People who know me know that I am an avid cat lover. I have three cats, I post a lot of cat pictures, I share cat videos and I have a ton of cat-related paraphernalia. But in reality, I’m an animal lover. And I really do like dogs. My favorite breed of dog happens to be the pitbull.
Often times when I tell people this, I get a funny look. I’ve been asked before, “Aren’t they a dangerous breed of dog?” It breaks my heart to here this. Pitbulls are no more dangerous than any other dog. I should know, considering I grew up with a pitbull.
In addition to five cats, my household had a sweet pitbull named Nayla running around it. She had been a part of my family before I was born. When my parents found out I was coming, a lot of people told my dad it was a bad idea to bring a baby into a house with a pitbull. But the thing is, pitbulls often get a bad reputation because they are the dogs used in dogfighting. These dogs aren’t born naturally viscous. They are trained and raised to be that way by bad people. Oftentimes, dogs rescued from fighting rings have been abused themselves and are deemed ‘too dangerous’ to be rehabilitated. More often than not, they’re put down. A lot of towns even have a ban on owning pitbulls as pets. If you’re caught with that type of dog, they’ll be taken away.
But in reality, pitbulls are just as sweet as any other dogs. They’re energetic and love to be around people. After I was born and brought home, Nayla would sit under my crib when I was in my room. She would chase the cats out as a way of protection. When I moved into a big-girl bed, she would lay on my feet during the night.
Nayla always loved to be around people. She had a bad habit of jumping up on people, but only because she was so excited to see and greet you. My mom has a tiny scar over her upper lip from where Nayla caught her with her paw while trying to give kisses.
It was a joy to have a pitbull in my house. She made me laugh, and I remember some of her crazy antics. It’s harder now that I’m older. She’s been gone for a while. But I love when my dad tells me crazy Nayla stories. It makes me think back to the good times we had when I was a kid. I remember trying to ride her like a horse in the kitchen. She had none of it though. Nayla also hated the rain. If it was raining outside, she would plant herself on the floor and refuse to move. My dad would have to drag her outside.
It makes me sad to think of the bad reputation pitbulls get. They don’t deserve it. There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Pitbulls have a higher chance of being euthanized in shelters than any other breed of dog. I think we should get rid of the pitbull bans in towns and spread a positive message for this amazing breed. I can testify to their sweetness, loyalty, playfulness and beauty. Together we can work to give pitbulls the good treatment they deserve. At the end of the day, there is nothing better in this world than a big pitbull smile.