This is a from-the-heart kind of post, mostly because there's this dog that has barged into our lives and turned it upside down.
I have owned and loved two other muscle dogs whose demeanor and appearance caused people to pause. The family had a Rottweiler and a Boxer, both of whom were rescue dogs and both of whom wandered into our lives in a haphazardly intentional way.
Daisy the Rottweiler was found running loose, having been dropped off by her former family when it was discovered she had hip dysplasia in both back hips. It is a debilitating disease, and an impossibly expensive surgery, and we worked long and hard to exercise and lean her up to ensure a great quality of life as our family dog. We dearly loved Daisy the Wonder-Rott every minute we had her, and we had her for 5 glorious years. She was the sweetest and gentlest of animals, always kind and attentive to the boys, and slept on their beds and lay at their feet watching TV. Turns out, we weren't crazy to trust a Rottweiler.
That probably set the stage to rescue Sophie the Boxer from a veterinary tech program in Sacramento. She had been 'donated' to them to rehabilitate, having been isolated on a side yard for several years. Sophie and I tussled at control but eventually she conceded that I was the alpha dog. She was beautiful and smart, attentive and appreciative, but boy oh boy was she willful! Having a Boxer turned out to be a wonderful decision, even though their appearance to the casual observer was cause for alarm.
With all of that Big Dog background, I was still totally against the Pit. I secretly thought the Pit breed had no business being bred. It had no redeeming value other than to fight. We hadn't spent time around Pits or had any personal experience with them. We changed to the other side of the street when one approached. We judged the owners for being reckless to own a dog that was fierce and unpredictable.
That opinion developed after watching a hundred or so news articles about Pit Bulls attacks that were serious and often life threatening. There are thousands of dog bites and attacks from all types of breeds every year, and most are not by Pit Bulls, but you'd never know that from the way it is being reported. The impression is left that you are safe with any breed other than a Pit, and that is patently untrue.
Someone in the last decade decided that this breed would be Danger Dog de Jour. In the '70s it was the German Shepard, in the '80s it was the Rottweiler, and in the '90s it was the Doberman. Public opinion sways towards believing the Pit has no business living in a civilized world.
But I was watching something else entirely. As we grew to know her, we realized what a wonderful dog Lily was. She looked like a pit but acted like a lab. Her behavior was nothing like what was reported. She was even gentler than Sam, she had better manners, and was obedient and submissive. That got me to thinking about Bias again, and how it creeps into us unannounced. My Bias was deeply rooted in fear and distrust for the breed, until this little lost dog at our door in the middle of the night made me re-examine my conscience.
All this was going on during the Trayvon Martin case, and the same issues we wrestle with on a human level I was wrestling with on a dog-to-human level. When we are confronted with a serious situation, what Biases emerge that we may not know are even there? When hidden Intolerance and Prejudice surfaces, how do we not act impulsively on them?
The ultimate question.
I closed my eyes and listened to the truth of what happened that night in Florida. Had he not pursued and pursued and pursued that boy, had the boy not aggressively responded, had there been no gun, or no rain, or the watcher had listened to the police dispatcher and remained a watcher, the situation would have ended up just being about another teenage kid being mouthy and giving an older guy a hard time.
What Trayvon couldn't know or see was the Intolerance and Bias he was facing. And what George didn't recognize is the Bias and Prejudgment that was motivating him to act. That mindset put in motion a series of unfortunate confrontations and the gun just finished it off. Without a gun in his pocket, there likely would not have been as vigorous a pursuit, or a dead kid.
"Pre-Judice" without basis or reason is about empowerment and entitlement. Person A feels superior to Person B by circumstance, birthright or situation. People make bad calls. If this had happened in the 60s, it would have ended up with someone getting their ass kicked (probably George Zimmerman), and would have wound up in civil court.
What does all of this have to do with the dog? Quite a bit, actually. It is through that lens that we decided to judge her on her own merit.
She was used as a puppy factory for the first couple years of her life, not treated the way a pet should be and then dumped like trash in a cornfield when they were done with her. We can't say for sure that we will be her forever home, but right now, today, she deserves a fair shot. So cautiously, lovingly, we have opened the door and said, come on Girl, let's see what you're made of.
It's the right thing to do.
Jul 25, 2013
Jul 2, 2013
A Big Lesson
I look down at this homeless dog at my feet who found its way into our yard in the middle of the night a week ago. Sam woke me up growling, and I got up to check and walked down the hall to the door and found it ajar. That's creepy anytime, but at 3 in the morning it freaked me out. I peered out and the world looked still, and then I saw an iridescent white Pit Bull in the moonlight quietly staring up at me.
Ghost Dog! Slam door! Was that really real?
Sam and I eventually settled back down to sleep but it took a while, and in the morning the GD was still there. She was about 40 lbs, playful, friendly, hungry, with no collar. It took every fiber of my being to reach down and pat her head because I was afraid.
I am one of those people who believes what they read about Pits, and how dangerous they are. I judge their owners for being reckless to have these dogs around children or other pets, because you just never know.
All that was before Lili arrived on our stoop. All of my Absolutes were put to the test as we began to warm up to her. The first couple of days we fed and played with her outside, and left her to her own devices during the day. She had a bed out there, lots of water, and was waiting for us when we got home.
When the weather turned hot it was decided to move her indoors. She had exceptional manners, was potty trained and gentle indoors. No calls came in from the flyers we posted, and we began thinking she might have been dumped. What a cruel thing to do.
That's not the only cruel thing she endured. We started looking at her closely. The vet estimated she was about a year old and she has thick callouses under her arms from where a leather harness rubbed. She was bred at 6 months and again at a year, which left her with a slightly prolapsed vagina. That would mean to a breeder she had outlived her usefulness.
She has worn patches of skin under her neck from a collar that was probably a little too tight. And yet, with all of that, she has a sweet disposition and wants to please. A kind word and pat has her tail lapping against the sofa and nuzzling her face into our hands and laps. When I sit on the stairs out front in the evenings, she wraps her paws over my shoulders and licks my ears.
Some killer. She reminds Sammy how not to beg from the table. She quietly goes into the bathroom at night and onto her bed, without so much as a whimper, and bounds out in the morning ready to play. She appreciates every bowl of food, every treat, because we have a feeling she has been without them at times. She watches Sam, and then eats the raw vegetable snacks.
We are considering what to do. Out here there are no fences and the land is constantly being worked by many Spanish speaking farm workers. All the farm dogs roam free and play in the fields, but our community is uncomfortable with Lili, so she would have to be in a run or on a lead. We just can't do that to such a sweet and sensitive dog.
Sadly, that is what helped us decide to be her foster home and look for a loving permanent home. She still needs to be spayed and have vaginal tissue repaired, and get her shots. We put the word out today to some Pit People who know what wonderful dogs they are and will help spread the word. And in the meantime we will keep learning about life from her.
Things like, it is always a bad idea to judge without personal experience, because you're usually wrong. Things like, even when life is hard, you can still be kind. And, even when you think it is impossible, you can learn rather quickly how to cuddle up on the sofa with a Pit Bull and give her head a kiss before bed.
Lili makes me laugh with delight when she turns inside out when I get home from work. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised about that: a wonderful dog is a wonderful dog.
Ghost Dog! Slam door! Was that really real?
Sam and I eventually settled back down to sleep but it took a while, and in the morning the GD was still there. She was about 40 lbs, playful, friendly, hungry, with no collar. It took every fiber of my being to reach down and pat her head because I was afraid.
I am one of those people who believes what they read about Pits, and how dangerous they are. I judge their owners for being reckless to have these dogs around children or other pets, because you just never know.
All that was before Lili arrived on our stoop. All of my Absolutes were put to the test as we began to warm up to her. The first couple of days we fed and played with her outside, and left her to her own devices during the day. She had a bed out there, lots of water, and was waiting for us when we got home.
When the weather turned hot it was decided to move her indoors. She had exceptional manners, was potty trained and gentle indoors. No calls came in from the flyers we posted, and we began thinking she might have been dumped. What a cruel thing to do.
That's not the only cruel thing she endured. We started looking at her closely. The vet estimated she was about a year old and she has thick callouses under her arms from where a leather harness rubbed. She was bred at 6 months and again at a year, which left her with a slightly prolapsed vagina. That would mean to a breeder she had outlived her usefulness.
She has worn patches of skin under her neck from a collar that was probably a little too tight. And yet, with all of that, she has a sweet disposition and wants to please. A kind word and pat has her tail lapping against the sofa and nuzzling her face into our hands and laps. When I sit on the stairs out front in the evenings, she wraps her paws over my shoulders and licks my ears.
Some killer. She reminds Sammy how not to beg from the table. She quietly goes into the bathroom at night and onto her bed, without so much as a whimper, and bounds out in the morning ready to play. She appreciates every bowl of food, every treat, because we have a feeling she has been without them at times. She watches Sam, and then eats the raw vegetable snacks.
We are considering what to do. Out here there are no fences and the land is constantly being worked by many Spanish speaking farm workers. All the farm dogs roam free and play in the fields, but our community is uncomfortable with Lili, so she would have to be in a run or on a lead. We just can't do that to such a sweet and sensitive dog.
Sadly, that is what helped us decide to be her foster home and look for a loving permanent home. She still needs to be spayed and have vaginal tissue repaired, and get her shots. We put the word out today to some Pit People who know what wonderful dogs they are and will help spread the word. And in the meantime we will keep learning about life from her.
Things like, it is always a bad idea to judge without personal experience, because you're usually wrong. Things like, even when life is hard, you can still be kind. And, even when you think it is impossible, you can learn rather quickly how to cuddle up on the sofa with a Pit Bull and give her head a kiss before bed.
Lili makes me laugh with delight when she turns inside out when I get home from work. But maybe I shouldn't be surprised about that: a wonderful dog is a wonderful dog.
Young At Heart, made famous by Frank Sinatra
Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you
If you're young at heart.
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart.
You can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
And life gets more exciting with each passing day.
And love is either in your heart, or on it's way.
Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart.
For as rich as you are, it's much better by far
To be young at heart.
And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart.
If you're young at heart.
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind
If you're young at heart.
You can go to extremes with impossible schemes.
You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams.
And life gets more exciting with each passing day.
And love is either in your heart, or on it's way.
Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth
To be young at heart.
For as rich as you are, it's much better by far
To be young at heart.
And if you should survive to 105,
Look at all you'll derive out of being alive!
And here is the best part, you have a head start
If you are among the very young at heart.
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