Meet Kaiya, my Red Nose Pitbull! Here she is playing with a life-sized dog doll given to her by my neighbor. This picture was taken 5/28/06. She is just over a year old.

It seems like our society has to find a scapegoat, weather it's a animal or a person. First it was the Doberman, then the Rottweilder, then the German Shepherd, and now the Pitbull. Some places are even taking this to the extreme and banning Pitbulls. One such place is Colorado, mainly Denver and Aurora. I am ashamed to say that I lived there for three years but moved right before the ban was placed. They bragged about it as well!! They confiscated and destroyed many family pets and companions due to their own self loathing and racism. You are more likely to get bit by a Cocker Spaniel or a Dalmation then a pitbull. There are very few dog breeds that tend to be AGGRESSIVE, and more and more I see those breeds come into my clinic with great dispositions. It's the owner that makes these dogs aggressive, not the dog. And with each new dog breed found to be aggressive by society there seems to be many attack incidences on the news about that breed. You never hear of that Lab down the street that killed a 4 year old. Those such stories tend to not be as important as a pitbull attacking someone. The percentage of Pittbull bites are very small compared to other dog breeds, and that is a proven fact. You will also never hear of the Pitbull down the street who visits hospitals to cheer up cancer kids.

Pibulls have been around since the 18th century and served our country in WW1 as field service dogs protecting our troops. They were originally bred as bull dogs, meaning that they had to be powerful enough to bring down full sized adult bulls. Because of their strength and their strong need to please their owners they became the targets of the well known dog fighting ring. Pitbulls will do whatever it takes to please their owners and will do whatever is asked of them, much more so then most breeds. They are highly intelligent and can determine a threatening situation from a non-threatening one, which can be hard if not impossible for most dogs. They gained popularity in the ring and soon became the dog to own if one fought dogs. These dogs were starved, beaten, and used as bait, but would still try so very hard to please their owners. It soon became a matter of life or death between winning and losing. If lost they would either be killed by the other dog or by their maddened owner. If they won they would get fed and given a "good boy" from their owner. These dogs were trained to attack other dogs and kill them. They were never trained to attack or bite a person. Then came the drug dealers and other "{macho" men who wanted them as protection dogs. Now they were being trained to attack people. Again, Pitbulls will do what pleases their owner. People are afraid of Pitbulls solely due to their bad reputation. This is not the TRUE PITBULL. Now lets meet the REAL PITBULL.



Here is Kaiya sleeping with Pepper, my 12 year old princess. She can't sleep without a cat in the bed; usually I find her sleeping with Mickey. Now those two can't sleep without touching each other.
Owning a Pitbull can be a joy, but challenging at the same time. Let me explain. If you own a Pitbull you are bound to get criticism from family, friends, and strangers. When you tell someone your dog is a Pitbull people will give you a dirty look. Many people will cross the street, others will pull children away. When I tell people my dog is friendly I sometimes get the response, "She's a pitbull, so she's not friendly" People are afraid of what they do not know. Don't push someone to pet your dog if they are afraid. The best thing Pitbull owners can do is educate the public about the dog behind the stereotype. Kaiya goes everywhere with me. She loves people, kids, and pretty much any animal she sees. Her happy smiling face and wagging tail helps. I had a lady almost jump over a park bench when I told her that the happy dog she was petting was a pitbull. I educated her about the breed and she seemed very impressed and asked alot of typical pitbull questions. I'll admit, I have told some people off when they made certain comments about my baby, but most people are willing to just listen.



This is Coco! I was fostering her from the ASPCA in NYC. I kept her for two weeks, but just couldn't give her the time and attention she deserved, so my landlord adopted her. I get to see her everyday and Kaiya still has her sis! :)

Pitbulls need lots of training and socialization, even more then most dogs do. They tend not be good with cats and smaller animals and can even become dog aggressive. This is all due to their origins as bull dogs. They have a very high prey drive. They see something run out in front of them, they want to give chase. In order to prevent this from happening, introduce you dog as a puppy to as many cats, dogs, and other small animals that you can. Training classes will teach your dog how to behave around other dogs and people. Good behavior is the key. How are you going to tell people how great pitbulls are when your dog is straining at the leash trying to jump at the person. Most likely your dog wants to play, but to a person how is afraid of Pitbulls to begin with this may seem like a threatening jester. I tell everyone - training and socialization is the key. Persistence, reputation, and patience is the key to training. It is much easier to tell people how great your dog is when she is sitting quietly at your side waiting to say hi. Introducing your dog to as many people as possible will help prevent your dog from becoming possessive of you or becoming fearful of people they do not know. Fearful dogs can bite out of fear and possessive dogs can become aggressive trying to compete for your attention or trying to protect you from people they do not know. You do not need to teach a pitbull to protect you. They will do so if the time ever calls for it. Below are eight situations my dog and I had to deal with. Keep in mind; she is a very well behaved, socialized, and trained dog.

1. I was walking Kaiya around the block when a 3 year old kid came out of nowhere and hugged Kaiya. She was spooked, but made no attempt to bite or even growl at the kid. Instead she collected herself and licked her hand.
2. I had a cablevision worker come to my house to install. Kaiya knew I let him in, but woofed at him and kept her distance. I left the room for 2 minutes and came back in. She was in his lap (literally) while he was hooking everything up to the computer.
3. I ordered food. I opened up the door and told him to wait. I turned around to get the money and he decided to invite himself in. Kaiya barked and growled at him and would not let him beyond the couch by the door. She knew that I had not given permission to let him in.
4. I was walking Kaiya past a house I have grown to hate since. One of the young kids starting chasing Kaiya. Even though Kaiya was terrified she just kept running around me making no aggressive jesters. Just as I went to grab him his stupid mom finally got off her ass and came and got him.
5. I was walking with my mom, she owns a bar. She was walking with one of her drunken customers. Kaiya didn't like him especially since he was drunk. She felt he was a treat to me, so she stayed between me and him, watching his every move. When he went to pet her, she just backed up.
6. Again we were walking home from my mom's deli and came across a mini poodle who is very aggressive. Kaiya just walked around the dog, not even paying attention to him.
7. I was meeting a Golden Retriever I was going to adopt. he was growling at her the whole time. Kaiya just kept inviting him to play, but was very submissive - tail low and wagging, head low, licking her mouth. As he went after her she jumped back and I pulled her back. She sat at my side the rest of the time.
8. The other day someone shoved a 5 pound Maltese in Kaiya face. She sniffed and licked the dog. He almost bit her face and all Kaiya did was back away and sit at my side depressed that he didn't want to play.

None of these situations above show an aggressive dog. This is the typical disposition of the pitbull. Again, I cannot stress the importance of training and socialization. Another factor that contributes to a good canine citizen is spaying and neutering your dog. Fixing your dog will help prevent him from becoming dog aggressive later on. It also lengthens the life of your dog and prevents many different cancers and health problems. Another good thing to kept in mind - Be careful where you get your pitbull from. Kaiya came from a private breeder out in Colorado who I knew personally. You should meet the parents if you are buying from a breeder and make sure they are not "backyard breeders."



My Baby Dog! What can I say, she's not a morning dog.

Pitbull puppies are some of the cutest puppies, but before you go and buy that cute puppy think about the responsible of owning a puppy. Puppies in general are a lot of work and require a lot of time and responsibility. Pitbulls tend to be one of the high maintenance breeds to own. They require a lot of time, attention, and training. They can be stubborn, but will live to please their owners. You must not be the type of person who is ruled by your dog. You must teach her boundaries from the first day you bring her home. When training have patience, but be stern at the same time. You need to show any dog that you are the "leader of the pack" and must be obeyed. You also have to be able to control your dog even at full growth. I see so many people with dogs in general being pulled down the street by untrained dogs. Pitbulls are very strong dogs and must be kept under control of their owners. This applies to all large breed dogs. I use and recommend a Halti Collar. It gives you complete control of the dogs head so she cannot pull you. This helps teach the dog good leash manners and even helps with basic obedience such as sit or come. I recommend using a harness opposed to a collar for a pitbull if you do not use the halti. A harness gives you better control, but also keeps pressure off of the dog's trachea. The chock and pronged collars can seriously damage your dog's trachea. A lot of dog's don't respond to these collars and continue to pull, causing damage. Another important part of raising a puppy is to play with her ears and feet as often as possible. Play with her teeth as well. This will help to raise a well adjusted Pitbull and prevent problems later on. Most dogs, no matter what breed, can become aggressive or possessive of their feet and ears. Pitbulls are also prone to allergies and skin problems. Kaiya is extremely allergic to fleas and ice melt. She has booties for the snow!


"I didn't do it, really! Mommy, the cat did it!"

Pitbulls tend to be big babies. They need lots of reassurance from their owners and can be large lap dogs. They also tend to be extremely active dogs, so be prepared. The can be mouthy, so teach them that this behavior is inappropriate when they are puppies. They are also big chewers so be sure to have lots of Kongs and other hard toys. They are one of those breeds that get bored easily and can revert to chewing your carpet or articles. Make sure they have plenty of toys. Remember, Pitbulls live for their owners, so they require lots of time on their owner's part. You will not be disappointed with a Pitbull. They are fun loving breeds that love to be around children and make great family dogs. Their goofy antics will make yu laugh for hours. Kaiya will dart around the house in a mad goofy fit just to release some energy and play with me. They can truly smile and have the most expressive face. I love my Baby Dog!!


Here's Kaiya's cat, Mickey! He's waiting for his dog food. :) The sad this is, I'm not kidding. He loves to eat Kaiya's dog food with her. I have to hold him down while she eats, otherwise they are both in the bowl eating. *Sigh*


If this essay changed one person's mind about Pitbulls I'll be happy. Never judge an animal by it's stereotype and don't be afraid of what you don't know. There are many Pitbulls out there that are ambassadors of the breed. Bad Owners and what makes bad dogs. Think about this next time you see a pitbull. Ask to pet one. They are great dogs and I'm blessed with one myself. Kaiya and I have a very special bond, different then I have ever had before. If you have any questions on Pitbulls, any comments, or would like to share your Pitbull stories and pictures, please send them here and I'll post the for all to see right here.


Here she is with a new outfit I got her while on vacation. I use it as a rain coat - she hates the rain!