Why I should be Daddy's 2009 Valentine!

There are several reasons why I believe that I deserve to become Daddy's Valentine (again). As his Valentine a couple of years ago, it gave me more exposure to help spread the word that every dog, regardless of breed, is a simple reflection of its owner's choices. Also, isn't getting a dog about making a 100% commitment to that animal, just as you would to any new family member? By choosing me again, Daddy is showing the value of staying commited to the same ideals over time.

I am an American Pit Bull Terrier rescued from www.badrap.org out of Oakland, CA. An urban town with dog fighting issues, Animal Control Officers believe that I was used as a "bait" dog, or a dog without fighting gameness used to bring out dominance in other dogs. Most dog fighters don't kill their bait dogs a la Michael Vick, but simply evict us to try to make do on the streets, alone.

Animal Control Officers in the area believed this to be the case with me since I turned up in a neighborhood with known dog fighters who also breed for my color (called blue in pit bulls although it's more of a taupe/charcoal). Described by the shelter's vet as "severely emaciated" and only 37 pounds, I quickly filled out to a robust and rather brick-like 53 pounds. Mom feeds me a raw food diet, sometimes called prey model and sometimes called BARF, or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food & now my coat gleams and my energy level is way up. I just know that she makes me do training before I get to eat, so I learn a lot in that 5 min each day before mealtimes.

Having never known friendly humans, during my first few weeks with mom, I rarely came out of my cage (never locked) and would hide underneath my dog bed and stuffed animal toys, hiding like E.T. in the closet of toys. Eventually I started venturing out for meal times and for 5 and 10 minute spurts. A true isolation case, upon experiencing anything new, I would immediately "check out", get vacant eyes and cower on the ground with my tail between my legs & sometimes wetting the ground. This happened upon every single encounter with something new like walking on a leash, hearing dogs bark, city noises, stairs, cats (still working on that one - they're scary!), elevators, meeting people, going to the beach. . .

. . . but as most know, LOVE can cure anything, along with consistent daily exercise and training. In just 4 months with mom, I aced both the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test as well as the far more rigorous Therapy Dog test. As a working Therapy Dog, I get to visit our local hospital & a seperate retirement community weekly. The pediatric ward is my favorite and I love to lay upside down with folks in the hospice center too as I'm a natural cuddle bug. Some of the older people even weep as they hold me because it's oddly similar to cradling a sleepy toddler. I stay very limp and love to make sleepy eye contact and contented bulldog snores.

Watching me blossom into the happy, wiggly bundle of fun and joy that I am now has rejuvenated my mom's heart and spirit. My very wide smile makes most everyone who sees me smile back. While occassionally people will say mean things to mom because of my stocky appearance and the terrible media stories that abound about pit bulls, most people help me build confidence by encouraging me. At the beach, strangers will root for me to swim just 8 or 10 feet! Not to brag, but I just learned how to swim! My lab friend, Bodhi, helped me get over my fear of the water - here's a 25 second video of us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ56L-8n6ZY

Most importantly, now I've got the support of my team behind me including my everpresent mom, my grandparents, vets, my many "aunts" and "uncles", etc. Plus, mom arranges daily supervised doggie playdates for me, so I wake up each morning with something to look forward to, even if it does take me about 2 hours of luxuriating, stretching and cuddling before I'm ready to get out of bed.

To those in favor of breed specific legislation, I say that any dog is simply a reflection of its current owner. Look at how differently I acted before and after being in my mom's care. Two of Michael Vick's dogs are also Therapy Dogs now. Places like Denver will mandatorily euthanize any "pit bull type" dog, even those passing through the area under the care of non-residents. Ontario, Canada and the state of Ohio have similar laws that punish the wrong end of the leash.

It's every dog guardian's duty and responsibility to raise us right. Luckily, the unlimited joy and enormous smiles that we bring to every activity makes it well worth the daily effort.

The time has come to showcase the silent majority of pit bull owners who provide structured, consistent and most importantly, LOVING homes and have dogs who reflect that. I would appreciate you highlighting one of us!

To see the object of my affection who brings out all this emotion in me, check out Daddy here: http://www.dogster.com/dogs/456424.

Leave a Comment