I can remember when I met my dog Scout for the first time. I walked to the door of the house where he was being fostered and knocked, a little anxious. I knew he was a pitbull, and I had heard the stigma surrounding this dog breed. I was expecting an aggressive greeting, but instead opened the door to see this sweet little puppy staring up at me, tail wagging.

Immediately my heart melted, and I proceeded to go sit on the couch covered with dog hair. Scout climbed up into my lap and fell asleep peacefully. I looked around the room and laughed as I saw at least seven small dogs yapping and playing, and Scout, trying his best to keep up with their high energy. Scout didn’t have his name yet, but the foster parents would call him, “pretty boy,” and he would excitedly trudge over with his paws way too big for his body and politely sit at the foot of his owners. He knew how to give his paw, how to sit, stay, lay down, and how to give lots of love. He was the exact opposite of the stereotypical vicious pitbull that is supposedly known to bite down on anyone who makes so much as a move towards them.

Scout has hands down been the best dog I’ve been blessed to have in my lifetime. It absolutely breaks my heart that people kill off and ban this breed because of a common misunderstanding. Of course, there are exceptions to every breed, and most of these exceptions are animals that are so afraid of human contact because they have been abused for so long, the only thing they do know how to do is defend themselves. I am convinced that if owners can raise their dogs right, no matter how big, small, or supposedly aggressive they are, they will grow into loving and loyal companions if we gave them the fighting chance they so deserve.

So, next time you hear the word pitbull, try to squash away the stereotype that you’ve probably been fed for so long, and learn to love and accept this breed the way they unconditionally love and accept us.

Give all your doggies out there a hug from me!