THINGS THAT REALLY PISS ME OFF #1 - Outlaw the Pit Bulls

I've been having trouble feeling inspired to blog because I haven't been feeling very well but today, I did what I usually do after church - I read the Sunday paper. It dawned on me that all I have to do to find something I want to rant about is to read the paper;o) So, I am thinking of making this a series - "Things That Really Piss Me Off". Here is thing number one.

Here in Oklahoma, there is a contingent of people who are writing a bill to try to make it illegal to have a "Pit Bull" in the state of Oklahoma. Apparently the city of Denver Colorado has successfully put into place a city ordinance outlawing pits in the city. For those who want to know where I am coming down on this before they read on, please check out exhibit A below:




This little baby girl is my sweet Princess Jade. She is being picked on by my calico kitten Jewel who Princess thinks is her baby. This dog is the best dog I have ever had. She is loyal, intelligent, obedient and has the patience of a saint with my grandsons who think she is their pony.

Princess was a rescue. She had been the dog of a druggie gang member who lived near us before we got smart and relocated. She would get loose and run to our house every chance she got. Our next door neighbor knew who she belonged to and would take her and the ginormous chain she was dragging back to her "homey". Then, one day, she showed up and next door neighbor says, "Oh, homey got shot... I guess she'll have to go to the pound." My two kids, Cheyenne and Cameron said, "Let me handle that for you - I have a truck after all." We were in the process of moving at the time. I figured I would find someone with a big country place who would give her a home. I had no idea I would totally fall in love with her. I didn't want to keep her on a chain and I don't have a fenced yard so I thought I would have to find her another place for her own good.

Enter my psycho next door neighbor who is much more like a "female dog" than Princess ever dreamed of being. She is one of those PETA types who would get mad if she saw the dog getting rained on in the middle of the summer. Literally - she screamed and cursed at me over that exact thing and then, when I wouldn't put her at the front of my house where there was shelter (the truck) which is against our neighborhood ordinances, she kept going and letting the dog off her chain every time I turned my back. I called the police and in the meantime brought her into the house. I discovered quite quickly that this dog had the best house manners of any dog I ever saw in my life. She figured out within 24 hours that she needed to let us know when she needed to go and we would take her; she doesn't chew on things and is polite to visitors. And she totally adopted our kitten as her own precious baby. Her favorite spot is under my chair or bed - wherever I am. Well, I realize that Princess or any other wonderful Pit is just going to be considered anecdotal evidence - not really important in the big picture. But doesn't that mean that any individual vicious Pit is just anecdotal evidence....? Anyway....

My main problem with the whole idea of outlawing Pits - which are, by the way, Terriers not Bulldogs- is that it is pointless at best. There is a rumor that Pits are vicious by nature. They are not vicious by nature ,they are trained to be vicious. One law officer was quoted in the Tulsa World today as saying, "Pit Bulls are the dog of choice for two sectors of society - druggies and gang members." Now, in Tulsa, and I would suppose in many other cities, that is probably somewhat true. Does that mean we should extinct them? I'm telling you there is no point. We'll set aside for now the fact that, especially in rural Oklahoma, there is a large number of regular "good-ole-boy" types who love these dogs. You will see them in the back of pickup trucks across every county in the state (including mine). Just addressing the whole "criminal element" aspect; the gang-bangers train these dogs to be vicious and to attack officers etc which warps them. That is wrong and I would have no problem whatsoever with any reasonable law directed at making it illegal to have a vicious dog or making it a chargeable offense if your dog attacks anyone, including an officer. There are higher instances of these dogs attacking people because these dogs are so frequently taught to be vicious. Let's put the responsibility for that where it belongs - on the owner involved, not the dog. Vicious dogs need to be destroyed. The owners need to face stiff fines and depending on the situation, jail time.

There is another rumor that Pits are somehow mentally unstable and even if they seem nice, they will turn on you without warning. I know that there are people who will believe that til the end but I am telling you that it is an urban legend. If they are treated right and healthy - no tumors or organic conditions, they will "turn on you" exactly as often as a German Shephard or Dachsund.

The criminals choose these dogs because they are very strong, very intelligent and very loyal and territorial. If we extinct the pits, they will simply go to other dogs with those qualities - Dobermans, Rottweillers, German Shephards etc. Extincting an entire breed - which is the goal of the prospective legislation - is incredibly short sighted and foolish and would set a horrible precedent - not to mention a tiny little detail - it would be totally unconstitutional.