Overcoming The Reputation - Photos of Pit Bulls and Children
The media has done Pit Bulls and other Bully breeds a huge disservice. Almost every decade a new breed is vilified by the media- in the past it has been Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers and German Shepherds. The reality is, with the development of new forms of media - reporters search for the most sensational stories - and now there are more ways to broadcast these to the public (even if they aren’t the most accurate accounts). This isn’t to say that all individual examples of Bull breeds are stable - on the contrary- when these dogs fall into the wrong hands and are bred to perpetuate the “macho” image, you can end up with a dangerous animal. These dogs are very strong and breeding unstable dogs to unstable dogs makes…more unstable dogs! However this can happen with ANY breed!
As a general rule, Pit Bulls are *not* human aggressive! The breed was bred for dog fighting thus human aggression was a huge personality fault! These dogs needed to be able to be separated easily and handled in situations of extreme stress; this led to a dog that is loving and affectionate to humans - almost to a fault. In many situations this wonderful breed puts up with horrific amounts of abuse and still will not defend itself against its aggressors.
As the owner of a 7 year old Pit Bull rescue, I can say that she is one of the most trustworthy dogs I have ever seen with children. She is gentle to a fault (even when kids get a little rough), knows instinctively not to jump, and will wait patiently for treats without grabbing from little hands. Often she is approached in the park by a child who runs up and goes in for a hug around the neck. A few minutes later the smiling parent asks “What kind of dog is that?” - I answer - “A Pit Bull.” A look of shock crosses their face. Sometimes they grab their kids away. Other times they ask questions. I usually just puzzle over the irony. This is the same dog you were taking such delight in your child bonding with just moments before.
Enjoy these photos of Pits and their kids and try to judge every dog as an individual.
Photo by [chrispessôa]
Photo by PaisleyPitbull
Photo by alyssa p.
Photo by (¯`·._)caralynnie
Photo by Clover_1
Photo by wormwould
Photo by g_off252
Photo by rescuepitbulls
Photo by Clover_1
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
[...] for “Leashes Of Love AAAâ€. Rachael is the proud owner of 5 dogs (from a Chihuahua to a Pit Bull) who are all involved in therapy work. Check out: Pet Therapy Interview - you may decide to become [...]
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] the 9 month old duck suits up with the dogs to go for a walk! The bullys don’t seem to mind their feathered [...]
May 14th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
these pictures are amazing! im the proud owner of a pit bull & he is great with my 1 year old nephew!! i understand that they look scary, but he’s the sweetest dog who loves children & doesnt mind strangers….as long as you let him smell you!
May 26th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
[...] Rescued Pit Bull Puppy Happy Face: [...]
June 15th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I totally agree. We adopted a pit bull mix by accident (we were told by the shelter he was boxer and pointer) but he has turned out to be the best dog we have ever owned. Better than any of our labradors (just as friendly and gentle with kids, but much smarter). We have five children and he is wondeful with them. Not an agressive or mean bone in his body.If someone had told us before we adopted him that he was a pitbull mix, we never would have taken him. We are now thankful for what we didn’t know.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:01 am
[...] Pit Bull puppy snoring while sleeping in an interesting [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 8:01 am
[...] A Pit Bull caught mid-roll. [...]
August 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
I’m 4 mnths pregnant & I have a 2 yr old pit. She is a great dog but jealous and wants constant attention. She just recently attacked a kitten that I got and I’m worried how she will be around my newborn. She is GREAT with my 5 year old nephew and they love each other. Should I be worried that she may get jealous of the baby and become aggressive or could it just be a thing towards cats? The pics are adorable and make me think she might be okay with the baby…Any advice?