by Jordan Smith
In Colorado, various cities have placed a ban on pit bull ownership. Some of those cities include parts of Denver, Castle Rock, Aurora and Commerce City. Fortunately for Grand Junction locals who share the same love for pits as I do, Mesa County has yet to ban the wonderful breed. Yes, I said wonderful.
When I was younger I discovered my love for animals. I loved cats, dogs, rabbits and even mice. There has always been a soft spot in my heart for animals. Something about their innocent hearts and curious minds just attracted me, dogs especially.
Throughout my entire life, I have loved dogs, sometimes more than people. Pit bulls have always been one of my absolute favorite breeds. Unfortunately, pit bulls are viewed negatively and are associated with fighting or poor behavior, that breaks my heart.
Every single one of the pit bulls I have ever been around has been sweet, kind and lovable just like any other type of dog. I have witnessed families with young children, families with multiple dogs, elderly couples and even students on campus who own pit bulls. Believe it or not, not one of these encounters made me question the pit bull breed.
“I know that some people train their pit bulls to be vicious guard dogs which leads to pits being put down,” CMU student Pricilla Nedelec said, “It all leads down to the owner and how they raise and train their dogs.”
Honestly, I couldn’t agree more. Every encounter I have had with a pit bull has been a positive one, and I strongly believe that is due to the fact that the families who raised them are decent people who choose to love and care for their dogs as a member of the family, rather than an opportunity to win money through dog fighting.
Any dog can learn to be vicious through how it is raised. I have seen well-behaved pit bulls, and I have seen scary and vicious black labs. The breed of the dog has nothing to do with how it acts; it has to do with how it is raised.
Although pit bulls are not banned in Mesa County, many problems still occur when it comes to living arrangements and the view on pit bulls from the public eye.
Before I moved to Grand Junction two years ago I had just adopted a black lab, pitbull mix. She was my favorite and I could not wait to take care of her for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, when I was looking for places to live I had difficulties finding a place that either allowed pets in general, and the places that did allow pets didn’t allow pit bulls of any kind.
The frustrations grew stronger as it got closer to school starting and I still couldn’t find a place to live. I had to settle on a two-bedroom apartment, and the worst part was that I had to give my little fur ball away to a friend because I was unable to keep her.
I guess it’s safe to say I am a little bitter toward anyone who thinks negatively about pit bulls. Even walking around town, many people still feel uncomfortable around pitbulls because of the breeds’ negative background.
“[My dog] was in the water seriously just barking,” Grand Junction local Savannah Hassinger said about taking her three dogs to the dog park, “and this guy was like ‘ma’am I’m going to have to ask you to control your dog.’ I thought he was kidding but just because Biggie was a pitbull he told me to control him.”
She continued to explain that her other two dogs, who are not pitbull, were barking as well and that the man had no problem with them.
I understand that not every pit bull is harmless, but not every golden retriever is either. Any breed of dog can be vicious, but pitbulls are just known for it because of their past in dog fighting, which really has nothing to do with the dog.
Pit bulls should not be banned in certain places when other breeds of dogs are perfectly capable of doing the same things pit bulls are feared for. Dogs become members of the family, and they should be accepted as just that.
