bull” disease kind of like second-hand smoke?  Does it emanate from one poor breed representative and infect all the other dogs in the area?  Nobody sent me the memo.  How wide of a radius do I have? Because there is a snotty dog some blocks over from my home, and I’ll have to get my dog a vaccine for that disease before she catches it. 

Oh wait, she’s already had that vaccine. But here we refer to it as conscientious breeding and responsible handling. Glad to have that load off my mind.  Thanks for your concern, though.  We appreciate you looking out for us. 

Satire aside, the owners of ALL dogs should feel the pinch when their animal attacks.  It should apply equally across the board, from cute fluffy mutt, to tiny ankle-biter, to friendly retriever.  Support laws which punish the undesireables you refer to — “vicious dogs and abusive or neglectful owners” — and which apply reasonable requirements — “fencing and leash laws” — to the ownership of any dog.  My neighbor’s nasty hound has no more business being loose than my Pit Bull. 

Don’t look at me as the criminal you’ve come to automatically expect based solely on the breed I own, and I wont look at you as the root of all evil simply because you work for the media (and are therefore de facto responsible for the propagation of nonsense and hysteria).  Perhaps, if we have a moment of quiet reflection, we can realize that neither of us is defined by a single factor of our lives. Much less defined by others who have those same factors in their own lives.