I have always been an advocate for Animal Adoption. I adopted two kittens who are now 13 and 14 years old and a wonderful dog, who is no longer with us, but lived almost 10 blissful years. However, my 7 year old wanted a pug puppy for his birthday. I grew up with a pug and think they are completely and totally adorable. I also know pugs cost at least $500 and my household is struggling to make ends meet as is. I did want to make my child happy of course and was strongly considering giving in. On a brutally hot Saturday this summer that changed. I saw an Animal Adoption event at the PetSmart and took my children. I have a 2 year old daughter as well. We walked around admiring all the puppies and dogs and oohed and aahed. And then I saw this adorable brown and white puppy and he looked at me and we connected. I grabbed my children and rushed over.
They loved him and he even accidentally knocked my daughter into the dog slobbered puppy pool and she giggled with glee. This was the dog for us I decided right then and there. I did not even notice what rescue group it was and then I looked up- Ring Dog Rescue. I chatted with the foster parents and suddenly realized my precious puppy was a pit bull.
I went to Virginia Tech and was once a Michael Vick lover, so I am familiar with the picture that is painted of a pit bull. My son and I have watched Pit Boss on the television a couple times as well. I will admit for one moment, and I do mean one moment, I thought it was too much to take but this puppy loved my children I could tell, so he would be ours. Over the next week he visited our home and I did research on Pit Bulls. Jon Stewart and Rachael Ray own pit bulls. Helen Keller had a pit bull as well. Pete the Pup on the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull. Pit Bulls are not human aggressive dogs; they are gentle and loving dogs.
I thought this sounds good to me, however in the back of my mind I kept thinking what will people think. Will my friends bring their kids over to play? Will my Mother get mad that I am putting my children in potential harm? Then I looked over and saw my daughter grabbing and pulling on the puppy and this dog that had been chained up and not fed for weeks, was in pure heaven. If I had any trepidation, it left at that moment. We have now had Hootie (originally his name was Huey but for my daughter it kept coming out Hootie) for almost four months now. He could not be a more loving dog to my children.
I don’t think we could have had a pug- my daughter is a pit bull in her own way and she loves to be rough and tough with Hootie and they are growing up together. He is so soft and sweet. I have now become an advocate for the breed. It makes me incensed when I hear of people speaking ill of pits. All of but one of the Michael Vick’s pit bulls have become therapy dogs and look way they went through. October 23rd is Pit Bull Awareness Day. Here in Richmond, Ring Dog
Rescue will be sponsoring “Training People for Pits Sake” on October 23, 2010, 9a-5p at the Chesterfield County, VA Fairgrounds. If you don’t own a Pit Bull come out and support a great cause and find out the truth. I am proud to own a Pit Bull and will do what I can to make sure people don’t have the wrong impression of these beautiful animals.
Laura has written two other articles for us entitled Part 1:“Did Richmond Public Schools do my child a disservice, or did I?” And Part 2
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