Pit bulls have a reputation for being aggressive dogs, making many families leary about raising a pit bull with small children in the same home. One hero pit bull puppy may change some minds about what many say is a misconception, that all pit bull dogs are monsters.
The New York Post reports – A hero pit bull puppy saved a baby girl and her family from a nearby fire that spread to their home, according to the child’s mother.
Just before midnight on June 3, Sasha, an 8-month-old pit bull, alerted the sleeping family to danger by barking and banging on the door of their Stockton, California, rental, according to Fox 40.
Nana Chaichanhda opened the door to see why the dog was yelping and behaving strangely. Before she even realized her cousin’s building in her fourplex was on fire, Sasha barged through the door and ran into 7-month-old Masailah’s room.
“She had already had my baby by the diaper and was dragging her off the bed,” Chaichanhda said.
Chaichanhda said she isn’t surprised that Sasha rushed to her youngest daughter’s aid. The pair has a special bond and even bathe together, she told KCRA.
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Nicholas Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at Tufts University’s school of veterinary medicine and author of “Dogs Behaving Badly,” claims “Different breeds tend to have different biting styles.” Pit bull terriers are a cross between English bulldogs, which were bred in the 1800s to fight bulls and bears with tenacious bites to the snout, and terriers, known for speed and agility. The combination produced dogs that deliver a “crushing bite” and don’t let go, Dodman says.
That helps explain why pit bulls often lead the pack in biting humans, according to media reports analyzing records from various city and county animal control departments.
Most mauling victims are children, with boys substantially outnumbering girls in injuries and deaths, a statistic that “strongly indicates that human behavior plays a major role in dog-bite injuries,” according to University of Pennsylvania researchers.
Many dog experts say such attacks are aberrations spurred by irresponsible owners who train or torture the dogs to be mean.
Aggressive dogs aren’t born that way. Mean dogs frequently aren’t properly socialized as puppies. They also likely have been abused or starved well into adulthood. People choose Pit Bulls for dog-fighting simply because they’re a strong and large breed – not because they’re monsters.
