A Pit Bull Family

A teenager writes about her three pit bulls and shares her thoughts on changing stereotypes

By Taylor Wood, age 13

Pit bulls are by far my favorite animals, despite all of the controversy swirling around them. Juni, Jack and Chloe are happy pit bulls that have found their way into my family’s hearts.

Juni, a 3-year-old red nosed pit bull, was adopted after being found when she was about 6 months old with a broken foot that had never been tended to. Since then she’s had two knee surgeries (one on each leg) and is all healed, but just has to watch how long and hard she plays. She always seems to know when I’m going to bed and follows me to my room to see if she’ll get a chance to curl up at the foot of my bed.

Jack is a black and white 11-year-old pit bull/Boxer we got from a family that had him outside and chained until he was 8 months old. He wasn’t dog tolerant, but my mom has worked with him, and now in his old age he just ignores other dogs and enjoys short walks around the block.

Chloe, a 2-year-old blue pit bull, was adopted at 5 months old and was extremely skittish. She may not have been socialized as a puppy, or beaten, or just inbred, but something had made her afraid of almost everything. With the help of my mom’s patient training, a dog behaviorist’s help and time, she has made some progress, but will always be unsure of her surroundings outside of the house. Inside, she’s a normal and happy dog. Thankfully, all of my friends that come over understand how to handle themselves around her.

There have been many problems, triumphs and losses in the fight for pit bull acceptance among animal lovers and those who love animals from afar. That is why I think that pit bulls are like vigilantes. They only want to make the world a better place, but get convicted just by reputation. With the help of their “sidekicks,” the humans, we can clear the name of all of the stubby dogs we know and love by simply educating people on basic animal behavior. Even kids and teens can help out: Many rescues accept help from young volunteers. I personally have helped with Pit Bull Rescue San Diego and Just a Dog Pit Bull Rescue at events handling a dog, or handing out information to passersby. We can all make a difference.