The other day I was scrolling on my Instagram feed and on one of the many pit bull dog account pages that I follow, I came across a picture that read "#BoycottMontreal". I had absolutely no clue what this meant. Later that day, I found out.
Government officials in Montreal, Canada signed legislation to outlaw any type of dog that resembles the pit bull breed. The law prohibits any adoptions of pit bulls or "pit bull like" dogs from shelters. All pit bulls, or dogs who resemble this bully breed, that are within these shelters are to be euthanized.
Sadly, pit bulls take up the majority, if not the entirety, of animal shelters. Through the years, pit bulls have been given such a bad reputation that they have become so unwanted. The law also addresses current pit bull owners. Owners must get extensive criminal background checks, pay a $150 permit fee to keep the dog as well as buy the dog a muzzle. If they are unable to comply they will lose their dog.
Over three years ago I got my dog, Hooch, from the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh, PA. Hooch is a pit bull-lab mix and the absolute love of my life. As cliche as this sounds, I never thought I would be able to love an animal as much as I love him. After watching the show "Pit Bulls and Parolees," which airs on Animal Planet and follows one of the biggest pit bull rescues in America, I wanted to not only adopt a dog, but to adopt a pit bull. I got my wish.
I am a strong believer in that the behavior of a dog is dependent on how the dog is raised and what environment it grows up in. Pit bulls were originally bred for companionship. They had been known for being great with families and were the ideal pets to have. With their huge smiling faces, pit bulls were known in such a better light in the past compared to today.
Today, they are abused. Primarily bred for dog fighting rings, pit bulls have been given a horrible reputation. The media has construed the pit bull name. The strength and passion that these creatures have has been used against them. They are tortured and mistreated by their dog fighting owners so that they can "win". These dogs suffer so much psychological and emotional damage that it is hard to recover. We also see so many stories of vicious pit bull attacks.
Yes, these are horrible and sometimes fatal. Yes, ALL dogs should be fenced in or kept on leashes to prevent attacks from happening because yes ALL dogs have the ability to attack, not just pit bulls. Yes, ALL dogs should be treated humanely so that attacks cease. But the fact that ONE pit bull attack occurs and all of the sudden ALL pit bulls and bully breed dogs should be condemned is ridiculous.
Pit bulls are so much more than the stigma that has been attached to them. They are resilient. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called, "The Champions," which details the recovery process of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting ring. A lot of the dogs were damaged but a lot of them triumphed. Pit bulls amaze me so much by their ability to bounce back after being through such trauma. Some are hurt at the hands of humans and after rehabilitation are able to love humans again, falling in love with their new owners who treat them with the love they deserve.
The next time you see a picture of a pit bull or hear a story of an attack take a step back and think. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but sometimes the labels we give and the conclusions that we jump to can be so false. I think we can see this not only with pit bulls but with so many other issues in this world.
Hopefully, my blabbing on about how much these dogs mean to me makes you have a realization OR you are able to share with me how much you too love these little babes. Always remember, don't bully the breed and adopt, don't shop!
Here I have linked some great animal shelters:
Villalobos Rescue Center
