From Loser to Lover

Some dog breeds just get a bad rap. Take for example the pit bull, like the Staffordshire bull terrier. They are generally feared and persecuted as a breed. In fact, they have been banned in Denver, Colorado. Owners who were at least 21 got to keep their pit bulls but had to register them, provide proof of liability insurance, have the pet spayed or neutered, post a sign that says a pit bull is on their property, and confine the pit bull on the owner’s property, among other rules. Pit bull lovers were crushed. I just read a wonderful testament to the possibility of a pit bull making a great pet.

Janine Shelton in Seymour, Connecticut explains that her job as a veterinary technician sometimes brings hard luck cases into her life that she cannot turn away. She has two rescued pit bulls and the most recent, “Larry the Loser has a heartwarming story.

He came into the vets office after being thrown from a moving car. He was covered with new and old bites and obviously used for fighting. Yet he was gentle and kind to the vet staff as they cleaned and fixed him up. They jokingly called him Larry the Loser because he was probably dumped for losing one fight too many. He was sent to a shelter once he was fixed up, but quickly returned for euthanasia, branded as an aggressive dog.

Janine wouldn’t stand for him being put to sleep, especially since she knew what a great dog he was. She ultimately decided to take him home. Janine says he is a great big lover of a dog that changes minds about pit bulls everywhere he goes.

The American Temperament Testing Society evaluated 122 breeds and found that the American Staffordshire Terrier passed 83.3 percent of the time, just behind the golden retriever (83.6 percent). This brings some question to if whether the dogs are normally dangerous. However, another study shows that pit bulls and rottweilers have caused the most deaths of all breeds. This can only mean one thing…mostly there aren’t bad dogs, only bad people. If you are dog crazy make sure yours is well-behaved, walked on a leash in public and is never allowed to be threatening in any way to others. Don’t forget that your dog is an ambassador for the rest of the dog crazy world!