Good Dogs are Made and Not Born

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.