Lucky girl

How great it is to hear that a badly injured pit bull, Bitsy, found a home for Thanksgiving. Pit bulls can definitely bounce back quickly from injuries. Whoever plunged a hunting knife into that dog's head belongs with Michael Vick. It's wonderful that Bitsy even survived. I know her new owners must be grateful.

'We have a real soft spot in our hearts for pit bulls,' Chris Rabold said. 'They get such the bad rap. But we would have adopted her even if it was a daschund.'

Speaking of Vick, many of his dogs are getting ready for adoption while he's behind bars on Thanksgiving. Good riddance.

Canine experts say one reason pit bulls are such good fighters is that their desire to please their owners is so strong they will do whatever is asked of them.

Sad but true. At least the head-trauma pit bull and the pit bulls that Michael Vick didn't kill are getting second chances. Maybe this will encourage more people to open their hearts to these sweet dogs who just want to please.

AKM

When tiny dogs go bad!

Attack of the killer chihuahua! Teacup poodle mauls children, labeled dangerous! Those headlines never make it to the newspapers. If only. My point is simple: There are other breeds that bite. Often. Yes, little Toto from "The Wizard of Oz" could have been a monstrous creature, yet no one would ever suspect it. On the other hand, walk a pit bull down a sidewalk, and people think of fighters and walk in the other direction. In Wisconsin, at least, there's a humane officer who acknowledges that most of the biters he comes in contact in his job are not pit bulls; they are the beloved tiny breeds and sometimes playful labs. He also says that bites often occur from accidental (though sometimes intentional) provoking by children and adults who don't know better.

'A lot of our bite cases are kids teasing the dog or playing with the dog too rough and just not knowing the tools to prevent the dog bites,' Officer Wiza said. . . . Officer Wiza says it’s not the stereotypical pit bulls or rottweilers that are to blame for most dog bite cases, but rather labs and little toy dogs that bite people the most.

If that isn't enough, I've heard several veterinarians say that they've seen nasty bites from chihuahuas and Chows. (Chows generally bite the most out the breeds, but I won't speak for all of them.) Of course, only the pit-bull bites make the news. I do understand that bigger dogs cause bigger wounds. Still, people in the journalism field should know better than to accept such blatant attacks and stereotypes without questioning and researching. Of course the power of the media is huge, and of course a lot of people will believe anything they read or see on TV. Some of those idiots are in the insurance business and charge huge fees for pit-bull owners. Thanks a lot. Get your facts straight before you judge, and keep your tiny dogs away from me if you're going to judge my pit bull.

AKM

Proud owners

Pit-bull lovers, unite! Take your bully breed and join a march or enter him/her in an agility course. No room will be made for negativity this time; this is all about other devoted owners striving to show the talented and sweet sides of their pit bulls. The majority of the negative news stories are the same: Some "pit bull" attacked someone. ALLEGEDLY. Those of us who are informed and not naive know that there are so many things wrong with those stories.

Now it's time to shine a light on the good things going on with pit bulls these days. Proud owners in Indianapolis marched with their pit bulls to show people the good nature of these dogs. Some dogs even wore Halloween costumes. (Mine would have worn her ladybug costume if she was there.)

And look -- positive stories about pit bulls in the news! That one's a great story.

Being mauled by a pit bull was painful. It felt like a whip slapping my legs. The mammoth dog whipped my thighs with anvil-like strength. It was his tail. I could have suffocated under the deluge of soggy kisses he forced on me, smack on my mouth.

And on the west coast, pit bulls and their owners are hard at work. I wonder how many people know that the strongest of the strongest pit bulls can pull up to 10,000 lbs. Come on -- that's impressive. They deserve to be able to show off their skills. Take a moment to scroll down to the end of the Coastal story and look at all the comments it's received. There's a full debate right there. The fearful ignorant and the proud informed.

Good pit-bull ownership. That's the theme at this Tennessee talent show. Watch the video too. Who wouldn't want to watch the great feats these dogs can do and want to do? It's not like these dogs are bragging -- we proud parents are. Good riddance, pit-bull haters; our dogs can pull tons and then play with kittens the next minute. What cat or chihuahua can do that?

AKM