AN APOLOGY TO BREED BAN ENTHUSIASTS

I'm sorry you are frightened of my dogs and are trying to have them killed because they are pitbulls.

I'm sorry you lack the understanding of this breed's true history,
gentleness with people, wonderful temperament, intelligence and
behavioral conformation. I'm sorry you won't read the ATTS stats
regarding our breed's true temperament, putting it in the top four
for temperament, scoring better than breeds like Golden Retrievers
and Cocker Spaniels.

I'm sorry that you side with and protect animal abusers by marking
the breed of dog and not the irresponsibility of the owner. I'm
sorry that by your logic I could steal a car, run some people over
with it, and then you can blame the make of car for the accident as I
walk free.

I'm sorry you generalize one breed of dog with one group of people.
I'm sorry you can't see the love and determination that many often
highly educated, non-criminal, and "normal" types of people show
towards this breed and the great personal sacrifices that they make
to take care of their dog responsibly.

I'm sorry you cannot go into the shelters and see the hundreds of
abandoned and abused pitbulls, dying only for the inane "crime" of
being born the breed they are. I'm sorry you cannot see the look of
disappointment in their eyes as someone walks by their kennel, and
refuses to consider adopting them based on an ill-educated fear
mongering reporter. I'm sorry that you cannot be there when the
animal looks at a human for the last time, and in spite of being betrayed
by all humans they have met, their tail still wags as someone
approaches with the syringe of Euthinol.

I'm sorry you cannot be there when law enforcement shoots one of your
dogs dead inside its own home in front of the children it mutually
loves for simply getting off the dog bed and walking over to say
hello with its tail wagging. I'm sorry you cannot be there to rescue
pitbull puppies from a plastic bag in a dumpster, dumped there by
someone switching their illegal and inhumane activities to another,
more lucrative breed.

I'm sorry you cannot understand the difference between canine and
human aggression in the way that this breed can. Yes, I'm saying my
pitbull is smarter than you.

I'm sorry that the medieval witchhunting genetics of intolerance,
generalization, and racism make you feel the need to vilify a breed
of dog. I'm sorry that justice, equality, tolerance, common sense are
all things you hold dear as a fellow Canadian and expect from
others, but do not yourself offer toward a pitbull or its
caregiver. I'm sorry that you don't take the constructive time to
petition changes in the Canadian animal cruelty act and in the
criminal code that would deal out serious punishment to the real
animal abusers.

I'm sorry you cannot see the disappointed look on a puppy's face when
the people petting it quickly frown and walk away when you tell them
it is a pitbull. I'm sorry you feel the need to terrorize my family
and my dogs for crimes we never have and never will commit. I'm sorry
you don't have to live in fear of your dog's safety from hysterical
and mentally unstable people trying to inflict all manner of evil
upon your dogs.

I'm sorry that you cannot see my breed working in some of the best
Search and Rescue groups in the world, saving countless lives each
year. I'm sorry our media censors and refuses to print the breed
name "pitbull' when in connection with a positive act such as saving
a person or child from a burning house, drowning, wild attacking
animals, etc. I'm sorry you cannot see the many pitbulls registered
as therapy dogs and bringing so much joy to another misunderstood,
neglected demographic in our society, the senior citizen.

I am sorry you can't see a pitbull kiss a child, step carefully over
a kitten, or play in a sunbeam. I'm sorry you cannot wake in the
morning to feel a warm pitbull cuddled next to you in bed, and know
that you are their total world, and even if the house caught fire and
trapped you, they would stay with you to the end.
But, now that I really think about it, I'm not at all sorry you don't
own a pitbull--you do not deserve one.

Rob MacBean
The Mongrel Hordes
Lake Cowichan BC
(Permission granted by me the author to crosspost as long as it stays
intact, and with my name on it.)


I agree with this whole heartedly. I work at an animal shelter and I put to sleep over 1000 dogs and cats per year. I'm only 19. I'm not looking for sympathy I'm asking for understanding. Most people who have breed specific prejudice have never even met a pitbull. The media has portrayed pits as monsters but they have eather been misinformed or put the term in to make the story more interesting. Im not saying pits have never attacked anyone but many times the dog is a breed that looks alot like a pit. For example in my town a story was written about two pits attacking and mauling a young boy. However, I later found out that the dogs we're a chow mix and a german shepard. But lets face it Pitbull attacks sell more papers.
In a study of over 100 dog breeds most likely to bite people pitbulls we're 4th..... FROM THE BOTTOM! Labs and cocker spanials are statistically more likely to bite you.
All I ask is that you become more informed about the breed before you condemn them to death. In my shelter only 1 in 20 pits make it out the front door. Please give pits a chance.
If your still on the fence about the breed try watching this video without crying. Warning its not for the faint of heart but it sends a good message.

[link]

Hey well I'm back to write another entry. Wow I'm on a roll. Usually I dont write any. I thought hey I have a million funny animal shelter stories to tell why not post one for everyone to enjoy. I'd like to say right now that what makes these stories so funny is that they acctually happened. NOTHING has been added to make it funner or anything. Well with that said on with the insanity!!!

She Lost Her Marbles

Well it was a normal day at the shelter or so we thought. We would have never guessed that today was the beginning of one of the strangest wack-a-do tales yet. So it starts with a lady maybe in her late 30's walking in and asking "do you have any dogs for adoption." (This is a common question even though people should know the answer.) Anyway my good friend Rayne says " Yes right down the hall and trough the doors". Then the lady proceeds to tell us her life story(like we dont have anything better to do). It went like this: " I just have to get a dog. You see my cat just past away. I had that cat for 14 years. Last night I had a dream and in the dream my cat told me to get a black and white dog and name it Marbles. I've never had a dog before but I need to get one because my cat told me." At this point I was slowly edgeing away and was about to make a mad dash for cover. Rayne was the picture of politeness and told her to go look and if she needed any help to ask. The wack went back and found a little black and white Beagle mix. He was a great dog about 7 years old and very mellow. I was glad she picked him because it was her first dog and he would be easier than a puppy would have been. The lady seemed very happy with "Marbles" and took him home that day. We all went home after work and didnt even give the wack a second thought but when we opened the next day she was back. She was looking sad and had "Marbles". We asked her why she had brought him back and she had quite a funny story for us.
Apparently she was sitting on her couch cuddling "Marbles" and she looked up to find her cat stairing at her. ( Let us review for a moment. She had only one cat and that cat is now dead. So it would be safe to assume that she beleaves that her DEAD cat was staring at her!) So the stairing cat made her feel guilty and now she has to return "Marbles". Well this never makes us happy. When you take a dog out of a home even if it was only in that home for a brief time it causes the animal stress. Rayne told her that she should have thought about getting a dog a little more before getting one and the lady got very upset. She left the dog and drove away. We put poor little "marbles" back in his kennel and went on with our day. Now we thought that was the end of it but we werent getting off that easily. Later that day the Wack called our manager to tell her that we we're all rude and unprofessional for making her feel so bad about bring the dog back. Which is crazy because Rayne only said it stresses them out and that she should have thought it out more. The next day the lady sent her mother in to get the dog back. We refused to give the dog back because obviously she couldn't handle it or she wouldnt have brought him back. The mother then got angery and stormed out. "Marbles" later got adopted by a great family with two older kids.

Sorry for how long it is and I could use some writing classes but it get the point across. Maybe I'll put some more Wac-A-Doo stories. Bye for now.

Hey. Well this is my first journal entry I really don't write very often and thats way its taken me months to write one. I decided to tell the people that view my gallery a little about myself. Well my really name is Danielle nothing speacal there. I would explan why I call myself Moosetracks but theres really nothing to explan. I like moose. My twin sis has a gallery too and shes called Chickenfoot. She draws animals and fantasy stuff kinda like me. So if ya like my stuff take a look at her gallery. I am 18 and am taking a break from school for just a little while. You know like those rich kids that take a few years off and go to europe except Im not rich so I just stay home. A poor artist SURPRISE SURPRISE! I do work tho. I am an Animal Care Tech at the local animal shelter. Which is just a fancy title for some one who wakes up at 6 in the morning to scoop poop. The people are great tho. Like my best buddy Rayne, she really cares about the animals. And Valerie she is our Chahuahua wisperer. And all those other great people. My sis works there to but she does costumer service and to tell you the truth I;d rather scoop the poop. Theres really only three kinds of people that come to the animal shelter: Looky-loo's, Wacka-doo's, & I wanna-sue's. I might just put up some of the stories of what has happened to me at the shelter. Some things you whouldn't beleave. Well this was suppose to be a short journal. O well. well that was a little about me a nd what I do. Thanks.


~Danielle