Why Choose an American Pit Bull Terrier???
By: Abigail Rios
long time MFAPBTA member
I’ve been asked this question so many times and have always been able to respond with affection. For me, my love has come from overcoming a general fear that I had for many years….you see, I had a fear of dogs since my early childhood. When I was about 4 or 5 years old, I was chased by a little 10 lb dog. Thank heavens, the dog did not bite me as I ran to my father and he was able to pick me up before the dog actually reached me. And despite many attempts that my parents did, I never quite overcame that. So, as a child and young teen and eventually a young adult…. I feared dogs. If I saw one coming my direction, I quickly changed my direction to go the other way!
It wasn’t until I met my husband, Max, that I overcame my fear. You see, when we first started dating, we had one of our first dates. We went to my husband’s cousin’s house. As I entered his cousin’s yard, a rather large white American pit bull terrier came running towards me. As sheer panic rose from within me, I did manage to not faint and try to hold my ground. (After all, isn’t that what everyone says to do when a dog comes running to you…whatever you do, DO NOT run.) So, I stood there in complete dismay….with both arms clutched so close to by body. I don’t even remember breathing at that point! And what did this dog do? The dog, “Tequila”, came up and smelled me. “Tequila” then sat down right next to me and just stared at me. When I finally had enough nerve to look down (since I was praying to the heavens at that point), she just laid on her back with all her paws in the air (as if to say “Pet me, already!”). I finally reached down and rubbed her belly. And ever since that day, I never feared any dog again.
I didn’t know that my first dog would be an APBT. We had gone to a breeder in New York and fell in love with a Brindle puppy. I chose this puppy since it just continued to follow me around once I picked him up. Of course my husband didn’t even tell me it was an APBT until we got home. For the first 3 weeks, I was so scared to be alone with the puppy. I kept telling my husband all the bad things I heard about the breed. He kept assuring me “A dog will only be as good as the person on the other end of the leash.” Max told me to bond with our new puppy, “Nas”, by simply walking him. On one of walks, “Nas” barked at some teenagers turning neighborhood garbage cans for fun. And as I happen to walk by, one of our elderly neighbors actually came out of her house and said something to one of the teenagers. Well, “Nas” must have sensed possible danger because as the teenager started to walk towards my neighbor, “Nas” continued to bark louder and louder…. “Nas” was only about 2 months old at this point. Well, that was enough for the teenager to move about his business. I gave “Nas” a treat when we got home that day!
One another occasion….. I was taking a bath and “Nas” continued to bark and bark and bark. I kept telling him to be quiet, but he just would not stop. I finally came out and he quickly ran to our kitchen and continued to bark some more. I finally came to the kitchen and realized what he was trying to tell me. I had forgotten that I was boiling some water in a tea kettle. The plastic top had already melted completely off and the glass itself was on the brink of bursting. My entire kitchen was filled with black smoke. If it not had been for “Nas” rushing me out of the bathroom, I don’t know what could’ve happened.
Several years ago, NY experienced a “Black Out” (no electricity) during one of the worst summer heat waves. The block I lived on at the time had no electricity for almost 2 days. “Nas” never left my side. He transformed himself from companion to guardian without me even asking.
Looking back, “Nas” & “Tequila” taught me to overcome any fear. Life is too short not to think that way. I wasted all those years of fearing something that I had nothing to be fearful of! By not having that fear, I not only learned the proper way to greet and approach any canine, but I learned how to be a responsible dog owner. And in time, I understood that education is the key in preventing dog bites, especially among young children. In addition, I learned how to have “thick skin” when owning this breed…. For as any APBT owner will tell you, you will hear MANY state their opinions of this breed. And how do I answer back? Simple . . . I state the obvious . . . “I do not own a pit bull. I own an American Pit Bull Terrier. There is a difference. The term, pit bull, is what the media depicts as this breed. American Pit Bull Terrier is the correct name of the breed.”
So you ask….. Why choose an American Pit Bull Terrier? Because you will never have to train these dogs to understand loyalty and devotion. These dogs love, support, and protect their family unconditionally. They are caring and smarter than what some people estimate them to be. And most of all, they continue to possess strength and determination in all that they do, whether that be weight pull, conformation, or agility events. They are the best representatives of a timeless breed.