Why the pit bull bans area touchy topic for me...(some graphic descriptions)

[Allecto]

Hi, I'm pretty new here, and I think I've already made a few enemies b/c of my reaction to some pit bull discussion threads. I just wanted to take a minute to explain my somewhat complicated interactions with pit bulls. There are three main incidents.
Incident one:
When I was 13, I was attacked by a pit bull. While walking home from a camp fundraiser, I cut through a field that bordered a run-down house. Later, I learned that the house contained a meth lab that was protected by four pit bulls. Luckily for me, only one was loose that day. I was nearly back on the street when I heard panting behind me. I turned to see the dog (who never barked or growled a warning) just as he leapt from the ground and into the air. A passing motorist who came by later had to break the dog's spine with a bat before it would release me. I needed nearly 100 stitches in my chest and left leg and foot, 10 in my right hand, 16 to close up around my right eye, and more than 30 scattered around my left ear and scalp. 2 of the dog's teeth were broken off, lodged in my skull. The tip of one tooth was lodged less than an 8th of an inch from my carotid artery. In an extra special little twist, my body had an extremely bizarre reaction to that wound site/skull damage, and since then grows bony tumors there trying to strengthen that spot. I have had to have surgery at least once every year and a half to remove tumors from that area, due to the attack. Right now, there really isn't any better solution my doctors can come up with than that.
And that dog? He was put to sleep. You know what the vet found? Hundreds and hundreds of BBs inside him. His owner had, since he was a puppy, used a BB gun to make the dog more aggressive. He would torture and infuriate the dog by shooting them into him over and over again, and then leaving them inside him. That was,sadly, just one of the many tortures those dogs had to endure. All four had to be put down due to aggression.

[Allecto]

Incident two: Years later, I moved from my native Cali to Denver for a while, and while I was there the pit bull ban was really gaining momentum. I did nothing to fight it there. I didn't really trust pits after the attack, and I figured I didn't have any real power there anyway since I was only registered to vote in Cali, didn't know anybody there, etc. But really, that was an excuse. I was afraid of pits, and people who laughed at that, or tried to make me feel ashamed of that fear only made me less and less ashamed of not fighting the ban. How could they say that pits were sweet, that I was a 'dog racist' for thinking the pro-ban side had good intentions, that I was a bad person for thinking poorly of these dogs? Did they want to see the scars???
I remember finding out while I was at the shelter looking at dogs that they would not adopt out any pits brought in. If they were brought in, they were destroyed. I was looking into a large male pit bull's eyes when I found that out. And I didn't feel bad. He was the same color as the dog that attacked me, and just looking at him made me sick. That night, when I was at home sitting in my window talking on the phone, I saw a streak as a man I recongized from the block threw something over my fence. I went out a few minutes later to check, and it was a tiny puppy. He couldn't have been more than a few weeks old, chocolate brown and white and crying in the snow. He was part pit. You could see it in him. Later, I would find out that the man had been afraid of getting in trouble again for his pits so he had abandoned the mother and several pups in different spots. Sadly, this little blob thrown over my fence was the only one I know of ever being found. I brought it in and set it on the floor and just looked at it squirming around for a long time. It was helpless, and if I turned it in to a shelter it would be destroyed. If I turned it in to a rescue safely out of the area, it would be allowed to grow up into a real pit. I just sat there for hours trying to decide which would be worse. This little pathetic thing deserved a chance, but the 'monster' I saw it becoming didn't. Awful as the man who threw him over the fence was, I think that day he gave me the only chance I had to break through my fear and hatred of bully breeds. As I hid and nurtured the little pit, telling myself that as soon as he was old enough to not need a bottle I would be able to make the right 'shelter or rescue' decision, he really helped me heal and opened my eyes. It is a good thing I didn't like Denver much anyway. By the time the puppy was old enough for me to make my decision, I knew I had to get him out of the city where he didn't have a chance. So he came back to California, and is still my Koosty. He is sweet and gentle and predictable and loving and every other good thing I never thought a pit bull could be. I once brought him back to the field I was attacked in. I didn't know why then. But seeing him sense my mood and that I was disturbed, and watching him try to love me out of it and comfort me did more to break down my prejudice against these dogs than anything else ever could have.

[Allecto]

Incident 3: After some bad publicity (abused pit bulls lashing out like they'd been forced to since puppies) and bad reactions from pit bull owners all over the local papers (bully breed enthusiasts ridiculing people's fear, blaming victim's for attacks, and inadvertantly encouraging the bad rep of pits) the end result is that the county shelter now will not adopt out any dog that looks like it has a drop of pit bull blood in it. Any dog suspecting of having any of the bully breed blood in it is doomed should it find its way to the shelter. The safe haven I brought Koosty home to is slowly becoming as dangerous from him as the place we ran away from.

I know this is long winded, but I just wanted to explain why I react so strongly and in such an over-bearing way when I see people trying to protect pits in ways that seem to be counter-productive. I don't mean to step on toes, it has simply become a passion that I can understand from both sides.

[buttercup132]

WOW im kinda speechless

[JenBKR]

I'm a little speechless too. I'm not sure if I have seen any other pit threads that you responded in (or I just don't remember) but what 'side' so you consider yourself on now? What an experience you have had. So lucky for your sweet Koosty that you took care of him and protected him. You are an incredible person for doing that, especially considering your fear of pits.

[Karen]

Thank you for sharing that with us.

[elizabethann]

Allecto, I had tears in my eyes as I read your story. I'm sorry you were attacked. It must have been an awful ordeal for you. But at the same time, I'm glad you were able to overcome your fear and rescue your pup, Koosty. Koosty sounds like a love and I'm glad you found eachother.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Take care.

[.sarah]

Allecto, I had tears in my eyes as I read your story. I'm sorry you were attacked. It must have been an awful ordeal for you. But at the same time, I'm glad you were able to overcome your fear and rescue your pup, Koosty. Koosty sounds like a love and I'm glad you found eachother.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Take care.

That's exactly what I was going to say. Your story brought tears to my eyes as well. It's so brave of you to have rescued that tiny little puppy when most people would have wanted it destroyed. I'm sorry that you had to go through the attack, but it's wonderful how you could turn the experience around and save the little guy. What a big heart you must have.

[Suki Wingy]

wow, yeah, this kinda left me speachless too, I think some polliticians need to read this.

[Allecto]

what 'side' so you consider yourself on now?

I'm defnitely against the bans, but I am also against the way a lot of people try to fight the bans. I think pretending that there aren't dangerous pits, or trying to blame victims for the attacks (instead of the people who abused the dog and brainwashed it into being vicious) or being rude to people who are honestly afraid only makes things worse. Most people who support banning pit bulls don't do so out of spite or being meanspirited (though some do). Most people who support it are honestly afraid, and reacting in anger towards them (even if it is justified) only compounds that. And behaving as though there are no dangerous pits works against getting people to focus on the real bad guys in the picture, which is irresponsible and cruel owners who make these dogs think they have no other way to face the world than with anger and shows of force.
Pit bulls should not be banned. More than anything, they need the people who are so hell-bent on getting 'evil' pits removed from the streets to keep focusing on doing just that--- not by banning the breed, but by cracking down on the owners who destroy the dog's lives with abuse and negative training. Because the current method of bans will leave these people with ONLY that kind of pit in their city, because the abusers and bad owners won't give up the breed to obey the law, but loving families will.

[JenBKR]

I can understand that, it makes sense.

[buttercup132]

wow i wish that you could go ont.v and talk to all those people that say that pits are all pure evil
(also i dont know why but as soon as you joined i really liked you)just thought id tell ya

[Allecto]

wow i wish that you could go ont.v and talk to all those people that say that pits are all pure evil
(also i dont know why but as soon as you joined i really liked you)just thought id tell ya

Well, thank you very much. That's nice to hear, when I feel like I've come on and started clashing with people.
I haven't been on tv, but you can believe I have tried hard to share my story with people on both sides of the issue. Lots of letter writing. Now that I do want to fight it, though, I feel more powerless than ever. Changing people's minds is not an easy thing.