Because of all the discussion about the horrors of dog fighting, and how disgusting all the perpetrators of this evil are, I'd like to share a small story about how I tried to do my bit to help.
A few years ago my much beloved dog died at sixteen years of age. I missed having a dog and started looking at petfinders.com, thinking to find a shelter dog that desperately needs a home. I was attracted to a male dog who was listed as part pit bull, and who had been harmed by children and was therefore "afraid of children." Ah, I thought, this is perfect. I drove to the small animal shelter, not too far from my house in Connecticut, to see the dog. He was huge and built of solid muscle, but so very affectionate! He was adorable and climbed into my lap, wanting to be petted. He was a handful, but I thought I would get him to dog training (something I've never needed to do, since I'm pretty adept at training dogs myself) but he weighed much more than I was used to, and was untrained. I took him home and he was so happy. He would sneak into my bed at night, and just was full of love. And then, I took him into the front yard for his first walk.
He spotted a local teen while she was still a long country block away, and lunging toward her, dragging me, he wanted to attack her. It turns out that the "afraid of children" that was written in plain English on his adoption papers meant "attacks children." I managed to get him into the house, fearing for the child's life, for goodness sakes. I consulted my veterinarian who consoled me that this was something I could not fix, and that I should return him immediately, which I knew, because he was a dangerous dog toward children. But it meant a lot that I heard the words I needed to hear to console me from a professional. So I returned him and explained to the shelter manager what had happened.
She did not want to take him back and was angry with ME, even as she was caught in a lie. And get this... she crumbled up the adoption papers and threw them in my face. This as I was the broken hearted one, having to give up a dog that had nothing but affection and love for me, but had hatred for children beaten into him by his previous "street culture" owners. And the shelter owner assaulted and insulted me!
I did some research and not surprisingly, as people are now learning on their own with this Vick news story, there are no rescue sanctuaries to speak of for pit bulls, and other fighting dogs, and they are overrunning the good shelters that do try to provide for abandoned dogs. This "street culture" of having abused and fighting dogs is a scourge on the heart and soul of America's heart, and it must be fixed, stamped out with every effort. There is no reason that this poor dog, Jack, who I tried to adopt, should have been so abused as to now hate and be a danger to children. And I am still very hurt and insulted by the shelter director who was so abusive to me when I, having just lost my own dog and having a wounded heart, tried to open my heart and home to a difficult to adopt dog, only to have my good deed literally thrown in my face.
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