It's the pits being called more than just a dog

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Posted by the Asbury Park Press

They're just terriers!

At least that's what my longtime friend, Alan, proclaims year after year in his feverish attempt to dispel the "killer" moniker attached to pit bulls.

Tired of passersby questioning him about what kind of dog he has and whether she's vicious, Alan's patented answer is simply that she's an "Ongo Pongo," a short-haired poodle with a doggie body-builder body from Argentina.

Of course, there's no such thing as an Ongo Pongo, but the explanation gives some sense of relief to gas station attendants and toll booth collectors who often are taken aback when Mischief sticks her big head out of the truck window, looking for a doggie treat.

It seems bank tellers (behind bullet-proof glass) have conditioned her to expect the treats anytime Alan pulls his truck into a service area, which almost always raises an eyebrow or two from unsuspecting attendants until Mischief surprises them with a big, wet, sloppy kiss to the back of the head.

Alan has owned four pit bulls during his lifetime and from what I've seen, every one has been very loving and well-behaved.

This, I suspect, is because he was raised in a strict military family and his dogs got a little more sit-and-stay training than say . . . my step-grandmother's little "foo-foo" that jutted out from under the sofa (like an eel in a cave) to bite the ankles of anyone who walked by.

Now, I'm a huge dog-lover, but I usually keep my distance from big dogs just the same, simply because a German shepherd almost removed my sister's nose from her face when she was little. From that, I adopted the policy never to get chummy with any breed that has the ability to rip my head off.

Thus, I have Chihuahuas. And, breaking a fingernail might be the extent of my injury if 6-pound Elsie decided to go on a tear. This I know because I have to chop her wet dog food into tiny bite-size pieces just so she can eat. That's my kind of dog . . . little teeth, little poops . . . everything about them is little, little, little.

I have to give Alan credit, though, as he battles to reverse the stigma attached to pits and continues to love the dogs, especially since statistics aren't on his side.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control data, from 1979 to 1998, examined reports found that at least 25 breeds of dogs were involved in the 300 fatal dog attacks during that time. Pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half of the deaths when the breed was known in the attack.

And, even though many municipalities have attempted to ban pit-bull ownership, it's not all bad news. In February, New Yorker magazine published an article by writer Malcolm Gladwell surveying the research on pit bulls. It concluded that legal attempts to ban the breed were both crude and unnecessary.

This might be a reason why.

Many pit bulls have achieved AKC Canine Good Citizen awards, and some work in hospitals and care facilities as certified therapy dogs. In addition, many are well-loved family pets, and some have even saved people's lives.

There are many incidences of pit bulls being productively employed by U.S. Customs as police K9s and as tracking K9s in various search-and-rescue organizations. Another little known fact is that the dog that has obtained the most titles ever was an American pit bull terrier — a dog named Bandog Dread owned by Diane Jessup. Dread obtained multiple AKC and UKC titles too numerous to mention. He also appeared in five movies and many commercials.

Pit bulls love to please and try to become whatever kind of dog their owners desire. Pit bull puppies grow up to become a reflection of both their owners' personality and the care and training they receive.

So we need to remember, a dog breed is not responsible for attacks.

The dogs' owners are.

So, if you're still against pit bulls, take a look at the following Web sites: forpitssake.org, understand-a-bull.com, pitdogs.org and pitbullsontheweb.com. They might give you a little insight on the true pits.

After all, they are just terriers.