I have come across several Pit Bulls in Barbados. All the ones I encountered appeared friendly and their owners said they made loving pets.
I have not, as far as I am aware, come into any contact with the Pit Bulls which are trained and used for dog fighting and have the reputation as being unsafe around other dogs.
And the breed does have a reputation but I believe it is how the dogs are trained and I know several stories where these dogs have been rescued and have adapted well to their new families.
The story below is where a Pit Bull in Alabama was abused by a 20 year old man who took revenge on the dog because he was not permitted to drive the family car owned by the dog’s owner. The dog was dosed with lighter fuel and set on fire after being beaten by a shovel. Over sixty percent of the dog’s body had severve burns.
The dog survived and was adopted by the medical people who helped him with loving care and skin grafts.
And through his pain, he still tried to show his gratitude by wagging his tail and licking the humans who aided him.
His abuser did plead guilty to the felony and although a lot of cases of animal abuse do not carry stiff fines and/or jail sentences, this abuser was sentenced to nine years and six months for his crime. Now, in Barbados, a sentence like that would be in keeping with a crime like manslaughter.
More on the story is Here
Years ago, one of the vets I go to with my dogs, was talking about one of his dogs with the unusual name “Face” and I asked him about the name. It was a Pit Bull whom someone had found, his face ripped open and his body torn and battered from a dog fight. The vet took him, treated him and stitched up his cuts and then said that the dog was so ugly as parts of his ear had been torn out and he was really battered, that he did not think he could find a home for him. And he kept the dog at his home and said the dog was docile with him and his family and always appeared grateful.
Tags: dog abuse, dog cruelty
