It’s wrong to stereotype a dog by its breed. Their behavior is more about the way they’re raised than their genetic makeup… but that hasn’t stopped many dogs from suffering from a bad image.
Pit bulls in particular have long a bad reputation for being vicious and aggressive. It’s had a real negative impact: pit bulls are the most-common dog breed in dog shelters.
But they don’t deserve it. Most pit bulls are as sweet as any other dog, and can be good with kids and other animals and are loyal to their owners.
One police officer saw firsthand how people stereotype these dogs, after one “arrest” changed his whole perception.
In 2018, the Texarkana Texas Police Department got a call about a “vicious dog” on the loose nearby. Officer Travis Frost responded, and found the dog laying on someone’s lawn. Based on the call, he naturally expected the dog would chase or attack him.
“Travis said that he left the door of his patrol unit open so he could quickly jump back in if the dog was vicious and came after him,” an officer wrote.
The dog did run towards him… however, he was happily wagging his tail. The officer was able to pet the dog, who gladly accepted his help.
The dog jumped in the patrol car, happily taking the front seat.
Officer Frost was no doubt relieved how easy this mission now was: he and the dog got along like old friends, taking photos together. The dog enjoyed the ride, looking out the window.
But there was a lesson here: Frost realized that someone automatically assumed this dog was “vicious” because of how he looked, and felt bad such a sweet dog was stereotyped by his breed.
“While you should always be careful around any dog that you don’t know, you shouldn’t automatically assume that all pit bulls are bad dogs,” Officer Frost said, according to a Facebook post.
“They might be really loving like this guy was this morning.”
Luckily, everything worked out for this pit bull: it turns out, he has a family of his own, and had just gotten out.
The owner did microchip the dog, but the information was out of date, making it harder to find them. But soon, he was picked up at the local animal care center.
It’s clear that this dog has a caring owner who raised and trained him right, which the most important thing.
Thank you to this officer for getting this dog back home safe and sound, and sharing this important story: pit bulls aren’t vicious just for being pit bulls.
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