It is truly incredible the relationships that are formed between people and dogs.
A wagging tail, a gentle kiss, or even just a loving look from a dog is enough to bring a smile to one's face,
a warmth in one's heart. For several months, dogs from Take 2 Rescue of all shapes,
sizes and breeds have been bringing joy to the residents of Hennis Care Center in Dover.
The residents do not care what kind of dogs come; they just look forward to their visit.
Over the months, five different Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes have graced the care center with their presence.
Their wonderful attitudes, smiling faces, and eagerness to love have made them among the favorites.
Katie is one of the residents who looks forward to the visit every week. Jasmine is one of her favorites.
One day, she asked what type of dog Jasmine was. When we told her she was a Pit Bull Terrier, she kind of paused and
admitted she had always been afraid of them, but that she wasn't afraid of any of Take 2's dogs.
She said she did not know why she was afraid of them especially since she did not know what they looked like.
She certainly never thought she would feed a pit bull from her hand.
The truth is that Pit Bull Terriers have an amazing compassion and love for people and that they are usually
the ones on the receiving side of abuse: chained up in basements, locked in rooms, beaten, left with no food or water
when their families move away, getting their ears cropped with scissors and no pain medication, bred every heat cycle
with little food, having their teeth filed down so they can be used as a bait dog without harming the other dog, left
for dead after loosing a dog fight, etc. Like any other breed of dog, they can be poorly bred and/or trained to be
aggressive by humans, but inherently, Pit Bull Terriers are extremely loving, devoted and friendly dogs.
They are highly trainable and want nothing more in life than to please their owners.
They do not know that it is unacceptable if pleasing their owner means fighting a dog or guarding drugs.
Helen Keller, blind and deaf, survived just fine with her Pit Bull Terrier companion Sir Thomas,
as did the cast and crew of The Little Rascals; everyone remembers their awesome dog Petey.
Petey never once bit his trainer, however Lassie bit her trainer a total of nine times.
Other folks who survived and are surviving with their Pit Bull Terriers include: Fred Astaire,
President Woodrow Wilson, Steve Irwin The Crocodile Hunter, Alicia Silverstone, John Steinbeck,
Fatty Arbuckle, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael J. Fox, President Theodore Roosevelt, Usher, Thomas Edison,
Mel Brooks, Madonna, Jon Stewart and David Spade. Pit Bull Terriers were decorated war heroes in World
War I and World War II. They are the only dog to have ever graced the cover of Life Magazine three times.
The American Temperament Test Society provides temperament testing around the country and rates breeds based
on how many pass versus how many fail. Stability, shyness, aggressiveness and friendliness are among the
aspects measured by the test. As of December 2005, American Pit Bull Terriers scored an 83.5% passing,
just two tenths of a percent below the Golden Retriever, and higher than the Beagle, Border Collie,
Miniature Poodle and Yorkshire Terrier, among others. (http://www.atts.org)
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