Good Pits in the News/awards

[Sheriffmom]

I'd like to start a thread about all the POSITIVE press Pitbulls recieve. And all the "Hero" Pitbulls.
Let me start by adding this link http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pospress.html
http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html

[sammiec]

Kris Crawford has 2 APBTs that are Search and Rescue dogs. They were involved in the search of Astronauts of Space Shuttle Columbia.

[sammiec]

Dogsinthenews.com

Pit Bull Saves Man's Life, Dies a Hero

April 26, 2001 Belmont, North Carolina, USA

Good thing Gaston County, North Carolina doesn't have a ban on pit bulls, or this man wouldn't be alive this morning.

Steve Carpacca, 41, was asleep in his mobile home at 3:15am when his pit bull ran into the bedroom and started barking frantically.

The man awoke to a room filled with smoke and immediately ran outside. When he realized that his dog had not followed him, he rushed back into the blazing trailer, armed with two 5-pound fire extinguishers, but the fire was already out of control.

Four fire departments responded to the call, and it took a total of 15 firefighters to douse the flames. The dog never made it out; fire crews found the little hero's body in the hall just outside Mr. Carpacca's bedroom.

Mr. Carpacca was devastated at the loss of his dog.

"The dog saved his life, absolutely," said Chief Dicky Harris with the Community Volunteer Fire Department. "If the dog hadn't been in the house, [Mr. Carpacca] would have been overcome by smoke."

It is believed that the fire was caused by an electric heater in the kitchen. Mr. Carpacca never heard any of the smoke detectors sound.

[mastifflover]

Great stories and I think everyday when we email we should put one of these stories on the top of each letter.

[sammiec]

MISSY SAVES THE DAY!!!

[sammiec]

Yeah Marley!

(I can go on and on.... )

[sammiec]

PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: 2004.09.29
EDITION: Final
SECTION: City
PNAME: City Editorial
PAGE: B4
COLUMN: Iris Winston
BYLINE: Iris Winston
SOURCE: The Ottawa Citizen
**********************************
A pit bull that defies the stereotype

**********************************

Buzz did more than protect its owners. The pit bull-cross recently showed the world that sweeping judgments against any breed are unreasonable.

Buzz is the 40-kilogram dog that saved its owners from a home invasion and
robbery. It latched onto the ankle of one of the would-be thieves, fighting
with a member of the household, and clamped down. Its jaws locked. Two of the three robbers retreated and ran off. Buzz eventually released the third to limp after his criminal companions. It had saved its people from harm.

The story could have had a very different ending if Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant had followed through on a threat to ban pit bulls. He has
indicated his intent to target the breed because of their reported involvement in biting incidents. On Monday, Windsor city council banned pit bulls.

I have always thought it grossly unfair to condemn an entire breed because of a few bad apples. Do that with human beings and it is called racial profiling. But with dogs, the profiling is shrugged off as a preventive measure.

Certainly, various breeds exhibit specific characteristics. Humans have bred them to perform specific functions. For example, a herding dog is bred to herd, a sporting dog to hunt, a terrier to be feisty and combative, a lap dog to be decorative.

This is exactly why choosing a puppy should be much more than falling in love with a bundle of fur. That little teddy bear of a chow is likely to be aggressive and dominant in adulthood. The intelligent charmer of a border collie is equally likely to become neurotic without a chance to work. But not every dog of every breed falls into a neat slot.

Not every pit bull terrier, Rottweiler, Doberman pinscher or German shepherd deserves to be labelled as dangerous. Yet there are frequent reports of dog attacks by these breeds in particular.

This is, in part, because of the there-goes-another-one syndrome. If one case of a rogue dog is reported in the media, you can be sure that two or three others featuring the same breed will follow soon afterwards. I am uncertain whether this is a conscious seeking for examples to back a theory or a subconscious increased awareness of cases involving a specific breed. I do know that the kindest dog I ever met (apart from my own, of course) was a very gentle Rottweiler and the most vicious, even given to unprovoked attacks on its owner, was a Lhasa Apso.

Downplaying the good-dog stories about the breeds that are frequently given a bad rap is another way of perpetuating negativity. The report of the Buzz story I heard on CBC radio, for example, merely referred to "the family dog." Had the news been about a dog attack rather than a dog hero, I am sure the breed would have been named. By contrast, the recent story in the Citizen made a point of noting that Buzz is a pit bull-cross.

The bombardment of negative stories about pit bulls or Rottweilers creates
another issue. They frequently become mascots for people wanting to project a tough image -- no more accessories than studs, knuckle-dusters, chains, body piercings, black leather jackets and jack knives. (Think Bill Sikes in Oliver/Oliver Twist and his bull terrier.)

Not that I am saying that every owner with multiple piercings and a Mohawk haircut is a bad dog owner. That would be the same as profiling dog breeds. But just as certain breeds are bred for particular purposes, it is more likely that those aiming to project an image of aggression and potential violence will train dogs with pain and punishment rather than love and praise. And a dog with a bad puppyhood is just as likely to have social problems in later life as a person with a bad childhood.

Buzz, photographed giving its owner a very wet kiss after the incident, clearly comes from the type of loving home that results in good dogs of any breed.

For the record, descriptions of pit bulls, bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers describe them as extremely courageous and ready to fight an enemy to the death, particularly to defend their owners. "A minimum of training will produce a tranquil, good, obedient dog with the ability to distinguish immediately the good or evil intentions of strangers." says Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs about the American Staffordshire terrier. Just as Buzz did.

[Sheriffmom]

Popcicle the rescued Pitbull who became a Customes dog... sniffing out Drugs!!
Stubby the war hero Pitbull... and possibly the founder of the K9 corps!!
The 9/11 search and rescue Pitbulls!!
Mastiff- I agree, I will start putting a "hero/award winning" Pitbull in all my daily letters to MPPs.

[pitbulliest]

excellent idea you guys..lets start giving the MPPs a taste of what the media SHOULD be saying about pit bulls

[Joelle]

"Pit bulls are fourth from the bottom in terms of likelihood to bite you. The dog most likely to snap at you is a Spaniel.." from http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/CREAMPUFF.html

Well, shouldn't they be outlawing Spaniels!?! Craziness! I'm really considering getting a Pit I think they're SO cute. Do you think they'd eat my cat?! I know they not recommended with other dogs?


Joelle