Some people

We have a dog. She’s a rescue. We didn’t know what we were getting with her, but had reports from the organization who had her. We knew she would have some form of baggage & we were correct, she does. We’ve learned she’s afraid of strangers & will bark like she’s going to attack if someone comes to the door. She’s not a breed just any Tom, Dick or Harry should own. She’s a full blood, German line, German shepherd. If she were to bite someone, she could do a lot of damage.  She has never bitten anyone, because we take precautions with her. (As I type, she’s in “her” recliner, asleep. She isn’t a morning person.) She’s safe with us because we know what she is & what she’s capable of. If I take her to PetsMart by myself, she’s muzzled. She hates it, but she gets to go. If Joe & I go together with her, she isn’t muzzled but he has her on a tight leash. Their favorite game is “Find your mom” from the other side of the store. She does it too. We can’t allow people to pet her & have to refuse if a child asks because she’s never been around kids. Loki even has separation issues because of what was done to her as a puppy. She’s afraid of being alone. She was beaten, tortured, neglected & abandoned by the couple that had her. When the adoption agency owner checked on her, she told us that if she had to leave us, she would probably break, mentally. She was in that precarious of a condition when Chris took her. We’ve taken her for her lifetime. 

Any dog that’s been treated like Loki was is capable of biting. A friend of mine is an adjuster for an insurance company & she related this: The most dog bite claims she’s handled have been from Golden Retrievers. They have become so popular that puppy-mill breeders aren’t being “as careful” with the genetic lineup of the dogs they are breeding to make money.

So when I see comments like some of the ones left on this article, http://www.newsweek.com/id/220497/page/1, I get irritated.

Pit bulls can be a dangerous breed of dog, given the right circumstances. So could, for that matter, our dog. They shouldn’t be wiped off the planet as a breed, because if they are raised right & trained, along with precautions taken, they are a good dog. No, I wouldn’t adopt one, or rescue one. Not because of the dog itself, but because I don’t know how that dog had been treated or raised. If I were going to have one, I would have to know the parents as well as the puppy. When Joe was a toddler, we had some friends who had a female pit. She knew Joe shouldn’t go to the back part of the yard he was in, so she brought him back. By the seat of the pants. He was laughing the whole way. That dog had been raised around kids & wasn’t afraid of them. She was the best at taking care of the kids. And she protected. They can be very good dogs. Until people get them.

If the commentors on the article want to wipe something off the planet, how about they go after the people who torture & abuse animals? There’s the problem. Not the animals themselves.

If you’re going to have a dog, you have to be prepared for what you’re getting. To go to a store & buy a puppy, not knowing anything about the breed you get, is the height of stupidity. Before you get a dog, do some research on the various breeds. Make sure the dog you get is compatible with your knowledge level & commitment level. If you want someone to run with you, don’t get a Great Dane or a Mastiff. Get a Terrier. If you want a companion couch potato, get the Dane. They do that real well. Or even a German shepherd. They make good couch potatoes. Maybe that’s why Loki’s vet says she needs to lose 5 pounds.

If you aren’t ready to give that animal a home for the rest of its life, do it & yourself a favor. Don’t get one. For no commitment, get a rock.