I had plans to get a big breed dog (golden retriever was my first choice) but, not in the city..I was waiting until I got out into the country where he/she would have room to run and play. Plans have changed. My daughter asked me to foster a pit bull. I was like most every other american and dead set against pit bulls. I followed the media hype and that was the end of it.
Tucker was going to be put to sleep at 3:00 pm. We followed his updates to see if someone would foster him. We cried and watched for hours. At 2:30 I said "ok, he can come here as a foster but he can not stay" I was so worried because of his breed and all I've heard in the media. I started reading everything I could about the breed while waiting to go pick him up. We picked him up at about 6:00 that evening, by 8:00 that same evening he was part of my family and I wasn't going to let him go anywhere, EVER.
Tucker is an amazing animal.. All he wants to do is love, learn and please us.
He is male dog aggressive but I can live with that. He has been here a week today and knows his place in our family. He knows my granddchildren are higher up in the pack then he is...
Every walk we take, we meet at least one person who likes to tease and test him with their dog....I smile and think to myself. I can control my dog, can you control yours? He does awesome paying attention to me instead of the other dog.
Then there are those who down right hate him just because of his breed. (I didn't trust them but, I did not hate them when I seen one.) We hear things like "be careful it's a mean dog", "don't look at him" "get away from him" and so on. Yes, I get angry because Tucker LOVES people. He don't care what they look like, how they are or even if they showered this month. He just plain loves them. My only reaction can and will always be...I keep walking, smile at the person and think to myself, maybe we don't like you either. I can't let them get to me.
And yet again there is another type of person. The ones who don't watch their children and then see Tucker walking in that direction and run to scoop that child up. Tucker didn't even see or care if that child was standing there. He was paying attention to me so he could see what I wanted him to do next. Another smile and another thought....I can control my dog, can you control your child?
Yes, Tucker is a full blood pit bull. Yes, his breed is unpredictable. And Yes, he is a very strong dog....
I control him, he does not control me. By controlling him I mean, I can keep him out of a situationg where he may or may not get into trouble, I can make him do what I want because he loves me and wants to please me. It's a mutual love and respect that we have for each other. I do not put him a situation where he will feel the need to defend himself or me. I do not force his to obey me, I teach him to love and respect my wishes and in turn he gets all the love and respect he deserves.
He is not forces to interact with everyone and anyone. I socialize him ! This means he learns that we don't have to interact with everyone or every animal we see. We have to co-exist. He is learning that there are some we can interact with and some we can not. For his safety and those around us, he does not interact unless he was invited. If someone wants to get near him and he don't want them to, He is not forced. (he knows who he can trust and who he can't.). I ask them to stay away from him and get his attention on me instead of them...He needs to learn to trust that I will protect him at all cost. By protection I mean keep him safe and out of trouble. Again, so he never feels the need to defend himself or me.
I have learned that owning Tucker or a "pit bull". That I have more issues with the public then I do him.
I have learned that I can never trust him "not" to fight...If he does not trust me to protect him.
I have learned that owning a "pit bull" does not make me tough, it makes me loved. (by Tucker)
I have learned that I can not judge a dog by their breed any more then I can judge a person by their looks.
Bottom Line; I was WRONG!
I am now the proud owner of a pit bull. I am loved and I am respected. Tucker has shown me more in one week then a lot of people have shown me in their lifetime. If he gets into trouble, that makes me a bad owner, it does not make him a bad dog.
I am not asking everyone to love his breed or even like it for that matter. I am asking that everyone be respectful to all breeds, including his.
Don't worry about trusting the dog, worry about trusting the owner. Are they the type of person who taught their dog love and socialization? Can they control their dog? Did they teach their dog to trust that they will protect it or teach the dog that he/she has to protect itself and them? Do they pay enough attention to their dog to know how he/she will react to any situation? These are the questions you have to ask yourself.
Again, Tucker has taught me more in one week then most have in their lifetime. He changed my life for the better.
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