This is going to come as a shock to most all of you: I used to not like pit bulls.

I know. Hard to believe, innit? But it’s true, Scout’s Honor. I thought they were ugly, number one, and number two, vicious. I didn’t need to know anything else.

Well. Then as most of you know, I met a dog that changed all that. He was 5’10”, had blue eyes, and a propensity to drink too much. Hahaha. But honestly, a love of pit pulls was spawned with that relationship and the love of the bully breed certainly outlasted the marriage.

Sugar was my first encounter with the Staffordshire Terrier. We pittie people say that to throw people off. Pit bull is a generic term used to describe a bulldog with certain characteristics, like a muscular build and block head. Sugar was papered out the whatsit. She was one of the most pedigreed dogs I’ve ever known.

And dumb as a river rock sittin’ on the bottom, growin’ moss. (Credit to the late Uncle Dale)

She honestly didn’t have enough sense to get out of the rain. She could eat more than any dog I’ve ever seen, which is unusual for a dog that’s never been starved. She was steel gray, and virtually impossible to see after the sun went down. Loyal, loving, and impossibly stupid, she would lope around outside and then all at once collapse in a heap. She wanted to fly worse than anything- vultures and chickens drove her crazy. Anyway. I loved her, regardless. I never felt like she would one day snap and eat my face off.

But the possibility was there, I guess, if she ever got really hungry.

Now, Lightning Bug was a different story. He was an intact male who had had a terribly hard time in his short three years on Earth before entering life here at the Plantation. He got brought in straight off the chain, half starved. He’d been shuffled through several different homes…if you can call his multiple residences a home. Regardless, I eyed him warily for three days before I ever dared to pet him. Despite his rough past, he showed me nothing but the purest love and would lay at my feet after running off energy in the yard. The only time he’d open his mouth on my skin was to lick my hands. He would take treats so gently that I came to hold them in my mouth and make him take them from me as a party trick.

Once, he hadn’t been here long, he was barking at the meter man. I couldn’t call him back to me, so I had to go out in the driveway to collect him. This did not set well with me, as I was not dressed for company and was barefoot. I won’t have a dog that won’t mind. And so I stomped out there across the gravel, snarling and rabid myself. LB cowered, seeing my determination and the waves of rage pouring off me. I jerked him up by the collar while my former husband was hollering, “Oh no! Amy! You better let him go, he’s gonna eat you up.” My response: “HE’LL DO IT ONE TIME AND HE BETTER MAKE IT COUNT!!!!”

I am here with all my appendages and no facial scarring to tell you the dog never snapped at me. I drug him–with his two front feet off the ground (he was short and stocky and I wasn’t going to bend over to make his life more comfortable and give him traction)–down to his runner chain.

Lesson taught. Lesson learned. Forevermore LB would turn on a dime to me mid chase of anything. He would also come get behind me if a certain alpha male was getting onto him about one misdemeanor or another. I had earned his respect, and he earned my love. I never once worried that he would bite me or attack someone unless they were intruding on us.

I have a fence. I do not have a constant parade of people in and out of here. I do not take my dogs to stores to socialize. When hunting LB’s successor, I was clear that I was looking for a guard dog as well as a friend. I knew I wanted a pit bull for many reasons. Most people are intimidated by them, absolutely. But they’re also the number one dog in shelters. They are the most widely bred dog. And they are the most misunderstood, hated, and prejudiced breed by people out there.

Why is it we blame the weapon? A shooting- the guns fault. A drunken brawl? The liquors fault. A dog attack- clearly the dog’s fault. No. The common denominator here is the person. That dog was taught to hate and maul. That drunk made the decision to have too much. The gun’s trigger was pulled by someone who couldn’t control themselves.

I am deeply sorry for the family of the victim of the recent pit bull attack. My most sincere condolences. It is tragic and a horrific way to die. I pray for peace and comfort and I hope that you get the justice you seek and freedom and forgiveness in your heart.

But please don’t place your complete blame on the dog. Blame negligent owners. And I can understand why you would have a fear of these dogs the rest of your life. I assure you I am not a part of the “brainwashed mob” as I’ve seen an eloquent commenter name pit bull lovers. But I will tell you again, as many of my long term friends and readers know: my first dog was a ChowChow. He never bit me. I had him from a puppy. I was seven when he came into my life, and twenty when he exited. I once pried a baby bunny rabbit from his jaws. He did once bite a male kid who jumped in his face and hollered. I wanted to bite him, too. I saw dogs every day in my line of work for thirteen years. I was bit on the job one time, by a Chihuahua, whom the owner assured me was “fine”. When the little sucker clamped down, she laughed and insisted he never did that before and was just playing. I have been bitten two other times, both by Chihuahuas, and both by dogs owned by family members. Pound for pound, I have no doubt they are the meanest dogs out there and I wouldn’t give you a nickel for all of them. You won’t catch me trying to pet another one.

I am positively SICK TO MY BONES of people who claim to love dogs and then share “yet another attack by a pit bull”. Remember the baby killed in Kodak last year? It was a St. Bernard. That got hushed up in a hurry after the breed was made public. You can take your pick of stories of German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans. But you might be surprised to learn that Cocker Spaniels are rated among the most aggresive breeds and prone to bite. I stand by my personal experience with Chihuahuas. I doubt many bites get reported since they are probably much less severe compared with those from a bigger dog. (But my hand was bruised for days on end). You can find supporting documentation for whatever you decide to look for. But remember when searching most popular breeds: AKC doesn’t recognize bully breeds. While you’re out there digging up dirt plug in “nanny dog” in your search. https://www.fataldogattacks.org/

I would take my chances in a locked room with fifty hungry pit bulls than I would with some of the human race at a five star restaurant.

I guess I take my chance every day coming home to this wild child, who could lose his mind and bite my head off at any time. After all, he was starved and mistreated and he is extra large with great big jaws and he sure does have a scary bark. Eeeek. I really should just go ahead and have him put down before he takes a notion to eat me alive.

People are animals. People are vicious and malicious and full of hate. People are closed minded and pure evil.

And some people have enough sense to realize not all dogs are bad, just like not all people from Alabama are inbred.

Go Vols! And if you want pit bulls outlawed, go kick rocks. I will not publish comments that are spewing venom at this post because IT’S MY BLOG THAT COSTS ME $300 A YEAR. GET YOUR OWN BLOG.

Love to the rest of you from Appalachia, ~Amy ❤️