Ignorance is Not Bliss

by Natalie

“Pit bulls are horrendous dogs.”

“If you get a pit bull, my kids will never come to your house.”

“There’s no trusting pit bulls. They were bred to kill.”

“You’re brave for wanting to be around pit bulls; I will always be scared of them.”

Life is built through a series of choices. For instance: I chose to give pit bulls a chance to show me what kind of dogs they really are. I chose to participate in the Priceless Pets Pack Walk in June with my boyfriend. I chose to walk one of their adoptable pits named Cherry. Cherry chose to show her adorable personality to my boyfriend and me. I chose to follow her story after that day. At the time, I was definitely not ready to adopt, but because of Cherry, I chose to seek out John and ask if he, Penny and Elvis could show me how to handle dogs. When I felt I was more prepared, I chose to ask John if he could bring Cherry to a Sunday hike. I chose to walk her. I chose to talk to her foster, Mel. My boyfriend and I chose to open our hearts to Cherry and adopt her (and she is now known as Sierra).

Every choice I made gave me the opportunity to learn something new about myself. And just like I made these choices, which led me to an amazing dog I absolutely love already, several people chose to say those comments above to me.

Now I’m going to come right out and say it: I do not have the patience John does nor do I possess the bravery to say the smart ass quips that he does to complete strangers. In all honesty, when a person chooses to say an ignorant comment like that, I get angry.

I knew I would have to endure the pit bull stigma if I adopted one, but I didn’t think it would upset me as much as it does. I guess it’s just the protective side of me coming out because when I look at Sierra, I don’t see a “horrendous” dog who is “bred to kill.” She doesn’t bare her teeth, growl or lunge at anything that moves. She’s actually the exact opposite – people scare her, and rather than act aggressively, she cowers in fear. Sierra’s afraid of life, not because she was born that way, but because people chose to treat her badly.

I was told that Mel did wonders socializing Sierra as a foster, and for that, I am eternally grateful. However, my anger hasn’t subsided. Although John, my boyfriend Nate and I are working on building Sierra’s confidence and trust (I have seen significant improvements already), I can’t stop thinking that it was humans who broke her in the first place. And not only that, but she also has to face the people who are prejudice with ignorance, who walk on the other side of the street to avoid her and won’t let their children get close. She has to deal with people who hate her before they even meet her, people who have already prosecuted her and deemed her “unfit” for society, despite all the facts proving them wrong.

Ignorance is not bliss, and unfortunately Sierra, Penny, Elvis and all the other bullies are forced to live in this hostile world every day. Normally, I like to end my blogs on a positive note or with a lesson I’ve learned, but I can’t today. Today is about the injustice, prejudice, prosecution and murder of thousands of dogs because of their breed. Today is a day of mourning for all the people who lost members of their family, and for the dogs who were heartlessly forced into a room only to be euthanized. Today is about getting angry, and using that anger as motivation. I could get resentful and mean, never taking Sierra out in public, but there’s no good in that. Today is about educating people.

The people who said those comments to me at the beginning of this blog were family, friends, strangers and acquaintances. They represent the people who need to open their minds and inform themselves about pit bulls. I can’t say that I have all the answers, but I can show what love looks like, and that begins with my pit bull, my Sierra. I only hope that it causes them to stop and think, even just for a moment.

Natalie

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