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Published: 2008-07-18 03:45:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 2956; Favourites: 80; Downloads: 25
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Here he is again, my wonderful pitbull. This is a tribute to him and the thousands more that have been rescued from bad owners...and a prayer of hope for those left chained, waiting for their turn at a soft warm bed and a loving pat on the head.How is it that one of the most beautiful, loyal breeds is also one of the most abused, hated and prejudged?
Disclaimer: This is my original work and may be used for any pitty rescues or animal welfare purposes, just ask first!
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Comments: 124
You would end up with a wet face--he is a licker-extraordinaire!
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The poor little thing. It really Irks me when people comment on how Pitbulls are vicious breeds. I believe it's the people who raise them that make them that way.
There needs to be more people like you out there who take in this abused and hurt dogs and take time and patience to help them trust and love again. Their beautiful breeds and deserve as much love as any other dog and animal.
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Yes definitely the upbringing has a huge part in it. However, they aren't the breed for everyone, and even well-meaning owners can be the "wrong" people to have one. This guy is super sweet with people, but I must always be on my guard when he is interacting with other animals. No matter how they are raised they do have some breed-specific characteristics that should never be ignored! Ah, off my soapbox...They are truly wonderful dogs if given a fair chance!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment
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Pitbulls are wonderful. And so are you for saving him.
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he's a gorgeous dog. I wouldn't pat him on the head, though.
I would HUG HIM!
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Ohhh, he LOVES hugs!! Lol, I was at a hotel with him once, and a 3-yr old boy came running 'round a corner and nearly smashed into me and Francis. At first he stopped, blinked, and did a double take at the dog. Then he went right up and engulfed Francis in a little-boy-bear-hug. Francis was soooo happy. Probably not a good idea to hug most strange dogs...but this guy is pretty easy going
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lol that's adorable!
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I feel so sorry for Pit-bulls 
I despise the people who bring this breed into such a dark and sinister life, but I even more so despise the people who are prejudice towards the breed because of such horror stories. A dog becomes what their owner molds them into; in my eyes, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.
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Unfortunately they aren't the breed for everyone (many, many friendly ones, but they do have a tendency for dog aggression, no matter how they're raised), yet every irresponsible person seems to go straight out and buy a pit bull. And any dog running loose, un-neutered in the streets is going to get itself into trouble, no matter what the breed! That's where all the horror stories come from, and yes it makes me very angry too! Especially when I walk my very friendly dog into a pet store and mothers clutch their children out of his reach....all because of the media hyping up a bad reputation.
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I agree. Unfortunately you can't erase something like aggression or territoriality that from a dog's mentality. 
That sounds very frustrating. =/ I try to be naturally respectful of an animal's personal space. But for people to jerk their kids out of your path when walking with your dog (when I'm sure they weren't too close to begin with) is a bit too much >.< It all just seems to be a complicated, twisted world for dogs and their owners at times
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I know, right?! I even try to walk him away from them, because I know he looks intimidating and I don't want them to feel threatened. Once a lady was letting her kid pet him, and they were being so cute together--kid was laughing as Francis licked his face. The mom said "wow, he's so friendly. What kind of dog is he?" When I answered pit bull, she acted as if I had given her child a loaded gun to play with and whisked her kid away. i was thinking..."um ok, a second ago he was a nice dog, and now he's a baby eater just because of a label...?"
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That's just unbelievable...
Your dog Francis sounds so sweet; I sure wouldn't stop lovin' on him just because I realized he was a Pit Bull 
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Aww, Francis sends a big sloppy "thank you" kiss!
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Hurray for big sloppy thank you kisses!!
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Thank you so much!
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you are very welcome =]
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I'm speechless. All i can say is amazing. Simply amazing message.
I will add that i absolutely adore pit bulls, they are my favorite breed and i currently own two. I will continue to fight for them and try to educate people to the truth of this amazing breed.
How come one of the nations most loved breeds has now become the most hated? :[ heartbreaking.
either way, we need more people like you who are willing to take the time and rescue these animals and give them the life they deserve.
I must say this dog is so lucky to have been saved by an amazing person like you :]
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Aw thank you so much for saying that! And thank you for owning pitties and educating people. We need more people like you--wonderful owners of a wonderful breed, so that people can see they are not monsters. I see SO many bad pit bull owners, and it breaks my heart. Each one of them just adds to the negative stigma
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And thank you! We just need more people who are willing to learn and not be what i consider prejudice against them, and education is often the key to this kind of problem
and
It really is horrible, unfortunately they are a wonderful breed who will do anything for their so called 'masters' and unfortunately due to their 'tough' look they often get thrown into the wrong hands, and instead of helping them and showing that their actually victims the media chooses to portray them as monsters, so terrible.
I just hope one day they can return to the status of the beloved nanny dogs they once were.
But then i know it will be some other breed attacked :[
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Yes, I am hoping for the Nanny status for them again too.
I hate when I see one put to sleep that is sweet as anything but dog-aggressive. It doesn't mean that they will "eat a baby next!" They truly are nanny dogs and a well bred/kindly raised one would never dream of hurting a baby, ya know? No one blames beagles that kill rabbits, because they are just doing what they were bred for. Yet pitbulls who don't get along with other dogs are also doing what they are bred to do, yet they are killed for it. I hate that whole sentiment of "first the neighbor's cat and next my children".
I agree that their loyalty is very misused and it makes me sadder than anything. but yeah, I hate to see which breed will be ruined next...popularity is probably the worst thing for any breed.
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I know, that's ridiculous.
So many breeds were bred to chase down and kill small things but no one says 'oh they're going to kill children next'
I don't understand how people can focus so much on one bred quality as in 'They were bred to fight dogs and chase small things' yet totally ignore the other very important bred quality that 'They were not bred to be human aggressive, quite the opposite, they had to be able to be handled by humans constantly, people had to be able to jump in and easily pull them out of the ring safely, and then they had to be nice enough dogs to be able to bring home to the family, including their small children. Human aggression was highly looked down upon and originally bred out of the dogs'
And i agree, popularity can do any breed in. It's crazy to think that the next dog could easily be a lab or golden retriever, and though people may be like "what? thats crazy talk". well pit bulls were originally even more popular than those breeds, i mean they were even used on war posters to represent america, pit bulls were practically our mascot. Yet people easily turned their backs on them, that shows that any breed could easily fall victim. and of course theres no denying the fact that the more dogs of that breed around the higher chance that when a dog does attack it'll be the most common breed.
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Well said!
Yep, it could be ANY dog! Labs and goldens are already getting bad in my opinion. I see a ton of labs and goldens that are hyper active, high strung, over-exuberant, and i hate to say it, but brainless, dogs; they are nothing like the loyal, gentle companions they once were. Not to mention all the fear-biters that are cropping up as good genetics get thrown out the window by the backyard breeders. (Just look at dalmations; they used to be great dogs before the movie came out and they were ruined by popularity.)
A friend of mine is a DVM/PhD and she is doing research on pit bull bite statistics. It turns out that pit bulls are by far the most popular dog in America right now (the public doesn't know this, since most pitties are unregistered with the AKC, and the AKC's "most Popular" dog charts therefor don't give an accurate portrayal of popularity. Also because there are so many different breeds lumped into the pit bull category.). Which means the whole thing about them being #1 on the bite charts is simply due to the fact that they are the #1 breed of dog. When the numbers were reworked so that they reflected the PERCENTAGE of pitbulls that bite humans versus the PERCENTAGE of labs that bite humans, the labs took the cake. Go figure 
I sound like a lab-hater. I'm not! I really do like them, I just think they are over rated maybe..!
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Oh i personally believe they are overrated. Mainly because i just find them as dogs, they dont have a special quality or uniqueness about their looks. They are very nice, friendly dogs but nothing extraordinary.
And exactly the more bred, the more backyard breeders, the more inbreeding, over breeding, undertained dogs there are and then what do you get? dogs with aggressive tendencies or fear issues or some other mental trauma of a sort.
And oh ya i know! its crazy, its something like 20% of the dog population is made up of pit bulls or something of that nature. So obviously there will be more, making it more likely that the bite is from them, though when you compare the statistics of bites to the population it shows the opposite of what the media portrays as a'psycho crazy breed who all bite everyone in sight'
Really our main problem is we need to control dog and cat populations. Stop over breeding. Supply and demand i guess, though its awful to objectify animals like that still theres not enough homes for the many we have, and instead many are either feral or thrown into cruel, neglectful houses and later put down. I believe spaying and neutering is very important and only certain strains should be maintained so to control good genes and process out bad ones i suppose.
Me and my sister were actually saying that we think people should have to pass a test and acquire a permit before being allowed to breed animals. So then only those who know what they're doing would have the ability to, and any place that does breed animals should only be allowed a certain amount and the animals should have to also pass a test and so should the conditions of their facility, mainly because i believe we need to get rid of puppy mills. I just feel when it comes to animals, their rights, and care our modern society is slacking significantly.
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Oh my gosh I could listen to you all day. We totally need more people like you. 
I couldn't agree more about spaying and neutering. And it would make SO much sense for breeers to have to pass a test like you said. They should have to obtain a license that shows they can afford it, have health/behavior tested the parents, etc. That would deter all the backyard breeders, because they wouldn't want to put that much effort forth, since they are just doing it for fun or to "let the kids see a litter be born". I see soooo many bad breeders at work, not puppy mills, but just regular families breeding their pets. I believe these types of people to be more responsible for the overpopulation than the mills actually. For example, the other day a guy brought in his boxer that he had tied outside while she was in heat, because he thought it would be nice for her to get the experience of having a litter. He had no idea who the sire was or anything. The poor bitch was 7 years old, had never been bred, was way underconditioned, and had tumors on her skin. She had a pup stuck in the birth canal all day, and he did nothing because he was "too grossed out". When he brought her in, he couldn't even afford the exam fee. It made me sick. And now if her litter survives, there are 10 more unwanted dogs in this world.
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I adopted a little white pit bull pup from a shelter, he's deaf, but he's fixed and so is my older one. We're going to fix both our rottweiler baby and one of our chihuahuas, originally we wanted to breed and had more then enough homes for the babies but when our small chihuahua had so many problems we decided against it, as it'd be a horrible idea to continue his genetics.
And i know! So many people think "Oh it'll be a fun experience and a quick way to make a buck" They don't bother thinking about the animals lives and how they're jeopardized when they do so. If they had to actually pay for a permit and make that much effort, they would be deterred instead of greedy people breeding it'd be people who actually wanted to continue good lines not just for money.
And oh i agree, backyard breeders are horrible, they have no idea what they're doing either that or they don't care. I think they're even more 'dangerous' just because they know nothing about it other then that they need a male and a bitch in heat.
Overpopulation is such a problem.
But education is key, people need to be informed of the problems they cause when they do this. They need to be shown the consequences of their actions and have to take responsibility.
Omigosh! That's absolutely terrible! How wretched, how could someone let that happened to their pet? Thats not just a pet, that should be a companion a family member, they have lives to, minds and emotions, they feel, think and breath like we do, how could someone just disrespect and objectify their animal like that. She should have never been bred in her condition, and even if so a first litter is so taxing she needed a lot of care, it's sad to think that even if the litter does fight it's way through they may not make it just because they can't get a home
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Oh I know, I can't believe anyone would do something like that to their pet. I look at my own dogs who truly are like little furry children, and I cringe to think of either of them in such a condition.
It has been fantastic to get to chat with you! So glad to have met you!
Francesca
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I agree, My dogs are my babies.
And i'm glad i got the pleasure to chat with you! I'm glad to have met you also!
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>.< the cropped ears gawd i hate that & the poor pup has a snout scar D8<
*snuggles*
his eyes are nearly human & the fur is gorgeous
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Oh I know I HATE cropped ears! If people want to get nose jobs and boob jobs to themselves, fine, but cosmetic surgery on a dog is so wrong.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment
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My dog used to be in fights
She still has a scar on her left hind leg~
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Poor baby...glad she is safe now!
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Such a gorgeous dog! Even with the scars..
I wish I'll ever be so lucky to meet a pit bull..(They have been banned here since 1991..)
Do you know what happened to him before you got him?(I'm guessing dog fighting tho..)
I'm glad he's gotten a second chance with you!
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That is so sad that they are banned. They are such a loyal, wonderful breed. It has never made sense to me that one of the nations most advanced in animal welfare, not allowing ear crops and tail docks, is also the one with the most breed bans
Before I got him he was used by dog fighters. He was impounded for 7 months while his cruelty case was taken to court. At the end of that time his owner was convicted of dog fighting, and they decided to euthanize all the dogs involved (because most people have it in their mind that pits who were fought are aggressive--not necessarily true at all, in fact many are LESS likely to be human-aggressive). Anyways, all of the other pits from that location were put to sleep, but when it came to be Francis's turn for the injection, the woman could not do it. He was sent to a rescue where he spent many more months in a kennel, because no one wanted a dog with scars.
Although I am not convinced all of his scars come from other dogs. He is one of the most fearless dogs I know, and yet if you raise your hand around him, he drops to his belly and closes his eyes as if you are about to beat the crap out of him. I have tried to teach him that lifting a hand just means he is going to get pet or a treat, and he is getting a lot better. If I do raise my voice at him, he becomes so upset that he almost vomits. It is soooo sad, and is the reason we rarely if ever yell at him.
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Thats so sad
cropping ears and docking tails is illegal here too(unless itΒ΄s a medical reason for it of course)..
Seems like he has been beaten yeah
I think heΒ΄s gorgeous anyway..
I like the breeds that are "fighting dogs", but most of them are banned here..
But IΒ΄ll stick to other pets anyway..
I hope he keeps improving and understands that not everyone is out to hurt him
Give him lots of cuddles from me
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Haha thanks!
I wish the both of you the best of luck
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As an owner of an American Pit Bull Terrier, I am thankful that there are people like you out there that have knowledge and compassion for the plight that this breed faces. This breed is absolutely a courageous, loyal and loving family companion who through ignorance, and media whipped hype, plus the sub-human species that engage in 'pit-fighting' gambling, and those who breed these beautiful animals for such a purpose- face extinction. The mentality of people who engage in this activity of 'dog fighting' is of the lowest, base sub- human quality, and lack personal courage, in fact they are bullies living out their fantasies of 'tough-guy' through their unfortunate dogs. What the dogs suffer at the hands of these people is unacceptable and unforgivable. There are huge amounts of money involved in this blood lust underground activity, and while outlawed in the USA and Canada, it still thrives, and is "legal" in some countries. My personal feelings toward the people who breed and engage in this inhuman activity, aren't fit to remain in this society. So rather than Breed Legislation, apply it to the owners and participants of this activity. Place the blame where it belongs, don't eliminate a breed or an individual dog who is the 'victim' for the ignorance and cruelty of man.
I am happy that you stepped in and gave this dog a second chance and a life beyond abuse.
Joyce
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You said it all! Dog fighting is terrible. It runs rampant in my community, and we see the aftermath all the time at the animal control. It is truly all about money...and unfortunately culture. There have been dogfight busts where they have seen little miniature tables and chairs set up for the children to watch. How these people can not see the violence and cruelty, I will never understand. I agree though: punish the people at fault and leave the rest of the nanny dogs alone!
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I thought you might like to know, "my guy, Zeus" saved me from an unwelcome encounter that could have become 'close and personal' tonight. I was out in a marsh area trying to capture a Goshawk hunting...and which my husband spooked. While I was racing around trying to follow the path of this hawk, Zeus sprang into sudden activity and treed a bear that I "looking up" failed to spot.
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Wow!! That is amazing! You should seriously have that published in your local newspaper...add some good publicity for our breed!
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He's beautiful...scars and all! His eyes make mine tear up! So glad you rescued him! And, I know he is too!
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Thank you! I know, his eyes are so deep and soulful. When my husband and I first saw those eyes we both cried. He still makes me tear up sometimes, when I look at him and think what he's been through.
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